Do you guys think modellers change your approach to choosing a guitar pickup?

Chiguete

Chiguete

Experienced
So the reason why I'm starting this thread is because I'm asking in another thread https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...ple-neck-thru-with-alder-wings-guitar.149917/ recomendations for a pickup based on the type of guitar construction and wood, but part of that question is a more general question regarding how to choose guitar pickups now a days if you use a modeller.

Back in the 70's when the Super Distortion and other pickups came out the idea was to send a hotter signal from the guitar in order to push the amp harder, that was the ingredient for countless recordings because they werent that many pedals back then to help with boosting/overdriving/distorting the signal in to amps that where not high gain amps. Then high gain amps came and more pedals where around to even further get a hotter signal to the amp... BUT these days with modelers it is so easy to boost the signal going in to whatever amp you choose that really a hot pickup is really not needed.

So maybe the approach to choosing the correct pickup for a guitar needs to be looked at from another angle now that modelers are in the mix?

What do you guys think?
 
If you play no or low gain to medium gain sounds, then pickups do matter. For example, hard to play the 80ies funk sounds unless you have a Strat middle and front pickup combo -- I do try to play funk with my EBMM Axe humbuckers :).
 
I have to agree, I've been unconsciously picking different pickups and guitars with these types of pickups because of the Axe FX, whereas before I'd pick pickups based on how I wanted them to 'drive the amp'.

Now I pick them based purely on tonal characteristics. Before with amps it was more based on power and output.

Things have changed, and I think that subconsciously a lot of us have been making decisions like this because of Axe FX.
 
I really think only one modeler out there- really makes the pickups sound the right way/or any different

Fractal

Like, any guitar, any pickups through an old Line6 POD back in the day- all had the same sound/fizzy/fuzzyness distortion

Even the better stuff- still, you don't really get the real difference in terms of pickups as in a real amp/etc-

Might be also a stupid statement- Outside of after market pickups- I don't think most pickups between the same brand vary all that much... Like to me a Dimarzio Evolution sounds unique- but all their other medium/high output pickups to me sound the same (with the exception of the ones that emulate active pickups/have crazy output)

I mean- Any USA Fender pickup sounds mostly the same to me- I think most duncan pickups sound the same- sure- good- sure better than a stock guitar pickup- but I'd put most Dimarzio's over whatever USA or Export Dimarzio puts in Ibanez under the INF name over most of their pickups.
 
In theory low output, high output shouldn't matter, because the Axe is meant to behave exactly like a real amp. If it does matter then it would appear that the Axe is therefore not behaving like a real amp.
 
The AxeFx III definitely changed that.
Or the other way around.
I change amp settings according to the pickups I use.
In the beginning, I had an amp-for-all that kinda worked with all types of humbuckers and single coils.
But now I make different settings (and/or amps) for:
  • low output humbuckers (like the alnico II Pro)
  • hi output humbuckers (like the JB)
  • Single coils and then sometimes different settings for a Strat or a Tele
 
For me it has opened up a broader choice of pickups to look at but I'm still of the camp that a lower output pickup (10k or lower) is the prefered choice as it harder to take away something that's already there then to add it with respect to output!

Pickup voicing and mag choice while part of that equation start to fade somewhat with all of the EQ choices that are available with modeling make that part not so crushel.
 
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Only from the aspect of getting to sample pickup options in 200+ amps as opposed to a couple that I would have otherwise.
 
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