This was a pretty good video, you actually went through everything more than Glenn! Wasn't even expecting an electric sitar to sound THAT heavy! Guess it goes to show that no matter what type of electric guitar, pickups barely make a difference on high gain!
Dude… thank you! More than Glenn isn’t something I’m totally comfortable with so let’s just say I continued his work. I’m glad you dug the sitar. I wasn’t sure it would get any love. But I figured it would be fun for everyone.
@@user-of9ut1hd9q man im half blind and 3 fingers cover this phones keys and its a " upgrade" and its been nithin but a text go around havin to back up from wrong letters and the again and again and i didnt see my mispellin
The thing about pickups and tone is that there are SO many ways to change your tone without touching the pickups themselves that has far more effect. The tone knob, the pickup selector (thus the position of the pickup and type if it has a single coil/split on deck), and the EQ can all change the tone A LOT using the pickups that the guitar came with. After that, there's the speakers you playing through, the mic you're using on those speakers (even playing live you often mic your speakers), and the position of the mic that can make massive differences. The pickups make up tiny fraction of the tone at best. What pickups do the most is _output_ level. I'd rather focus on my EQ's and IR's rather than what pickup I'm using. Hell, you can even _fake_ the sound of a pickup with a graphic EQ!
You are not wrong! Did you see the difference that bluetooth switch made just changing the way the pickup wiring was electronically? I keep saying it so I’ll say it again, I reach for a guitar for emotional reasons. I can usually get the tone I want out if anything.
When it comes to guitar tone if you think it works it does,I could care less about any kind of test,your entire life is based on what ypu believe,not someone else
@@tommilitello198 that is that whole placebo effect thing I mentioned but only at high gain. I don’t understand why he so many people are glossing over that. Also, I never said I couldn’t hear a difference (well, I guess I did when I flipped the mini toggle). At the end of the video I did say I didn’t think the test proved anything and it wouldn’t change anyone’s mind.
I wind pickups as a hobby, and while I can tell a difference when the guitars are isolated, but as soon as I throw them into a mix, all of those audible differences are lost. Every time. The final mix is the important part at the end of the day, but we've all been so focused on what our guitar sounds like on it's own, that we constantly chase tone rather than write music.
That is correct to a point and I actually addressed it in the video when I used the tone knob. Your capacitor makes a difference, but only when it is engaged by introducing it by using your tone knob of flipping a switch or however it’s in the circuit. You could change you capacitor on your tone knob and if you never use it it does nothing. The amount of solder points also will have an effect on your tone. It’s so small it probably won’t be noticeable, but it’s there. And lastly, your capacitor only really makes a difference in its value. Simply put a .047 will send more highs to ground than a .022, that’s just math. With active pickups you have to step it up from hundredths to tenths. A .022 won’t do anything with an active pickup so for the same result you need to use a .22. Buying a paper in oil, orange drop, or anything else of the same value makes zero difference. As someone who loves to mod guitars and does this stuff all day I appreciate you bringing up capacitors.
@Rexylab the reason why I brought it up was because some pickups do better with say 50, some with 25, some with 100. Overly bright can be tamed with a cap change. Not entirely sure about those cheap ones that come stock that are muddy AF. The materials those are made are an unknown. The only pickup that I know of that is different, are the Fishman Fluence. Those are constructed differently, not using copper wire as the primary source. You are also correct about the type of cap. Things I have learned from being in the manufacturing industry, using things like tone pots that are made with known materials of a known quality will cost a bit more. Labor time costs money, and each check made in any process is labor. I guess my point is that the pickup gets more love because it is seen, the tone pot is just a knob to be ignored. At one point I remember some other tone mod involving a resistor. But, I cannot for the life of me recall any part of it other than the resistor being there.
@@tobins6800 you said a mouthful right there! I also love to mountain bike and being a gear junky I have some pretty nice bikes. The part of the drivetrain that always gets the most attention and the biggest upgrade is the rear derailleur. That is only because it’s visible and super sexy if you are a bike nerd. But… it doesn’t have much to do with how good your shifting is. That is all the shifter and the cable and housing. But those don’t stick out so they get ignored. Because of this the bikeluminati ignores everything but the rear derailleur because of brainwashing. Don’t get me wrong, it makes a difference but not a big one like the shifter. But none of that matters if your setup is crap or your cable and housing (that nobody cares about but should) are bad. Pickups are the rear derailleur of the guitar industry! As for caps and pots the value is so much more important than who made them. I have gotten a guitar with one EMG in the bridge and the stock passive in the neck and it was abandoned (probably because it sounded like shit). It was easy to see why, while it had a battery and a stereo jack the pots and the cap were stock. So 500K where it should have been 25K and .022 instead of .22. But it has an EMG! Why doesn’t it sound good?!?!? Whaaaaaa! Now, I prefer cts pots, orange drop caps, pure tone jacks, and freeway, switchcraft and cts switches. This isn’t for sound quality, it’s for mechanical durability. I should really do a video about that. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OtFf66AY6oo.html
Thanks, I tried to make it as fun as possible and most people didn’t get that. I’m going to do a part 2 at some point and include scale length, tone wood, etc.
My argument for having multiple guitars is that they physically feel different in your hands which will make them slightly more or less conducive for certain techniques or cause your pedals/amp (whatever your rig consists of) to react differently (even if the audible difference is slight) to inspire new musical ideas. Of course, that might not fully be the case with more modern instruments considering the advancement of the mass production technology has allowed for more consistency across the board. But where it comes to body types, fully hollow, semi-hollow, or solid body, neck width, fretboard radius, and scale length will affect how the instrument feels in your hands.
