# Low vs High Output Humbuckers In A High Gain Setting



## MetalHex (May 24, 2019)

Does a bridge humbucker with lower output into a boosted, high gain amp = more note clarity/definition, for chugs, and chords? Leads?

I was thinking about Yngwie and how he has figured out early on (or borrowed the idea from someone) that using low output pickups into a cranked marshall with a cranked OD pedal gave him his glorious clear, bell-like tone in his early days. 

I know its a completely different setup and all, and he wasnt thinking chasing high gain metal tones, but I wonder if this would apply to heavy metal. I would hazard to guess that you could still do close to, if not full on face melting chugs with low output buckers.

I would also hazard to guess that alot of people would have the mentallity of, "I want to play metal so therefore I need the hottest pickups with the highest out possible". (Maybe they think they need to absolute hottest tubes too). This will probably get them the sound they want, but, I'm very curious to hear how low output pickups would fare in this situation versus high output pickups. Not that I am trying to achieve a certain tone or anything, but just morbid curiosity.


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## Jason B (May 24, 2019)

Edit: Went off on a rant. Someone else will explain diplomatically.


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## Xaeldaren (May 24, 2019)

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, too, and I'd love for someone more experienced to chime in.

I'm looking at pickup choices for my first 7-string, and I really don't know what's best for tightness and clarity, something low output or going the complete opposite and going for the Fishman Fluence Moderns, which are supposedly massively high output. My gut tells me I want lower output, since I pick very hard, but I literally have no idea.


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## _MonSTeR_ (May 24, 2019)

Years and years ago, when there wasn’t the amount of erg gear available that there is today, loads of folks would swap the neck and bridge pickups on their Ibanez Universes around so the lower output pickup with more treble was at the bridge. The idea was that it gave a clearer signal to the boost that usually went into a dual recto and thus gave clearer but still heavily distorted sounds...


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## waffles (May 24, 2019)

Just my two cents: For home recording/jamming/rehearsals, I guess it would really depend on your setup and the sound that you want to achieve.

For live situations, you may need to plug into amps, poweramps, or PAs where you will need to adjust the volume and other settings a bit (or more!) depending on your needs and the equipment at hand (even if you brought your own amp/cab). All that talk on internet forums about character/emotion/warmth/cold/etc. in a pickup would usually go out the window. Most of the time, your concern is to make do with the equipment at hand to get the best tone you can possibly get because it just doesn't sound like the tone that you so carefully tweaked at home or during your rehearsals. At this point, I will want something consistent that will give me confidence that I have a perfectly-usable tone that is clear and recognizable enough for the audience. Hence, I choose an active EMG pickup (81-7 or 707).


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## odibrom (May 24, 2019)

About 1 year and a half ago I asked a local builder for lower output pickups for my 7s, I was feeling my DiMarzios unclear at certain positions / chords in the fretboard, so after some talk with him, we managed to find some in-between solution for what I was after tone wise. The pickups are AlNiCo 5 with medium output (can' say the DC resistance at the moment) and some wire gauge and winding technique experiments. They came out pretty nice sounding, lot of more clarity to play with. I also found that, due to the lower output, I could get the pre-amp's (mesa boogie Triaxis) gain higher before getting the break up tones. Having the Gain higher in the clean tones have LOTS more valve compression and actually helped my playing, I need less effort to make the notes pop out and so on. On the overdriven tones, one just needs to level up the drive/gain settings a bit to compensate. Personally, I can still have crushing tones under my fingers.

Then, there's the known fact that in order to get more articulation / clarity, one should lower the gain and raise the output volume. Having lower output pickups help in this.

Then, there's also the pick and pick attack, how each one of us attack the strings, how hard and obviously the pick material. These variables interfere a LOT with the amp's dynamics and therefore, how the pickup translates the player's performance.

There are so many minimal variables with huge effect that it's very hard to say what is best and what not. Be sure, however, that someone uneducated in the subject won't notice the difference whatsoever.

