"PROJECT GUITAR 101" guitar enthusiasts, collectors, mods and reviews

[bryanarzaga]

---

Ako rani e post para sa walay lingaw hehehe (source: http://www.guitartechcraig.com/techpckp/indxpckp.htm)

Pickup Design Why Different Pickups Sound Different

Pickups are the heart (but far from the only factor) of the guitar’s sound. They affect guitar’s tonal character, output, and sensitivity (and in some cases, the ability to sound in tune). This column examines different pickups, their construction, and how differences in construction determine the way a pickup sounds.

The main variables in pickup construction which have an effect on sound are the number of coils, the shape of the coils, the amount of wire wound on the coil, magnet material, magnet placement, and the magnetic or magnetized area which senses the string’s vibrations. Seems like a lot of stuff, but his is really easy. There are, of course, other factors that affect the pickup’s sound such as coil wire diameter. Most vintage pickups were manufactured using 42 AWG enameled copper wire, although the use of 36 guage and 43 guage date back to some of the earliest pickups. Currently, pickups are manufactured from a variety a gauges ranging from 36 to 46. The most common reason to use thinner wire is that more will fit on a pickup bobbin. Note that some inexpensive pickups manufactured in other countries, while they may look like the real McCoy and may be on a guitar from a reputable manufacturer, may use non-conventional materials for pickup construction. These cheap pickups generally sound, well, cheap.

For the basics, we’ll start out with the single coil pickup. The same principals will apply to 2 coil (humbucking) pickups.

COIL SHAPE: The illustrations below show one tall coil (left) and one shorter, fatter coil (right).
RULE 1: Tall thin coils generally have a brighter sound than short fat ones.

COIL WINDINGS: The amount of windings on a coil will greatly affect the pickups tone and output. More windings equals more power but at the cost of treble response. Standard Fender Stratocaster pickups are wound with enough wire to register a resistance of 6K to 7k ohms. A hot Strat pickup may be wound to 9K or more and will sound fatter and louder. Both coils of a standard Gibson humbucker are wound under 4K ohms each for a total of under 8K ohms. I've seen hot humbuckers wound up to twice that total or more.
RULE 2: The more windings, the louder the pickup will be and the less treble response it will have.

ALNICO vs. CERAMIC: Magnet material is usually one of two varieties: Alnico (aluminum, nickel, and cobalt) or ceramic. Alnico was used in all popular vintage pickups and generally has a warm and smooth response. Ceramic magnets tend to boost treble response and have become popular for pickups with extra coil winding to compensate for the treble loss. Alnico magnets also lend to a smoother distortion tone with a prominent midrange while ceramic magnets can improve the clarity and high end grind of a distorted tone. There are many different formulas of Alnico and Ceramic magnets. In general, the stronger the magnet can be magnetized, The brighter it will soumd in a pickup.
RULE 3: Alnico magnets sound smooth and warm and distort smoothly, ceramic magnets sound brighter and distort cleaner but a bit less full.

POLE PIECES: Magnet placement is an important factor which is often overlooked in favor of sticking with conventional design. Fender Strat pickups have 6 pole pieces which sense the string vibrations. These 6 metal cylinders are magnets - no other magnets exist under the pickup. Most other manufacturers use steel pole pieces (usually adjustable screws) and place one or more bar magnets under the pickup. Here, the magnetic energy is transferred through the screws. The amount of magnetic energy sensing the strings' vibrations is generally weaker than the magnetic energy of a Strat pickup. The drawbacks of the Fender design include not being able to adjust the pole pieces and the phenomena of getting magnets too close to the strings which can lead to an out of tune sounding instrument (especially the low E string). The advantage of the Fender design is increased sensitivity of the pickup.
RULE 4: Magnet pole pieces are not adjustable but increase power and sensitivity. Steel pole pieces are adjustable and enable a variety of magnet structures to be placed below the coils, but are less sensitive to string vibrations.

MAGNETIC FIELD: The area along the length of the strings which is sensed by a pickup is another factor. The perfect example of this are the blade-pole pickups offered by some manufacturers. In these, a thin blade of steel senses the string vibrations at a small length of the string. This results in an accurate but thin sounding pickup with emphasis on treble. Pickups which use fat pole pieces or a fat bar pole piece will have more midrange emphasis and will be much more sensitive and powerful.
RULE 5: The more length of the string which a pickup is sensing, the more midrange, sensitivity, and power it will have.

MAGNET STRENGTH: Relative to pole piece construction, magnetic field, and type of magnet is the strength of the magnetic field. This also relates to the proximity of the pickup to the strings. The stronger the magnetic field sensing the strings vibration, the more treble response you will hear..
RULE 6: The stronger the magnetic field sensing the strings, the more treble you will hear from the pickup.

