Input Impedance

plyall

plyall

Power User
Is it safe to challenge Mount Olympus?

I read in the Wiki:

"I do not believe that input impedance affects feel in any way. This is simply impossible. I remember people saying they could feel the input "pushing back". Silly. It will, however, definitely affect the sound as the frequency response of the guitar will be altered. The resonant frequency of the pickups will shift downwards and the Q will be altered as well." [Cliff]

Oh boy - here I go again. I recently started mucking with this, and pleasantly to my surprise, it made some of the presets that I felt were overly strident sit very nicely. I feel that (albeit, with some compression) that this parameter makes things sound more springy, and less harsh and FEEL good. Based on what I read, actual resistors are switched in/out as you select your desired impedance. This makes me think that the reaction between the guitar and the Axe FX II is real, and not just modeled or filtered.

Has anyone else spent any time with this, have an opinion, or otherwise want to verify that I am certifiable?

Thanks!
 
No one's going to vilify you for challenging Mount Olympus. Okay, some people will, but that's their problem. :)

I totally get that lowering the input impedance will soften a strident sound. And it could feel better to play a tone that sounds better. But I don't get an actual change in "feel" from doing that. Your guitar won't feel any different if you connect a resistor across its output.
 
As always with those "magic" settings, I can't really hear any difference, unless I set the impedance ridicolously low.
It might be different story with pickups that have a higher frequency range (Piezo?), though.

If something sounds "harsh", then I usually end up dialing in some EQ or multiband compressor.
 
I use 1M + cap with my Strat with Kinman pups. Softens up the tone a little. For Marshally Hendrix stuff I add a little more growl in the amp to compensate.

Richard
 
This is a parameter that I just recently started spending some time with. Probably one of the most overlooked parameters in the Axe. I consider it a great discovery.

I can't say that it necessarily changes the feel, but it does change the tone. I've started to drop the impedance a little when I'm using amps that just seem naturally bright. I really like what it does to cut out any harshness that might be present. It's hard to describe but it definately changes the tone in a different way than cutting highs with any other method (PEQ's, hi-cut in cab block, lowering the bright cap, etc).
 
Read the Cliff quote again:

"I do not believe that input impedance affects feel in any way. This is simply impossible. I remember people saying they could feel the input "pushing back". Silly. It will, however, definitely affect the sound as the frequency response of the guitar will be altered. The resonant frequency of the pickups will shift downwards and the Q will be altered as well."

Then take a look at these:

Response of a Fender Stratocaster pickup with 470 pF load capacitance and different Ohmic loads:
secrets14.gif

Response of a Fender Stratocaster pickup (1972) with 10 MOhms ohmic load and eight different capacitive loads:
secrets15.gif

This is what happens when you alter the impedance and caps. Nothing else.
 
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