So, my 2 cent conclusion is, Yes, lower output pickup can still deliver metal, though adjustments must be made to the rig settings...


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## Edika (May 24, 2019)

I don't have that much experience with low output pickups and while I use high output pickups I try not to have ones that are over the top. My only experience with low output pickups where the Gibson Burstbucker Pro set and while they sounded clear they also sounded super thin. I had to push the gain on the high gain amps which introduced more fizz to the sound. While there where more dynamics the sound was a bit unrefined and raw in a bad sense. Another pickup that might be considered mid-low output is the Dimarzio ionizer. Super clear but anemic and lifeless for my taste.

Now my regular setup I use a guitar with high output pickups, I back up the gain on the amp and boost with a Maxon TS808. Everything still sounds clear but saturated and full for metal.


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## diagrammatiks (May 24, 2019)

It depends on the tone your going for.


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## Strobe (May 24, 2019)

It kind of doesn't matter for high gain. The EQ profile of the pick up matters more. It's easier to get clarity out of the lower output stuff and easy to get a thick sound out of the higher output stuff, but you can make up most of the difference with amp settings. Either one can do it. It more comes down to what kind of character you want in the very high end and low end.


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## efiltsohg (May 24, 2019)

both have their uses, and in the age of boosting & modern high gain amps, the EQ characteristics of the pickup make a bigger difference than the output (throw an eq pedal in front and it doesn't matter at all)


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## MrWulf (May 24, 2019)

At one point I tried to use a PAF7 set and even though i boosted with an 805 in front of a Mesa Boogie/5153 LBX it sound rather weak. So now all of my pickups are high gain because i'd like to slam the front end hard by itself. Clarity and articulation isn't really an issue as most of my guitar are maple neckthrough so they are inherently bright enough to not making it muddy.


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## jarledge (May 24, 2019)

for the longest time I was in to higher output pickups until i got a lace alumitone/dethbucker 6 string set. I have had an x-bar/dethbar in my dc800 for years now, and I recently installed guitarmory foxbats in my other dc800. They are phenomenal as well. They aren't high output and are very articulate and clear. Split they are amazing, and the inner coils together get me pretty close to the AAL thump style tone. 

A couple of years back I got a dissonant aggressor set for another 6 string. Again not high output but very aggressive mids (almost like a dimarzio fred) . Didn't dig them with standard tuning but I dropped that guitar to C and those pickups were phenomenal for clarity and articulation. So much so that they almost have an active pickup like quality but with way better dynamics. 

having lower output pickups doesn't push the front end of your tube amp as hard. to me that is a good thing because most amps already have enough gain and chances are you have an OD pedal to assist with pushing the front end if needed. If you play cleans at all, the lower output will keep them cleaner as well. 

either way I have moved to lower output pickups on my 8 strings. There is more clarity sensitivity.


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## LeviathanKiller (May 24, 2019)

Having used a variety of pickups varying in different levels of output I say my preference is somewhere in the middle to high-middle area. The super hot pickups I've had weren't as clear and sometimes had other unpleasant things in the sound like too much fizz. The lower output stuff was kinda a pain to have to boost everything so much compared to my medium-output sets. The clarity was great actually but may have been too much actually. In middle/medium to medium-hot range output range, you're still able to do cleans fairly well, use a compressor to get them super pristine, and use a slight boost for your high gain metal stuff. They end up being the most versatile and easy to work with. They have good clarity but also a strong cohesiveness and impact.


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## tedtan (May 24, 2019)

Strobe said:


> It kind of doesn't matter for high gain. The EQ profile of the pick up matters more. It's easier to get clarity out of the lower output stuff and easy to get a thick sound out of the higher output stuff, but you can make up most of the difference with amp settings. Either one can do it. It more comes down to what kind of character you want in the very high end and low end.



This.


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## MetalHex (May 24, 2019)

jarledge said:


> most amps already have enough gain



Not the [email protected] Grandmeister 40  more on that later..


