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View Full Version : Pickup magents... what properties do each provide?



tremoloman
July 21st, 2006, 01:58 PM
I know absolutely NOTHING about how the materials used in a pickup affect its tone. Would someone care to give a brief explanation?

I've got some crummy old pickups I'm thinking of taking apart and attempting to try rebuilding on my own. I may just "wind up" (excuse the pun) with a bunch of worthless parts, but I'm willing to give it a try.

oldguy
July 21st, 2006, 04:09 PM
Trem,
I am pickup challenged myself, however, this site may be helpful. Try to keep an open mind as it's rather unorthodox, but there are some good links also.
http://www.cigarboxguitars.com/workshops/Pickup_Workshop.php
Good luck and keep pickin' bro!;)
Glenn

Mark
July 21st, 2006, 05:00 PM
Take a look around this site. He makes pickups. But has lot of great info about guitars , pups and seting up your gitfiddle

http://www.kinman.com/html/toneWorkshop/tone.htm

I read on this site also that after winding the have to be completely sealed (they use wax) to keep if from microphoning. Check his site out tons of info.

marnold
July 21st, 2006, 10:20 PM
Some more links in this thread, although I can't vouch for any of them.
http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=3408

SuperSwede
July 22nd, 2006, 01:14 AM
This is taken from my local pickup manifacturer Lundgren Pickups website.

A single coil pickup is usually designed in two ways. The coil can be wound encasing the six small rodmagnets (Stratocaster design) or with an iron core and the magnet is placed under the coil (P-90 design).

Higher resistance provides more output and in general, the more iron used for the core increase the coil’s inductance. If more windings are used it increase the coil’s inductance. More inductance gives a higher output but you loose some treble.
Guitar pickups always use copper wire and a thinner wire with the same amount of windings and everything else being equal gives less bass response. The copper wire used can be of a wide variety of gauges and the thickness of the insulation used can be varied. The dimension of the copper wire, amount of windings and the general construction of the pickup are all factors that affect the sound of the pickup.

When the string vibrates over the pickup, the magnetic field is disturbed and an electric voltage is generated in the coil. The voltage is then led to the amplifiers input and you hear the result from the speakers.

Bloozcat
July 24th, 2006, 01:22 PM
Alnico Magnets:

A-2: Warm, vintage tone with slight compression. Looser bottom end that can become "boomy", with dense guitar bodies such as mahogany. Lower perceived output, and usually wound less for a more vintage tone.

A-3: Open, balanced tone, more high end feel and a tighter bottom than A-2. A little airier tone (am I describing a magnet, or a woman?).

A-5: Edgier, higher gain, but still retains the articulation and definition of a lower output magnet like the A-3.

Ceramic Magnets:

Usually used in applications where higher gain and a much edgier tone is desired. Can become harsh if the pickup is not constructed well, but can also have a smooth, articulate tone similar to an Alnico. Ex.: Joe Barden's Strat and Tele pickups were (are?) wound with ceramic magnets. So are some of Bill Lawrences, as are Carvin's AP-11 single coils. All are smooth and articulate, with great note definition and clarity.

There's a lot more that goes into a pickup than just the magnets alone, although they most definitely are responsible for the core of the tone. Wire gauge and number of turns make a huge difference. The method of winding the wire on the bobbin makes a big difference too. Tight, even layers of wire winds tend to give a pickup a cleaner, more sterile tone. Looser, scatter winding tends to impart more warmth and tonal subtles to the pickup. Even the build up of the wire effects the tone with winds that build the wire with a "hump" in the center of the bobbin creating thicker, warmer tones, while concave windings producing a more scooped tone. 43 gauge wire is supposed to create thinner sounding pickup than 42 gauge turn for turn (although most really overwound pickups use 43 gauge in order to fit the number of turns necessary on the limited space of the bobbin).

The more I learn about pickups, the more I realize that it's an art form. And like most art, every winder has his own techniques that result in something unique to them as an artist.