Will Pickups really help me?

[craig_mccann]

As you will probably have seen I would like to put some new pickups in my Schecter, maybe even my LP and KE3 too. But after reading some posts on UG i noticed alot of people saying that if an amp isnt voiced for metal then putting new pickups in my guitars wont help at all.

Can anyone with experience using Cubes or similar amps tell me if this is true for my situation? Am i gonna be able to get my guitars sounding better through this Cube 60 or is it just never gonna get any better till i buy a new amp?

I know i cant drastically change my sound just by replacing pickups but i just wanna make my guitars sound even a little better through it.

[Mr. Air]

I'm quite sure you can make your guitars sound better with some new pickups, but if you're seeking a real metal tone I think you should get a new amp too (or start out with a new amp). I don't think that a cube 60 can give you what you want.

[craig_mccann]

As long as they can make it sound better then its all good, I've tried looking for an amp but i cant find any that i like, I'm restricted to bedroom low volume playing. The only amps I know would be good are too "big"/high wattage for bedroom playing.

[CaptainDesslock]

As long as they can make it sound better then its all good, I've tried looking for an amp but i cant find any that i like, I'm restricted to bedroom low volume playing. The only amps I know would be good are too "big"/high wattage for bedroom playing.

its important to remember that high quality pickups won't sound much at all different if you put them through cheap digital effects and solid state amps, just thought i'd throw that in there.

[Frank]

if I was trying to get the insane wig-out distortion sound on a budget, first thing I'd do is get some high output pickups then a proper valve preamp pedal and live with the transistor power amp for now

but I'd save every penny I could for an all-tube amp

transistors belong in radios, not guitar amps

[HTH AMPS]

if I was trying to get the insane wig-out distortion sound on a budget, first thing I'd do is get some high output pickups then a proper valve preamp pedal and live with the transistor power amp for now

but I'd save every penny I could for an all-tube amp

transistors belong in radios, not guitar amps

For the most part, I'd agree that t00bes sound best (and its most certainly my own preference).  However, I'd point out that Dime got some outrageous tones with his solid state Randalls and I got some great tones out of the Randall Titan I used to own when I was playing some stoner/doom stuff, as detailed in the clips on this thread back in Aug '06...

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4988.0

[Nadz1lla]

What Cap'n Desslock said is true, cheap stuff isn't going to help. However, using some of the higher-end modellers can get you most of the way to where you want to be. Of course, everyone is right, if you are able to play loud then tubes in proper amps are the way to go, but compromise doesn't have to mean shoddy sound either.

Try looking at Line 6 stuff, but NOT their amps (I've tried their non-valve amps and they sound awful). I'm talking things like the Pod series etc. All my stuff is recorded through a Pod XT and, if I may say, they don't sound too bad:
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7881278

I used to record with my Bronze series Warlock that has a Nailbomb in it, and switching over to an NJ series with the Nailbomb had a massively noticeable effect. If you can squeeze double the money though, look at the Fractal Audio Axe FX, as it's the most amazing sounding Amp emulation tool out there. Everyone who has tried it says that, more than anything, it feels like playing a tube amp. If I had the money, I would sooner invest in an Axe FX than an actual amp, because of the variety of sounds and its versatility. You can go straight into it at home on your desk through some speakers, direct in to your computer, or through a PA live, and it sounds great through all of them.

My $0.02   :D

[craig_mccann]

I know that getting a decent tube amp would be the best for my sound, but, I can't play at high volume. With my cube im never above 1.5 or 2 in the house which is where i mainly play so it seems that tube amps aren't for me.

I tried playing a POD 2 through my amp and wasn't too impressed with it so i got a epi LP instead.

Are there any amps you could recommend then that are good for home practise that will sound better? The only amps i've in local stores are Blackstar HT5 (not too bad just not enough gain for me), Blackheart BH15H (absolutely cr@p for metal, nice clean though), Vox 50VT (was alright but nothing special) and I've tried Spiders too but not a great fan. The only spider that really impressed me was the Spider Valve but thats far too loud for home playing.