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## bostjan (May 24, 2019)

I tried a PAF7 once. Not my thing. This whole low output=clarity does make sense to me, honestly. It's all about the EQ of the pickup and how it interacts with your amp, IME. I've personally always been a fan of direct wired super hot pups into a high gain tube amp. I think the breakup on the first gain stage sounds the best. Everyone's opinion on this is different, though.


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## Chris Bowsman (May 27, 2019)

I have a '62 LP/SG with real PAFs. It sounds good with my heavy setup, but the guitars with EMG 85, Imperium, Ionizer, and HFS all sound better. Just depends on what you like.


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## Hollowway (May 28, 2019)

It would be cool to have someone who knows a lot about electrical engineering or whatever to help us out here. I’ve got the same question, and I’ve got enough guitars that I’ve experimented all the way from low output pickups to pups so hot they make clean sounds impossible. But, I can’t say with certainty what is clearest, once I’ve adjusted the amp to compensate for output. It’s one of those things that I think may be different, all other things being equal, but we don’t leave other things equal, and end up compensating by adjusting the amp. And we can’t trust pickup manufacturers to know the answer, because they aren’t likely doing to do a bunch of “studies” to parse out the differences. Instead they’ll do mostly marketing based on the variables they can easily test and control, like EQ curves, etc.


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## Jason B (May 28, 2019)

The less you know, there’s a product for it. There are more guitar products all the time.


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## USMarine75 (May 28, 2019)

Hollowway said:


> It would be cool to have someone who knows a lot about electrical engineering or whatever to help us out here. I’ve got the same question, and I’ve got enough guitars that I’ve experimented all the way from low output pickups to pups so hot they make clean sounds impossible. But, I can’t say with certainty what is clearest, once I’ve adjusted the amp to compensate for output. It’s one of those things that I think may be different, all other things being equal, but we don’t leave other things equal, and end up compensating by adjusting the amp. And we can’t trust pickup manufacturers to know the answer, because they aren’t likely doing to do a bunch of “studies” to parse out the differences. Instead they’ll do mostly marketing based on the variables they can easily test and control, like EQ curves, etc.



Well, from a purely technical standpoint... ready?

1. The pickup converts acoustic waves (sound) to an electrical signal for processing by the amplifier (color, tone, dirt, amplification, etc), then converted back to an acoustic wave by the speakers so you can hear it. The electrical signal is a nice pretty sinusoidal wave:







2. Amps have a natural threshold (max output) they can amplify the signal before even a pure clean signal distorts (think of it hitting the roof and distorting). How high you can crank the amp before this happens is called the headroom:






3. The term "clipping" with your overdrive, dirt pedal, or amplifier refers to how it mangles this clean signal - how it clips off the top and bottom. This new wave is your distorted signal. The two ways this happens is either your dirt section chops off the top/bottom, or you "overdrive" the input until the top/bottom naturally distorts, hitting that roo (picture + and - Vcc as the roofs):







4. Distortion can also process your signal into a different wave form (think fuzz or HM2!), but we'll save that for another day:






5. There's also many different *types *of clipping... soft where you modify the peaks (think Chicago Blues), and hard where you just chop it off (think Infant Annihilator):









Hard clipping is also why you hear the term "compression", because the signal has been compressed, since the tops were all cut off and made the same height (think if some peaks were initially higher than others due to picking dynamics). Now all your notes have the same volume.


6. You can also split the signal top and bottom apart run them through separate circuits and then back together. If you only distort (chop off) one side, or use different circuits to clip each side, then it is assymetrical clipping. Cut top and bottom equally and it is symmetrical clipping (sorry hard to read below):





7. So? What does this have to do with pickups?

Well, with all that said... A lower gain pickup has more headroom, so when it is amplified it doesn't start to cause any clipping of its own (it doesn't hit the roof and it doesn't mangle the clean signal). That means the processed, finished signal will be truer to whatever the distortion (and FX) are trying to accomplish with that waveform. Versus a hot pickup that drives the amp with an already distorted signal, even on the clean channel. Then, when you apply dirt you are distorting an already distorted signal. Think of running that clipped wave above and trying to clip it again (and again). Sometimes this is good! Which is why stacked overdrives (TS and a Bluesbreaker!) or dirt in front of an amp already at breakup (TS+Marshall) sound so good. But sometimes if you're pushing an already distorted signal into a distortion circuit it will sound gross (try a dirt pedal into a 5150 dirty lead channel... yuck). So maybe a dirty pickup (high gain) into a given dirty amp will sound good? Maybe a cleaner pickup would sound better, hence low/mid gain? So the answer after all this is... *it depends*!

