whats with people hating bright p'ups?

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.

I'm close to that. But the bridge pup on my Strat is really high output. A lot of the time for my own stuff and other songs I play I have the TBX on 10 with the bridge pup and amp tone:
T: 9
M: 5-6
B: 7

Sounds great to me!! I keep that EQ when I play my Tele too, which I usually play Bridge up with TBX half way between detent and full treble.
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

EMG81 and EMG60, Bright and brighter. Bright is good. Low end on guitar is vastly overused. Let the Bassist handle the lows. I'll take the mids at around 750hz to 800hz along with the highs over low end any day :)
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

I LIKE bright. . . Basically, if I have one darker sounding pickup, I like the other to be brighter. In fact, that's also why I add the TBX control. . . more stringiness.

An APH-1 with more top end stringiness would be nice, though. . .

Brett
 
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.

I think that's the biggest issue right there. We listen for what's a good sound but don't have the capacity alot of times to be able to put it in context with the band behind you.

Pickups I thought would kill in the bridge position just got lost. it's not that they weren't good pickups, they just weren't right for that situation.

As much as I appreciate bright to me it needs to be in context with the neck pickup, which I do tend to like a little warm and thick sounding. On my Telecaster I have a Little 59' in the bridge and it was the first pickup that I feel really suited the Swamp Ash body and maple neck. Everything else was just way too bright and never sat right in the mix for me.
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

I think that's the biggest issue right there. We listen for what's a good sound but don't have the capacity alot of times to be able to put it in context with the band behind you.

Pickups I thought would kill in the bridge position just got lost. it's not that they weren't good pickups, they just weren't right for that situation.

As much as I appreciate bright to me it needs to be in context with the neck pickup, which I do tend to like a little warm and thick sounding. On my Telecaster I have a Little 59' in the bridge and it was the first pickup that I feel really suited the Swamp Ash body and maple neck. Everything else was just way too bright and never sat right in the mix for me.

Asking from your personal experence...

If a pickup cuts very well when recorded and un-tampered with, is it likely to cut good when used live?
 
Re: whats with people hating bright p'ups?

if it kind of has a slight sting to your ears it will cut enough live, JB has enough cut if you were playing in a mine shaft 4 miles under ground...you will never get lost in a mix, which i love...friggin awsome, but it doesnt need to be that crazy just when listening make sure it has a slight sting in the treble if you want your leads to come out or if the bottom is defined enough fo rhythm, do this heavily distorted and insanely clean and see what it sounds like.
 
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