bridge Mule & Black Dog comparison in my SG

[_tom_]

Just got a 2nd hand BD to try out so I thought I'd do a comparison clip. Amp, mic etc were all set up the same, literally just recorded one, changed the pickup and recorded again. It's the Mule first with the Black Dog starting at about 1:08. Pretty happy with how it sounds, think it's a keeper. It's quite similar but a bit thicker, less scooped and more output. I may still consider something a bit hotter with a similar tone to the BD but right now it's sounding good. I can definitely feel a difference especially on leads, there's more body/gain/harmonics to the sound. Doesn't feel or sound as dry. Think the extra mids help!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15027660/MuleVSBlackDog.mp3

The setup is my SG straight into a Laney GH50L, G12H30 speaker and mic'd with an SM57. Just added a bit of reverb afterwards.

[AndyR]

Woo! That's a tempter!! :)

It's a very subtle difference for a listener but I'm guessing it affects your playing more... Subtle again, but one or other pickup gives the player more of an "ooh yeah, I'm sounding good!" - depending on what their tastes/preconceptions are.

I can hear how some folks would prefer the Mule, and others the Black Dog. I think I much prefer the Black Dog on the "rolled off" section - for ages I've been suspecting Mules of not giving me quite what I want in those circumstances, I find Riff Raffs the same in a different way (but I LOVE how the Stormies do it). I'm liking what I'm hearing here for rolled off on the Black Dogs.

On the louder section - I'm torn... There's an edge to the Mule (which I recognise from my uses of it) that is kinda what I love about it. The Black Dog hasn't got that quite so much - BUT it would probably be enough for my needs... And then it's got something else as well - it's filling that "gap" that I sometimes feel the Mule and Riff Raff are leaving on heavier sections (and this recording is roughly as heavy as I get).

Food for thought... very tempting... (I'd be thinking BD instead of the current RRs in my SG - and this clip, with my knowledge of Mule v RR, has turned out to be quite useful)

Sounds like the punt has worked out for you :)

Thanks for posting

[_tom_]

Yeah it is quite a subtle difference in sound but the feel has changed a bit. This SG is just really picky with pickups I think. The BD is the closest to what I want so far. I actually almost defected to Seymour Duncan with the Custom 5 as I love the custom custom in my strat, however it didn't really work that we'll in the sg, still had that weak "dry" feel on single note riffs and leads. Same with the Pig 90 which surprised me actually. I'm wondering whether to try a Rebel Yell some time, I may email Tim soon and see what he thinks based on all the pickups I've tried so far.

[Dave Sloven]

Rebel Yell could be lacking in the bottom end ... you really need a guitar with a lot of bass in it to work well with an RY.  A Cold Sweat bridge would be a better choice.  I have one in my SG and it works really well for '80s metal sounds in an SG.  It is has a nice solid, tight bottom end to it and a mid scoop that avoids the middy hell that can sometimes happen with SGs

[With Full Distortion]

I liked the Mule clip better. much more organic, more crunchy, more bass. .
Q: )

[ericsabbath]

I love both pups, but I like the mule openness and sparkle better, specially for a non-maple top guitar

[_tom_]

The reasons you guys like the Mule better are probably those why I prefer the Black Dog haha. Gives me the bark and punch I wanted from the SG and has the right level of output. It's just fun to play with which is the main thing, hard to get the "feel" of it over in a clip. I like to be able to dig in and change the sound which this pickup does better than the Mules in this guitar.

[AndyR]

Interesting you saying about being "being able to dig in and change the sound" - that's kinda how I play too, and I could hear this in the clip. I can hear exactly what you're talking about - I can hear the slight hair/crunch that the Mule has more of, and it's very tasty. But now I've switched to Storm Mondays I'm probably finding the same as you - there's enough hair for what I need when I dig in, when I back off I can get mellow and jangle too. I find takes a lot of amp fiddling for me to get that from a Mule with the way I play. Somehow the Stormies are more fun to play than Mules and Riff Raffs for me. I love both Mules and RR for certain things, but the Stormies have got me away from strats and teles completely over the last few months - and I've never really been like that over a humbucker guitar, ever!

Btw, I've always imagined I'll be going Abraxas when I want a "hotter PAF" - but your clip makes me think that Black Dog is the hotter version of what I'm getting out of the Stormies.

[darkbluemurder]

Well done.

I can hear that the Mule cleans up better and has a bit more edge to the tone. The Black Dog has a bit more output and compression which I noticed most on the intro with the guitar volume rolled back, and also a bit more mid bark to it. Both sound very good in this clip.

Thanks for posting,
Stephan

[_tom_]

Yeah the mule definitely cleans up better and has a more organic sound. For proper vintage tones and that it'd be the one to go for I reckon but I tend to like my sounds a bit more modern and compressed I guess. I don't use cleans very often at all so the BD suits me nicely!