My sentiments exactly, and you get bonus points for using the word “conducive”! I bounce through many styles and have many guitars because of it. But what is most important to me is the way I’m “vibing” with the guitar as I’m playing. I can get the tone I want out of most anything. Music is about emotions and expressing them. Therefore, sometimes I want the HM Strat with a Kahler Spyder that I have to fight with over the pre fender buyout USA Jackson soloist. It’s all about pulling the best out of yourself by partnering with the instrument. At least that’s my take on it.
Seriously Underrated Channel, Speaking & Thinking for this to change, You deserve every view. Excellent content as always! Love the deep dives & experimentation/discoveries, most interesting & intriguing.
Thank you so much. It is an honor to have you and those like you enjoy my content. I will continue to do my very best to be worthy of your time you give to watch my content.
Thank you so much, Patrick. There are over 100 in my channel right now. Please, go check them all out. Not only should there be some stuff in there you’ll like if you have any ideas tell me and if it’s in my power I’ll make them. And thanks again for watching my video! I appreciate you spending your time watching one of my creations, truly.
I am old and I listen to opinions and/or advice completely before I react. We all know what opinions are like, Glen's is his with his ears and his taste. My son loves flamenco and I am a metal head, he thinks my stuff sucks. Glen has stated that tone is in the signal chain when he does reviews, and he often comments that he is not good a playing the guitar so if tone is in the hands and he is no good his tone should suck. Most of the videos he sounds like a guy running through a butt load of gain. Thank you for pointing out people need to listen, respect other's right to an opinion, and zip it. The most important part of freedom is allowing others to be free.
I couldn’t agree more! Sadly the Guitarmoury is no more. Where I am now is much better, I call it “The Guitarsenal”. Just one problem, no ceiling for my tapestries.
I did this video just for fun and I’m glad you liked it! Some of the strings were dead, some were even flat wound. Add gain and those little nuances disappeared.
I have many guitars because different tunings, some hardtails, some Floyds, some Evertunes, not because different tones, I have many different pickups in my guitars and I dont really care when playing distorted metal.
I have said it so many times but I bet I’ll say it till the day I die. I don’t care what pickups or bridge or anything is in any guitar when I grab it. I am looking for the guitar that I feel like having a moment with. Once, when I was much younger (I’m old now. Shut up… no, you shut up!) I had to put my “magically perfect pickups” in everything I had. What a dumb thing that was for me to do. Try to make all my guitars sound the same. And for what? I’m actually asking, I have no idea other than being young and inexperienced why I would do such a thing. When I grab a Les Paul, or a 80s Charvel, or a strat, or some mutt I pieced together it’s because I’m feeling that guitar in the moment. I can’t believe how divisive this pickup thing is. I thought it was just a clever way to get the attention of a big RU-vidr to ask if they would help promote The Squishy Guitar Project, a nonprofit organization that gives guitars to children with rare and terminal diseases i do with a friend. That didn’t happen but I did get a ton of views so, it all worked out ok. Plus it was a lot of fun to make the video and pay tribute to some of my favorites by changing my shirt so much. The bottom line is the best guitar in the world is the one you want to play. Nothing else matters and whatever reason you have is just fine. When it comes to making music it’s very personal, so enjoy the process.
absolutely well done video man. pickups don’t matter other than hearing your damn guitar and i’m happy this mythbusting you and glenn did are not only in depth but fun to watch. thank you guys so much for all the information and letting me save my cash even if i already felt that way, you guys are cement evidence to me that this argument is pointless
High praise, thank you. The point is just to present the information and let others decide what they think. I absolutely thank you for watching my video and I am so glad you enjoyed it. I hope you subscribe and hit the notification bell. And tear through my other videos as well. I’m sure there will be things in them you will enjoy.
That Sitar test was beautiful. I did hear a difference with the sitar, but it wasn't gigantic. For the other guitars, I did hear slight differences in tone, but it was always minor. I'm thinking minor EQ would make them even closer
I really wanted to push what was reasonable and the sitar felt like a perfect fit. I can hear slight differences to the it high gain but not enough to be snarky about.
Great content in this video my friend. The fact that so many people choose to simply ignore the fact that so many other factors go into your tone that make far more difference blows my mind.
Yeah, pickups are just one piece in the puzzle. But this video might have only divided people more and added to the problem rather than help smooth it over.
@@REXYLAB there are sadly those that would rather ignore new information to make themselves feel better about investing money where it didn't really matter. It doesn't matter what community it is, there's always going to be that sect that just can't accept facts.
@@getshwiftygaming447 there is actually a secret that nobody seems to know about this subject. Regardless of any test, study, or opinion, no matter who’s test, study, or opinion it is it doesn’t really have any bearing on anyone else. People are still free to swap pickups, buy amps, whatever. It would be nice if people calmed down about the subject. But then I guess with that logic I shouldn’t have made a video that would decide people so much.
I think everyone is missing where he says "for metal". His entire argument is that pickups are the not the change in tone for metal that people are expecting, and that speakers give the most bang for the buck on tonal difference. I don't understand why people have selective hearing, or don't listen to the entire message behind the test.
Yep, even when I put clips of him in this video of him saying that it’s still ignored. I have got more weird comments on this video than all my others combined.
