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How do pickups get their "sound"?

C

csm672

Nov 2, 2008
71
9
Cleveland, OK
#1
OK, maybe a dumb question. What makes a pu sound different from the next? Why do some sound warm and others clean, etc? I just got my daughter a Bronco and am really impressed with it overall. I would like to swap the pickup and get "more" of what I like out of it. I just don't know what to look for. Another single coil (probably)? Humbucker? One that is wound hot or cold or in between. I am not looking for specific recomendations on a pickup (already searched) but more what to look for when ordering a new one to put me in at least the ball park of where I want to be. I like the bright sound of the stock pu, but it seems pretty noisy and doesn't have alot of output. I've read the posts about Broncos already (I'm aware of the stock strat pu, what most people like to swap in, how to get the most out of stock pu, etc.) but need to know what parameters to look for for MY new p'up. Hope this isn't too confusing! Thanks in advance! Casey
 
#2
Diff get a humfree pup, wether thats humbucker, P or J style. Hum is undesireable and humfree pups are available in all shapes nowadays. Pup voice char sound wise is a combination of a few things. How its wound. The grade of copper used for the windings. Magnet material and grade of magnet material. Wether alnico or ceramic or mix of these two. Wether its Humbucker/soapbar, P or J style also gives sound char thats allmost allways distinquishable for the pup style. Type of pole peices as in wether the standard type or the extra wide or rail style can also create little variations in the sound which together with the other things add up to pups voice char. Myself I mainly classify pup sound into 2 catagories: Smooth or crunchy as main divisions. Then based on tonal char for bass, mids, treble, overtones, and wether hifi (modern) or lofi (vintage). I prefer hot pups output wise. Medium output can be ok, but low output ones just sound weak to me no matter what you do with them to me.

If it was me Id put some sort of humbucker/soapbar or P pup in it and add a two band active eq like the basslines blackout as replacement for the tone control. Inexpensive preamp but very nice imo.

Beyond that, pup adjustment via adjusting pole peice heights when thats doable, and overall pup height or distance from strings, can create useful little tweaks to the sound.
 
#3
+1 The placement of the pickup(s) affect the tone of the instrument. Look at where a stingray picku is located vs a G&L L-1000 or a Warwick etc. Leo had a neck and a bridge attached to a wood blank and would move the pickup around until he heard what he wanted. Westone and Gibson made basses that had sliding pickups that you could move towards the neck or the bridge.

The Rail
http://www.westone.info/railbass.html

The Grabber [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

:hiding:
 
#4
Thanks darkstorm. I guess I need to find out how the stock one is constructed and go from there. I def want one that is "hotter" than whats in there now. I was thinking humbucker to get rid of the noise, but I have a Gretsch with a humbucker that sounds completely opposite this one with the single coil, so I think I may want to stay with a single coil. Or a humbucker that sounds like a single coil (IF there is such a thing?)
Thanks, too, otis. I played with a Grabber for a while. I found it interesting that you could get different sounds just by sliding that pup, but in the end it just wasn't the bass for me.
I would apprecciate any other guidance on this as well, as I would really like to know what I'm looking for (or better, "why these specs make it what I'm looking for".) Thanks, Casey
 
#8
stingray69 said:
A lot of useful information has already been offer so far. Here is a pretty good supplement as well. It may help you focus on a certain construction (magnet type, etc) so you can focus in roughly where you want your tone to end up & hopefully avoid wasting time & money on a set that maybe shouldn't have made your short list to begin with: http://www.guitartechcraig.com/techpckp/pickups.htm
Click to expand...

+1 This is a tute and some parts from StuMac [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I am trying to find and old book that I picked up years ago from RCA...they had given an old winding machine (looked like a frankenstien sewing machind with fishing rods) to IU here in town...any who...the book lists sonic character of winding styles..."Stack"... "Cross" and combo winds...along with what to expect from various guages of wire..Also there was a place near here as well called Waverly Electronics in Martinsville IN
The guy there did prototype coils for Fender and\or Gibson...he was good for a lot of info...I don't know if he is still alive though...I will post when I find more info...good luck!
BTW I wound mine with an old film winder attached to a drill and actual fishing rods for tension....the trick is not to break the wire while winding...:(

:hiding:
 
#9
csm672 said:
Wow stingray- Just what I was needing! Thanks for the link, very informative. After reading the page I think the stacked humbucker may be a good place to start, as topcat suggested. Thanks for all the help! :hyper: Casey
Click to expand...

No problem - it's a nice little article to help zero in certain tonal aspects when you're pickup shopping. :cool:

Edit: Wanted to add that these are pretty accurate generalizations, but there are always exceptions to the rule. For instance, ceramic magnets are listed in the article as having a good amount of treble (almost implying too much, IMO), but if the manufacture adds a few more winds of coil, you can end up with a warm sounding set of pickups with a lot of punch. But it is a very good starting point nonetheless...
 

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