EQ-Related Confusion While Looking For Pickup Swap

[MiahDrao]

I'm really trying to nail down the EQ differences between my Agile 8 string with Cepheus pups and my Ibanez S7420 with its stock pickups. Eventually, I want to get some new bridge pickups in the future so they can sound as similar as possible. Both guitars are mahogany-bodied. The primary differences (I think) are that the Agile has a 28.25" scale length compared to Ibanez's standard scale and that the Agile is neck-thru. Their current sets of strings sit at about 19 to 20 lbs. of tension. Ibanez is in Drop A while Agile is in E standard.

I moved into a new flat about two weeks ago, and my perception of sound has been totally screwed up in this new environment. In terms of output, I know my Ibanez is hotter than the Agile. That is all I am certain of. I am GUESSING (key word here) that if I were to compare the guitars on a 3 band EQ, they would be like so:

Ibanez: Bass/7 Mid/5 Treble/6
(In general, with this guitar's higher output, I think it sounds meaner and punchier. It also sounds a pinch brighter to me while also having deep bass, and I mean DEEP. If the sound has any real flaw, it's that it muddies up in the lower notes, but it's not terrible.)

Agile: Bass/4 Mid/6 Treble/5
(This guitar sounds airy/detached and a little warm to my ears. That being said, some of the lower strings sound a bit thin and twangy at the same time, which I don't really like very much. Low note clarity is very good, however, and it's very easy to mix into a track.)

If anybody thinks these EQ curves don't look right to you in context of my descriptions for each instrument, please correct me. I would like the Agile to sound more like the Ibanez than the other way around. Honestly, I am okay with a darker sound and a little bit of mud, but within reason. I don't exactly do tremolo picking or solos often, but I do "djent" from time to time and generally play rhythm stuff.

I am attributing the differences in tone primarily to the pickups they have rather than the differences in construction. However, with their constructions in mind, would they still sound alike if they both had the same bridge pickup?

Right now, I've been looking at Seymour Duncan's and BKP's 8 string options. Seymour Duncan just hasn't been selling me very well. I was looking at the Invader, which I think is too dark, and the Pegasus, which isn't hot enough for my liking. On the BKP side of things, I am considering Ceramic Warpig, Miracle Man, or Juggernaut. All of them are kinda different, but it's tougher to decide between these because everybody raves about all of them having the same capabilities (e.g. they all have tight bass, searing treble, high output, you name it; Bare Knuckle does it). I've also been looking at a Ceramic Nailbomb, but obviously forgot to put that in the poll.

Anyway, all this said, what do you all think as far my EQ perception goes? This is the most important part to me right now. Do my EQ curves look outlandishly different than my descriptions? If they're relatively accurate, then secondly, which pickup should I get to clean up the Ibanez's tone while also boosting up the aggression and thickness of the Agile?

 

[mnemonic]

My experience is that pretty much every guitar sounds different, regardless of pickups, both acoustically and plugged-in, even if they're made of the same woods or whatever. Moreso if you're the one playing, since you're getting that auditory 'feedback' to what your fingers are doing.

Regarding the Agile sounding more twangy, I'm convinced 'twanginess' has a lot to do with scale length. Most long scale guitars I've owned/played have had a slight 'twang' to the sound. Under heavy gain, this generally leads to a more 'direct' and percussive sound in my opinion, great for really tight playing. Acoustically, they seem to have a more 'piano-like' quality to the low notes. It can be cool at times, sometimes I prefer it, sometimes I don't.

Do these guitars sound the same when played unplugged? Or are the characteristics you describe still there in part? If its the latter, I really think you're fighting a losing battle trying to make them sound the same. It's about more than just the EQ, but also the 'feel' of the guitar and how it responds to your playing. Maybe notes decay in a different way on one guitar, or harmonics are more or less present on another. EQ and pickup changes really can't fix/change this.

 

[MiahDrao]

Do these guitars sound the same when played unplugged? Or are the characteristics you describe still there in part? If its the latter, I really think you're fighting a losing battle trying to make them sound the same. It's about more than just the EQ, but also the 'feel' of the guitar and how it responds to your playing. Maybe notes decay in a different way on one guitar, or harmonics are more or less present on another. EQ and pickup changes really can't fix/change this.

Acoustically, it is just twangier. You're right about that due to scale length. I just wonder if there's a way to compliment this feature with one's electronics. One thing that I do know is that decreasing the string tension when I tuned down fixed this problem to a satisfactory level. The twanginess doesn't bother me as much as the lack of power, so I don't want to get too caught up on it. I know that pickup change is imminent, and I just want to be heading in the right direction.

 

[Mike]

mnemonic's experience is pretty much spot on with mine as well. Sometimes, as much as we want one guitar to have the characteristics of another, no mods or gear combination can really get it there both in terms of feel and tone.

A pickup swap may help a little, but the inherent tone of the guitars will still always be there. It's a result of the construction methods, guitar design, and materials. Putting the same exact bridge pickup in both will still result in the guitars each having their own voice.

Another difference as well is that 7 and 8 string pickups perform differently. I've used a few variants of the same 7 and 8 string pickups and I've yet to find my perfect 8 string pickup that feels and sounds as good as some 7 and 6 string pickups. I'm not a pickup expert, but the windings and magnetic fields generated by 8 string pickups are part of the reason you'll have to approach 8's different in shaping their sound through amps, pedals, etc.

For pickups, I'd say a Dimarzio Titan or Evolution in the Ibanez to improve the clarity, but maintain the power and a Dimarzio Super Distortion in the Agile to give it more punch, power, and aggression. It should also help thicken up the low strings that seem too thin to you. I'd avoid the Invader. I put one in a boden os 7 in an attempt to thicken and add aggression, but all it really seemed to do was scoop the mids and take away clarity. I can't speak for your bareknuckle choices since I haven't used any of them, but if it was me, and I was set on BKP's, I'd try a ceramic warpig in the Agile and a ceramic nailbomb in the Ibanez.

 

[MiahDrao]

I think you guys are right, now that I'm really thinking about it. It's probably unrealistic to work against their individual voices to make them sound about the same. It would probably be more productive to work with them and make each guitar sound the best it possibly can. That being said, I think the Agile would do really well with a darker, high-output like the ceramic warpig. The Ibanez just needs a little more clarity. I like how deep it sounds and I don't wanna take much away from that sound.