Hell yeah! I tried to cram a Venom shirt in there as well but I just couldn’t fit it in. So it will be featured in a video coming soon about rebuilding a peavey T-40.
As luck would have it you totally can! I am having a video shoot as C&M Music in Lafayette, Louisiana at 5 pm on Saturday April 29th. This is for 3 different partscasters but I decided to bring Larry and Seymour and a blindfold to see if anyone would step up to the challenge. Can you make it?
Thanks, brother! I appreciate you checking out my channel! Please poke around and see if there’s anything else that interests you. I got lots of cool stuff coming up and new videos every Saturday. When something big happens I release new videos on the fly (like the Seymour Duncan HyperSwitch, I released that as soon as Duncan allowed me to). Coming up is a huge series on the history of Kahler, the Badlands GX1, how to record drums, music theory made easy, and custom builds for The Squishy Guitar Project, a nonprofit organization that gives guitars to children with rare and terminal diseases. I hope you dig it!
I really need to post my recordings comparing Burstbucker Pro pickups to Aftermath's through the exact same rig. Even with the gain knob maxed out and an OD in front of the amp, the differences between the pickups are extremely clear and obvious.
People take Glenn too literally, what he means is at high gain in the mix with the same EQ curve (hence the same tone knob setting) pickups have minimal impact on tone and most of the tone comes from the speakers for high gain music.
He also said the ‘biggest and most noticed’ difference is from the speaker. He’s never stated that pickups make zero difference.... only minimal differences.
Thank you! Sadly it is shut down because Squishy has gotten so sick and her mom just can’t do it any more. The last guitar I made was one for her and you can see it unfold in the playlist I will link below. If you are a fan of Steve Vai there is a cool surprise at the very end of the playlist and even if you’re not this was a very fun project for an adorable little girl. Steve Vai Inspired Guitar For. Little Girl With 9 Rare Diseases ru-vid.com/group/PLrFyjrwqOCJz8MEjhJ1BOUEKyJ4k_qhOh
I think it's also going to depend on what your "high gain" source is. A "Darrell" setup like you used, a Metal Zone, various heads like 5150s aren't going to show the differences as much as, say, a boosted JCM 800 or a DSL, Friedman etc😮. Whether you'd want that or not, you know, is up to you. I had a Firebird Zero I dropped Mean 90s into expecting some cool Fender/Gibson hybrid sound, and I flipped it only because it really was just one more Gibson through the amp. I think it's more feel than anything. I for instance don't like Custom V pickups, because I love my SE5 Custom and the big bottom and massive midrange push aren't there anymore. Same wind! Good video.
Something I really meant to say was that when I grab a guitar I’m going for the way I’m vibing with the guitar in the moment. I forgot to mention it though and the video was long enough. Probably I need to do a follow up video on what the important upgrades on a guitar are. They are really boring. Things like a quality output jack, or a good pickup selector are not as sexy as new pickups but they make more of a difference when it comes to dependability. Most important no matter what guitar you play is definitely proper setup.
Personally i like name brand pickups because 1. They're made well and won't be microphonic or more noisy than cheap ones 2. They're good at least for retaining the value of the guitar somewhat, and 3. Knowing what I'm getting. Generally if you have a JB or a DiMarzio distortion, you know there's high gain coming your way. It might need to be tailored with an eq pedal or whatever, but i like having a consistent tone. This was a good video. Subscribed.
Double quickstart lads and a big Edinburgh vibe in the area ! Eddie n Glen be top geezah`s for sure! Bit way macho with the Deep sea diving eh ! Stick to the other diving man ! Not all macho in the least! Was in kitchen stickin` washing in first time n missed a bit eh! Anyway, I`m thinking Diving pays well eh Eddie! Some set up but ye deserve it mate!
I think most people think they're not cool or tough if they don't have a definitive opinion. The fact is both Seymour and Larry are knowledgeable guys who blazed a trail for pickup makers all over.
Holy crap… a reasonable person! Most people are pretty civil but I have got crazies making insane comments when it comes to this video because it’s about something Glen Fricker said. I had one guy talking about covering supermodels in shit and another guy (that likes Glen a little too much if you know what I mean) started defending his man crush even though in this video I completely agree with him! To be clear the statement has always been, “pickups make a difference but less of a difference the more gain you add”. End of story! Look at all the different things I used a high gain amp sim on and how similar they all were only because of gain. Even a sitar for fucks sake.
@@REXYLAB I agree. Fricker likes to say stuff I think he knows are false just to get screaming comments. As I watched I thought, this is probably why people only guessed for years what pickups Vito Bratta had in his original Strat - a 59 or a JB and Randy Rhoads had Gibson pickups and Duncan Distortions and still sounded about the same.
@@Scott__C honestly there are very few things that truly matter when it comes to the guitar anyone plays. #1. Are you comfortable when playing it? #2. Does it inspire you to play? #3. Is it intonated and set up to your liking? This is really all that matters, everything else means nothing.
@@REXYLAB I completely agree. In the 80s and 90s I gigged with an Ibanez RG550 and a Peavey T-60 with a Kahler. No one complained that I wasn't using a Gibson or a Fender.
