American or British PI

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American or British PI?

American
10
50%
British
10
50%
 
Total votes: 20

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heisthl
Posts: 1800
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2006 5:35 am
Location: Phoenix

American or British PI

Post by heisthl »

For those of you that can't decide on which PI to use this may help - We did a proto of a Hi Gain single channel amp (100 watt 6L6) and gave the customer the ability to switch between the traditional D style PI (American) and the BluesMaster PI (British). The customer sent us a comparison clip that switches between them, which one do you think sounds better? Thanks in advance.
Explanation of clip (Customer's words):
"Solo, I prefer the American-style PI. It's a little 'beefier.' Of course, oftentimes the less impressive solo sound is the one that cuts through a full band mix better, so some might prefer the British-style PI because it (apparently) produces a slightly narrower bandwidth. I'll also mention that that the American is a little louder than the British, which -- if A/B'd -- will trick a lot of people's ears into thinking it automatically sounds better.
We recorded some AB clips of both and volume matched them in the DAW so that you can make a direct comparison. Here's what you'll hear in the clip, in this order:

-American PI -- Bridge humbucker -> Maxon 808 with Analogman mod -> amp (tone stack off) at high gain setting. First, chording: mono, then stereo/doubled. Second, single notes: mono, then stereo/doubled, then harmonized.

-British PI -- Bridge humbucker -> Maxon 808 with Analogman mod -> amp (tone stack off) at high gain setting. First, chording: mono, then stereo/doubled. Second, single notes: mono, then stereo/doubled, then harmonized.

-American PI -- Bridge humbucker -> amp (tone stack off) at high gain setting. First, chording: mono, then stereo/doubled. Second, single notes: mono, then stereo/doubled, then harmonized.

-British PI -- Bridge humbucker -> amp (tone stack off) at high gain setting. First, chording: mono, then stereo/doubled. Second, single notes: mono, then stereo/doubled, then harmonized.

-American PI -- Neck single coil (tele style) -> amp (tone stack off) at low gain setting. First, chording: mono, then stereo/doubled. Second, single notes: mono, then stereo/doubled, then harmonized.

-British PI -- Neck single coil (tele style) -> amp (tone stack off) at low gain setting. First, chording: mono, then stereo/doubled. Second, single notes: mono, then stereo/doubled, then harmonized.

Hopefully this helps you decide for yourself which PI you want to use!"

Thanks for listening and don't forget to VOTE IN THE POLL
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Last edited by heisthl on Sun Nov 25, 2012 6:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
Former owner of Music Mechanix
www.RedPlateAmps.com
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M Fowler
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Location: Walcott ND

Re: American or British PI

Post by M Fowler »

Brit all the way Henry.

Mark
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AtomCap
Posts: 190
Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2011 7:18 am

re

Post by AtomCap »

-British PI -- Bridge humbucker -> amp (tone stack off) at high gain setting. First, chording: mono, then stereo/doubled. Second, single notes: mono, then stereo/doubled, then harmonized.

Brit all the way!
bluesfendermanblues
Posts: 1314
Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 12:57 pm
Location: Dumble City, Europe

Re: American or British PI

Post by bluesfendermanblues »

I this is not helping you, but I like the Brit for the distorted sounds and the American for the clean sounds on the latter part of the sounds sample.

Small note though: Why upload a poor quality mp3. If you want us to focus on the fine details use a higher quality format like Flac or wav instead. please.
Diva or not? - Respect for Mr. D's work....)
Dr d
Posts: 276
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2010 10:53 am
Location: UK

Re: American or British PI

Post by Dr d »

I should say "Brit" being a Brit, but I actually like the boldness and "singy" quality of the American!
roknroll
Posts: 225
Joined: Thu May 18, 2006 2:13 am
Location: New York

Re: American or British PI

Post by roknroll »

For me , the 808 clips did nothing, kinda raspy sizzly, solid state artifacty, basically useless. If forced to make a decision, British was a bit smoother.
The amp distortion clips British pi
The clean clips left me on the fence, the difference not even worth an opinion.
IMHO Considering the fact that the ability for a human to accurately remember tone differences even after a few seconds, I think the clips should have been separated instead of daisy chained together so that instant replays could be used enabling better use of short term tone memory.
Cool idea though. :)
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Structo
Posts: 15446
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 1:01 am
Location: Oregon

Re: American or British PI

Post by Structo »

I thought the Brit PI was a bit less buzzy on the distorted tones.

The clean tones could go either way, not a deal breaker.
Tom

Don't let that smoke out!
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