Pickup Compression?? advice needed

[BloodRose]

What is referred to when you say a pickup is compressed? Here is my prob/concern.
I have a pair of Charvel 4s. One is loaded with a Crazy 8 and it sings! Notes flow and scream and everything good in this earth...

The other, I loaded with a PATB3. I love that pickup and have had GReat results when using it before. BUT....... not in this guitar. The when I pick the notes, its kind of thuddy and dull.. It doesnt sound bad, it just doesnt sing. Im thinking that maybe it is too compressed in this guitar??
I spent 2 hours playing with the height and it just wont dial in. and the guitar sustains fine, so it isnt that the guitar is dead. Please let me if this is what seems to be the issue. I just loved the PATB3 in other axes and hope and expected this match to work.
Im ordering a Alternative8 for her. Hopefully that will bring out the beast within!

Please let me know what you think of what Im experiencing

[Micah]

When I think of compression in a pickup I think of the contrast between the mids and the top end of the EQ curve. When the top end is more than that of the mids, like with a PAF type EQ, the attack seemes to compress when the initial treble response is heard and not getting blunt untill the solidity of the mids is felt. Its a feel thing. My expirience has been that different guitars have a different mid-range response, thus the already compressed characteristics of the pickup are more evident in a more midrange deficient guitar resonant tone. That may be what your hearing??

I have also heard people refer to pickup distortion as "Compression". I can see where they are comming from when they say that being that distortion yeilds a softer attack since the signal is breaking up and is less powerfull in the resonant frequencies. Although I dont think your expiriencing this from a parallel access bucker though. Even if you look @ the Distortion version of the PA trembucker it has less treble and mids--just from the pole piece difference!

[Metalblaze]

You can think of compression as the normalization in attack-decay-sustain-release levels of the note (actually attack and sustain mostly - leave the others). So the attack is brought a little bit down and the sustain alittle bit up so they're closer to each other. Also the attack itself tends to be faster as it's being normalized on its own too. Hence less dynamic range. But I like compression as I play leads with fingers. :P It helps me a lot in that.

[BloodRose]

yeah, this is going to be very hard to figure. Bottom line is that the amplified tone isnt singing . But the guitar has good sustain. Its kinda like when I put an AIIpro in my les paul bridge. I had to have the pickup so close to the strings, it killed the sustain. But this one is VERY low.

I guess, bottom line is that the pup isnt what I want in this guitar. I just had such good experience with the pup before, I figured it would KILL in any trem guitar..

[Micah]

You can think of compression as the normalization in attack-decay-sustain-release levels of the note (actually attack and sustain mostly - leave the others). So the attack is brought a little bit down and the sustain alittle bit up so they're closer to each other. Also the attack itself tends to be faster as it's being normalized on its own too. Hence less dynamic range. But I like compression as I play leads with fingers. :P It helps me a lot in that.

Nice expaination! What do you mean when you say the attack is being "normalized"? I agree I like compression as well, but not too much or it can get sloppy!

[Dru Edwards]

In my opinion, I think compression reduces dynamics. The more compression there is the less likely you'll hear a major difference between soft and hard picking. Less volume differences between the two. Does this make any sense?

[Metalblaze]

Dru Edwards: Exactly. Compressor compresses the dynamic range to fit the signal into systems with high noise floor or low clipping level (less dynamic range) or to help the mixing engineer to fit the instruments in the mix as they'll have less sundden changes in their sound.

Micah: The attack part of the note waveform is when from zero gets to the maximum value. You can see it in the picture here as the first part of the waveform (zero to max - that triangle looking kind of thing):




A slow attack is a soft sounding attack where more time is needed to go from zero to max. When compression is applied, the sound levels in the attack part tend to be equalized in one value, making that triangle kind of thing looking more like a rectangle. So the attack is faster but less prominent against the sustain (the long part of the note) as this tends to go higher too. That way you have a fast responding and sustaining sound.

When the signal is non-compressed the attack is quite stronger than the sustain making the susstain to sound weaker and less. And it is actually.

I hope this helps a little. I tried to keep it simple. Feel free to ask for a more detailed version if you want.

[Tele-Bob]

From what you describe, it's more a matter of "this is what your guitar is capable of delivering."

Personally, from what you describe, I would be tempted to try a Custom V. I know it's a far cry from what you're using but, a Custom V has a nice, tight, defined low end and very articulate mids and highs. No doubt not the number one choice to replace the p'up you want on paper, but from what you describe the sound of your guitar as, the Custom V seems like the right answer.

Good luck. I know how frustrating pickup selection can be at times.

[BloodRose]

From what you describe, it's more a matter of "this is what your guitar is capable of delivering."

Personally, from what you describe, I would be tempted to try a Custom V. I know it's a far cry from what you're using but, a Custom V has a nice, tight, defined low end and very articulate mids and highs. No doubt not the number one choice to replace the p'up you want on paper, but from what you describe the sound of your guitar as, the Custom V seems like the right answer.

Good luck. I know how frustrating pickup selection can be at times.

Thanks! Yeah the custom 5 is a GREAT and Im sure would work great in this axe, but I have c5s in other axes and want something diff here.

[Tele-Bob]

Well, since the guitar in question responds so differently to your other pickup, the chance of getting a great, yet different sound from a Custom V is pretty good. Just sayin'.