whats with people hating bright p'ups?

Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

ratherdashing said:
Bingo. Correct answer.

I don't understand the guitarist mentality that a pickup has to sound PERFECT with the tone control dimed. I like a nice bright pickup that I can tame by rolling back the treble if I want to. It allows for a lot more versatility and gives me the ability to dial in the exact tone I want. $15 for a CTS pot and an Orange Drop cap costs a lot less than a new pickup, that's for sure.

I'll wager a week's pay that half the people who think their pickups are too bright have never touched their tone control.
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I like my tone controls dimed because I play live a lot and don't want to have to look down there all the time or worry where that sucker is. I just roll it and the volume all the way up and go for it. I will roll the volume knob back when I'm trying to clean my solo sound up a hair for mellow passages, but otherwise I want everything wide open. Luckily, I have multi-channel amps with individual channel EQ's where I can set my tone. I don't like the muted/blanket sound that my guitars give with the tone rolled back. Only once in a blue moon if I'm looking for that jazzy Wes Montgomery clean sound or some sort of muted trumpet Miles Davis thing for leads. Pretty rare for me...
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

Zhangliqun said:
I like the PG because it has that 3D-ish sweet top I mentioned earlier. The 59 is a classic example of that 2D harshness to me. The Jazz is just razor thin, at least the neck version I tried was.
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Interesting. I thought that Jazz neck sounds clean but deep and 3d and that PG is more dirty with more bite.

Can someone confirm or deny this?
 
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Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

The good wood is gone. Current tubes suck.

As Zhang pointed out, there's good treble and bad treble. It's just getting good trebles from your rig is harder than it used to be.
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

Red_Label said:
I like my tone controls dimed because I play live a lot and don't want to have to look down there all the time or worry where that sucker is. I just roll it and the volume all the way up and go for it. I will roll the volume knob back when I'm trying to clean my solo sound up a hair for mellow passages, but otherwise I want everything wide open. Luckily, I have multi-channel amps with individual channel EQ's where I can set my tone. I don't like the muted/blanket sound that my guitars give with the tone rolled back. Only once in a blue moon if I'm looking for that jazzy Wes Montgomery clean sound or some sort of muted trumpet Miles Davis thing for leads. Pretty rare for me...
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If you can ride a volume knob, you can ride a tone knob...

I do all the time, I keep mine cranked for rythym then knock in down 3 notches for leads to mellow it out.
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

I love a nice bright sound. My mids are right near the top, the bass is usually at about one and the treble is at about 4 (which on my amp is more than enough), with a Custom 5 bridge. I love those bright slicing tones I can get with it, and I love all all of the bright humbuckers I've tried so far (especially the JB).

I dont mind that my tone, on it's own is lacking a little in the bass department, I'm not a bass player, they cover those *cough* basses.
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

its seems like guitar players today are trying to be bass and guitar in a single package. besides most nu metal people play like bass players anyways
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

fullfistrock21 said:
it seems like everyone today hates any pickup that has any cut. Is this due to the fact that now a days there is more bedroom rockers than band members? or is it because people play more with bright guitars like an ibanez or strat type guitars? most humbuckers seemed to have been designed with dark wood from les pauls in mind. all anybody wants anymore is bass and mids, ive even read reveiws where people say the custom is way bright and too thin, ! have the remedy stop buying guitars that use so much maple, alder, and ebony!
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You forgot swamp ash :p

You got to remember, not everyone has the same ears / taste. What is too bright and thin though? The Les Paul Custom? I'd disagree with that solely on the basis of mahogany body and neck with rosewood fretboard.

My dad, however, lost most of his high frequency hearing due to working around jet engines for a long time, so he could play an all-maple esquire with a vintage lead through a fender twin reverb with bright switch on and it would sound normal to him :D

I'll just say that not all ears / amps / pickups / guitars / strings / etc are the same. Maybe some of them were playing the guitar through krappy equipment.
 
