New Video: Electric Guitar Pickups 101 - or - Aaron's Pickup Primer

[sdeeg]

Well ... hell. I've been kicking around this idea of building a Dinkycaster with TV Jones's in it and I think this seals the deal. Now I just need to figure out a color, and can somebody please come and explain this to my wife? Seriously, I'm pretty sure that every time I've pulled the trigger on a Warmoth guitar purchase it comes after one of @aarontunes videos!

Strat song: SRV Lenny is what popped into my head

 

[aarontunes]

Well ... hell. I've been kicking around this idea of building a Dinkycaster with TV Jones's in it and I think this seals the deal. Now I just need to figure out a color, and can somebody please come and explain this to my wife? Seriously, I'm pretty sure that every time I've pulled the trigger on a Warmoth guitar purchase it comes after one of @aarontunes videos!

Strat song: SRV Lenny is what popped into my head

I literally, today, just now, finished shooting a build video that has a Dinkycaster with P-90's and an all-rosewood neck. I went with Butterscotch Blonde.

One w/ TV Jones would be killer!

 

[Hodgo]

I have yet to find any noiseless single coil, P-90 or otherwise, that maintains the attack and harmonic overtones of an actual single coil. The caveat here is that I haven’t played Lace Sensors or Zexcoils yet, nor have I tested an Illitch style dummy coil setup, but these are the only designs I’m aware of that don’t introduce comb filtering.



Of course we’re talking a few db here and some mild reshaping of the resonant peak, so if you have a pedalboard capable of putting My Bloody Valentine to shame none of this should matter at all…

 

[sdeeg]

I literally, today, just now, finished shooting a build video that has a Dinkycaster with P-90's and an all-rosewood neck. I went with Butterscotch Blonde.

One w/ TV Jones would be killer!

Thanks for the encouragement @aarontunes ! Looking forward to your build video. I had been thinking about Candy Blue, but I'm saving the blue slot in my collection for a Mooncaster. I'm inspired by @Rick's Firecaster III with the Inferno Flake and White Pearl pickguard. I'm not sure if I can handle that much bling, but I don't have anything even remotely close to it and somehow TVs seem to feel natural in such an environment. I've fallen in love with Canary wood necks (my second one is currently on order), and I think the warm orangy color would complement it nicely. I'm a little confused by the dinkycaster pickguard tho as it doesn't list TV Jones as an option. Do you just choose Humbucker and get TVs with ears?

On a final note, that snake skin strap looks awesome with the pink Tele.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I have yet to find any noiseless single coil, P-90 or otherwise, that maintains the attack and harmonic overtones of an actual single coil.

True, however true single coils are too bright, which is why they are always used with Tone controls (and 250k ohm at that). You need to roll some of that high-end back. I have found that the Dimarzio Area 67 with a 500k Volume control and no-load Tone (or no Tone control at all) gets me as close to true single coil tone as I'll ever need to be, with plenty of "quack" and with none of the hum. I think too many people make the mistake of installing them with the 250k pots and then are disappointed with the reduction in high frequencies.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

I like Dimarzio Area 58 or Area 67 with 500k volume and 500k master tone. 500k controls are a benefit to create an HSS setup.

 

[u.9]

I finally got my first Filter'Tron (HS) installed about 45 minutes ago... neck position in one of my Deans. Was a bit of a job to mount due to the deeper pickup route depth. Had to modify W's TV Jones ring (dremel a bit more out of the corners and drill different screw holes in the ring and body) and DIY some ring mount brackets. Looks damn sharp and the sound... after at first feeling underwhelmed, I'm really starting to hear how awesome it is, especially (and surprisingly) when rolling the tone knob all the way down. It's an instrument all its own... you have to play it properly to find its magic, it won't just hand it over. Now considering a FT upgrade for my Epiphone LP Custom to channel some Malcolm.

 

[mycroftxxx]

Enjoyed this!

Although, as much as I love Leslie West…Pete Townshend on Live at Leeds is just about as iconic a P-90 sound as you can get; a taste:

 

[bonesofwrath]

No firebird? It's sort of a unique category even though it's sorta neighbor to filtertrons.

 

[Hodgo]

No firebird? It's sort of a unique category even though it's sorta neighbor to filtertrons.

Shhh don’t give the secret away, Firebirds rock.

 

[Spud]

Shhh don’t give the secret away, Firebirds rock.

Ya, if you can deal with the weird size/shape, I couldn't and had to sell mine!

 

[Hodgo]

Ya, if you can deal with the weird size/shape, I couldn't and had to sell mine!

Oh I meant the pickup, not the 8 foot long paddle Gibson sells as a guitar.

For the uninitiated… here’s a Tele headstock next to a Firebird.

 

[Spud]

Oh I meant the pickup, not the 8 foot long paddle Gibson sells as a guitar.

For the uninitiated… here’s a Tele headstock next to a Firebird.

View attachment 64712

The case itself can be used as a life raft in emergency

 

[Strat Avenger]

Active pickups such as EMGs are still magnetic pickups as per the other comments, but with a couple of differences:

each pickup contains a tiny amplifier/buffer circuit built in, which requires power, usually from one or two 9V batteries.

because the amplifier preserves the signal quality, the pickup can be designed to be magnetically weaker than "passive" pickups, while still producing a strong signal. This means they extract less energy from the string itself: better sustain.

One early adopter of Active pickups was Steve Lukather of Toto, and you can hear the results on songs such as Rosanna.

I still don't like 'em. In 2006 I bought a brand-new ESP M-II with EMG 81s. Two weeks later, I yanked 'em out and installed a pair of passive Seymour Duncans.

 

[rauchman]

Regarding P-90's.....

I'm just starting to get these pups. I've always been an HB and Strat based SC fan. My 1st W build was a Tele, and that was introduction to the fantastic Tele pups.

I was listening to various pickup comparison vid's, and came across Mike Stamper's pickup vid's. While I'm sure his specific eq'ing of the pup tones are not going to be everyone's choice, his method and process IMHO produce some of the best vid's of this type. Also, he compares hundreds of pups, most are HB based.

However, I came across his vid's for Railhammer Cleancut, Nuevo 90 and Heavy 90 pups, which I gather are Railhammer's attempts at a P-90 style pup. I find these interesting as they are HB shaped for an HB route, and IMHO, they sound pretty dang great.

Curious if anyone has used these P-90 styled pups and what were your findings?