There is NO such thing as a muddy sounding Lollar pickup! IF there is a "Mud" issue it is elsewhere in your gear! Both Lollar and Fralin are exceptionally clear and defined pickups!
I agree with this. The Lollars are anything but dark and muddy - especially the neck, where most PAF style necks are a little dark and muddy compared to the bridge. And the balance in tone and eq is pretty spot on.
I like the Lollar bridge better, more grunt and beef. Could install treble bleed and roll volume back a bit for more cleans. Change pots/caps and dial it how you want it. For the Neck I very slightly preferred the Fralin. I've had more luck w magnet and wiring mods vs pickups... Cheaper and can really change things. Pickup adjustment really matters too... Like a lot. Play around w this to get what you want. Height, angle, pole pieces, what is under the pickup (make sure pickup is secure w foam or popcicle sticks, etc).
I like the Fralin pickups better...but I'm biased, I've already put them in 3 guitars. I think they do a great job of making articulate pickups--I have their single coils, PAF's and P-92's for jazz. The Lollars are a little chunkier and "heavy" I think--if you ran this through an EQ, you might see some peaks in lower midrange, but lack articulation in the upper mids, and get a bit edgy. I like that extra articulation in the upper mids with the Fralins, especially with gain where it gets sweet and "interesting." This might be a combo of the guitar and pickups as well. Collings guitars uses Lollar pickups on their electrics, and they're no slackers when it comes to perfection, so they should not be shunned! I do believe when it comes to the PAF styles, Lollars are a little mismatched like modern Gibson PAFs, and Fralins are more balanced (although you can get them unbalanced if you ask). That might account for the sonic difference. Meanwhile, lovely guitar!!
Your break down is pretty much on the money. I ended up going with the Imperial myself because they're potted and I've had the worst luck with microphonic unpotted pickups (every set I've ever owned had at least one unusable pickup!). They certainly do not lack any high end though and they also split well. That said, the Fralins made it down to the final cut despite being unpotted :) I do think the Fralins won this one. I've heard others I thought the Lollars won. I might wager the Lollars MIGHT do better in my LP Custom where the high mids disappear a little on the telecaster.
I have never, ever heard someone describe a Lollar Imperial as dark and muddy. If anything they are at the opposite end of the spectrum, with more of a hi-fidelity sound, with a lot of upper harmonic content.
I little bit of user error here. The Strymon Iridium wasn’t a good fit. Once I switched to the Quad Cortex, I realized how muddy the iridium was. I still ended up preferring the Fralin’s.
@@DustinKoch It goes to show how useless a lot of the vocabulary we use to describe pickups is, because I hear less high frequency and more lower mids in the Fralins, which is more what I associate with the "muddy" descriptor. But it's a useful comparison video regardless of the amp model. I just found it odd to see the word "muddy" associated with the Lollars. I've only heard the Standard and Low Wind Imperials, so I suppose it's conceivable the High Wind might be perceived as muddy.
@@BwanaTube Spec'ing out some replacement PAF style pickups for an ES-335 copy guitar. Do you recommend the Lollar Low Wind or Standard Imperials, if so which one? I'm looking for something you described hi-fi and a lot of upper harmonic content. Is there a better option?
@@rz0svp For me, Standard wind was a better fir with a 335 style guitar, but if you're only going to be playing sparkling clean sounds, the low wind may be a better match. I think the low winds are a good fit with archtops and jazz styles, and the standards with semi-hollows and styles ranging from jazz, blues, and into rock, are well paired. For me the Lollars integrate the high end better, where some other makes sound like the high end is sitting on top of the sound, if that makes any sense. Everyone seems to listen to the frequency spectrum differently, but the Lollars sound best to me in every comparison I've heard including this one.
People here saying Lollars aren’t muddy are not wrong, but Fralin specializes in bright stuff and is a single coil guy primarily. So… yeah more clarity with the Fralins. Not that EQ couldn’t fix things.
That guitar sounds awesome both before and after the pickup swap. Your last setting is awesome! I do prefer the Fralin Pickups. Seemed to have a little more detail in the mids.
Thanks! A lot of what I was dealing with was the modeling amp I was running it through. I had just switched to the Strymon Iridium for this video and it has made a big difference.
I'm a Fralin fan boy. I have his Modern PAF in my bridge and his Humbucker sized P90 in the neck of my 335 and I couldn't be happier, I also like hot pickups and Lindy was more than willing to accommodate that request.
