Many guitarists and gear heads agree that pickups on an electric guitar are one of the key factors in terms of tone. You will likely encounter this viewpoint in books and websites dedicated to pickups.
No doubt many factors contribute to your tone; beyond just pickups themselves. So do they really matter?
Choosing the Right Pickups
Pickups are one of the key elements to consider if you want to alter the tone of your guitar. If you have been trying with strings, amp settings or pedals but have had no success altering its sound, pick-ups could be at fault; their relatively inexpensive nature also makes this an effective solution to transform its sound completely.
Finding the ideal pickups can be an arduous task. There is an overwhelming selection of choices available and many don’t know what features they should look out for. Furthermore, much of the information available can be extremely technical; making it easy to become lost in an endless maze of magnets, windings and pole pieces.
Start by understanding how guitar pickups function. In simple terms, vibrations from strings disrupting their magnetic field disturb the pickup coil and produce an electric signal picked up by it that then travels through amplifier and speakers and becomes sound waves.
Passive single-coils and humbuckers are two of the most widely-used pickup types, each having its own distinct sound: passive single-coils have a bright and crisp tone while humbuckers tend to produce full and warm tones. Their positioning within a guitar also influences their sound – pickups nearer to the bridge may produce bright and twangy tones while those nearer the neck will sound full and warm.
Active pickups require batteries to function, making them more expensive than passive models; however, active models have the advantage of producing more output and offering wider tonal range. Many guitarists opt for multiple types of pickups on their instruments in order to add variety and experimentation.
Choosing the Right Amplifier
There are countless factors that go into shaping a guitar’s tone, many of which lie beyond its pickups alone. Your amp, pedals and playing style all play an integral part in creating your personal musical identity; understanding how these factors interact will help you craft something truly exceptional.
Though the details of how a guitar pickup works may seem complex to beginners, there are some basic principles they should understand. Anyone who has ever picked up an electric guitar knows that pressing down causes the strings to vibrate – these vibrations create the classic electric guitar tone we all recognize and cherish.
Simply, string vibrations trigger a ferromagnetic pickup coil to produce a signal detectable by a pickup, which is amplified through an amplifier’s preamp section to form the basis of what you hear when playing your guitar and can be modified using controls like gain, EQ and channel selection.
Typically, the higher a pickup’s DC resistance (the number written on its magnet), the hotter or greater its output will be. But this rule doesn’t hold fast; there can be numerous exceptions.
An additional consideration in regards to guitar pickup placement is its influence on its tonal characteristics. A single coil pickup placed near the neck produces more rounded and warm sounds while one at the bridge will have sharper and more articulate tones.
An understanding of these concepts will enable you to select the ideal amplifier for your guitar and musical genre, and ensure you achieve optimal tone quality. If you need help getting started, ask other musicians, such as your guitar teacher, which type of amps they prefer and why – they have years of experience working with various amps that could provide invaluable advice that helps find the ideal match for both guitar and musical style.
Choosing the Right Guitar
If you’re shopping for a new guitar or upgrading the one you already own, understanding what factors contribute to its sound will make finding that perfect guitar tone easier. Consider factors such as guitar body type and wood quality when choosing pickups that make up its tone and sound – these factors all have an effect.
Your guitar pickups, located on both the front and back of your instrument, capture vibrations from strings and convert them to electrical signals that can be amplified by amplifiers. Since they form part of the signal chain at its very start, these pickups play an essential role in how the entire system sounds.
Based on your music style and genre, there are numerous types of pickups you can select. Single coil pickups are often found on acoustic guitars while humbuckers tend to be preferred on electric ones. Single coil pickups tend to provide more organic tones while humbuckers handle higher levels of distortion more efficiently.
Some guitars feature both humbucker and single coil pickups, offering players the best of both worlds. This can often be accomplished using special wiring that enables one of the coils on a humbucker pickup to switch into single-coil mode for quick switching between their distinctive tones and single-coil sound.
Keep in mind that the placement of pickups can also impact its tone; for example, one placed closer to the bridge will produce sharper and brighter tones than one placed nearer the neck.
As there are so many types of guitars and pickups to choose from, it’s wise to do your research prior to making a purchase. Consider your budget, genre of music you play, and find an instrument that feels right to you – once in your hands it will just take practice to become adept and find your unique sound!
Choosing the Right Strings
Though we might like to think otherwise, guitar strings have an enormous effect on your tone. How you play, what type of music you perform, and string gauge all have an influence over how an instrument sounds; with so many choices when it comes to strings it can be daunting trying to identify what will best meet your needs.
One common way of looking at how pickups work is likened to microphones; they act like microphones for your guitar by sensing vibrations caused by string vibration when playing it and translating those vibrations into the classic electric guitar tone we all recognize and love. This is an accurate depiction of their operation, helping explain that more strings mean more changes in tone!
Therefore, it’s essential that you experiment with various sets of strings until you find what suits your guitar and playing style best. Experimentation with different brands, types and gauges may provide insight into which one best meets those criteria. Furthermore, take note of which gauge your favorite musicians use; that could provide further inspiration.
Magnet choice plays an integral part of a guitar pickup’s sound and tone, with certain styles more suitable to certain genres than others. For instance, humbuckers tend to sound fuller than single coil pickups and are therefore often preferred by heavy metal guitarists; however, these lack the high end found with single coils which may cause them to sound muddy with certain types of clean tones.
Utilize pickups with different tones in both neck and bridge positions on your guitar to add depth and dimension to your tone, as well as cut through live mixes more effectively. A set of Alnico III magnet humbucking pickups placed in these spots could create a warm yet soft jazz guitar tone when overdriven, while still producing some bite when used unassisted.