Because? This is why so many people have keyed on EQ being so important. That is why a hot pickup that has an EQ profile of Bass 8, Mids 5, Treble 6 would sound gross with modern high gain and the bass not REALLY rolled off with amp EQ and a boost in front to further roll of the lows. That hot signal, amplified in signal, is going to smash the roof and distort already. Then you add dirt to that dirty wave and yuck... mud. So a pickup with EQ of Bass 4, Mids 5, Treble 5 would sound better with those same amp settings. So, you can see there's several ways to get _there_, and good tone is in the ear of the beholder. I prefer low/mid, because I can do anything I want to that signal. But if the signal is already distorted, I can't fix that. Then again... backing the pickup away from the strings (or moving it closer) will also change the perceived output of the pickup.

Also, now you see why some pickups naturally compress more than others. Its because the signal tops are cut off, so you lose dynamics but get more of a liquidy feeling in return.

So?

tl;dr If you got this far... I just wanted to post nerd graphs. lol


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## odibrom (May 28, 2019)

... @USMarine75 you're just missing some sound samples on that post...


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## Carl Kolchak (May 28, 2019)

Before getting lost in the pickup swap swamp, try introducing a tube screamer and or a Boss SD-1 and an EQ into your signal chain first.


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## TedEH (May 28, 2019)

USMarine75 said:


> Amps have a natural threshold (max output) they can amplify the signal before even a pure clean signal distorts (think of it hitting the roof and distorting)


While the information posted is mostly the right idea, I'm not sure that in reality it's quite as explained. Unless you have VERY hot pickups, or a poorly designed input on your amp, I would imagine that the amp itself is not really clipping the way this suggests. Consider the following scenarios:
- If you're using an interface and amp sim, your gain staging to avoid input signal clipping will negate all of the above.
- If you're using a boost pedal, unless you're clipping the input of the pedal, you're again negating all of the above with your pedals level knob (probably on purpose to drive the amp input harder) because the output of the pedal determines what goes into the amp, not the pickups.
- If you plug directly into a tube-based preamp, it's not going to hard clip, and my understanding tends to be that people want this stage to be distorted - thus the use of boosts, etc.

I mean, a lower output pickup might sound different, but not directly because the level of output is higher/lower. We do so much staging of gain levels that negate the majority of that difference. Without reaaaaally knowing better, I would assume that whatever other properties lead to the lower output level are also what leads to the differences in tone.


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## MetalHex (May 28, 2019)

From what i gather then at least when it comes to cleans, is low output pickups will remain undistorted for longer at higher volumes(?)


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## TedEH (May 28, 2019)

I mean, we're sort of talking about a whole bunch of different things at the same time that vaguely fit into the topic of gain staging. Will low output pickups give you more headroom before you distort whatever you plug them into? Technically yes, but not if you've boosted it before that point, and to a lesser degree if you're using a bunch of gain before the stage you're talking about. Whether or not you clip at the input of the amp is going to have nothing to do with your final volume. Distorting at high volume is either your power section distorting or your speakers. They're similar, but not really the same thing. And not all of them apply all the time.


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## MetalHex (May 28, 2019)

But for someone whos main priority is searching for the best cleans, it might behoove them to start their journey with using low output pickups as their foundation


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## TedEH (May 28, 2019)

Fair, but the thread _did_ start by asking about high gain sounds.



MetalHex said:


> Does a bridge humbucker with lower output into a boosted, high gain amp = more note clarity/definition, for chugs, and chords? Leads?