Im a fralin pure PAF on the neck and fralin modern PAF 8K on the bridge type of guy , I also Like the imperial but the low wind version its so so much better
One man’s opinion, you had the wrong imperials in there. For fender guitars, the low winds sound better to me. The low winds have a 7.1 neck and a 7.9 bridge. That 7.1 low output neck is as open as any paf neck pickup you’ll get your hands on.
I appreciate the comment and sub! I’ve had them in the guitar since this video and have still been completely in love with them. Check out my latest pedalboard video to hear more of the Fralins!
Personally I like the Lollars better, and I am a Fralin fan, I have Fralin single coils in my strat. I thought the Fralins definitely sounded brighter and if that's what your going for, great. I want to put some Humbuckers in a kit LP so I am looking for a more traditional LP sound. I thought the Lollars sounded beautiful on the neck and had a nice PAF growl in the bridge. Would have liked to have heard them with no reverb or whatever time based effect you had on the video. Thanks for posting very interesting and well presented.
Adjust your Pups to your amp or amp to the Pups, Whatever way you want to look at it.Amps never had a one setting fits all for the sound you are looking for in a guitar/Pup situation, It's all about the amp & pedals adjustment & Caps/Pots to complete your sound destination, I have not only tried every popular Pup made but still have a huge guitar collection with Lollars/ Fralin/ Lambertones plus many more and they all sound great after a few tweaks, Good luck on your neverending best sound journey,Have Fun doing it and don't go broke like I did. LOL!!!!!
Both sound amazing. I tend to gravitate to a pickup that’s just a little more bright that has those percussive qualities. Both sound good, but I think I prefer the fralin slightly more because of those things. I’d be happy with either, however.
They BOTH sound FANTASTIC in slightly different ways. The Fralin's do sound higher output. Only consistent difference that I could hear. Sweet axe btw.
The Fralins are definitely hotter because they are wound to be modern. The Lollars are one of their low-winds I believe. I have the Fralins but liked the Lollars better in this demo.
That guitar tone is not good for this demo, turn your bass down and mids up on your amp. Also up your tone knob on your guitar. You can’t hear that PAF mid push for comparison.
Please get rid of ALL effects/reverb so we can hear the unadulterated tone of the pups. The reverb is over saturating the low end and to much mud happening.
You should give Lambertones a try I have a hss strat the crema pick up is 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 sounds and very clean and when I need to solo or just need a lil more kick I hit the bridge pick up on. It’s seriously a good pick up
I’m like the Fralin’s just fine for now. I’m not a huge fan of the Crema. Probably because every worship guitar player uses them 😆. I’ll eventually try them out myself
@@DustinKoch hahaha that’s understandable! I at first wasn’t going to get them but definitely do not regret it lol. My next pick up upgrades really want to give the bare knuckles a try
I found the Lollar to be more versatile. The result your having is more likely due the rest of the gear than the guitar itself. Probably you have to change the modeled amp/IR to match the guitar vs fitting the guitar to your actual setup.
Hey bro I’ve used fralin pickups for a while now and the noiseless alnico p90 in the neck and the noiseless p90 in the bridge is my go to. I would say for me it’s the perfect combo. I have them in a tmg Ronnie Scott and it is my favorite guitar. Absolute balanced and clear without be muddy or brittle. Lindy Fralin for the win
@@DustinKoch I'm making this comment a year later, and I'm sure you have already heard this before, but have you heard Lindy Fralin's pure PAF?! For me, in my very limited experience, it is the creamiest humbucker that I have ever heard.. I guess modern pafs, would just have more output.
you either need timestamps or you need to A.B. single position pick ups only. By the time we get to the neck pick up of one set starting on the bridge pick up of the next we have already lost the bridge pick up timbre of the first. If you edit this video and re-upload, it’ll be much much better and actually useful. 10% more work will take this video from not helpful really to terrific!
I really appreciate your input. Time stamps came out after this video, and no offense but this one video has more views than any of yours combined. It has been helpful to many people and has developed really cool conversations and even friendships. Even though I know I could do much better with this video if I redid it today, I’m still proud of it and what it has produced. Thanks 🙏
They sound more similar than different to my ears… with a prism or a shaping pedal first in your signal chain you could make these pickups sound identical 👍
You are tuned down a tone, D to D and using a modelling amp, so the natural EQ and dynamics of the 2 pick ups sets probably isn't entirely accurate for those who tune E to E or push both sets of tubes in a tube amp. It obviously works for you and how you like to play, but the Lindy Fralins may well be a bit brighter tuning E to E, whereas the Lollars will sound completely different too
That may work for you but I like practical application. I want to hear how I’m going to run it. I start off dry and then add effects. You’re hearing it after dry run. Thanks for commenting and watching!
