Hey! I double checked the wiring, it's exactly as it should be, according to the diagrams on DiMarzio's website. Also, both coils sound equally loud when tapped with a screwdriver. Can I be missing something here? Thanks for commenting!
@AlexGichevMusic you can measure the resistance of the humbucker. Both coils should have identical values. Around 3 to 8kOhm. then you can try splitting or connectin just one coil. The sound should change dramaticaly.
I've had a Chopper T in my AmSd since 2008. It was the first modification I made to it and the only one that's stuck through the 16 years I've had it. I wouldn't say it's a perfect pickup, but with some gain they sound incredible through big amps, they tame down that shrillness just enough for me.
Try changing your IR, you'll find what you're looking for than changing pickups. Get it for its other features like being noiseless and aesthetic, but a speaker or IR change will always give a big change. There are midrange focused ones out there
Yeah, exactly my point. Tbh I wasn't really expecting a change in the high gain sound. When it comes to that the ir/speaker is like THE MOST critical point of the signal chain and all the other subtle nuances just get lost in the gain. Thanks for commenting!
@@AlexGichevMusic hot pickups had their place in gear history as it was hard to drive amps back then. But now, high gain sounds are easy to get that even a single coil can sound "heavy" (with hum of course). I got to play a real JCM800 and I maxed out the preamp gain but it sounds like crunch lol. Maybe that was what hot pickups were for, to get a distorted sound more easily
pickup is 50% more expensive than the guitar : it's super affordable 😅😅. I have this pickup in the neck position on one of my guitars. Bought it because i wanted hum cancelling and humbuckeroutput, which is exactly what its advertised for. In the end it does what its supposed to and i totally agrée with the great midrange punch. But it kind of sits in between, it doesnt have the output or thickness of a humbucker, nor the glassy tone of an actual single coil. In my case if i had to do it again id get a hotter rail style hubmucker, or get a hum cancelling single coil that doesnt have 2 coils, but not a compromise like this one but its a matter of personal preference . As far as the high gain tones comparison, i have noticed that plugins tends to smooth out the differences between pickups, when i plug some different guitars in my soudcard and use plugins the tonal differences are way less accentuated than when i plug then in my tube amp, and that is espeically true with neuraldsp plugins ( that are a bit overrated in my opinion, you shoudl give a try to mercuriall, they're the only ones that sound akmost identical to actual amps in my opinion ). Thanks for this comparison, and the really cool production of this videos ( light effects on the pickups comparison segment are top notch ! ). Have a nice day and keep the uploads coming! Extra long comment to make the algo happy 😅😅😅
Thanks!!!! Yeah, actually didn't even think about that...they are more expensive than the guitar...sh&t. About the tube amp thing, you're actually not the first person to mention that, so I guess there is something to it. My question is, will the difference be perceived through a loadbox and IRs, or is the "in the room" feedback interaction between pickups and speaker that does the thing. Thanks for writing!!!!
@@AlexGichevMusic As for the tube amp thing, no its a not an 'in the room" rype of thing, i play mainly with a loadbox + IR ( neuraldsp cabsim actually ) and i hear a difference vs full plugin + soundcard input. I havent compared with other plugins to see if its a neuraldsp only thing though.
The High Gain examples sounded Identical. The clean examples sounded different but none of them made an attractive sound. Why use both pickups? You may wanna do that with a strat but on a tele it sounds bad
Yeah, they pretty much are. Tbh I never use the bridge of the tele for cleans. It's way too bright and harsh for my taste. I usually use the neck, sometimes playing with the tone knob, and I just wanted to get some of that into the example., while still obviously using the swapped pickups.
Interesting idea. Hope I'll be able to test that one day. Out of curiosity: would a reamp/isocab situation get the job done, or is the in the room feedback interaction between the pickups and the speakers what makes the difference? Thanks for commenting!
Hello, great vid. I've been hanging on the same subject, i have a HB ST62 and i've been modding it to look like the strat from Per Eriksson on Ghost. The stock pickups are single coil ( duh) and are a bit noisy and thin, so i've been looking at a SD Hot rails or a Dimarzio Air Norton S, but the same question comes to mind, is it really worth it changing the pickups or try to get a fuller tone by using better amps/ pedals? I really dislike the thin strat sound but maybe i could get the tone i seek by using a booster pedal or even an EVH 5150 od pedal ( has noise gate and plenty of distortion ) What do you think?
