Guitar Pickup Output

Pickup output, is hotter always better? Many guitarists fall into the fad that the hotter the pickup the better. Many want the highest output pickups imaginable, but there are advantages and disadvantages to using hotter pickups. First of all, with hotter pickups you lose a lot of the high end harmonic content and dynamics. Clean tones aren't as clean, even with the volume knob rolled down. Another fault in the higher output is always better theory is that since there is more output that means a lot more compression. This leaves less "space" in the sound and your over all tone doesn't sound as big as it could.

Now I'm not saying high output is bad. It just
depends upon the application in which you intend
using them. Through a lower gain amp or a non
master volume style amp you really only have two
choices...

1.) Get an Overdrive or Distortion pedal to add
dirt to the signal.

2.) High output pickups to hit the preamp tubes
harder adding gain.

In this situation a hotter pickup would require less boosting which maintains a
quieter signal with less hum.

But to all of you metal heads out there consider this. With all the hi-gain amps out there overflowing with gain try installing a lower output pickup. The result? A Cleaner more dynamic tone with more clarity and a bigger sound, as it wont be so compressed at the preamp stage. I've found that running high output pickups into hi-gain amps results in a muddy, thinner, compressed tone. With lower output pickups you get all of this and a usable clean tone, who would've thought....

If you don't believe me, Lamb of God uses a Paf Style Pickup by Seymour Duncan it is their "59 model.

Here is a list of low output guitar pickups that I would highly recommend using:

Seymour Duncan:

59"
Alnico II Pro
Pearly Gates

Dimarzio:

Paf 36th Anniversary
Humbucker From Hell
Air norton
Paf Pro

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