Thanks for a great vid! Both sound great, tough call, but hey, good problem to have right. Maybe a hybrid set, Lollar in the bridge and Fralin in the neck? Did you consider the Fralin P92s (same size as a hum, but a P90 with hum cancelation)?
Hey bro! Did you fixed the “muddy” on your tone? How? I have a squier jag with humbuckers and I use modelers (hx stomp). I really wanna some clarity for my tone. I changed the pickups of my Fender tele with p90s (now I use Lambertones) and sounds amazing. But my jag have too much muddy mids
Thanks for doing this. Fralin FTW, IMO of course. Can't go wrong with either. In my ow experience with both of these, the Modern PAF's cut through the mix better for me.
@@DustinKoch +1. They have been overshadowed by the Fralin's own Pure PAFs and other more faithful boutique repros but they are excellent and versatile pups.
@@seanmurphy26 Both great. Pure PAF is more of that classic PAF tone but it is still versatile as it handles high gain and Fuzz really. My guitars are Les Pauls and for now I prefer the more open midrange of the Pure PAF in them than the thicker, fatter Modern PAF. In a lighter body guitar, the Mod PAFs provide a really cool body to the tone; but still they are really dynamic and benefit from knowing how to manipulate volume and tone controls.... Both models do that, in reality, so I think my choice depends more on the guitar they are going into.
@Dustin Koch, thanks for the comparison video. Great job. Which version of the Imperials do you have in the guitar? I know Lollar offers three versions. The lowest gain ones would be brighter and probably give you more clarity, especially in the neck position. Thanks again.
Thanks for the comparison, I hope you compared the mounting distances to the strings meticulously - at first I thought it wasn't necessary to change your pickups because I would have liked the Imperial too, the way you play it with FX, but I did I understand that the Modern Pafs don't have that "grumbling" sound - just a nuanced, thinner sound. Within a band or an arrangement, this somewhat "thinner" sound can be helpful.
500k. Even though I still like the Fralin’s better, the issue was the amp modeler I was using more than anything. It had weird low mids. I should’ve done the low wound Lollars too.
@@DustinKoch I have a Fralin Pure PAF in the neck position of one of my Telecasters with a four position switch: The most versatile guitar I have ever played.
It is also very much the way you play. Not the pickups. BOTH are very-very high quality. I have Imperials in PRS standard & they're absolutely incredible. Stayer. But in my Jazzmaster, I had to put Imperial Low Wind (neck) to have the guitar blossom, & simply start working (ts with p90 bridge). It just wouldn't work with normal winding. The way your hands work is the way pickups pick up sound. Spend more time on that.
I appreciate this, but it ended being the amp modeler I was using as well as the pickups. There was a hump around 200-500 hertz that was causing everything to be a little muddy. Once I fixed that and switched to the Fralins, the issue was resolved!
@@DustinKoch Nice ending then. Tho I must tell you that Lollars are different beast in live situation. Ts when they eventually show their true face. I have 'em on 60% of my guitars & won't be changing those. Most impressed with that neck low-wind Imperial, and J-street on my tele. Really superb.
Liked both pickup sounds. They're both not really known for being muddy and dark... but now that i see that you're Palm Muting on distorted tones on the Neck and middle pickups.. that kind of explains it all. Nobody does that.. lol.
I appreciate the feedback. Plenty of people do that. I mainly play on the bridge tbh. I wanted to play the same thing on every pickup to give a fair comparison of how each one responded. This video is not a showcase of how I play.
Both pickups are top tier. I prefer the Lollars for clean and cleanish sounds and they're also the best balanced "PAF" like set out there in both volume and tone as can be heard here. Fralins have a little extra mid grunt and win distorted. I think I would also prefer Imperial low winds for a telecaster over the reg winds. The reg winds were quite bright in my friend's strat, but are absolute money in my Les Paul. What I always say is if you play Fender style amps, you can't beat the Lollars. If you are playing a Marshall, you'll probably prefer Fralins unless you play a vintage style Marshall clean.
