Low - mid output humbuckers: Am I missing out?

C

Caca_Spaniel_123

Member
So I ended up fitting both of my guitars with extremely high output pups and I really like how these sound/feel.

PRS with Gibson.jpeg


A Fishman Modern (should have bought a gold one.. yikes) for my Gibson and a BKP ceramic Warpig for my singlecut.

Both guitars sound quite similar to each other. The Gibson has way more resonance and high end from the active circuitry, the PRS feels more natural. I'm tempted to get an alnico version of the Warpig as the ceramic magnet makes the sound very surgical and boosted.

The initial intent was to keep the Fishmans in the Gibson and fit the PRS with a Friedman Classic + (which I'm yet to obtain) set but since I had a Warpig set lying around I decided to give it a shot and I'm that glad it worked out. I find my sound better when the pickups are doing the heavy lifting.

So.. anything I'm missing out from not using a low gain pup set? I know I don't like the stock #7 in the singlecut because it won't give enough push and the bass wasn't tight enough, but a lot of rock/metal guys seem to be happy with a more PAF style pup these days.

Thanks yall in advance.
 
Caca_Spaniel_123 said:
So I ended up fitting both of my guitars with extremely high output pups and I really like how these sound/feel.

View attachment 160540

A Fishman Modern (should have bought a gold one.. yikes) for my Gibson and a BKP ceramic Warpig for my singlecut.

Both guitars sound quite similar to each other. The Gibson has way more resonance and high end from the active circuitry, the PRS feels more natural. I'm tempted to get an alnico version of the Warpig as the ceramic magnet makes the sound very surgical and boosted.

The initial intent was to keep the Fishmans in the Gibson and fit the PRS with a Friedman Classic + (which I'm yet to obtain) set but since I had a Warpig set lying around I decided to give it a shot and I'm that glad it worked out. I find my sound better when the pickups are doing the heavy lifting.

So.. anything I'm missing out from not using a low gain pup set? I know I don't like the stock #7 in the singlecut because it won't give enough push and the bass wasn't tight enough, but a lot of rock/metal guys seem to be happy with a more PAF style pup these days.

Thanks yall in advance.
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Lovely Gibson ! Well, it's only recently that I've got my 1985 LPC which originally came loaded with 2 PAF Ttops style puppies. Although I really liked that scooped kinda gritty tone , it definitely lacked that tight chug thing I m used to. Eventually, I tried several medium to high output bridge pups and the one I prefer is the Gibson 500t. It's not too hot but it is damn articulate and tight. I play high gain amps do I don't need that super high output pup. Unless you experiment urself there is no way you can tell.
 
IN my limited experience, lower output seems to bring out the sound of the guitar more with a brighter attack.
There is a balance tho depending on your method and outlook.
I'm in the minority here, but F a stomp box distortion.. All the amps I've owned never needed one. But maybe your favorite amp doesn't have the gain and part of your chain incorporates a buzz box.. That's fine if it gets you to where you wanna go..
 
midnightlaundry said:
IN my limited experience, lower output seems to bring out the sound of the guitar more with a brighter attack.
There is a balance tho depending on your method and outlook.
I'm in the minority here, but F a stomp box distortion.. All the amps I've owned never needed one. But maybe your favorite amp doesn't have the gain and part of your chain incorporates a buzz box.. That's fine if it gets you to where you wanna go..
Click to expand...

The main reason why I resorted to high power pups was to avoid using overdrive pedals for my main tone. Theres nothing wrong with using a boost but I like my sound way better without one when it comes to my amp and guitars. The DSL is a high gainer itself so I use an 808 only for leads.

ultimatemetalguitartones said:
Lovely Gibson ! Well, it's only recently that I've got my 1985 LPC which originally came loaded with 2 PAF Ttops style puppies. Although I really liked that scooped kinda gritty tone , it definitely lacked that tight chug thing I m used to. Eventually, I tried several medium to high output bridge pups and the one I prefer is the Gibson 500t. It's not too hot but it is damn articulate and tight. I play high gain amps do I don't need that super high output pup. Unless you experiment urself there is no way you can tell.
Click to expand...

I was after that Mastodon Crack the Skye tone which is one of the most coolest guitar tones I've ever come across.

Guitar track 1 & track 2, Brent's lesson on the main riff. To me it sounds like hes using vintage style PAFs, very low output with plenty of twang and scooped mids. How awesome it that.. Then again Mastodon is four-piece band in which Bill will be adding on the main chunk with his rhythm sound.

Your comment got me further intrigued, I'll defo be checking out those Gibson or Friedman pups if I can.
 
ultimatemetalguitartones said:
Lovely Gibson ! Well, it's only recently that I've got my 1985 LPC which originally came loaded with 2 PAF Ttops style puppies. Although I really liked that scooped kinda gritty tone , it definitely lacked that tight chug thing I m used to. Eventually, I tried several medium to high output bridge pups and the one I prefer is the Gibson 500t. It's not too hot but it is damn articulate and tight. I play high gain amps do I don't need that super high output pup. Unless you experiment urself there is no way you can tell.
Click to expand...

Also was there any difference in feel and sound that jumped out to you??
 
I can only speak for my experience with EMG's (even had them at 24V) and what *I* was missing out on, was:
-character
-non-pushed clean tones
-liveliness/juiciness

I found the 81/85 did very little for me when playing classic rock, blues, etc. For tight modern (thrash)metal, they were fine, but then again, plenty of passive pickups that work well for that too.
 
I find it hard to beat the sound of Duncan alnico ii pros or Gibson 57 classics in a Les Paul.
 
Low gain pickups will typically:
- Clean up better with the guitar volume
- Have a looser low end
- Have a more open tone

I say “typically”, not “always”. It depends on what tone and feel you’re after.
 
I think it depends on the entire setup. I don't like high output pickups into high gain amps. I love them in lower gain amps. So, basically I usually go the opposite as the preamp gain that I am using.
 
With lower output pickups you generally hear more of the actual guitar’s inherent tone, more open, more dynamics, more nuances (including the kerrang some mentioned), you can be more expressive with them

High output pickups often won’t need a boost like op mentioned and they usually do better for chugs/palm mutes, but there are some low output pickups that do very well there too. I recommend having both and even some medium output ones too. They all have their places
 
braintheory said:
With lower output pickups you generally hear more of the actual guitar’s inherent tone, more open, more dynamics, more nuances (including the kerrang some mentioned), you can be more expressive with them

High output pickups often won’t need a boost like op mentioned and they usually do better for chugs/palm mutes, but there are some low output pickups that do very well there too. I recommend having both and even some medium output ones too. They all have their places
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Have you got some suggestions for my PRS?
 
Personal opinion being stated;
As amps are being produced with more gain on tap, my need
for high-output pickups has diminished.(not completely gone away...)
For rock/hard rock-type tones, I really like a lower output pickup into a
high gain amp. I'm using the Duncan "Screamin' Demon" in a couple of
guitars, and it just works.(output is ~10.4 dcr) I feel like the lower output
pickups are more touch sensitive, and generally sound more "open".
However, for metal/modern metal tones, it's a different story.
 
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