Which pickup sound for a quick demo?

[Monsum]

I've recorded the same track twice but each version with a different pickup.
Which one do you prefer if the purpose was a quick demo song?

Can you guess the pickups used?

[Brent Hahn]

The second one has a bit less clarity in the high mids and highs, but it also cuts way down on the finger squeaks. And the low end fits better with the bass and drums.

[jricc]

I would prefer the second pickup. Have no idea which either of the pickups might be...

[Marshall]

I prefer pickup 1. 2nd one is higher pitched and has some quack.

[L20A]

Both were nice but I will go with #1.
It sounded a bit more natural and clean to me.

[LAPlayer]

Originally Posted by Marshall

I prefer pickup 1. 2nd one is higher pitched and has some quack.

Agreed. Much better tone from 1

[SpruceTop]

I prefer #1 for its clarity and more forward tone.

#2 sounds darker and okay but doesn't stand out in the song's instrumental mix like #1.

[rokdog49]

Hands down for a truer acoustic tone, pickup one.
Pickup two has a lot of punch and would work as an alternate voicing for a certain playing style and genre’…Also, quack quack.

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

#2 sounds darker and okay but doesn't stand out in the song's instrumental mix like #1.

Interesting. I pointed out the same thing, but said it was a plus. It begs the question: is a mix of three instruments supposed to be three things or one thing?

[YamahaGuy]

If I had to guess I'd say #2 is Taylor ES2 and number 1 is LR Baggs Lyric. I prefer #1.

[Robin, Wales]

Not sure which p/u is "better", it depends what you want the guitar to do and how many other instruments you will add to the mix. My inclination is towards track 2 because the guitar sits further back and perhaps will give more space for the vocals.

What did stand out to me was that the timing seems a little out on both tracks. The guitar and drums are not perfectly lined up to my ears. I sort of want to grab hold of the guitar track and slide it around a fraction to get it meshed to the drums better.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

Interesting. I pointed out the same thing, but said it was a plus. It begs the question: is a mix of three instruments supposed to be three things or one thing?

Hi Brent, For sure, all instruments should support the performance of a song. My mention of Pickup #1 as standing out in the mix better than #2 was referencing the OP's question about which of the two pickups we liked best in the demos. Both pickups #1 and #2 could be turned up or down in Volume in the mix to suit a player. To my aging ears, I heard pickup one as having more clarity and detail which I found pleasing.

[Monsum]

Thanks everyone for interesting comments.

You opinions confirmed what I was thinking which is that pickup 1 is definitively more natural sounding but it might not work (as it is) in this particular mix.
For the record, the tune played was created for the purpose of this comparison, so I know it can be better balanced with EQ, played in time etc. but that wasn't the point of making it.

The point was to get a second opinion without much analysing the mix or what was played.
I tend to (as probably most of you) prefer a sound that resembles a real acoustic tone but sometimes like in the examples above I'm not sure if that's the case.
Pickup2 just fits better the drums and bass.

Pickup1 is a LR Baggs Lyric
Pickup2 is a K&K pure mini
Both going straight into an Audient audio interface.

[PineMarten]

Ah, I was wondering if clip one was going to be the Schatten, the one I just fitted has some similarities in character. Clip two does feel less "natural", but a totally workable sound in context.

[Mobilemike]

I prefer #1 by far - less quack. Guitar needs some EQ though to fit in that mix.

-Mike