Amp settings Definitely seem dialed and tailored to the Fralins. The Lollars are just warmer and tighter. Fralins are thinner IMO and slightly more sharp but not brittle. Both are great but I think the Lollars were done dirty here because the amp itself or just the amp settings were dialed too think for the Lollars. I run lower gain and less bass in my signal to cut out mud in general and use Lollars in 2 guitars. Standard imperials, Jazzmaster p90s, and then had Fralin soapbar P90s in an SG. All sounded incredible just different. Both are way way better than stock in 99% of instances IMO
Great video though! Honestly one of the better more straight forward shootouts. Especially for us worship folks. I don’t need to see someone noodling bluesy tones for 10 minutes trying to perceive through the stylistic differences. I’m always thinking, just strum a dang G chord ONCE please! Haha. So this was great!
I will add though, even in this vid, I think the Lollar imperials are “creamier”… which is something I’ve always loved about them. Sure you *might* have to trim back on the bass or low mids a little, but I think the result is better than most others. Currently though, I’m actually running some Dylan pickups “DAF’s” (from Dylan Talks Tone) in my Gibson es275 and they’re great but don’t have that same creamy tamed shrillness in the top end that Imperials have…
There is NO such thing as a muddy sounding Lollar pickup! IF there is a "Mud" issue it is elsewhere in your gear! Both Lollar and Fralin are exceptionally clear and defined pickups!
It was definitely the amp I was using! A eq pedal fixed it just fine.
I agree with this. The Lollars are anything but dark and muddy - especially the neck, where most PAF style necks are a little dark and muddy compared to the bridge. And the balance in tone and eq is pretty spot on.
@@DustinKoch why use a rubbish amp to demo high-end pickups?
@@zafira976Because he’s a “wOrShIp gUiTaRiSt.” Not the smartest lot of people.
@@Luke-yv6uo What a useless comment. Unnecessary and rude.
I like the Lollar bridge better, more grunt and beef. Could install treble bleed and roll volume back a bit for more cleans. Change pots/caps and dial it how you want it. For the Neck I very slightly preferred the Fralin. I've had more luck w magnet and wiring mods vs pickups... Cheaper and can really change things. Pickup adjustment really matters too... Like a lot. Play around w this to get what you want. Height, angle, pole pieces, what is under the pickup (make sure pickup is secure w foam or popcicle sticks, etc).
I wanted to go for the Imperials, but the clarity on those Modern P.A.F.s really sets in after listening for a second time.
I like the Fralin pickups better...but I'm biased, I've already put them in 3 guitars. I think they do a great job of making articulate pickups--I have their single coils, PAF's and P-92's for jazz. The Lollars are a little chunkier and "heavy" I think--if you ran this through an EQ, you might see some peaks in lower midrange, but lack articulation in the upper mids, and get a bit edgy. I like that extra articulation in the upper mids with the Fralins, especially with gain where it gets sweet and "interesting." This might be a combo of the guitar and pickups as well. Collings guitars uses Lollar pickups on their electrics, and they're no slackers when it comes to perfection, so they should not be shunned! I do believe when it comes to the PAF styles, Lollars are a little mismatched like modern Gibson PAFs, and Fralins are more balanced (although you can get them unbalanced if you ask). That might account for the sonic difference. Meanwhile, lovely guitar!!
You’re break down is very accurate! I love watching the waves when analyzing the EQ.
Your break down is pretty much on the money. I ended up going with the Imperial myself because they're potted and I've had the worst luck with microphonic unpotted pickups (every set I've ever owned had at least one unusable pickup!). They certainly do not lack any high end though and they also split well. That said, the Fralins made it down to the final cut despite being unpotted :)
I do think the Fralins won this one. I've heard others I thought the Lollars won. I might wager the Lollars MIGHT do better in my LP Custom where the high mids disappear a little on the telecaster.
The Fralins sound brighter with more fidelity.
Both great pickups. Similar tone and clarity. The Fralin’s just seem to have a bit more top end sustain to my ears.
I have never, ever heard someone describe a Lollar Imperial as dark and muddy. If anything they are at the opposite end of the spectrum, with more of a hi-fidelity sound, with a lot of upper harmonic content.
I little bit of user error here. The Strymon Iridium wasn’t a good fit. Once I switched to the Quad Cortex, I realized how muddy the iridium was. I still ended up preferring the Fralin’s.
