Sound clips - Blackjack/JB vs Hellraiser/707 vs Universe/Blaze

[Drew]

Ok, I still cant play for shit until my finger grows back, but I CAN do simple 1-finger powerchords using my middle finger, so here's an A/B/C for you guys...

Amp's my Nomad, Channel 3 modern, channel volume at 5 five, gain and presence at 6, treble at six, mids at 4, bass at like 4.25. Extreme poweramp mode with the master at like maybe 1. A bit brighter and ganier than my norm, but probably better for you guys.

Guitars were in drop-A. A bit of verb on the drums, and aside from multi-band compression (same patch for all) and a volume maximizer, no post-recording processing on the guitar. No bass, either - sorry.

Mic was a SM-57, ever so slightly off axis facing inward, right at the edge of the coil. Probably not ideal positioning, but I was working quickly here.

C7 Blackjack (JB in mahogany with a maple neck, 26.5")

[MEDIA]http://www.drewpeterson.org/pickup clips/blackjack.mp3[/MEDIA]

C7 Hellraiser (707 in mahogany with a mahogany neck, 26.5")

[MEDIA]http://www.drewpeterson.org/pickup clips/hellraiser.mp3[/MEDIA]

Universe UV7PWH (Blaze in basswood with a maple neck, 25.5")

[MEDIA]http://www.drewpeterson.org/pickup clips/universe.mp3[/MEDIA]

Excuse the sloppiness, again I'm down a finger and this was the first riff I came up with that I could actually play.

I'll withhold my own commentary for now, save to suggest downloading these rather than relying on the media player so you can A/B them a bit easier.

 

[MetalMike]

I think the JB sounds the best out of the 3. The 707 dosn't shine for rhythm nearly as much as lead but you can see it gets the job done and I wouldn't say it sounds sterile as many say it does. The blaze was my least favorite.

You should consider doing a lead comparison when your finger grows back.

I played the JB and 707 clips at the same time and it sounds very thick. I could see these two pickups being a good band combination.

Edit: I forgot to add that they all sound great.

 

[giannifive]

Those all sound great, but I think I like the JB clip the best. Maybe it's the combination of a body wood that enhances lows and low mids (mahogany) with a bright pickup (the JB). It may also be the fact that I've been playing *only* my Blaze-equipped 7 for the last 2 months and have grown tired of the scooped Blaze bridge tone...

Edit, after second listen: do the C7's have a longer scale length than the UV? Because the low A sounds sharper and more articulate on them. I'm wondering if it's the pickups or the scale length...

 

[Vince]

The JB sounds the best IMO. It's the clearest to my ears, anyway. The 707 sounds kinda tinny compared to the other two samples.

Drew, would you mind posting yourr settings you use on the multi-band compressor on your guitars? I'd be interesting in messing with that idea myself.

 

[Drew]

Vince, it was just a mastering plugin on the whole mix, not a multi-band on the guitars alone. The guitars are raw.

Gianni, yeah, it's 25.5" vs 26.5" for the two C7's. You can hear it. The fact that, while they're all Elixirs, the UV's are easily the oldest also makes a slight difference.

 

[Vince]

ah, ok

you know me, I'm always open to experimenting with new ideas.

 

[Emperoff]

like more the growl of the 707

The UV sounds way muddy in comparison

 

[giannifive]

Gianni, yeah, it's 25.5" vs 26.5" for the two C7's. You can hear it. The fact that, while they're all Elixirs, the UV's are easily the oldest also makes a slight difference.

I was actually guessing the strings on the UV were older. You can hear it.

 

[Ryan]

I think i like the JB best out of those clips. The 707 which i would usually pull for in this group has a "shink" sound on your pick strokes. The blaze was muffy and kinda dull/dark for my taste.

 

[Mastodon]

The JB and 707 were both good, I liked the 707 more though.

UV was just...yuck.

 

[Cancer]

While I feel the longer scale length somewhat invalidates this, I'm really digging the JB. The 707 sounds ...cleaner, not a bad thing but ...eh. Now the Blaze, does nothing for me, and scale length is the same, athough the wood is different.

