General Pickup Information
Not sure what all the hype is about with pickups? Check out our general information about our pickups and pickups in general and answer some of the burning questions you might have.
This page includes information on:
All about pickups
A brief history...
In the mid 1920s, an American guitarist by the name of George Beauchamp started tinkering with an idea of a magnetic transducer for the purpose of amplifying his guitar, getting the idea from a phonograph pickup. His efforts were then backed by a Swiss-American by the name of Adolph Rickenbacker. Yes the same guy, and they came up with a Hawaiian style guitar affectionately known as the 'frying pan'. The pickup was a horseshoe with single poles wrapped with copper wire. It's great to look at eh? This idea was then incorporated into an archtop guitar and thus the electric guitar as we know it today was formed.
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By the 1930s and 40s, bands got bigger and louder with brass sections and bigger drums, but the guitar was struggling to compete. Resonator guitars weren't cutting through and hollow-body guitars with pickups were prone to feedback at high volumes so experimentation began with solid body guitars. The combination of the electromagnetic pickup and the solid body meant less feedback at high volume, and thus bringing the guitar back to the forefront of the modern band.
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Enter a whole host of household names ready to make their stamp on music forever.
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What is a pickup?
The electromagnetic guitar pickup comes in many shapes and forms but the principal for all of them remains the same.
Wire is wrapped around a group of poles (one for each string) and a DC current is applied to the wire. In some pickups, the poles themselves are magnets, as with Stratocaster pickups for example, other pickups use a magnetic bar below the poles such as the P-90 or humbucker. As the magnetic field of the magnet is agitated by the movement of the strings, this creates an electromotive force through the coil which then translates as a voltage waveform through a cable from the instrument, into our amplifier and out of the speaker in the form of sound energy. Simple.
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The fun with pickups begins once the variables are introduced to this. There are so many but the ones which have the most impact on the sound of a guitar include:
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Type of magnet (composition)
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Amount of wraps on the coil
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Coil dimension (ie width/height)
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Diameter of wire
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Wax potting
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Type of metal used on the cover
The list goes on, but of course most of the leg work was done before most of us were born, so we have those hard working, brainy guys to thank. That's why we have the standard classics we have today because it ain't broke.
Single coils and humbuckers
What's the difference?
The original pickups were single coils. Quite literally a single coil of wire, wrapped around the poles. Examples of this are a Stratocaster style pickup, P-90 or the type you might find on a Fender Jazz Bass. Since the mid-1930s many different companies came up with ways of cancelling the inductive hum associated with single coil pickups. The answer was two coils put together in one pickup to cancel the hum. This became known as the humbucker. This was applied to guitars by companies such as Gibson and Gretsch who were both working on their own versions which eventually became the PAF and Filtertron respectively. The humbucker sound is generally known to give a fatter sound than the single coil.
Humbuckers are probably most famously known for being in Gibson's Les Paul models but are certainly not limited to that. Humbuckers can be found in guitars from Stratocasters to bass guitars like the Musicman Stingray.
There are many shapes and sizes too. There are mini-versions which can be found in guitars like the Epiphone Sheraton which look like a shrunken version of the original humbucker or versions with a bar rather than slugs and screws which is found in Gibson Firebirds or single coil shaped humbuckers.
Magnets
Magnets are a guitar's best friend, said Marylin Monroe. She didn't and it doesn't even fit the line in that song but the sentiment is true nonetheless.
Magnets are one of, if not the most, important components of a pickup when it comes to your tone. The magnetic material used in guitar pickups are traditionally made with either AlNiCo, Ceramic, CuNiFe or Neodymium. The most popular and the material we use is AlNiCo. This is an iron alloy consisting of aluminium, nickel and cobalt and the rest iron. When magnetised this alloy is the force that pulls on the guitar strings and transduces the vibration into the coil and towards your amplifier.
AlNiCo comes in many grades, that is to say different percentages of each metal in the alloy contributes to a different effect on the strings of your guitar when magnetised. The traditional grades of AlNiCo used with guitar pickups are II, III, IV, V and IIIX
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AlNiCo 2 - This was traditionally used with older pickups and we use this combination in most of our vintage spec pickups. The makeup is 10% Aluminium, 19% Nickel, 13% Cobalt, 3% Copper. This results in a rounded low end, a punchy mid-range and chimey top.
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AlNiCo 3 - Not quite AlNiCo as there isn't actually any cobalt in AlNiCo III but science says otherwise. This is the weakest of the AlNiCo guitar magnet range and due to this it delivers a softer top end and a robust mid range. We have these in our vintage pickups for Stratocaster. The makeup of AlNiCo III is 12% Aluminium, 25% Nickel and 3% Copper.
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AlNiCo 4 - This grade is considered to be the most even for response. Our bridge PAF replica has an AlNiCo IV bar which gives a bright top end without sounding too glassy and the reason most people use AlNiCo IV is for the tight low end.
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AlNiCo 5 - The most popular choice for modern pickups. This combination has more cobalt than its predecessors. The makeup of the alloy is 8% Aluminium, 14% Nickel, 24% Cobalt and 3% copper. Like AlNiCo IV, this grade is popular for its even response to all frequencies. The bottom end is tight and not too swampy, the mids cut through and the top end is bright. When using high gain and distortion, this is what you need for definition and the ability to cut through.
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AlNiCo 8 - Need volume? Then AlNiCo IIIX is what you need. Due to the strength os the magnet, this is popular with metal guitarists who need definition, a tight midrange and low end and a smooth top end. The glassy top end of AlNiCo V is smoothed out with this grade and works well with high gain output to achieve clarity and precision. The makeup is 7% Aluminium, 15% Nickel, 35% Cobalt, 4% Copper and this is the only magnet that also has 5% Titanium in.
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Ceramic - You will find ceramic magnets with most mid-range priced guitars. The sound is much harder than AlNiCo. They give a boosted top end, punchy low end and an overall edge to your sound.
Wax potting
You may have seen here on our site that we have pickups in our store that are wax potted and some that are not. What is wax potting and what does it achieve?
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The principle of wax potting goes back to the beginning of the pickup. The idea is that dipping the finished product into hot wax seals the wire and prevents microphonic feedback. For example, pickups in metal covers, such as a humbucker or Telecaster neck pickup, can cause the pickup to squeal, especially at high gains, so the wax operates as a buffer or shock absorber to prevent this.
Originally Fender used lacquer to pot their pickups but pickup repairers found it almost impossible to fix. The lacquer acts more like glue and makes repairs and re-winds very difficult indeed. Wax also penetrates the coils a lot better and allows any repair work that might need doing to be a lot more stress free.
Wax also protects the wire and magnets inside from rusting which can be one of the main causes of dead pickups if not stored properly for a long time.
If you have pickups that you would like potting by us, simply get in touch by email here and post your pickup to us. We only charge you for the postage and is a great investment to keep your pickups working for many years.
To check if your pickups are already potted, you can remove the plastic covers or check the underneath. If they appear to have a thin shiny layer, then they may very well be lacquer potted, in which case there's not much we can do but if they appear dull and if you scratch them they feel waxy to the touch then they are already wax potted. If neither is the case, then take some photos and email us and we'll get those pickups potted.
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As we try to be as close to the originals as possible, some of our pickups are not potted just like the originals. These include our PAF Humbucker and the vintage P-90.