@@DustinKoch It goes to show how useless a lot of the vocabulary we use to describe pickups is, because I hear less high frequency and more lower mids in the Fralins, which is more what I associate with the "muddy" descriptor. But it's a useful comparison video regardless of the amp model. I just found it odd to see the word "muddy" associated with the Lollars. I've only heard the Standard and Low Wind Imperials, so I suppose it's conceivable the High Wind might be perceived as muddy.
@@BwanaTube Spec'ing out some replacement PAF style pickups for an ES-335 copy guitar. Do you recommend the Lollar Low Wind or Standard Imperials, if so which one? I'm looking for something you described hi-fi and a lot of upper harmonic content. Is there a better option?
@@rz0svp For me, Standard wind was a better fir with a 335 style guitar, but if you're only going to be playing sparkling clean sounds, the low wind may be a better match. I think the low winds are a good fit with archtops and jazz styles, and the standards with semi-hollows and styles ranging from jazz, blues, and into rock, are well paired. For me the Lollars integrate the high end better, where some other makes sound like the high end is sitting on top of the sound, if that makes any sense. Everyone seems to listen to the frequency spectrum differently, but the Lollars sound best to me in every comparison I've heard including this one.
People here saying Lollars aren’t muddy are not wrong, but Fralin specializes in bright stuff and is a single coil guy primarily. So… yeah more clarity with the Fralins. Not that EQ couldn’t fix things.
@@Fallowsun I love lollars still. Just not in this case. I may give them another go
That guitar sounds awesome both before and after the pickup swap. Your last setting is awesome! I do prefer the Fralin Pickups. Seemed to have a little more detail in the mids.
Thanks! A lot of what I was dealing with was the modeling amp I was running it through.
I had just switched to the Strymon Iridium for this video and it has made a big difference.
I'm a Fralin fan boy. I have his Modern PAF in my bridge and his Humbucker sized P90 in the neck of my 335 and I couldn't be happier, I also like hot pickups and Lindy was more than willing to accommodate that request.
Fralins won this.. Each guitar is different lollars might suit another guitar better 🤷🏽♂️
Absolutely!
Im a fralin pure PAF on the neck and fralin modern PAF 8K on the bridge type of guy , I also Like the imperial but the low wind version its so so much better
Yes! I’ve heard that both of those approaches are very good. I’ve been tempted to put the pure PAF in my neck also.
Fralin are OMG!
good video! i just think that’s the wrong guitar for imperials, they rock in my semi-hollow!
I wouldn’t doubt it!
my low wind imperials in my lespaul are like honey dropping down my wife's ass
@@physiciansassist1 hahaha, best line I have read today!
You should try Bryan Williams Pagey double neck pups! The clarity, mid hollow chirp, and growl are amazing!
One man’s opinion, you had the wrong imperials in there. For fender guitars, the low winds sound better to me. The low winds have a 7.1 neck and a 7.9 bridge. That 7.1 low output neck is as open as any paf neck pickup you’ll get your hands on.
Loved both sets of pickups, but I would say fralins if I were to chose one. Hmm..I think I’ll have to get some of those now! Great demo/comparison
I appreciate the comment and sub!
I’ve had them in the guitar since this video and have still been completely in love with them.
Check out my latest pedalboard video to hear more of the Fralins!
Throw the Fralin Bridge in the Neck position, and keep the Lollar Bridge where it is.
The bridge pickups are hotter than the necks. This would result in same problem most likely. Good out the box thinking though!
Personally I like the Lollars better, and I am a Fralin fan, I have Fralin single coils in my strat. I thought the Fralins definitely sounded brighter and if that's what your going for, great. I want to put some Humbuckers in a kit LP so I am looking for a more traditional LP sound. I thought the Lollars sounded beautiful on the neck and had a nice PAF growl in the bridge. Would have liked to have heard them with no reverb or whatever time based effect you had on the video. Thanks for posting very interesting and well presented.
yooooooo, what are your pickup heights?
@@ezracotoc1875 they where the same, but I can’t remember what the measurements were.
@@DustinKoch dang it
Adjust your Pups to your amp or amp to the Pups, Whatever way you want to look at it.Amps never had a one setting fits all for the sound you are looking for in a guitar/Pup situation, It's all about the amp & pedals adjustment & Caps/Pots to complete your sound destination, I have not only tried every popular Pup made but still have a huge guitar collection with Lollars/ Fralin/ Lambertones plus many more and they all sound great after a few tweaks, Good luck on your neverending best sound journey,Have Fun doing it and don't go broke like I did. LOL!!!!!