I dont know what budget i'd spend, but i recon if its gonna be good i'd save for it. Just none of this 75 watt tubes or anything haha

[Zaned]

Hi,

and happy Christmas for all!

First of all, a good amp is a must if one wants a good tone. BUT, I also play a lot at home. Who doesn't, if you're really serious about playing? The point emerges..

Get good pickups. Period. I've played my guitars through a variety of amps, and if the sound coming out of the guitar is pleasing, there's a much greater possibility of it pleasing you through the amp, whatever that amp may be. I've played mine through some cheap amps too, and I still can always hear the quality of the guitar. With pickups that don't suit the guitar, I can still hear what displeases me, no matter how good the amp is. YMMV of course.

I've got BKP pickups in all of my electrics. There are other excellent manufacturers too of course, but I've gotten very good service and support from BKP, so I can honestly recommend them. And have done so too :D

-Zaned

[dave_mc]

pickups will probably help a bit, but might not be the best use of your funds. That's what UG is trying to say, i assume, and I agree (i post there too). Assuming your current pickups aren't completely wrong for metal. also, modellers tend to make different things sound fairly similar, certainly the cheaper ones, so again it's likely to minimise the differences in things like pickups (whereas a good valve amp will accentuate them).

I was always fairly impressed by the metal tones i could get out of a cube, though.

[dheim]

pickups make a world of difference, but of course a jazz amp will never sound metal even with ceramic warpigs! if your amp has got some metal tone, the right pickup can make it a good metal tone.
anyway, the best use for a POD is not to put it in front of another amp like a distortion pedal... the point is that you can play it without an amp!

[craig_mccann]

Yeah i know but i really hate playing through headphones, i mean it just doesnt seem right. But thanks for the replies, I'm currently looking into all amps i can for home practise n tryin to see which of them or suitable for low volumes Thanks anyway.

[MDV]

Something on ug thats fairly sensible!

Will wonders never cease? Perhaps I'll visit again.

They're right, for the most part. If your amp cant 'do' metal (and your speaker/s and their enclosure) then you can put the mightiest flamethrower pickups in it and still just get a hotter/thicker/fizzier/bassier rock type sound.

The pickups wont make no difference, but they make less than the amp. Thought experiment (and if you/anyone out there has equivelent gear, a real one if you feel like it) - get a high output pickuped guitar and play it through a rock amp; jcm800, laney LC, peavey classic, whatever, and a low-med output pickuped guitar and play it through a dual rec/5150/powerball/VH4/JVM/Uberschall/whatever. The latter will sound 'more metal' than the former (setting allowing)

Its not true that little amps cant hack it. Certainly you arent going to do any full-blooded high volume wall shaking playing on them but

Vox VTXLs
Roland Cubes
Peavey vypyrs
Line 6 spider IV

are all decent enough in their own ways and have the sorts of voicings you need for ok low vol metal sounds.

And having had a cube 30 I know it can do metal tones and that you will see quite siginificant benefit from BKs through a cube. Not as much as through an engl or a diezel or whatever, but quite a bit. It wont stop sounding like a cube, though, and other amps can tear it a new one and the gap between BKs and _insert whatever you want here_ widens.

[Fourth Feline]

Circumstances and current playing style ( Chord Melody type Jazz - and occasional Blues tones ) dictate that I mostly play  through small solid state amps just now .  I can still hear / enjoy the B.K.P character through those  - ( smoother highs, open / spacious / detailed sound e.t.c. ).


In your position I would still get new pickups first - then at a time when you get the amp of your choice ( or if a friend offers to lend you a high ££££ amplifier ) - your guitar is already pre-prepared / "Locked and loaded" - IF the guitar itself is a 'keeper'.  :)

[dave_mc]

Something on ug thats fairly sensible!

Will wonders never cease? Perhaps I'll visit again.

ug gets a bad rap. if you ignore the pit, and the trolls etc., it's not too bad. :)