# Guitar/Pickup Sample Idea



## JBroll (Aug 3, 2007)

I know we have a lot of discussions on how different pickups sound and how they relate to one another in different woods, but few people have the same gear and there aren't a lot of people who can hear what a Blaze through a Mesa would sound like and instantly know what a Blaze through their 5150 is going to be like. On top of that, since different people go for totally different sounds on their amps it's hard to know how something would sound with a middy crunch when listening to a gained, scooped grind. 

I doubt we can get a standardized amp setup for all clips around here, so I had a different idea for how we could get a better idea of how different pickups sounded - would it be possible to have a section of the forum, or a 'suggestion' in the pickups section, where people posted clean and unprocessed samples of guitar and pickup comparisons so that everyone could run the signal through their own chain and thus have a more objective comparison?

Jeff


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## Thomas (Aug 3, 2007)

I don't think an entire section is necessary -- a single thread in the tech category would do. Also, there needs to be some clear guidelines regarding information following the clips, like body wood, string gauge, pick gauge, pickup height, etc. to avoid wrong expectations.


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## Leon (Aug 3, 2007)

there are a ton of factors that determine tone. for some with good ears, there's even differences between two pickups of the same brand/model.

i think that if you're looking to totally change your sound, hearing a few clips is sufficient to get a good idea. if you want to tweak your sound, you're better off using words, and gathering suggestions as to how to tweak things out.


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## JBroll (Aug 3, 2007)

high-eye said:


> I don't think an entire section is necessary -- a single thread in the tech category would do. Also, there needs to be some clear guidelines regarding information following the clips, like body wood, string gauge, pick gauge, pickup height, etc. to avoid wrong expectations.



I should have said 'thread', now that I think about it, but I was basically looking for that - more details on how that sound happened and the ability to hear other people's guitars through the same setup over and over. A sticky thread or part of an existing pickup thread was what I was going for, I just never remember what those things are called.



Leon said:


> there are a ton of factors that determine tone. for some with good ears, there's even differences between two pickups of the same brand/model.



Yeah, but generally the differences between two pickups of the same model will be smaller than the differences between two entirely different models.



Leon said:


> i think that if you're looking to totally change your sound, hearing a few clips is sufficient to get a good idea. if you want to tweak your sound, you're better off using words, and gathering suggestions as to how to tweak things out.



That's a good point, but one man's 'thick' is another man's 'muddy'. I go for a lot of midrange and less bass, and hearing scooped clips doesn't indicate well the potential for a good mid sound. I agree with you totally but I think that having the clips all processed the same way, in a way that you're already familiar with - like your own setup - makes things even more precise. I really liked the sounds of the D Activator pickups when I heard clips here and there and I went for the bridge model right away based on the general idea of the clips, but it would have been even better if I had been able to run it through my own setup.

Jeff


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## Chris (Sep 3, 2007)

Thomas said:


> I don't think an entire section is necessary -- a single thread in the tech category would do. Also, there needs to be some clear guidelines regarding information following the clips, like body wood, string gauge, pick gauge, pickup height, etc. to avoid wrong expectations.





The best thing to do is something like this, with your own setup:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/se...ch/23644-tech-7-string-pickup-comparison.html


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## JBroll (Sep 3, 2007)

Yeah, I really can't afford to do that kind of thing... but that thread is helpful.

Jeff


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