Hey! Thanks for writing! Well, Ghost tones are usually more in the boosted marshall teritory of gain, which is more gain than my crunch example, but less than the high gain one, so you might notice some difference, but it will definitely be a very very tiny one. You will for sure notice a bigger difference in tone if you buy a noise gate (I'd recommend the TC Sentry) and an EQ pedal (don't overspend here, a cheap Harley Benton one should do the trick). A booster pedal wouldn't help you much in this situation, since it just adds more volume and with that more gain, it doesn't really thicken up the sound or cut down on the noise. If anything it will add more noise and a lot of times boosters add more high end to your signal, so it can sound even harsher. As far as the 5150 OD goes: I've never tried one myself, but from all the stuff I've seen on that thing It's VERY GOOD. Don't let the name deceive you though, this is a preamp pedal, not really an overdrive. It is made for being the heart of your high gain tone, you can plug it into you fx loop for example. It sound very good and it does have a gate, as well as a 3 band eq, which you can use to make your guitar sound less harsh, but you will definitely have more control if you buy a dedicated eq pedal. Hope this helped. If you have any more questions feel free to send them my way! What is your rig right now btw?
@@AlexGichevMusic thx for the reply. I have a Line 6 Spider 3 150, which is too loud for my taste ( 150 w duhhh), a HB St62, currently being modded and tuned to d standard, and a Lag Roxanne, also being modded/ upgraded ( still itching for the emg 81/60) The thing is that, pickups dont make that much difference, and listening to your demos, its more than obvious. Using pedals gives more flexibility because i can use them for both guitars.
No worries! I'd say if you play more at home, just buy an interface (either a focusrite scarlett or a UAD volt) and some plugins (maybe even use a free one, I've got 2 videos on the topic) or if you play live more often, save up for like an hx stomp type of thing. And if you wanna go the tube amp route, I like the Bugera stuff. (btw if I ever do a QnA, do you mind if I use your initial question :) )
@@AlexGichevMusic thx, i thought about ir stuff but i got to admit that time caught up with and i havent searched enough about it, but i will check it out. Of course you can use it, im not the only one with these doubts and i believe there are many more players going throught the same thing, if it can helps, ill be suoer gratefull. Besides, i love your content !
Huh…interesting. I’ve thought of that before, that maybe I just got a really good example and the other ones coming out of the factory are not that great. To be clear, mine did need a bit of a set up when it got here but once I adjusted a few things it was good to go.
Do some blind test. The ones I've seen 99% could not tell the difference in pickups. No one could tell tell if it were a $30 musiclily pickup or a $200 demarzzio.
I often do that just for myself, especially when testing a plugin when mixing for example. It’s really useful for actually listening with your ears and not your eyes. I’m probably gonna do some videos like that in the future. Thanks for writing!
Sounds like the Humbucker is in split mode. You should check your wiring
Hey! I double checked the wiring, it's exactly as it should be, according to the diagrams on DiMarzio's website. Also, both coils sound equally loud when tapped with a screwdriver. Can I be missing something here? Thanks for commenting!
@AlexGichevMusic you can measure the resistance of the humbucker. Both coils should have identical values. Around 3 to 8kOhm. then you can try splitting or connectin just one coil. The sound should change dramaticaly.
I've had a Chopper T in my AmSd since 2008. It was the first modification I made to it and the only one that's stuck through the 16 years I've had it. I wouldn't say it's a perfect pickup, but with some gain they sound incredible through big amps, they tame down that shrillness just enough for me.
It's good for neck pickup so you can choose if you want punchy or creamy cleans by adding single/parallel switch.
Try changing your IR, you'll find what you're looking for than changing pickups. Get it for its other features like being noiseless and aesthetic, but a speaker or IR change will always give a big change. There are midrange focused ones out there
Yeah, exactly my point. Tbh I wasn't really expecting a change in the high gain sound. When it comes to that the ir/speaker is like THE MOST critical point of the signal chain and all the other subtle nuances just get lost in the gain. Thanks for commenting!
@@AlexGichevMusic hot pickups had their place in gear history as it was hard to drive amps back then. But now, high gain sounds are easy to get that even a single coil can sound "heavy" (with hum of course). I got to play a real JCM800 and I maxed out the preamp gain but it sounds like crunch lol. Maybe that was what hot pickups were for, to get a distorted sound more easily
pickup is 50% more expensive than the guitar : it's super affordable 😅😅. I have this pickup in the neck position on one of my guitars. Bought it because i wanted hum cancelling and humbuckeroutput, which is exactly what its advertised for. In the end it does what its supposed to and i totally agrée with the great midrange punch. But it kind of sits in between, it doesnt have the output or thickness of a humbucker, nor the glassy tone of an actual single coil. In my case if i had to do it again id get a hotter rail style hubmucker, or get a hum cancelling single coil that doesnt have 2 coils, but not a compromise like this one but its a matter of personal preference . As far as the high gain tones comparison, i have noticed that plugins tends to smooth out the differences between pickups, when i plug some different guitars in my soudcard and use plugins the tonal differences are way less accentuated than when i plug then in my tube amp, and that is espeically true with neuraldsp plugins ( that are a bit overrated in my opinion, you shoudl give a try to mercuriall, they're the only ones that sound akmost identical to actual amps in my opinion ). Thanks for this comparison, and the really cool production of this videos ( light effects on the pickups comparison segment are top notch ! ). Have a nice day and keep the uploads coming! Extra long comment to make the algo happy 😅😅😅
Thanks!!!! Yeah, actually didn't even think about that...they are more expensive than the guitar...sh&t. About the tube amp thing, you're actually not the first person to mention that, so I guess there is something to it. My question is, will the difference be perceived through a loadbox and IRs, or is the "in the room" feedback interaction between pickups and speaker that does the thing. Thanks for writing!!!!