Ok, not that I don't get it, but here's the issue I've been having. I have a 1996 Hamer Californian, it had an original Trembucker in the bridge and it had no low end, so I installed a Seymour Duncan Invader and that has too much low end and the highs suck. Can't seem to find anything that has a the midrange I want. I have EMGs in other guitars and not crazy about them, I have Seymour Duncan heavy metal Live wires in an original 89 Kramer Nightswan and sounds freaking awesome, however it doesn't clean up at all. I wanted to stay away from active again , just don't want more batteries. So what I'm driving at , is in the same guitar which is playing in moderate to high gain, the pick ups make a difference on this axe. Same with the Kramer Nightswan, I swapped out the Seymour Duncan fullshred for the Heavy metal Live wire.
I think it’s about how much gain you use. Remember the old PSAs on Saturday morning cartoons about not drowning your food in ketchup or mayo or goop? I’ll be the first to say the cleaner the tone the more the pickups make a difference.
@@REXYLAB Absolutely, less gain = more control. But even so, all pickups have their own EQ, every pickup builder has a chart showing the amount of treble, mids and bass. That there is to give you an idea of your base tone.
I've found that the part of the pickup that makes the most difference in High Gain is the magnet types. And even then, you'll generally only hear the difference when you palm mute. Other than that, the amount of winds per bobbin would introduce a little dynamic range, from pickup to pickup (though gain is a type of compression, so it's very subtle the more gain you add).
Yep, gain works just like compression and creates square waves that suck a lot of dynamics out. The most important thing is to be happy with what you have or create what you want just because you want it. In the end that is really what is most important.
@@REXYLAB Pickup position is something else people forget about. It does influence the tone and the compression of the pickup. You can really adjust your tone by adjusting your pickup height. I do hate those over-saturated metal sounds. They tend to suck the life out of the performance. Not always, but there are a lot of songs that would sound better with less gain on their guitars.
I totally get Glen’s argument but he’s arguing from an overly “mixing engineer” standpoint. I’m not upgrading stuff in my guitar cause the recording engineer will hear the difference. By the same notion, strings, gauge, picks, I mean literally any part of your guitar playing can be changed and still have the ability to achieve great recording results. The point is a bit more homoerotic, where I know I can FEEL the difference between different pickups, strings, picks, etc. that very minimal change even can have a drastic effect on my playing style, pick attack, fingering, where I do legatos or more sustained notes, etc. equipment plays a huge role FOR THE PLAYER, not necessarily for the recording. That vibe or mojo or confidence or what have you, will then translate into the recording. If the player isn’t vibing well, then the world’s best gear still won’t make him sound good on the recording. I totally get that you gotta use whatever you have at your hands and chances are before you set out for a new piece of gear, you definitely haven’t squeezed all the potential that your present gear holds, but if you can afford changes and you know what direction you’re going in, then the minimal changes can be very important adjustments for you
Well said! At some point I’m going to do a video on the fact that the best guitar in the world is the one that you are inspired to play and never put down. And you know what, that’s different for everyone. My guitar collection is idiotically huge. But I love guitars and have never been married and don’t have any kids so it works for me. There are a few truths I have found over the years. 1. I was wrong about almost every judgmental thought I had about guitars. 2. Upgrades are usually just someone trying to pay money to get better instead of practicing (I think we are all guilty of this at some point). Notice I said usually. 3. Setup is everything! If you don’t have a good setup the latest doodad or geegah will NOT make your guitar better. 4. If you can’t get a good tone out of your guitar that’s your fault, not your gear’s fault. 5. Put the money for that upgrade toward your musical education and then actually practice. There’s more but I think you get the point. So yeah, pull tone out of what you have. That magic upgrade isn’t going to solve what you think it’s going to. However, if all it does is make you feel good to make the “upgrade” that’s reason enough to do it. Of course that’s all coming from the guy that did this. Strandberg Boden Blasphemy! (With the help of Seymour Duncan and Freeway Switch) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-C1Zg7A8PgyQ.html
I've been playing since the 80's and most of the guitars I play the most have JB/Jazz or Evolution pickups, I feel like I can hear a difference but maybe I'm tripping. I have some Gibsons and vintage Fenders and can 100% hear the difference in those pickups but honestly more in the output than actual tone. I'm always open to learn and would take that blind test between DiMarzio and Duncans even if it might be a placebo effect to me there is a difference that I can explain.
I even have a blindfold just for said test. Maybe one day it will happen if I can present such a test in a more public way. Now, never once did I say pickups don’t make a difference. What I said was they will make less of a difference as gain is added. The actual point of this whole video (that everyone missed and it was my fault for not being obvious about it) was to get Glen Fricker’s help to raise awareness for The Squishy Guitar Project, a nonprofit organization that gives guitars to children with rare and terminal diseases. It’s too late for that now because the charity is shut down, but that was the whole point. I straight up mention the video was sponsored by The Squishy Guitar Project and link it at the end and everything, I thought that was enough but obviously I was wrong. I stated more than once that I didn’t think this test (that I did entirely just for the fun of it) would change anybody’s mind.
I have 5 guitars, All with Humbuckers. Honestly can't tell a bit of difference in the tone on a recording. There is a different feel of each of them, so they get used for different things. A couple of them are great rhythm guitars. Three have fast necks and are great shredders. One of those produces the best pinch harmonics of any guitar I've EVER played. All are different brands, and all have different pickups (Stock and Active). I play High Gain 99% of the time. If I listened back to a recoding I did 6 months ago, I probably couldn't tell ya which guitar I used based on tone.
Something most people don’t get from this video is that I say very clearly I don’t think any of what I do in the video will change anyone’s mind about how they feel about pickups. It’s funny actually because som people have gotten so angry in both directions when I clearly say that and also point out Glen says that his claim is when it’s in a hi gain situation. One day I will make a video on the absolute most important thing about any guitar, and it’s not what most people think.