Thanks for posting this, hopefully it'll be a blueprint for future vs.



edit. [action=Psyphre] sees the scale length for clips and retracts his earlier statement. [/action]

 

[crowbarfan77]

The JB7 just seems to have an extra bit of note definition and sparkle in a mahogany bodied guitar. I have one in my 007 elite and it's just awesome.

 

[Leon]

JB > Blaze > 707

normally, being a DiMarzio guy, i'd have thought that i'd like the Blaze the most.

 

[Desecrated]

I cant hear much of a difference between them, in a real mix with a hole band it would be pretty hard, if not impossible to tell a difference.

 

[Metal Ken]

Blaze \m/

 

[The Dark Wolf]

707 > Blaze > JB.

The 707 has a too sharp attack, but it's the clearest, and has a nice growl. The other pickups almost sound there's a blanket on the speakers in comparison.

The Blaze sounds like the JB, but darker and less clear in the upper frequenices. It has better bass definition and attack, however, IMO.

The JB, AS ALWAYS, sounds the best on the upper 2/3rds of the frequencies. But I can hear the round bass, and lack of clarity and attack there. As usual, however, it records very well. (I like my JB much better when I hear it played back on a recording than when I play it live.)

 

[Drew]

Ok, this has been up long enough that I can provide my opinion withotu screwing with any biases.

First, psyphre, both Schecters are 26.5" - the Blackjack isn't the only long scale one.


Second, I agree with Leon - I prefer the JB, then the Blaze, then the 707. The JB has a great growl to it in the, as Bob put it, upper 2/3 of the frequency range. It's not overly bright or edgy like the 707 (whose pick attack drives me crazy) nor does it have quite the depth of the Blaze (which is actually voiced quite similar, IMO, just with the mids in a slightly different place and more low end) , but it's got this chainsaw-like snarl to it. If I had to choose one guitar from this set for metal rhythm, this'd be the one.

Bob, the low frequencies aren't actually a huge concern here - had this been a mix with a bass, I'd have rolled off a good chunk of the frequencies below 70-100hz or so anyway, which'd have tightened it right up, to let the bass come through.

The Blaze is next. This pickup, even with the 25.5" scale, has the deepest-sounding bass of the three. The JB is close with the palm mutes, but it doesn't quite chug as much. It for some reason sounds more saturated than any of the pickups here, including the 707, which is slightly odd as it's really no hotter than the JB and actually less hot than the 707, and slightly less gain would (while it'd also help the JB here, IMO) help this pickup the most of this group (the 707 coudl actually use a bit more to help tame that annoying pick attack). However, while it's undeniably dark and sludgy, I fuckin' love that about it.

I'm surprised that a bunch of you guys are loving the JB and hating the Blaze, as I actually think that they sound remarkably similar, with the Blaze just being a little chunkier and having more low-mid growl, while the JB being a little less rumbly and having more mid-mid (i guess) snarl. We're talking fairly subtle differences, IMO - differences nonetheless, but not nearly strong enough to get the reactions we're seeing here. Part of me wishes I'd done this blind and not named names until after everything was said and done just to see if people's preconceptions of the pickups were coloring their opinions.

The 707, meanwhile, has easily the tightest and fastest bass attack of any of these. However, it's so fucking bright I can't really cope with it for rhythm - a few of you guys have commented on its overpronounced pick attack here, and this is what drives me crazy about this pickup. It smokes for leads, but for rhythm that goddamn pick attack will not go away. Bob, you mention that the other pickups sound like they have a blanket over the speakers by comparison - while that's a slight exaggeration, I think the treble response between the 707 and the Blaze/JB IS pretty radically different. However, for me that's not a good thing, IMO.

I should (once I have all available fingers at my disposal again ) re-record these with some lower-gain riffing stuff (where the JB and Blaze will absolutely stomp all over the 707), and then some lead stuff over either a bass-and drums backing, or a backing with my strat or something to provide a fairly neutral picture.

 

[keithb]

I'd say 707 > JB > Blaze.

However, I think that might be due to the difference in the guitars. I've never liked EMGs whenever I've played them, and I've always loved Blazes.

 

[eaeolian]

Hmm, exactly what I actually think of the PUs - the JB was my fav, followed by the brighter than I like it 707, and the Blaze is, well, sludge.

 

[rummy]

Thanks for the sound clips! I guess I'm going with JB, then!