@@AlexGichevMusic As for the tube amp thing, no its a not an 'in the room" rype of thing, i play mainly with a loadbox + IR ( neuraldsp cabsim actually ) and i hear a difference vs full plugin + soundcard input. I havent compared with other plugins to see if its a neuraldsp only thing though.
Amazing video
The High Gain examples sounded Identical. The clean examples sounded different but none of them made an attractive sound. Why use both pickups? You may wanna do that with a strat but on a tele it sounds bad
Yeah, they pretty much are. Tbh I never use the bridge of the tele for cleans. It's way too bright and harsh for my taste. I usually use the neck, sometimes playing with the tone knob, and I just wanted to get some of that into the example., while still obviously using the swapped pickups.
I love the tele sound with both pickups, they have their place, like clean strumming for example. With a decent amp, though
Differences are huge if you use a real tube amp and speakers
Interesting idea. Hope I'll be able to test that one day. Out of curiosity: would a reamp/isocab situation get the job done, or is the in the room feedback interaction between the pickups and the speakers what makes the difference? Thanks for commenting!
Hello, great vid. I've been hanging on the same subject, i have a HB ST62 and i've been modding it to look like the strat from Per Eriksson on Ghost. The stock pickups are single coil ( duh) and are a bit noisy and thin, so i've been looking at a SD Hot rails or a Dimarzio Air Norton S, but the same question comes to mind, is it really worth it changing the pickups or try to get a fuller tone by using better amps/ pedals?
I really dislike the thin strat sound but maybe i could get the tone i seek by using a booster pedal or even an EVH 5150 od pedal ( has noise gate and plenty of distortion )
What do you think?
Hey! Thanks for writing! Well, Ghost tones are usually more in the boosted marshall teritory of gain, which is more gain than my crunch example, but less than the high gain one, so you might notice some difference, but it will definitely be a very very tiny one. You will for sure notice a bigger difference in tone if you buy a noise gate (I'd recommend the TC Sentry) and an EQ pedal (don't overspend here, a cheap Harley Benton one should do the trick). A booster pedal wouldn't help you much in this situation, since it just adds more volume and with that more gain, it doesn't really thicken up the sound or cut down on the noise. If anything it will add more noise and a lot of times boosters add more high end to your signal, so it can sound even harsher. As far as the 5150 OD goes: I've never tried one myself, but from all the stuff I've seen on that thing It's VERY GOOD. Don't let the name deceive you though, this is a preamp pedal, not really an overdrive. It is made for being the heart of your high gain tone, you can plug it into you fx loop for example. It sound very good and it does have a gate, as well as a 3 band eq, which you can use to make your guitar sound less harsh, but you will definitely have more control if you buy a dedicated eq pedal. Hope this helped. If you have any more questions feel free to send them my way! What is your rig right now btw?
@@AlexGichevMusic thx for the reply.
I have a Line 6 Spider 3 150, which is too loud for my taste ( 150 w duhhh), a HB St62, currently being modded and tuned to d standard, and a Lag Roxanne, also being modded/ upgraded ( still itching for the emg 81/60)
The thing is that, pickups dont make that much difference, and listening to your demos, its more than obvious.
Using pedals gives more flexibility because i can use them for both guitars.
No worries! I'd say if you play more at home, just buy an interface (either a focusrite scarlett or a UAD volt) and some plugins (maybe even use a free one, I've got 2 videos on the topic) or if you play live more often, save up for like an hx stomp type of thing. And if you wanna go the tube amp route, I like the Bugera stuff. (btw if I ever do a QnA, do you mind if I use your initial question :) )
@@AlexGichevMusic thx, i thought about ir stuff but i got to admit that time caught up with and i havent searched enough about it, but i will check it out.
Of course you can use it, im not the only one with these doubts and i believe there are many more players going throught the same thing, if it can helps, ill be suoer gratefull.
Besides, i love your content !
I hated my t20, gave it away to a kid. I tried a hot rail. But it didnt help
Huh…interesting. I’ve thought of that before, that maybe I just got a really good example and the other ones coming out of the factory are not that great. To be clear, mine did need a bit of a set up when it got here but once I adjusted a few things it was good to go.
Do some blind test. The ones I've seen 99% could not tell the difference in pickups. No one could tell tell if it were a $30 musiclily pickup or a $200 demarzzio.
I often do that just for myself, especially when testing a plugin when mixing for example. It’s really useful for actually listening with your ears and not your eyes. I’m probably gonna do some videos like that in the future. Thanks for writing!