Prefer the Lollars over the slightly higher brightness of the Frailins. Thanks for posting. & greetings from Down Under.
Thank you for commenting!
maybe next time we can hear the pickups and not all that reverb and chorus
I appreciate the comment. There wasn’t any chorus.
Both sound amazing.
I tend to gravitate to a pickup that’s just a little more bright that has those percussive qualities. Both sound good, but I think I prefer the fralin slightly more because of those things. I’d be happy with either, however.
I have 3 guitars with Fralin pickups, I don't waste anymore time or money on other brands.
Their Tele Blues Specials are great also.
If you want clarity switch to steel saddles and put modern high output jazzmaster pickups
They BOTH sound FANTASTIC in slightly different ways. The Fralin's do sound higher output. Only consistent difference that I could hear. Sweet axe btw.
I love this guitar! Still using the Fralins
The Fralins are definitely hotter because they are wound to be modern. The Lollars are one of their low-winds I believe. I have the Fralins but liked the Lollars better in this demo.
@@captainkirk70 thanks for watching! The Fralins are wound hotter, but the Lollars were their normal wind, not low.
Both great pickups. Using all that chorus and delay doesn't help in comparison demos. Still a good demo..just hard to hear the pickups naked tone.
That guitar tone is not good for this demo, turn your bass down and mids up on your amp. Also up your tone knob on your guitar. You can’t hear that PAF mid push for comparison.
Fot hard rock heavy metal is Lolar better but for jazz pop Fralin is Better
Please get rid of ALL effects/reverb so we can hear the unadulterated tone of the pups. The reverb is over saturating the low end and to much mud happening.
Great demo sir. I would have to agree with the other Fralin voters in the comments. There's a nice crunchy clarity to them
They both sound great. Honestly. I didn’t think the Lollars sound muddy
The Fralins are more suited to this style of guitar IMO. They have more fullness in the mids where it counts.
You should give Lambertones a try I have a hss strat the crema pick up is 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 sounds and very clean and when I need to solo or just need a lil more kick I hit the bridge pick up on. It’s seriously a good pick up
I’m like the Fralin’s just fine for now.
I’m not a huge fan of the Crema. Probably because every worship guitar player uses them 😆. I’ll eventually try them out myself
@@DustinKoch hahaha that’s understandable! I at first wasn’t going to get them but definitely do not regret it lol. My next pick up upgrades really want to give the bare knuckles a try
I’ve heard good things about them for sure. I believe someone has the Popes for sell on Facebook right jow
Cremas are great. I slightly prefer the Suhr Thornbucker plus though.
@@patrickhernandez9529 what are the characteristics and specs?
fralins by far...the lollars sound like mud in this demo
I found the Lollar to be more versatile. The result your having is more likely due the rest of the gear than the guitar itself. Probably you have to change the modeled amp/IR to match the guitar vs fitting the guitar to your actual setup.
Changed stuff around more times that I can count. I just liked the Fralin’s better.
The Fralin PAF's sound more articulate. They are more my speed
I think so too. Now that I’ve had more time with them, I have dialed them in even more
Hey bro I’ve used fralin pickups for a while now and the noiseless alnico p90 in the neck and the noiseless p90 in the bridge is my go to. I would say for me it’s the perfect combo. I have them in a tmg Ronnie Scott and it is my favorite guitar. Absolute balanced and clear without be muddy or brittle. Lindy Fralin for the win
I love some P90s but I can’t get enough of these Modern PAFs.
I am thinking about putting a P90 in the neck though.
@@DustinKoch I'm making this comment a year later, and I'm sure you have already heard this before, but have you heard Lindy Fralin's pure PAF?! For me, in my very limited experience, it is the creamiest humbucker that I have ever heard.. I guess modern pafs, would just have more output.
you either need timestamps or you need to A.B. single position pick ups only. By the time we get to the neck pick up of one set starting on the bridge pick up of the next we have already lost the bridge pick up timbre of the first. If you edit this video and re-upload, it’ll be much much better and actually useful. 10% more work will take this video from not helpful really to terrific!
I really appreciate your input. Time stamps came out after this video, and no offense but this one video has more views than any of yours combined. It has been helpful to many people and has developed really cool conversations and even friendships. Even though I know I could do much better with this video if I redid it today, I’m still proud of it and what it has produced. Thanks 🙏
They sound more similar than different to my ears… with a prism or a shaping pedal first in your signal chain you could make these pickups sound identical 👍
I’ve had great success with the Fralins and have realized most of my issue was the Fender Mustang GTX50 I was using.