@@REXYLAB I love Glens show also. Very entertaining! It's true what he says about the ones that get butthurt are the ones that have spent a ton of money on pickups. Some people also just love to argue. I know the speakers make a ton of difference. Hell, I played through a Line 6 Spider that sounded Awesome! It had a Celestion in it. I just wish there was a way to know what a speaker would sound like before dropping a bunch of money on one. I don't have the money to buy them just to try out.
That is why my main factor regarding a guitar in itself is more the feel. Is the weight right? Is the fretboard smooth without sharp edges? That kinda stuff. And then the look of the guitar after these things of course. But sound itself is an entire different thing where the guitar really aint the deciding factor. Unless its broken, of course.
Thank you so much! And anyone that can appreciate my old school spikes is definitely a brother! More to come, I hope I got you as a subscriber. Pleas look through my videos and see if there’s something there already you would dig. And if you have any ideas let me know and I’ll see if I can make them.
@@REXYLAB you most definitely have me as a new subscriber :) also yes I'm a big fan of old school spikes also did you do a tube/transistor comparison yet? I'mma look through your vids rn :)
@@joeroe2622 I haven’t done that. I mostly do guitar modifications and restorations so far. I’m planning on adding a recording aspect to my channel just because I have the studio and know some nifty tricks from doing it so much. Also some things about scales and theory are in the works as well. When teaching myself how to use a computer I accidentally wrote a 360 plus page book on the circle of fifths as it applies to guitar and bass. The content in there would make a pretty snazzy bunch of instructional content so look for that. And if theory sounds scary, it did to me before I learned it. It’s as easy or as hard as you want it to be.
This is all just or fun. It was actually to raise awareness for the nonprofit I was doing but nobody noticed that. But now that nonprofit is over so it’s just for fun.
I host the Kahler podcast and tomorrow I wear a Mercyful Fate shirt if that interests you. Kahler Kast Ep6 Recording Studio at Kahler ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9tquUSQEfj0.html
THANK YOU ! I'm not a guitar player cuz I would think playing more then a E is were you guys are going BUT 90% OF US CAN'T HEAR FOR SHIT ANYWAY ,thanks again
I have two Les Paul’s that are both stock configurations with different pickups. The 50s standard with custom 57s versus the studio Deluxe II with Burstbucker Pros have significantly different tones. One specific case is the deluxe II has so much high EQ that it has almost a single coil twang, whereas the class PAF of the 50s model doesn’t sound anything like that.
I did this just for fun and to generate awareness and support for The Squishy Guitar Project, a nonprofit organization that gives guitars to children with rare and terminal diseases when it was active. I never said pickups don’t make a difference.
I heard some differences with some but the main difference was definitely the hollow body and the sitar. For the others, and all of them had dead strings of different gauges except Seymour, Larry, and the one with the Bluetooth switch. Some different scale lengths. Personally, when I grab any guitar it’s more an emotional decision. I can make just about anything work for my purposes at any given time. However, if one of the cofounders of Happy Cab (you) says you hear a difference that is saying something.
Like I said, when I’m in front of my amp swapping pickups I can hear the difference, it’s obvious to me. I don’t know if once the tone is transferred to RU-vid or an album if it’s just as obvious since the sound is traveling through a million things but I think the best way to get the best possible tone is to start at the guitar rig and use the best sounding components you can get and that includes the pickups. It’s tough we to polish a turd if the tone wasn’t so great at the beginning
@@MosheAlvarez there is no doubt about that. You know what would be interesting… I wonder if at high gain all the different rollers and cams Kahlers can be swapped with would make a difference. Perhaps we could test that some day. For those that don’t know, Moshe Alvarez here is not only the cofounder of happy cab but he is also the sales manager for Kahler. Moshe and I have been doing some behind the scenes things for a huge series I’m doing, the next part will be all about Kahler! There isn’t much on Kahler on the interwebs and he and I are collaborating to fix that.
@@REXYLAB I thought it was fascinating how much of the what makes a sitar sound different form a guitar was lost when all the gain was added. One could still hear the differences but it was not any ware as pronounced. In hindsight perhaps it could be said that using all the gain is like taking a sledge hammer to your tone and so it seems to make sense that a lot of the nuances between pickups (and even instruments) would be lost.
@@Patrick-ss9td I was shocked at how much the un-sitared the sitar myself. I’ll do a video on why that thing makes that sound one day. I’ve been wanting to for a while but I have lots of other things ahead of it. It’s a really cool contraption used by everyone from Metallica to The Byrds. It’s a secret weapon for guys like Steve Vai and Frank Zappa. What did you think of the top secret bluetooth switch? That thing is cool! I might get in trouble for showing it before the first day of NAMM if it gets back to the manufacturer.
The hollow body did sound a bit more different than the rest, less bass and pick attack was different. There are subtle differences in most examples, but not up to the point that makes it a dealbreaker for high gain, i myself have a particular guitar with a Dimarzio bridge pickup that i'm not fond of, gone through 4 Dimarzio pickups (direct mount ibanez so only Dimarzio will fit) and still haven't found the right one as they all sound like derivatives of one another.
I’m not bitching but I’ll take that blind test. I have 4 different guitars, three with humbuckers and one tele. The Kramer and Michael Kelly sound very different up until you crank the gain. The Les Paul sounds louder and has more punch but that’s because it has fishmans in it.