HUMBUCKING: This bring us to the 2 coil humbucker. Here, a second coil is added with coil windings in the opposite direction and opposite magnetic polarity. By doing this, the second coil cancels out the noise created by the first coil. But, we also have widened the length of string sensed by the pickup, giving us more midrange. Also, any frequencies sensed by both coils will also be canceled out (ok, it's a little more complicated than that). Basically, since treble frequencies have a very short wavelength, there is a greater chance that both coils will "see" these frequencies the same and will be canceled out. Therefore, humbucking pickups will always cancel out some treble response -- uh, with the exception of air coils and stacked humbuckers. Air coils are a second coil without any magnets (popularized by Alembic). Stacked humbuckers are similar to air coils in that the second coil does less sensing of the string than the primary coil. In both air coils and stacked humbuckers, the single coil sound can be preserved, but because the signal has to pass through extra wire, it loses a little bit of power.
RULE 7: Standard humbuckers cancel hum and some treble response. Air coil and stacked humbuckers cancel hum and preserve the single coil tone at the cost of a bit of power.

[bryanarzaga]

Another Info For Trems (from ibanez.com by prime)

The Floating Tremolo- Basic Info

The purpose of the trem is simple: To raise or lower the pitch of a played note by lengthening or shortening the length of the string the note is played on. It's the same, simple concept as bending and pre-bending a string, but how it achieves this may not be so clear. It takes patience and diligence to master such a sensitive, intricate, and sometimes delicate system.

As with most complex things, there are a bunch of parts and confusing names to go with them. Here are the major parts defined and a few labeled diagrams of an exploded and assembled Floyd-type trem. Pay attention to the names of major parts, as we will use proper nomenclature later in this guide.

1. Saddle - A metal box the string is locked into. There is one saddle for each string. Each saddle contains a long screw that fixes the string holder block inside it. An Allen wrench is required to loosen or tighten these.

2. Base Plate- The platform upon which the other parts are attached. The tremolo arm is attached here, to allow movement of the entire tremolo.

3. Tremolo Arm - The bar extending out that can be used to change the angle of the tremolo, thereby raising or lowering the pitch of the note.

4. Posts/Studs - Two pegs extending from the body of the guitar upon which the tremolo pivots. Due to the softness of wood, two metal anchors are glued into the body which the posts screw into.

5. Knife Edge - A very important part of the trem. This is the point that contacts the trem posts, allowing the trem to pivot.

6. String Holder Block or Saddle Block - A cube-shaped metal block that presses the string end into the saddle wall thus locking it tight. If they fall out, they are easy to lose.

7. Intonation Screws - Screws that hold saddles on the base plate; when loose, the saddles can be moved forward and backward, effectively changing intonation of a string (intonation will be covered later in this guide). An Allen wrench is required to loosen or tighten these.

8. Locking Nut - string clamp, installed as the "zero fret" at the neck. It has screws and braces called "locks" to clamp on the strings that run through it. An Allen wrench is required to loosen or tighten the nut. Together, the locking nut and tremolo are referred to as a Double Locking System.

9. Fine Tuners - Screws that are used to re-tune strings after the nut is locked. After locking the nut, the tuning keys will not effect the strings. If you need to dramatically change the tuning of your guitar, you should use the tuning keys instead.

10. Tremolo Block - The large piece of metal that extending down from the base plate and connecting the springs to the tremolo.

11. Tremolo Springs - Springs that pull the bridge down to counteract the strings. They are installed in a cavity that is usually accessible from the back of the guitar under a plastic cover. There are usually 3 springs. However, to change the resistance of the trem, as few as 1 and as many as 5 can be used.

12. Spring Claw Hook - A connector between the guitar body and springs. It has special "claws" to attach the springs to. This part is usually mounted to the guitar body using loose long screws that are adjustable.

[GOSPELofROCH]

waw....payter! tnx bry \m/

[bryanarzaga]

waw....payter! tnx bry \m/

post ra daan just incase naa mag start lain custom daun floyd

[PGM_301]

true true, master pgm jud hehe, the knowledge of the miming power

hahahaha...miming power jud..hehe...

[bryanarzaga]

hahahaha...miming power jud..hehe...

hahaha, wood guide

As with pickups, there are many features of your guitar that can impact your sound:

-Wood type(s)
-Construction
-Bridge

Wood type- Not all wood is the same, and neither are the sounds produced by them. And since guitars are made of different wood, not all guitars will sound the same. Listed below are the most common types of tone woods used for body's, necks, and fretboards and a brief description for their tonal characteristics.