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Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

Actually, sorry to repost, but I'll just tell you what I use and you tell me if my ears hate or love brights.

Usually, it's Fender Lite Ash Strat (maple neck & fretboard, swamp ash body, 3 x Alnico II Pro Staggered) with Boss ME-50 (usually no EQ is being done with it) and Fender Stagemaster 1000. I prefer to do EQ/volume with the guitar, so usually during rhythm parts it's VOL 7 TONE 5 and 5. During leads, VOL 10. The amp and pedals do no EQ: everything's the default 5 on the amp for EQ, etc. However, sometimes I go with all tones at 10 on the guitar, depending on how things sound. Rarely do I use the bridge by itself. Before, when I was a bit new to electric guitar, I kept volume and tone at 10 and wonder why sometimes certain upper register notes made people wince a bit.

However, with my Showmaster it's usually the same setup, but VOL 3-5 TONE 10. I need to get numbered knobs for it LOL but still....

Anyways, that's how my setup is, at least right now.
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

I'm a huge fan of bright pickups. If a pickup has no high end, its totally NOT for me. I can't deal with a muddy, midrange puking, bass farting pickup.

I'm also one of those types who doesn't believe the woods of a guitar affects a pickup's tonality to the degree that most feel it does either. But that's a totally different argument.
 
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Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

the thicker the wood of the neck and body make a big difference which is why, Ibanez guitars sound so bright the vibration of the strings dont have very much space to resonate through, combine the this with hard wood and it makes it bright. but ya I mean ive played the JB with 500k pots through a jackson soloist and it sounded great, if people want more bass they should play bass, electric guitar is made more for treble anyways and a bass is made more for bass...duh play a bass or a baritone guitar if all you want is massive bass.
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

rule of thumb, if it doesnt cut yur leads are going to be mush during a gig. cut and clarity are very important when soloing during a concert
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

I ahve found that what sounds good for bedroom levels can lack clarity live. I plan on sticking a D'activator in my carvin 7 string which is maple neck thru alder body/ quilt top ebony board. I have found i like haveing the clarity. I do get in the mood for a warmer bridge sound though. I have also notied when playing with other guitarists live many times i do better with modern channel than vintage but since i have switched that channel to solid state rectifier and run both 6l6s and el34s i get more clarity from the vintage channel on my recto.
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

I always found it peculiar the way people will give loads of advise on how to brighten a dark sounding guitar or darken a bright sounding guitar

I buy fat mahogany body guitars for a reason , and my favorites are loaded with a CC in the bridge of one and a Invader in the bridge of another
You guessed it..I prefer a dark sounding guitar I play metal on these things, a good trick to not getting lost in the mix is to have a bass player thay plays clean and with alot of punch ..... as for muddy? I cant imagine a SD pup sounding muddy I play dont play endless solos, but I love the singing tone of the CC the invader gets it done too solo boost i use a $25 Dann-o EQ slight boost to mids highs and level and it cuts thru fine
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

I remember my early guitar playing days - Strat with the bridge pup active, tone knob on 10, volume on 10, and amp's Treble on 10.

I like to think my ear has improved a bit since then.
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

I dont like bright pups... but that's becouse the kind of sound i'm into (and that would be BAD RELIGION)... but..." whats with people hating bright p'ups? " iunno.. I like the "bedroom players" theory... hehe... you are never alone when playing a dark pup (you dont need your bassist any longer). (just kiddin)
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

It is funny how a dark pickup can be misleading, in the bedroom it can knock you out of yur seat then you get on stage and you turn into mush. High volumes can turn you into mush too not just the addition of other players, trying a pickup when your volume and gain is dimed can tell you alot about what yur pickup can handle and its dynamics.
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

I'm a single coil convert. I like clarity in a pickup nowa days. I also think that guys that have been playing for many many years, ofton naturally get a meatier and sweeter tone.

A brighter and clearer pickup usually sounds better on a recording play back, or in a live mix. A lot better.
 
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