You are tuned down a tone, D to D and using a modelling amp, so the natural EQ and dynamics of the 2 pick ups sets probably isn't entirely accurate for those who tune E to E or push both sets of tubes in a tube amp. It obviously works for you and how you like to play, but the Lindy Fralins may well be a bit brighter tuning E to E, whereas the Lollars will sound completely different too
I only had the top string dropped to D. Everything else was standard.
Thanks for watching!
might just be your style of playing. my lollar low wind imperials are bright and chimy.. just perfect
These aren’t the low wind. I actually think that I would like the low wind better!
@@DustinKoch that's why o got the low winds..
Would you say a bridge imperial low wind sounds nasal?
@@losangulos absolutely not.
I suggest you unplug all your effects and put them in the closet when you are testing the tonality of pickups.
That may work for you but I like practical application. I want to hear how I’m going to run it.
I start off dry and then add effects. You’re hearing it after dry run.
Thanks for commenting and watching!
Thanks for a great vid! Both sound great, tough call, but hey, good problem to have right. Maybe a hybrid set, Lollar in the bridge and Fralin in the neck? Did you consider the Fralin P92s (same size as a hum, but a P90 with hum cancelation)?
Those Fralins rock and “Rattle”….. sounds great!
In this application the Fralins really sound much better 🤷🏻♂️
Hey bro! Did you fixed the “muddy” on your tone? How?
I have a squier jag with humbuckers and I use modelers (hx stomp). I really wanna some clarity for my tone. I changed the pickups of my Fender tele with p90s (now I use Lambertones) and sounds amazing. But my jag have too much muddy mids
Thanks for doing this. Fralin FTW, IMO of course. Can't go wrong with either. In my ow experience with both of these, the Modern PAF's cut through the mix better for me.
Yea! Oddly, it wasn't a huge difference sonically, but the Fralin's felt better in my hands and still do.
@@DustinKoch +1. They have been overshadowed by the Fralin's own Pure PAFs and other more faithful boutique repros but they are excellent and versatile pups.
Yea, I am finally fully happy with my TMG. That was the goal of this.
@@jmsantel dude, have you ever heard anything of Fralin's pure PAF's? I wonder how you would stack the the modern pafs with the fralin pure paf?
@@seanmurphy26 Both great. Pure PAF is more of that classic PAF tone but it is still versatile as it handles high gain and Fuzz really. My guitars are Les Pauls and for now I prefer the more open midrange of the Pure PAF in them than the thicker, fatter Modern PAF. In a lighter body guitar, the Mod PAFs provide a really cool body to the tone; but still they are really dynamic and benefit from knowing how to manipulate volume and tone controls.... Both models do that, in reality, so I think my choice depends more on the guitar they are going into.
@Dustin Koch, thanks for the comparison video. Great job. Which version of the Imperials do you have in the guitar? I know Lollar offers three versions. The lowest gain ones would be brighter and probably give you more clarity, especially in the neck position.
Thanks again.
I had the regular ones!
What's the name of the song on the intro background? Nice video btw👍🏻
I’m not sure, I use epidemic sounds to get my songs like this.
Lollar’s
tacos
Thanks for the comparison, I hope you compared the mounting distances to the strings meticulously - at first I thought it wasn't necessary to change your pickups because I would have liked the Imperial too, the way you play it with FX, but I did I understand that the Modern Pafs don't have that "grumbling" sound - just a nuanced, thinner sound. Within a band or an arrangement, this somewhat "thinner" sound can be helpful.
Hard to believe the lollars are muddy? What size tone caps are you using?
500k. Even though I still like the Fralin’s better, the issue was the amp modeler I was using more than anything. It had weird low mids.
I should’ve done the low wound Lollars too.
I forgot to ask: which pickups did you leave in that guitar?
Fralins!
Fralin wins for sure
Fralins have almost a nod to single coil top end. Which is more tele normal. But then why have a humbucker guitar? Both sound great. Just different
I put the "modern paf" on my gibson standard but I hear them very fat and with a lot of midrange, does the same happen to anyone?
Currently building out a purple Les Paul custom! My vote goes to fralin for the Bridge and Lollar for neck. (Low wind in my case)
👏🏼👏🏼
Fralin clean tones sound better, Loller for dirty tones.