Bodies:

Alder- A light, soft wood with harder rings spread throughout it. Alder is a very balanced wood with equal amounts of lows, mids, and highs.

Basswood- A very soft wood consisting of closed grains. Lows do not resonate that well and highs are softened, but there is increased presence and cut. Basswood has a smaller tonal range (mostly mids and highs, some bass), which gives the perception that it is warmer.

Mahogany- A very stiff, hard, and heavy wood. It is consistent unlike Alder, and lacks some mids, but can handle a huge amount of lows and adds depths to high notes.

Ash- Hard Ash is heavy and dense and produces bright tone and long sustain. Swamp Ash, on the other hand, is similar to Alder with harder rings between softer sections, and has more lows and mids. However, quality among swamp ash can be inconsistent.

Necks:

Maple- A very hard stable wood with a more uniform, consistent graining allowing the vibrations to transfer to the body wood well.

Mahogany- Absorbs more vibrations and is more responsive, but compresses attack and highs

Neck Stripes (adds a very small effect):

Wenge Stripe- Dampens some of the highs and adds mids and low-mids

Bubinga Stripe- Adds a thick mid-range and lows and sustain.

Fretboards:

Rosewood- Has excellent sustain and softens highs a little, has a strong fundamental

Maple- Very bright and encourages overtones while filtering a bit of bass and changes in pick attack.

Ebony- Very dense like maple, but is extremely snappy and percussive with good sustain.

Construction- How the neck meets the body, the shape, and the thickness of the guitar can all have an effect on the sound of the guitar.


Neck-Through Bodies: A neck-thru body Is created from three pieces: the neck plank and two wings made of tone wood. A neck plank consists of the neck and the center of the body all made of one piece or the same pieces. The pickup, bridge, and back cavity are all routed into this wood. Two body wings are glued onto the plank to form the rest of the body. Since the material of the neck (usually maple) actually extends into the body and bridge area, it will have a larger impact on tone than normal, and sustain is increased as the vibrations can travel through the guitar as a whole. Maple will brighten the sound, so some manufacturers usually use basswood or mahogany wings to dampen it out.


Set-In Neck: Instead of going all the way through the body, a set-in neck slides partially into the body and is glued in place. The neck still has a smooth, small heel like a neck-thru, but is less expensive to produce and the neck material has less of an impact on tone. There is a small loss of sustain compared to neck-thru guitars


Bolt-On Neck: Bolt-on construction is, by far, the most common construction method. It is the least costly, and if the neck is damaged, or the owner desires, the neck can easily be switched out and replaced without having to remove paint and completely disassemble the guitar. This type of construction has less sustain than both set-in and neck-thru

Thickness and Shape: The more wood there is in a guitar, the more effect that wood has on the tone. For example, a big, thick mahogany Les Paul will have more lows than a thin mahogany Ibanez S, but both have more lows than a Hard Ash Telecaster, which is extremely bright and twangy. A large Alder Jackson Kelly will have more lows than that Telecaster, but still not as much as the S. There are claims that certain body shapes and headstocks will increase sustain. Dean Zalinsky of Dean Guitars says that he designed the V headstock to improve sustain in the neck and body, but there is no tangible proof to back up his claim.

Bridge: Since the strings go directly through or over the bridge of a guitar, it will have a pretty substantial impact on factors such as sustain and tone. Floyd rose type tremolos maintain contact to the body through the posts. Many claim that these two metal objects can cause a tinny sound and loss of tone, and since there is less contact with actual wood, sustain is lost as well. With string-thru bridges, the string actually passes through the body of the guitar, helping it to reverberate throughout and increase sustain.

[clado]

thanks for these sir! \m/

[clado]

by the way,
nisuroy ko pag ganihang udto sa AINo trading,
dghan tao,hehehe, mga rakista.
naa pa ngd2 ang Marshall na ampz.. wla lng ko khibw sa specs.

then naa additional guitar sa display.

V nya Barclay ang brand. white and body then gold hardware.
then naa new pedal,
Boss ME something.. blue ang color..

so far mao rna xa ang bago ngd2.

[bryanarzaga]

by the way,
nisuroy ko pag ganihang udto sa AINo trading,
dghan tao,hehehe, mga rakista.
naa pa ngd2 ang Marshall na ampz.. wla lng ko khibw sa specs.

then naa additional guitar sa display.

V nya Barclay ang brand. white and body then gold hardware.
then naa new pedal,
Boss ME something.. blue ang color..

so far mao rna xa ang bago ngd2.

pictures nya clads

[clado]

pictures nya clads

wala lagi ko kadala ug cam ganiha
sunod balik nlng nako, ako kuhaan ug pic