Bad.Seed
Well-known member
The fact they have different pickups is probably at least part of the equation.
As someone else mentioned, setup can matter a lot for tone as well. If the strings are super close to the fretboard and feel/sound slappy against the frets, the guitar will sound thinner and brighter when plugged in as well.
But ultimately, you can have 5 guitars with the exact same construction, materials, pickups and strings, and all 5 will sound different to some extent, sometimes wildly different. If you can't get the sound you want out of the 400, yeet it and grab something else until you get something you're happy with.
As someone else mentioned, setup can matter a lot for tone as well. If the strings are super close to the fretboard and feel/sound slappy against the frets, the guitar will sound thinner and brighter when plugged in as well.
But ultimately, you can have 5 guitars with the exact same construction, materials, pickups and strings, and all 5 will sound different to some extent, sometimes wildly different. If you can't get the sound you want out of the 400, yeet it and grab something else until you get something you're happy with.