Are guitar pickups all that matters? (PRS pickups on telecaster clip!)

[Clark Kent]

So I needed a guitar for live use that sounds decent and can be beaten up quite badly so I got a Jim Root Telecaster made by Squier. (Eww, Squier... I know!) But the interesting thing here is that I had spare PRS HFS and Vintage Bass pickups which I put into this guitar and I also installed a 5-way switch so I have all the switching options I wanted. So the end result is a bit scary. There is a difference for sure, the PRS has more low end and the tele still has some of that tele bite but I was expecting a way bigger difference. I mean these guitars have NOTHING in common except for the pickups.

Are guitar pickups all that matters?

Not all... but A LOT!!!!1



It's always Tele first and PRS second. Kind of a shitty tone in the metal clip.. sorry for that.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

Definitely similar, though I also definitely hear a difference, moreso (unsurprisingly) in the cleans, though it's there in the distortion too (but to be perfectly honest, it's more the inconsistency of the playing than the not-so-hot tone that's making it hard for me to judge) Cool test in any case! Is the Jim Root Squier mahogany like the Fender?

 

[Clark Kent]

Yeah, I thought about making a track but ended up making quick clips since I'm in a hurry so they are all quickle improvised noodling.

The tele has a magogany body. What it doesn't have is the EMGs and locking tuners. Ofcourse the overall materials are not as good as the Fender ones.

 

[drew_drummer]

Squier are actually making some kick ass guitars and basses right now. And no, guitar pickups are not all that matters.

 

[Clark Kent]

Squier are actually making some kick ass guitars and basses right now. And no, guitar pickups are not all that matters.

Yup, there's been some talk about this actually. Some Fender collectors search for those old Squiers because they are essentially the same quality as USA Fenders but put together in Asia. Now people are saying that the currect Squier quality is about the same as the old good Squiers back in the day.

 

[Sloan]

Dude, yeah. I really like Squier's Master Series from a few years ago and the first time I played my friends Classic Vibe Duo-Sonic, I was blown away. I used to have a Mexican Fender duo-sonic (from the 90's), and the squier shit all over it.

 

[Josh Burgess]

I've seen clips on youtube of people playing one string guitars they made out of hockeysticks with mounted pickups and everything, and I was surprised by how good they actually sounded. While the wood definitely slightly changes the tone, I'm a pretty firm believer that the pickups account for a good 80% of the tone of a guitar.

 

[Clark Kent]

I've seen clips on youtube of people playing one string guitars they made out of hockeysticks with mounted pickups and everything, and I was surprised by how good they actually sounded. While the wood definitely slightly changes the tone, I'm a pretty firm believer that the pickups account for a good 80% of the tone of a guitar.

There's actually a company that does those hockeystick guitars. It's called Ibanez!

 

[BLUElightCory]

Pickups are just a part of the equation.

 

[gabriel g.]

this is a proof that the player makes a lot of the tone

 

[Linerndunch110]

this is a proof that the player makes a lot of the tone

+1

yes pickups matter, but your fingertips account for a huge chunk of your overall tone. How hard you press, whether you have fat or skinny fingers, oily, dry etc etc.

personally, tone for me, in order of most important to least. Player -> Amp -> guitar.

 

[Josh Burgess]

technique & phrasing =/= tone

 

[Drummerrrrr?]

Clark, have you tried the Dragons? How do you think they compare to the HFS pups?

 

[Clark Kent]

The Dragons are lower output... kind of reminded me of Les Paul pickups but could just be the look of them.

And sure ofcourse the tone of your playing style can always be heard.