@@southernpanda33 awesome! We have to coordinate it carefully because I work offshore as a diver and also fly to Vegas to work for Kahler so lots of advanced notice is crucial. Maybe we could even work out a “pickup day” at C&M Music. It’s been over 15 years and nobody has ever accepted the Pickup challenge. And as I said, you have a 50/50 chance just guessing.
It actually does lots more than even the mini toggles. It has a push/pull that activates the bridge pickup no matter where the 5 way is. Not a blower switch but the ability to have all 3 on at once, or just the two humbuckers.
If there were any differences, couldn't they be changed with a parametric EQ? Isn't that what pickup manufacturers advertise, a difference in frequencies among their pickups?
My simple truth of a that I go for the feel of a guitar and not so much how it’s specked. But most of my guitars are specked pretty nicely. The simplest truth is whatever inspires you to play is guitar enough. It took me a long time to figure out most of them are really good. Pick up the guitar and vibe with it. Get in touch with your emotions and play. So by all means, mess with all the settings and have fun!
It totally does look like oak, doesn’t it? That’s why hat I thought it was a hen I was a kid. It’s actually swamp ash and it’s pretty heavy. That guitar and it’s top secret bluetooth switch will be in a video that premieres April 11th. This is the earliest Seymour Duncan would allow me to release any information on their top secret switch. Here’s the link. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RvJN6AKdSUQ.html
This is not a good experiment for me, because I don't play this type of music. But I think if you go to Ola's channel, it becomes apparent that this type of sound can be played with nearly any amp with any guitar. I usually play with the neck pickup with less distortion - although it is enough to have lots of sustain on either my BOSS Katana or Positive Grid Spark. The situation changes dramatically if you play on the neck pickup, with less distortion. I have an EQ pedal and I can hear the difference of sliding nearly any pot a decibel or two. In the same way, I have a 5.8k CV pickups which sound totally different than my 7.1k GFS single coil pickups. I don't think my GFS 5.8k pickups sound any different than my CV pickups. I assume the magnet strength is about the same, full up Alnico V's. The 5.8k sounds much difference than my PAF humbucker 8k pickups. They also respond to my playing. They break up different ways.
Holy moly, someone watched this old video. So apparently I am way more clever than I ever thought because this entire video was designed to get Glen’s attention and see if he would help with a charity auction. Unfortunately I never heard from him and everyone completely missed the places where I said pickups make a difference but less so as gain is added. It seemed so simple at the time. Oh well, next time I will use flashing lights to point out the part I want people to pay attention to.
@@REXYLAB Actually, I agree with both of you. That's why I mentioned Ola. It's something I believed watching him and the guy called Max I think, and many other channels. What is the point to all these videos? They all sound the same to me. I was just giving some evidence as to what happens when you do in fact reduce the gain and how it could make a great deal of difference, although I imagine there's also some bias as well.
Thanks buddy! Check out the one on that crazy switch I showed you coming out in a week. No go to C&M and play my partscasters. The video shoot will be Saturday the 29th at 5 pm. I hope you make it.
The answer to that is no, they never did. This might be in part because I am the king of bad timing. Glen was out of the country when the video came out. I don’t know if he ever saw it. It’s ok though because I took a shot and you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. So I know I did what I could. I did contact him now that I’m doing work with Kahler about sending him stuff to try out. He responded once but again, not much came of it. I’ll keep trying though because I’m too stubborn to know when to quit.
Did changing the pickups out in my Jazz bass make an immense difference in tone? It sure did! You know why? I'm not playing at high gain all the time, and the nuances are discernible.
Don’t you know Glenn says bass players don’t count? Before you get upset take a minute to realize this entire video was made for fun and is not serious at all.
My assistant knows Studio One like the back of his hand. He’s going to load it in and I’ll check it out. But I really know Pro Tools so I doubt I’ll switch what I use personally. I have had Luna since it came out and I find it really limited compared to Pro Tools. But that’s just because this is what I know. I have had it for about 20 years now.
Well there is not much difference between these pickup tests !! But I had the privileged to hear a Dimebag D. put on the very same Epiphone guitar of mine and the muddyness went away and the sustain was longer adding crunchier !! Definitely I believe ON CLEAN TONE there is a difference !! High gain..not so much but for extra push on input to your amp !!
Quite honestly, pickups are most different when played in your particular practice space, with your personal frequency adjustments to resonance, presence and the ubiquitous mid scoop that makes up your metal tone, as compared too the speaker/microphone/recording apparatus/engineer that produces the finished tone of your guitar in a recorded product. In most cases your sound becomes much more mid focused, in order to fit into a complex multi musical instrument mix.
Yes! The room makes a huge difference! This is why control rooms are acoustically treated. To eliminate coloring of sound (can’t be done 100% but it is still very effective).
Thank you once more for your support my friend! This gauntlet in particular is from the 80s. I have 3 but only one is mine from back in the day. The other two (of witch this is one) was owned by one of my closest friends, James Burkman. He gave them to me when I flew back to the place of my youth to help him when his father passed. I saw them sitting in a pile of things to be donated and told him I wanted them. The one I am wearing in this video is “the” one all the cool kids had. It’s the Copenhagen hat all over again. And I love that I can say that and you know exactly what I mean.
@@johnglynhughes4239 I know, it is so amazing, the power of story and music. If nothing else my channels has really helped me have a personal exorcism of some very old demons.