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## MetalHex (May 28, 2019)

TedEH said:


> Fair, but the thread _did_ start by asking about high gain sounds.


Understood. I pretty much got my answer already, that EQ seems to be the most important factor in how a pickup will sound. So now I'm just thinking outloud about cleans.


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## efiltsohg (May 28, 2019)

TedEH said:


> I would imagine that the amp itself is not really clipping the way this suggests.



This is correct. All else being equal, the only difference a higher output pickup makes is there will be more clipping in the amp gain stage due to higher signal amplitude. So the same thing as boosting with an OD pedal

Any differences that pickups of the same general design (i.e. humbuckers for most people here) make can be completely counteracted or balanced out with OD, EQ and amp settings. I've said it before but most people could get the tone they want by putting in the time to adjust their equipment instead of constantly buying whatever is purported to be the next big thing

(EMGs still suck though)


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## Jason B (May 29, 2019)

Probably a waste, but I want to clarify/nitpick a few things:



USMarine75 said:


> A lower gain pickup has more headroom [...] backing the pickup away from the strings (or moving it closer) will also change the perceived output of the pickup [...] some pickups naturally compress more than others.



1. Pickups don’t have headroom - The amp does. Don’t buy a pickup based on it promising headroom.

2. The placement of the pickup concerning distance from strings and position along scale length affects the _output_ - Not the _perceived_ output. Don’t buy a pickup based on it promising to sound like a weaker or stronger one. It is only as weak or strong as the current the player induces with factors the pickup cannot possibly account for.

3. Passive pickups are incapable of compressing their own signal. Your amp working to process a hot signal causes the signal to degrade in a way that you either like or you don’t. Don’t buy a pickup based on reviews of it being compressed - That person may not be using your amp.

TL;DR: Most of the conclusions we jump to in the course of auditioning a pickup are to do with taking how well it plays with the input stage of an amp and blaming the pickup for how the amp handles a weak/hot signal. Mitigating/compensating for this can be an eye-opening reappraisal of a pickup.



efiltsohg said:


> All else being equal, the only difference a higher output pickup makes is there will be more clipping in the amp gain stage due to higher signal amplitude. So the same thing as boosting with an OD pedal
> 
> Any differences that pickups of the same general design (i.e. humbuckers for most people here) make can be completely counteracted or balanced out with OD, EQ and amp settings. I've said it before but most people could get the tone they want by putting in the time to adjust their equipment instead of constantly buying whatever is purported to be the next big thing



^This.


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## Sogradde (May 29, 2019)

I think it's a bit more complex than clipping or no clipping. What we refer to as "clarity" is a very subjective mixture of output, EQ curve, note separation, volume differences between strings, etc...

Additionally you have to consider the PU height, electronic circuit, guitar construction, wood type and stiffness (if you're a tonewood guy)... Pickup output is one of many possible adjustments you have to consider to ensure clarity but certainly not the only one.


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## wakjob (May 29, 2019)

I always wondered why someone hasn't invented the pickup that already has the TubeScreamer cooked right into the pickup design/voice. One less thing in the signal chain.

That said, most of my pickups are low to medium output.
And when I grab my couple of guitars that have hotter pickups, it's like a relief to play so effortlessly. No more fighting the guitar to coax tone/technique. And I usually keep the p/u further away from the strings than most people would.

But, if the lowly Duncan '59 bridge is good enough for some deathmetal bands, it's good enough for me. Amps have WAY more clipping/gain/saturation than is needed these days.


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## MetalHex (May 29, 2019)

wakjob said:


> I always wondered why someone hasn't invented the pickup that already has the TubeScreamer cooked right into the pickup design/voice. One less thing in the signal chain



Why stop there? They should put a noise gate right into that pickup too.

Seriously though, you would definitly need a gate in any sitiation playing a guitar with a pickup like that. Unless they can make it so the boost is switchable.


