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previous: JohnC YES. I agree with that.That... -- 8/25/1999 1:15 AM

Re: old fender pickup question (long post)

8/25/1999 3:29 AM
Mark Hammer	Re: old fender pickup question (long post) "That's why I installed a SD hotrail on the bridge and de-installed it after a couple of days." Interestingly enough, I inherited the same type of pickup from a friend who went through the same installation/deinstallation process. I'm getting tired of explaining things about pickups that manufacturers should be taking care of, but here are some things you need to consider: 1) The DC resistance of a pickup is a very indirect measure of its characteristics. It is a bit like describing someone as 140 lbs. If they are 3'6", 6'3", a double amputee, male or female, that same weight means very different things. Similarly, a 6.2k coil will produce different types of sounds if it is #40AWG vs #46AWG wire, if it is wound close to the polepieces vs away from the polepieces, if it is tall and thin (like a Strat) vs short and wide (like a P-90 or Jazzmaster). If you wind 8500 turns of #40AWG or #41AWG wire around tall thin polepieces, the entire coil should have noticeably less DC resistance than a traditional Strat coil of 7600 turns of #42AWG, but it will wipe the ground with the Strat pickup in terms of output...UNLESS THE MAGNETS ARE WEAKER. That brings up... 2) The same coil with different magnets can get you different sounds, especially different output levels. Years ago, you could buy "booster magnets" to stick under your Strat pickups to boost their magnetic tug and get more output. Unfortunately, this one-size-fits-all solution turned out not to be so universally effective, although the basic principle that stronger magnets gets more output is a sound one. What you want, of course, is a pickup with resonances that complement the way you play, and what you are playing it on. I play a mid 60's Coronet with homemade pickups that are quite crisp. Unfortunately, the body is so thin and light that there is little bass. Although the pickups are terrific in many ways, the sound is terribly thin because the resonances and range of the pickup does not offset the resonances of the body. Sometimes the resonance-complement can seem to be enhanced by magnets being older, or by switching to a heavier or lighter gauge of strings.

8/25/1999 3:29 AM

Mark Hammer

Re: old fender pickup question (long post)

"That's why I installed a SD hotrail on the bridge and

de-installed it after a couple of days."

Interestingly enough, I inherited the same type of pickup from a friend who went through the same installation/deinstallation process.

I'm getting tired of explaining things about pickups that manufacturers should be taking care of, but here are some things you need to consider:

1) The DC resistance of a pickup is a very indirect measure of its characteristics. It is a bit like describing someone as 140 lbs. If they are 3'6", 6'3", a double amputee, male or female, that same weight means very different things. Similarly, a 6.2k coil will produce different types of sounds if it is #40AWG vs #46AWG wire, if it is wound close to the polepieces vs away from the polepieces, if it is tall and thin (like a Strat) vs short and wide (like a P-90 or Jazzmaster). If you wind 8500 turns of #40AWG or #41AWG wire around tall thin polepieces, the entire coil should have noticeably less DC resistance than a traditional Strat coil of 7600 turns of #42AWG, but it will wipe the ground with the Strat pickup in terms of output...UNLESS THE MAGNETS ARE WEAKER. That brings up...

2) The same coil with different magnets can get you different sounds, especially different output levels. Years ago, you could buy "booster magnets" to stick under your Strat pickups to boost their magnetic tug and get more output. Unfortunately, this one-size-fits-all solution turned out not to be so universally effective, although the basic principle that stronger magnets gets more output is a sound one.

What you want, of course, is a pickup with resonances that complement the way you play, and what you are playing it on. I play a mid 60's Coronet with homemade pickups that are quite crisp. Unfortunately, the body is so thin and light that there is little bass. Although the pickups are terrific in many ways, the sound is terribly thin because the resonances and range of the pickup does not offset the resonances of the body.

Sometimes the resonance-complement can seem to be enhanced by magnets being older, or by switching to a heavier or lighter gauge of strings.

Replies:

MKB Hi, Mark. Have you ever wound a si... -- 8/25/1999 5:21 PM
JohnC Mark.Thank you very... -- 8/26/1999 12:13 AM