I haven’t taken the Fralins out since this video.
@@DustinKoch I have a Fralin Pure PAF in the neck position of one of my Telecasters with a four position switch: The most versatile guitar I have ever played.
Why all the effects, doesn't that make it harder to hear the pickups?
Fralins
Fralins.
Seymour Duncan Psyclones Hot
The Lollars are darker sounding.
Hey what’s the lead line you’re playing play around 4:36?? What song is it to??
Won’t Stop Now
Thanks for watching!
It is also very much the way you play. Not the pickups. BOTH are very-very high quality. I have Imperials in PRS standard & they're absolutely incredible. Stayer. But in my Jazzmaster, I had to put Imperial Low Wind (neck) to have the guitar blossom, & simply start working (ts with p90 bridge). It just wouldn't work with normal winding.
The way your hands work is the way pickups pick up sound. Spend more time on that.
I appreciate this, but it ended being the amp modeler I was using as well as the pickups. There was a hump around 200-500 hertz that was causing everything to be a little muddy. Once I fixed that and switched to the Fralins, the issue was resolved!
@@DustinKoch Nice ending then. Tho I must tell you that Lollars are different beast in live situation. Ts when they eventually show their true face. I have 'em on 60% of my guitars & won't be changing those. Most impressed with that neck low-wind Imperial, and J-street on my tele. Really superb.
@@rmGuera I’d like to try to El Rayos one day tbh!
Funny, im not a bridge pickup fan
Most of the players I like watching in this genre stick to the bridge.
If it’s blues, I’m on the neck 😆
It is not your guitar nor your pickups it is your amp buddy.....
+1000👍
Liked both pickup sounds. They're both not really known for being muddy and dark... but now that i see that you're Palm Muting on distorted tones on the Neck and middle pickups.. that kind of explains it all. Nobody does that.. lol.
I appreciate the feedback. Plenty of people do that. I mainly play on the bridge tbh.
I wanted to play the same thing on every pickup to give a fair comparison of how each one responded. This video is not a showcase of how I play.
both sounds sterile digital, get yourself jam 800 or twi reverb
Yeah he is blaming pu's for the issue a modeler is causing.
Both pickups are top tier. I prefer the Lollars for clean and cleanish sounds and they're also the best balanced "PAF" like set out there in both volume and tone as can be heard here. Fralins have a little extra mid grunt and win distorted. I think I would also prefer Imperial low winds for a telecaster over the reg winds. The reg winds were quite bright in my friend's strat, but are absolute money in my Les Paul.
What I always say is if you play Fender style amps, you can't beat the Lollars. If you are playing a Marshall, you'll probably prefer Fralins unless you play a vintage style Marshall clean.
Amp settings Definitely seem dialed and tailored to the Fralins. The Lollars are just warmer and tighter. Fralins are thinner IMO and slightly more sharp but not brittle. Both are great but I think the Lollars were done dirty here because the amp itself or just the amp settings were dialed too think for the Lollars. I run lower gain and less bass in my signal to cut out mud in general and use Lollars in 2 guitars. Standard imperials, Jazzmaster p90s, and then had Fralin soapbar P90s in an SG. All sounded incredible just different.
Both are way way better than stock in 99% of instances IMO
Quad Cortex fixed my amplifier issue. I’ll never use the Iridium again. Hopefully I can do an update on the new rig one day…
Great video though! Honestly one of the better more straight forward shootouts. Especially for us worship folks. I don’t need to see someone noodling bluesy tones for 10 minutes trying to perceive through the stylistic differences. I’m always thinking, just strum a dang G chord ONCE please! Haha. So this was great!
I will add though, even in this vid, I think the Lollar imperials are “creamier”… which is something I’ve always loved about them. Sure you *might* have to trim back on the bass or low mids a little, but I think the result is better than most others. Currently though, I’m actually running some Dylan pickups “DAF’s” (from Dylan Talks Tone) in my Gibson es275 and they’re great but don’t have that same creamy tamed shrillness in the top end that Imperials have…
Lollars sound a bit more microphonic which makes them sound closer to the old ones. Fralins are too safe and have less character.
I Agree, on a LP/ES style guitar I'd go for Lollars to have that vintage flavor.
Check out Brandonwound pickups sometime.
there is no difference whatsoever; both are potted I think. Get seth lovers
If you’re playing modelers this whole ass video doesn’t count.