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I'm getting ready to build another Frankenstrat. I've chose the Dimarzio Tone Zone. But for kicks I thought I would look at the overpriced Seymour Duncan '78/EVH pickup. I was noticing how low of an output model this is. I know Ed likes low output so the pickup can let the amp do the work. Anyway, I was noticing the DC resistance of he EVH is 9.1k and my tone zone about 17.31. I was curious to the relationship of output and DC Resistance. Come to find out DC R has no relation to power, because it doesn'[t address what gauge the coil wire is or what the magnet strength is. You would actually need to base it on voltage in a real world situation.
I know as much as the next guy about pickups, but found this interesting. Thought I would share the knowledge.
Pickups –For an electric guitar, this is obviously the single most determining factor when it comes to sound. Bear in mind, though, that pickups do not produce sound; they merely process it. While you can certainly improve the sound of a low grade guitar by replacing the pickups, odds are you will never get a bolt-on guitar with a body made from plywood to sound like a your dream axe no matter what kind of pickups you put in it.
The sound of a pickup is determined by a number of factors (warning: this is all that awful techie stuff you probably don’t want to bother with)
Output (Inductance) – measured in henrys. Contrary to the belief of most people, a pickup’s DC resistance is not the same thing as its output level. Output is determined by a combination of the number of turns of wire, resistance, and the strength of the magnetic field. Strip the magnet off of a pickup, and the resistance remains the same, but you won’t get any output at all. Replace a weakened alnico V magnet with a strong ceramic magnet, and the output level will jump, but the resistance remains unchanged. Unfortunately, output is for all practical purposes impossible to quantify. There are too many variables to take into effect. The change in output between two different pickups might vary widely depending on the distance of the pickups from the string, or differences in how hard the string is plucked. Consequently, most manufacturers provide other information like resistance, resonant peak levels, and magnet type.
D.C. Resistance -measured in ohms. This is determined by the number of turns of wire and the gauge (thickness) of the wire. Thinner and/or more turns of wire will mean more output and a loss of treble.
Capacitance – This occurs when turns of wire are placed next each other. The proximity of the wires bleeds off higher frequencies. A short fat single coil pickup like a P-90 sounds dramatically different from the taller thinner Strat® style pickup. The P-90 has much higher capacitance, and thus has a much thicker midrange response.
Magnet Type - With Humbucking pickups (or any other style of pickup in which the polepieces are made from steel with the actual magnet mounted below), only the strength of the magnet in a pickup affects the sound, though certain types of magnets are typically engineered for specific degrees of strength. Replacing an Alnico magnet with a ceramic magnet of the same strength would make no difference. This is not true, however, with Fender style pickups where the polepieces are the actual magnets. For those type of pickups, the sound is affected by the hysteresis of the magnetic material. (For an explanation of hysteresis, see Bill Lawrence’s website). The most common magnet types are alnico (a composite made of Aluminum, Nickel, and Cobalt) and ceramic. There are also different types of alnico, the most common being alnico 2 and alnico 5. In general, pickups made with alnico 5 tend to have the warmest, “sweetest” tone. Alnico 2 pickups will have more upper range frequencies, producing a slightly brighter, punchier tone. Ceramic magnet pickups often have the most output, and tend to have a harsher, more biting tone. This is because ceramic magnets are typically much stronger than their alnico counterparts. “Distortion” or “overdriven” pickups are nearly always made with ceramic magnets. There are plenty of exceptions to all this. Pickups made with Alnico can be engineered to have a harsh growl to them, while pickups with ceramic magnets can be made to produce a softer tone. These are just general guidelines.
I know as much as the next guy about pickups, but found this interesting. Thought I would share the knowledge.
Pickups –For an electric guitar, this is obviously the single most determining factor when it comes to sound. Bear in mind, though, that pickups do not produce sound; they merely process it. While you can certainly improve the sound of a low grade guitar by replacing the pickups, odds are you will never get a bolt-on guitar with a body made from plywood to sound like a your dream axe no matter what kind of pickups you put in it.
The sound of a pickup is determined by a number of factors (warning: this is all that awful techie stuff you probably don’t want to bother with)
Output (Inductance) – measured in henrys. Contrary to the belief of most people, a pickup’s DC resistance is not the same thing as its output level. Output is determined by a combination of the number of turns of wire, resistance, and the strength of the magnetic field. Strip the magnet off of a pickup, and the resistance remains the same, but you won’t get any output at all. Replace a weakened alnico V magnet with a strong ceramic magnet, and the output level will jump, but the resistance remains unchanged. Unfortunately, output is for all practical purposes impossible to quantify. There are too many variables to take into effect. The change in output between two different pickups might vary widely depending on the distance of the pickups from the string, or differences in how hard the string is plucked. Consequently, most manufacturers provide other information like resistance, resonant peak levels, and magnet type.
D.C. Resistance -measured in ohms. This is determined by the number of turns of wire and the gauge (thickness) of the wire. Thinner and/or more turns of wire will mean more output and a loss of treble.
Capacitance – This occurs when turns of wire are placed next each other. The proximity of the wires bleeds off higher frequencies. A short fat single coil pickup like a P-90 sounds dramatically different from the taller thinner Strat® style pickup. The P-90 has much higher capacitance, and thus has a much thicker midrange response.
Magnet Type - With Humbucking pickups (or any other style of pickup in which the polepieces are made from steel with the actual magnet mounted below), only the strength of the magnet in a pickup affects the sound, though certain types of magnets are typically engineered for specific degrees of strength. Replacing an Alnico magnet with a ceramic magnet of the same strength would make no difference. This is not true, however, with Fender style pickups where the polepieces are the actual magnets. For those type of pickups, the sound is affected by the hysteresis of the magnetic material. (For an explanation of hysteresis, see Bill Lawrence’s website). The most common magnet types are alnico (a composite made of Aluminum, Nickel, and Cobalt) and ceramic. There are also different types of alnico, the most common being alnico 2 and alnico 5. In general, pickups made with alnico 5 tend to have the warmest, “sweetest” tone. Alnico 2 pickups will have more upper range frequencies, producing a slightly brighter, punchier tone. Ceramic magnet pickups often have the most output, and tend to have a harsher, more biting tone. This is because ceramic magnets are typically much stronger than their alnico counterparts. “Distortion” or “overdriven” pickups are nearly always made with ceramic magnets. There are plenty of exceptions to all this. Pickups made with Alnico can be engineered to have a harsh growl to them, while pickups with ceramic magnets can be made to produce a softer tone. These are just general guidelines.
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