It has been so long I don’t even remember. The Guitarmoury is loaded with all kinds of treasures from my past. My goal was to be able to close my eyes, point in a random direction, open my eyes, and get a warm fuzzy from an awesome memory triggered by an item from my past. It totally worked!
Even for metal, this is a bit more gain than you’d typically see on any huge doubled rhythms or lead line. The differences are being clipped out and you can hear it because the attack transient is basically gone. Same with Glen’s tones when he is trying to make a point. It isn’t a huge difference between ANYTHING when you clip the signal to the point of losing clarity(which can be a cool sound)
Well, yeah. The whole point was recording it with high gain. This was just a standard preset that I didn’t change at all in the amplitube 5 Dimebag Darrel bundle.
@@REXYLAB lots of cool high gain tones that retain the attack clarity though, which is the only reason I thought I might chime in. It would still be high gain if one were to nudge it down until the picking comes through again, just not “sludgy.” I guess kinda the difference between 90s and 10-20s tones
@@F0nkmaestro69 don’t get me wrong my friend, everything you are saying is true and valid. But… for this test I tried to replicate the high gain tone Glenn was using. I’ve said this in a lot of responses on this video so this will be another good spot to say it. When I reach for a guitar it’s a emotional decision. I can get the tone I’m looking for out if just about anything (within reason) so I’m looking for the guitar I’m vibing with at the time. I don’t just do hi gain metal though. Actually, I barley ever do so pickups really make a difference for me personally.
@@REXYLAB gotcha. I mean, your point still stands regardless. If we're gonna be turning gain knobs, we might as well be turning the tone knobs instead of changing magnets. Pickup height, however...
@@F0nkmaestro69 I know right!?! The knob actually says tone. It does stuff. People should check it out. Now, you may have noticed I have lots of guitars with very different pickups. Pickups do make a difference but as the gain is added the difference gets hidden. On some you can still hear a little (or a lot like the hollow body). I’ll never give up my many varieties of pickups. But I don’t play only insanely high gain metal. And that is an important point to this test as well. It was replicating a certain guitar tone. And at the end of the day it’s just a video on RU-vid and not a new decree From the king of tone. Nobody’s life is changing. This was just a fun video to make and a way to raise awareness for The Squishy Guitar Project, a nonprofit organization that gives guitars to children with rare and terminal diseases. Maybe even generate some funds for our next project.
When I used amp plugins I barely couldnt hear any difference betweet guitars. When I use my JCM 900 its a huuuughe difference. You should cover that. Maybe plugins are just bad?
Plug-ins are great and I had the same results in all my amps. This was a one and done as far as testing high gain settings and pickups. The next guy can do the amp thing. You could do that. It would actually be better if you did because you say you can hear a difference. So make a test video of your own and show us the difference.
I'm sorry but glenn's video wasn't that there's no difference in sound between pickups it was that there's no difference in sound between pickups in the context of a mix.
Ive heard a few guitar players say that pickups played with high gain matter a lot more with 8 strings and 9 strings etc. ive yet to see a test like this with extended range guitars
The only difference I could hear is the active pickups which I think is just cause they have a higher and fuller output but the difference is really small the only difference iv ever heard is when you disconnect the tone knob
@@Durkhead ah, yeah… I was gonna say these were all passive so I wanted to be sure I didn’t confuse anyone. I could have done some active pickups and thought about it but I felt the video was running long as it is (and I wanted to cram the bluetooth switch in no matter what).
My personal experience has been about 50/50. I've had big differences when swapping pu's, and other times it resulted in nothing noticeable. I guess the only way to know for sure is throw a set in your own ax and see what happens.
Anyone else having excessive buffering while trying to watch? I would like to see different styles of pickups compared. Different magnets, different pole pieces, ceramic/alninco, different wind counts ect. I don't know how valid some of these tests are. If similar pickups from different brands are compared what is the point? Unfortunatlely it is very hard to watch this video because of all the buffering. How is anyone supposed to tell anyway? RU-vid sound quality is absolutely horribe.
Honestly I think you did this video for nothing, with all due respect. I'm fairly certain that Glen does his "controversial" videos just looking for a rise out of people for chuckles (plus views of course). All the Gibson bashing, the tonewood argument and now the pickups thing. I've been playing guitar since 1989, I KNOW that from clean to slight breakup to breakup to hard rock to metal to death metal PICKUPS MAKE A DIFFERENCE! LOL. It's in so many nuances and slight tonal artifacts I couldn't possibly list them all in this comment. I'll just put a pin in the most glaring reason we change out stock pickups ~ for clarity and note separation aka not muddy. Anyway tldr; but I'm in that camp! Nice studio and gear man!
Thanks for the compliments on the studio and gear! If you watched to the end you’ll see I did state this test wouldn’t change anyone’s mind. I did it for a reason though, to raise awareness for The Squishy Guitar Project, a nonprofit organization that gives guitars to children with rare and terminal diseases that I have been working with for a few years now. We have something big in the works and I need a hand with it.
@Rexylab I know. I did watch til end. That's why in my original comment I stated what camp I'm in. Nobody is going to have an epiphany after watching a yt vid lol. We're all hardheaded musicians!
@@topfloorstudio2684 yeah, we have to come to our own conclusions. For example I modified the crap out of my dream bass but in the last few years I wondered if it made that big of a difference. Short answer is yes, but the long answer is in this video. I hope you check it out. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2ssjELvXPwc.html
If you test a humbucker vs a humbucker at high gain in the same position the difference will be either meaninglessly minimal or none, same if you put a single coil vs another single coil at high gain. Now however if you start switching the pickup position on the guitar or put a single vs a humbucker then you might get some noticeable changes. You can only appreciate the "diversity" in output of different pickups when you play clean tones, which is why different models of pickups makes the most difference on basses.
