How to find your tone

characteristics that define your search

Throughout history great guitarists have used their hands to get tones that are timeless. So is it all in the hands and soul? In my opinion much of it is, but I know that without the right tools to inspire them the same music that changed our world could not have been made. The tools? Amps, pedals, guitars, and.....pickups. Listed here is pickup and magnet EQ and output information to help you make an informed decision.

2 key elements, when combined, will determine the overall tone of a pickup. Use this formula to help choose the pickups you want.

Pickups output

Magnet

EQ/tone & output

Bucker Lite- low output	lo-5 mid-4 hi-8	alnico 2 (*-2)	smooth, full lows, mids, darker highs. output= low
Classic Coils- medium low output	lo-6 mid-5 hi-7	alnico 3 (*-3)	full lows, mids, more treble. output=medium
Boosted Classic- medium output	lo-7 mid-5 hi-6	alnico 4 (*-4)	even response with flat lows/mids and extra treble. output=medium high
M-tone- high output	lo-7 mid-7 hi-6	alnico 5 (*-5)	stringy lows, flatter mids, and enhanced highs. output=high
		alnico 8 (*-8)	punchy midrange, alnico clarity, balanced eq output=very high
		ceramic bar (*-C)	enhanced lows, smooth upper mids, enhanced highs. output=very high

Along with effecting the pickups EQ, the output will affect the gain stage of your amp and pedals. Some players prefer lower output pickups then let the amp/pedals do all the work. More output pushes pre-amps and tubes to distort or break-up earlier, as does enhanced low-end and mids. See my article on coil splits/taps, The Magnificent Coil-Tap for an extended range of available tones. A split/tap can turn any humbucker into a single coil with the flick of a switch.

When hunting for the right sound something to consider is-

The instrument

If the guitar has a naturally dark sound, then pickups with enhanced highs would improve the instruments clarity. Brighter sounding guitars sometimes need taming with darker pickups. This also depends on the playing style, i.e. country or blues may require more treble.

Basic wood groups	Used for	Tonal personality/scale from 1-10 (10 highest)
mahogany	bodies, necks	dark/8
ebony	fretboards	bright/8
rosewood	fretboards, bodies	dark/7

ash	bodies	bright/9
alder	bodies	bright/7
basswood	bodies	bright/7
maple	neck, fretboards, top laminate	bright/8

The pros and cons of potting

Potting is achieved by dipping or sealing a pickup in a substance that impregnates the windings. Un-potted windings that may be loose within the pickup will vibrate which causes the pickup to squeal or howl. The substance also seeps into spaces between the pickups parts (spacers, magnets, etc.) to dampen any natural vibration caused by human contact with the instrument or loud outside noise (amplifiers, drums, PA). Commonly used potting liquids are heated paraffin/bees wax mix, lacquer, or black epoxy.

un-potted-

pros- open vintage sound, natural tone like old 50's PAF, ultra high presence
cons- can be microphonic. May squeal at extreme volumes or in high gain situations

potted-

pros- tighter tone, more snap, not microphonic and usually handles high volume/gain without squeal
cons- ?????

microphonic- susceptible to outside sounds like finger noise, loud instruments/amplifiers. Sensitivity to vibrations causing noises and ringing. Describes the phenomenon where certain components in electronic devices transform mechanical vibrations into an undesired electrical signal (noise). A microphone.

Any questions can be answered by calling Smit @615-390-7181(TN)