One minute of your time please - Blindtest time!

[SJE]

Ok in the MP3 there is the same riff played via 3 different bridge pickups - all are via the exact same patch in Guitar Rig 3 (Gratifier Vintage Crunch).

If you could give you favourite and possibly a few words of critique for each it would be greatly appreciated.

REDONE!

Thanks Possum for the use of some good ears!!! I listen to the file again this morning and thought hmmm they sound FAR different than I thought they did . . . lo and behold I pick up the guitars again this morning and found that the tone controls on samples 2 and 3 were down! - Mr R.Head here apologies! If you wouldn't mind have a listen to the same 3 pickups in the same order but with all the tone control up full - it would again be appreciated!

Then again that's what you get for doing it at 22:40 at night . . .



Cheers


A short blind test

(I did try to do a poll but clicking on the poll option didn't anything!)

[LtKojak]

Ok in the MP3 there is the same riff played via 3 different bridge pickups - all are via the exact same patch in Guitar Rig 3 (Gratifier Vintage Crunch).

If you could give you favourite and possibly a few words of critique for each it would be greatly appreciated.

The first clip have an open and clear sound, I can clearly hear all the notes and their harmonic ringing.

I can't hear any difference among the second and the third, they both sound dull and lifeless for my ears.

Would you tell us what magnets did you use in every clip? I'm very curious.

What do I win?

[Magnut]

I could hear all of the notes/strings on the first. Nice presence.

I thought the second was too dark and the notes got lost. eh

The third was in between one and two but closer to two.

So my picks in order of preference would be 1,3,2.

I don't know what type of pickups these were but that's not important right now. Thanks for letting me play!

[Mike Sulzer]

One is too bright and harsh; two is too muffled. Three is best.

Best to worst: 3, 1, 2.

I suspect the differences could be made much smaller with some pre-distortion equalization.

[Ward]

None of em sound any good to me.

[Possum]

....

One sounds "best", two sounds like the tone control is rolled back, three sounds like the tone control rolled all the way back. Software amps sound like software amps

[SJE]

EDIT: See first post . . . AGAIN . . .

Just incase you didn't listen to it last night . . .

http://www.sjeguitars.com/general/blindtest-take2.mp3

[belwar]

#1 jumped out at me, but there is a depth in #3 that is nice. If #1 had that depth it would be even better. #1 was just a hair brittle to me, but it was the best.

EDIT: That was the first sample..

The second sample was harder to judge.. I think I like #3 best this time.


bel

[David King]

from the second sample; I liked 1 OK but then I liked 2 a little better, different overtones maybe. #3 sounded totally flat and boring but might fit in better with that style of music. Then I re-listened and I still like 1... and 2...

[defaced]

I would probably play pickup 1, but for the amp used, pickup 2 suits it best (nasty grungy sorta Muse sound). I don't really like pickup 3.

[Possum]

....

I think I like 1 and 2, 2 has a little more edge to it. You really should try some solo samples, thats a different deal than power chords, I wouldn't settle on a final version on chords alone....

[SJE]

I think I like 1 and 2, 2 has a little more edge to it. You really should try some solo samples, thats a different deal than power chords, I wouldn't settle on a final version on chords alone....

Solos you say . . . hmmm okay - that'll be something I'll do later today when I have some time. That'll give the thoughts more of an interesting twist. . .

Cheers all so far - most appreciated and helpful comments.

[David King]

from the second sample; I liked 1 OK but then I liked 2 a little better, different overtones maybe. #3 sounded totally flat and boring but might fit in better with that style of music. Then I re-listened and I still like 1... and 2...

[SJE]

Blind test Lead

Well instead of reinventing the wheel and as I had a few minutes spare I just borrowed a quick lead riff off Mr Clapton . . .

Pickups in the same order - same patch - nothing changed.

[Spence]

Well, I'm not sure what the purpose of this test is really. Should we suddenly expect this to be one of those "....well folks, the one you all liked were made by X Manufacturer....." type of tests where we're all made to look a bit stupid. Or are they pickups you made or are we to be told that they're all original PAFs?

So I will say that in both tests I did prefer the recordings of pickup 2. This does not mean I liked any of them. I am also not a fan of computer massaged sound samples.