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## gunch (May 29, 2019)

wakjob said:


> I always wondered why someone hasn't invented the pickup that already has the TubeScreamer cooked right into the pickup design/voice. One less thing in the signal chain.



EMG 81


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## Jason B (May 29, 2019)

wakjob said:


> I always wondered why someone hasn't invented the pickup that already has the TubeScreamer cooked right into the pickup design/voice. One less thing in the signal chain.



Though not exactly that, such a thing already exists (eg. https://www.guitarfetish.com/Onboard-Tube-Distortion-COMPLETE-installation-Kit_p_94.html). Bear in mind that the TS is an active circuit. A passive distortion (such as the black ice or other “two diodes marked up 40,000%”) circuit will not sound anything like what you’re imagining, though. So whether it’s built into the pickup casing or not, it’s “one more thing in the signal chain” whether it’s inside or outside the guitar. Guess which the market-majority prefers.


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## USMarine75 (May 30, 2019)

wakjob said:


> I always wondered why someone hasn't invented the pickup that already has the TubeScreamer cooked right into the pickup design/voice. One less thing in the signal chain.



Not quite just involving the pickup, but at least making it so you can just plug guitar into amp without using a bunch of pedals:

This did okay... in 1979:











The "AxeFX of guitars" did not fare so well lol...


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## TedEH (May 30, 2019)

gunch said:


> EMG 81


I have, on several occasions, described EMGs as "a boost you can't turn off". I still think it's accurate. Seems to be the same story with most actives I've tried, even though actives don't _have_ to be so hot. It's still why I prefer passives 90% of the time.


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## Zoobiedood (May 30, 2019)

Amps have been built with the TS built in. I don't think I'd want it in a guitar, even if is my only source of gain.


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## Konfyouzd (May 30, 2019)

wakjob said:


> I always wondered why someone hasn't invented the pickup that already has the TubeScreamer cooked right into the pickup design/voice. One less thing in the signal chain.



You're talking like a bass player. Get the fuck out...


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## odibrom (May 30, 2019)

TedEH said:


> I have, on several occasions, described EMGs as "a boost you can't turn off". I still think it's accurate. Seems to be the same story with most actives I've tried, even though actives don't _have_ to be so hot. It's still why I prefer passives 90% of the time.



I like passives because of the crazy combinations one can make with the coils. Those combinations simply cannot be done with actives... and one can always add a boost to the passives' signal to make them "active".


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## wakjob (May 30, 2019)

Jason B said:


> Though not exactly that, such a thing already exists (eg. https://www.guitarfetish.com/Onboard-Tube-Distortion-COMPLETE-installation-Kit_p_94.html). Bear in mind that the TS is an active circuit. A passive distortion (such as the black ice or other “two diodes marked up 40,000%”) circuit will not sound anything like what you’re imagining, though. So whether it’s built into the pickup casing or not, it’s “one more thing in the signal chain” whether it’s inside or outside the guitar. Guess which the market-majority prefers.



Yeah, I'm aware of those circuits...

I was thinking of a straight pickup design, no added parts. Just tight bass, a mid hump, and hot.

Of course, it would only be useful to those that have their boost pedals set to always on.

I'd also add that most low output pickups are voice too vintage along with a looser fuller bottom end. That's why I like the Humbucker From Hell and/or the EJ set. Even my GFS Mean 90's (P90 in a bucker form) has way too much bloat on the lows.


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## TedEH (May 30, 2019)

wakjob said:


> I was thinking of a straight pickup design, no added parts. Just tight bass, a mid hump, and hot.


That still sounds like EMG to me.


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## waffles (May 30, 2019)

EMGs rule...and I've heard all the 'EMG's are cold/sterile/no soul/no character/sounds the same in every guitar' comments.

EMG 81 is still the tightest and most-consistent sounding pickup to my ears. Perfect for straightforward, all-out metal.


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## PunkBillCarson (May 31, 2019)

waffles said:


> EMGs rule...and I've heard all the 'EMG's are cold/sterile/no soul/no character/sounds the same in every guitar' comments.
> 
> EMG 81 is still the tightest and most-consistent sounding pickup to my ears. Perfect for straightforward, all-out metal.




