I
’m currently looking for a solid-body electric guitar.
Can you tell me what to look for with regards to pickups?
There are two types of pickups currently used on most
solid-body electric guitars today. There is the single-
coil pickup and the humbucking pickup. Of the two, the
humbucker offers some very distinct advantages over its
older counterpart.
1:
The humbucker is inherently
“hum” or noise free.
(Hence the
name humbucking, meaning to
“buck” or avoid hum).
Unlike the
older design of the single-coil
pickup which uses only one coil,
the humbucker uses two coils
wound with copper wire in
opposite directions or connected
in reverse polarity. By winding or connecting in
opposite
polarity and
connecting together, side by side, the hum or noise from each indi-
vidual coil is canceled by the other.
2:
Most humbuckers offer individual,
adjustable pole pieces. Unlike single
coils which use fixed magnetic poles
or “slugs,” humbucker pole pieces
can be
individually
adjusted to
match the height and response of
each individual string. Raise the
pole piece closer to the string and
the string is louder. Lower the pole
piece and the string is softer. After
all, not all guitars or strings respond
the same.
3:
The humbucker has a significantly
hotter output level. While most
single-coil pickups use small and relatively weak pole piece mag-
nets, the humbucker uses one or more large ceramic or alnico mag-
nets spanning across the width of the base. This, combined with
two coils, creates a much larger magnetic field which tends to elimi-
nate “deadspots” while increasing the overall “power” of the pickup.
That’s why humbucker equipped guitars such as the Les Paul™ are
typically the choice of rock and heavy metal guitarists.
4:
The humbucker gives you
two sounds in one! The single-
coil pickup can only give you
one sound - a single coil
sound. However, by wiring the
humbucker in such a way as to
allow for “coil-tapping,” you
can turn on just one coil of a
humbucker and get the thin,
“twangy” sound of a single.
Then, with the flip of a switch, you can turn on both coils and get
the fat, powerful humbucker sound. Most
humbucker
equipped gui-
tars can be modified to add this powerful feature.
Counter Clockwise
(Negative)
Clockwise
(Positive)
Single Coil
(Individual fixed magnetic slugs)
Humbucker
(Pole pieces are adjustable screws
over a large magnet)
On On
Off On
(Both coils “on”
for the powerful
sound of
traditional
humbuckers;
perfect for rock
or metal)
(Only one coil
“on” for
a thinner,
twangy sound)
I
’ve heard a lot of professional musicians talk about
guitars they love that have great “sustain.” What exactly
does that mean and what makes a guitar sustain?
When guitarists talk about sustain, they are primarily
talking about an instrument’s ability to prolong the sound
of a note or notes. From the time you pluck the string to
the time that the sound disappears defines sustain. In
general, a guitar will have long or “great” sustain if there
is a good transfer of string vibration to the body, neck
and nut/headstock of the instrument.
1: Good Transfer of String
Vibration at the Tailpiece
In general, there are two
basic types of tailpieces - the
floating (or tremolo) style and
the fixed (or Stop Bar) style.
Of these two, the Stop Bar
(which was invented by Gibson Guitar in 1952) is clearly better at
transferring string vibration to the body of the instrument. Because a
tremolo “floats” it actually acts like a “shock (or vibration) absorber”
and therefore transfers little or no string vibration to the body and
wood of the instrument. On the other hand, a Stop Bar tailpiece has
large 1.25" bolts which
anchor
the strings into the wood of the body
and effectively transfer vibration to the body.
2: Good Transfer of String
Vibration at the Bridge
Again, there are two basic types of
bridges - those that anchor directly
into or on top of the body of the
guitar (like the Tune-o-matic Bridge
invented by Gibson in 1952) and
bridges that are integrated into a
tremolo unit. For the same reasons listed above, the “floating”
bridge/tailpiece tremolo unit transfers little or no string vibration to
the guitar body. Conversely, a Tune-o-matic Bridge is bolted directly
into the body and sends the vibrations of each string into the guitar
for increased sustain and excellent tone.
3: Good Transfer of String
Vibration at the Nut/Headstock
It is important for the strings to pass
over the nut at an angle significant
enough to create good downward
pressure in order to transfer vibra-
tion. Therefore, a headstock
must
be
“angled” at least 15 degrees in order to achieve good string pressure.
An angled headstock is more difficult to make and is typically more
expensive because it requires the use of more wood and/or another
gluing operation. Inexpensive guitars avoid this added cost by
combining a “flat headstock” with gadgets called “string trees” to
arti-
ficially
create downward pressure. Unfortunately, string trees are
inherently bad because they dissipate the transfer of string vibration
and energy. Additionally, string trees create an unnecessary angle
and surface for the string to pass over. Often this causes tuning
problems because the string gets “hung-up” or caught on the tree.
Although it may cost a little more, the “angled headstock” will give
you better tone, less tuning problems, and great sustain.
Tune-o-matic Bridge
BODY
Vibrates as Well
Large Bolts Anchor Strings to Body -
When Strings Vibrate So Does Body
Stop Bar
Tailpiece
15
o Angle
Good Pressure
food for thought...