That is why this test was conducted. To show if Glenn’s conclusion (what you just said) is the fact. For any real data similar tests must be ran by independent parties. So that’s what I did.
Metal raised me and got me through my teenage years. King was there, when he wasn’t being tortured by invisible guests or being taken away by Dr Landau. Let me help you out if the chair, g-g-grandma! If you sang that last part in your head… awesome! If you sang it out loud, even better!
@@brianbarnett100 a few years before I quit drinking and started Rexylab I met a kid in a wheelchair with a guitar at the Steve Vai 25th anniversary Passion and Warfare tour. He was waiting to find out if he had leukemia. A good friend of mine died of leukemia when he was only 21. Steve Vai talked to him in the phone before he died. I went back into the venue and found Steve and asked him to come out for the kid. He did, Steve Vai is such a great guy! That kid had a stage name, Billy LaRocque. Specifically because he loved Andy LaRocque.
First, that’s awesome! I’m sure green bobbins sound more “warm” and “round” than blue bobbins. Second, want to donate one for auction to raise funds for our big project coming up?
@@REXYLAB Bruce Bolen, who worked for Gibson and Fender in the marketing and artist relations department, once said in a workshop he held at the Frankfurt Musikmesse: "White bobbins sound better than black bobbins." And then explained why there are white, black and zebra pickups. It was very funny! Oh, and btw: he is a fantastic guitarist who can play anything from Jazz to Pop, Rock to Bebop and Country to Fusion.
I was searching for a Celtic Frost kind of tone, as it was my favorite guitar tone ever. People would go and argue about pickups, amps and other shit online, but then I found out that all he did was a tone rolloff. So, I went on with the stuff I had, rolled off tone on my guitar, tweaked pedals a bit and THERE IT WAS, a Celtic Frost guitar tone. Since then I don't believe in any of that bullshit, you can get any tone you want with just a couple of pedals and a good amp, and I'm buying the guitars by how they feel to play and not their specs.
You had me at Celtic Frost! I love me some Tom Gabriel Warrior Fischer (and whatever other names I’m forgetting). And yeah, you are totally right… that tone knob makes a difference! I’m sure you caught when I showed that. I’m building a guitar to auction to raise funds for The Squishy Guitar Project, a nonprofit organization that gives guitars to children with rare and terminal diseases I work with. I’ll probably get Sammy from Goatwhore to come play a Celtic Frost song on it with me in my studio. We’ll record it and shoot video and then auction the guitar. I’m trying to get Glenn involved, we’ll see.
@@REXYLAB Yea, the tone knob rolloff with everything cranked on his amp is how Tom got his legendary and unique tone. That fry is just... it gives me goosebumps, maybe the most unique tone there is. It's sad how modern guitar players won't experiment with all the stuff available to us, both analog and digital. Everyone goes for the same sounds. I hope the auction goes well!
It’s weird that this old video is starting to get attention again. By all means watch it, I put a lot of effort into it even though it was never done to prove pickups make a difference.
Tone is so fucking complicated for me. My low end sounds flubby, mids and highs sound honkey. Mark v/25 thru a 4x12 recto v30s. Fucking eq before pre amp, sliders after.. too many fucking options. I’m giving up playing metal, and am gonna pick up a fucking banjo
That’s funny! Unplug everything but the guitar and adjust your amp one knob at a time. Really get to know it and then add stuff, slowly and one piece at a time.
Test is totally invalid. Everyone knows that Black paint has a different audioelectric effect on the string magnetism than white paint causing a more sloping equalizing effect to the guitar tone. Since the white effect counteracts the black effect on the 2 guitars you can't really trust the results. Nice try though. 😆
Fuck yeah! I have an idea for a movie. Bill and Ted team up with jay and Silent Bob and go back in time with their phone booth to save Cheech and Chong. What do you think? I'd totally watch that movie1
The Paul Reed Smith? That guitar actually has a flame maple top but they must have screwed it up to paint it. I had been looking for a Paul Reed smith that I vibed with for decades and this was the one. I almost didn’t get it but then I knocked over a cheaper prs import and had to buy it. So I took it home and fixed it and was so impressed that I went back and bought this one. Later I picked up one of their parlor acoustics and converted it to Nashville tuning. The American Paul Reed I have still has the factory strings on it and they are so dead. I’ll do a video on this guitar in the future and tell the story. Until then check this out. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZDDffZrR57A.html
Sorry not scientific. Everyone knows black hardware sounds more metal. My kindergarten teacher taught me that. I loved my (actual) bill Lawrence humbucker. It was great at everything.** I didn't split it ever Probably wasn't super high gain. The pickups I usually use are also rail types (fun fact I love firebird and tube pickups too) 13-14k they definitely pushed amps and pedals more. They go to 11 basically. I have a set of emg 808s on 18v. Pretty noise less nice cleans and good dirt and metal.tones all day. Try some active pickups if you haven't they are nice for recording.
@@coryfeldman-hz2yj I have many EMG active pickups and I love them. I have dealer status with them and I am happy to say that those people are as nice as their pickups are good. I wonder if I use gold saddles on a black bridge with chrome knobs how much it will change the tone. You know, because science!