This.

If pure fucking metal is all you're looking for, it's hard to beat an EMG 81. That said, I'm sticking with my Black Winters, and with THAT said I will own a guitar one day that has EMG's in it again.


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## 8STRINGS (May 31, 2019)

Waveforms, and technical data aside- my thoughts on pickups are very simple:

I can make any pup that sounds great clean, sound great with distortion. 

Low output pickups sound the best clean hands down. That’s why I love Lollar and Fralin pickups. My fav Lollar is his lollartron and that thing is like 5k. Sounds good through my old sunn model T doom style, or through an axe fx it can djent. (Seriously)


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## MAJ Meadows SF (Jun 4, 2019)

waffles said:


> EMGs rule...and I've heard all the 'EMG's are cold/sterile/no soul/no character/sounds the same in every guitar' comments.
> 
> EMG 81 is still the tightest and most-consistent sounding pickup to my ears. Perfect for straightforward, all-out metal.



There are things you lose and gain with EMGs or active pickups. I've grown away from them for many reasons, except I dig several of the newer models. I've said my share of detracting things about them, but FWIW, many of our all time favorite bands and records were recorded with them. "Cold/sterile/no soul/no character" etc actually sounds nihilistic-ally metal as all hell. They have their place, and they certainly do still kick ass.


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## Lindmann (Jun 4, 2019)

I once made a test regarding the signal amplitude going into the amplifier.
Prior to reamping some of my di guitar tracks through a 6505 I fiddled with the "level" dial on my reamping-box.
The "level" at the reamping box represented the hotness of a guitar pickup.

So I tried these two options:
a) low output at the reamping-box, high gain-settings at the amp
b) high output at the reaming-box, low gain-settings at the amp.
The aim was to achieve the same amount of distortion.

The result was that both options sounded the same.
The only difference was that option a) left me with a higher noise floor due to the higher gain-settings.
So my verdict was that I would prefer higher output pickups for the sake of beeing able to dial the gain back a little.

I believe that the difference in tone that people are refering to when comparing high vs low output pickups goes back to the fact that low-output pickups are voiced differently. Less agressive, more percussive (if you don't mind this little blanket statement...I know it is not true in every case). So what you are hearing is EQ differencens that are not related to the output amplitude.


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## LeviathanKiller (Jun 4, 2019)

Lindmann said:


> I once made a test regarding the signal amplitude going into the amplifier.
> Prior to reamping some of my di guitar tracks through a 6505 I fiddled with the "level" dial on my reamping-box.
> The "level" at the reamping box represented the hotness of a guitar pickup.
> 
> ...



It is winding differences. Not just output. Because my sets boosted externally still aren't the same as higher output pickups naturally.


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## Drew (Jun 5, 2019)

MetalHex said:


> Understood. I pretty much got my answer already, that EQ seems to be the most important factor in how a pickup will sound. So now I'm just thinking outloud about cleans.


Though, to add another wrinkle into this... 

...in my experience (which is definitely NOT exhaustive, but over the years I've played a fair number of high, medium, and low output pickups) the higher the output of a pickup, the more "focused" the EQ curve of that pickup tends to be, whereas lower output pickups _generally_ don't have a pronounced peak or narrow filtered band, and tend to sound more balanced and "open." 

Under high gain, that can become both a blessing and a curse. I hated the DActivator, for example, becuase under moderate amounts of distortion it sounded kind of bright and thin and wimpy (even though it was very hot), whereas more of a PAF style pickup wasn't as hot but was covering a broader frequency area so it would sound "bigger" and thicker. Turn the gain up some more, though, and the PAF style pickup would get sludgy and muddy, while the DActivator would remain articulate and defined. 

Again, this is almost certainly not true in every instance... But an awful lot of the hotter pickups I've tried over the years seem to be fairly "pushed" in a particular frequency range, while lower output ones seem to often be more balanced and neutral.


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