neck pick up issues with axe fx / is it just me?!?!

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Yes...for FRFR...but not for traditional cab, which is my main setup unless i am recording.

Phil emptiness.be said:
I think it's this again: I'm not sure the axe accentuates that difference, but you HEAR it more through the axe because what you hear is like being in a studio with your amp miked, that's when you can notice more difference than being in a room with real cab, where the reverb of the room takes over and hides that difference partly.
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One last general thought about using the neck pickup - picking position.

I marveled at Dicky Betts lead sound using the neck pickup - so clear compared to the muddy mess I was used to. I thought it maybe he adjusts his amp to that pickup (& he probably) does but I also noticed he seems to pick close to the bridge, just in front of the bridge pickup - not close to the neck or even in between bridge & neck pickups. By picking so far back you immediately get a brighter tone with less volume. So changing picking positions when changing pickups should help even out the drastic differences.
 
If lowering pickups doesn't help:
1. Use highpass filter in axe or one of hundred tools to control low frequency in amp block
2. Replace pickups with something less bassy
3. If pickups are humbuckers with 4 cables, you can try rewiring them to parallel. This will take low/end+mud away and will add some clarity in high frequencies.
 
This is why I've gravitated towards clearer, treblier neck pickups. Duncan Full Shred and Dimarzio D-activator are two that I'm using with decent result.
With many other neck pups i only find them good for clean stuff. Too muddy with gain...
I don't feel the Axe is any different compared to amps regarding this.
 
The problem is that many people including many guitar manufacturers don't care much about matching pickups with each other and with guitars. Decisions are often made like "let's use SH4/SH1 because it's versatile and popular set". While pickups have important role in shaping tone of guitar, they should be matched with other elements. Believing that pickups are in 100% responsible of guitar tone would be as true as believing that guitar tone is in 100% Shure SM57 and it doesn't matter what amp you're using. In OPs guitars pickups might be too bassy because they don't work well with woods in these guitars.
 
I always had this problem with neck pickups using amps before the axe was born, seldom used a neck pickup for years , there is definitely some guitars I've owned that were worse than others though! I use my neck pickups a lot these days with my Axe-Fx and they work well for me! I usually set up my patch so it works with the neck pickup and(depending on the guitar I'm using )adjust the bridge accordingly with tone control! My main guitar doesn't need it ,run the tone controls on 10 most of the time!
 
I have a similar issue with the axe as well. Its not just you. Switching to neck from bridge triggers a massive volume jump. And the neck pickup is as low as it goes. Dont have any problems on my tube amps.
 
I love how the axe reacts with all my neck pickups. For me it's the same as my tube amps. If I find the neck pickup gets a little boomy on certain models I throw a blues OD up in front and it eats all those bottom end frequencies. Plus I get a little more juice.
 
I have SD Surf's on my old Jap Strat. No problems - just the delicate change in tone. The problem could be a wiring issue.
 
on real amps I've never been 100% satisfied with the same setting for all pickup positions. just doesn't happen. that's why so many people set it for one pickup and then use tone controls, pedals and whatnot to make the other work.
the Axe easily solved that problem. just set up the same basic patch with slight tweaks for the different pickups and you're good to go...
 
Not an amp or a modeler will influence in the output of any given pickups because it is the pickups that drives the signal into them.

Magnets in pickups affect volume, pickup height affects volume, defective volume pots, defective internal cables, defective jack etc can have an impact in the perceive volume, but it is not the amp or the modeler.
 
FractalAudio said:
Nonsense. The Axe-Fx can't make a pickup louder or softer.
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If only I had a camera to demonstrate this for you. To state the obvious, I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't really happening. Thanks for calling me a liar though Cliff, always nice when I'm asking for advise. As some others have said, the axe sometimes more heavily accentuates the differences between pickups than a tube amp. My pickup is as low as it can go. For me, there is a volume jump when switching to the neck. This does not happen on my tube amps. I don't think there is anything wrong with the axe, I think it's just how it reacts with some pickups. No need to dismiss your customers claims without actually trying to help first dude. Especially if there's more than one person saying it's happening. It's not even a big deal, I was just letting you guys know it's happening. I wasn't complaining at all, just informing.


rodzimguitar68 said:
You might be using compression that is contributing to the problem instead of eleviating it.
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I don't use compression blocks, never liked them. Could something else in the preset be compressing though? Thanks for actually giving constructive advise man.
 
AnthonyZ said:
If only I had a camera to demonstrate this for you. To state the obvious, I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't really happening. Thanks for calling me a liar though Cliff, always nice when I'm asking for advise.
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Yes, too bad you don't have a smart phone, laptop or PC with a camera to show us this...

You know, i have about 14 guitars currently set up for my use, non of them present any issues like what you are experiencing.

Cliff is just calling it how it is and i'm with him on this because as stated not with real amps or modellers i have experienced this.

Prube us wrong, ask for a camera toa friend or someone and do a proper video with proper audio, share that patch also.
 
Cliff dosen't call you a liar....
He just call it nonsense, because that's what it is...

I have several guitars which sound awesome on both PUs with many of my tones. Rember my Vibrolux Patch - played with my Gibson ES-347 on the neck PU? Simple, almost default settings and it sounds great. So what? It's just him - and you....

end of story
 
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