Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: rohlfo on November 28, 2008, 11:19:39 PM
-
hi guys,
been wondering about this for a while and sorry if I'm like the 100000th person to ask!
I'm guessing hot has more windings? ...which means it does 'what' to the sound.....? yes, I suck at physics...
Also do you guys have any tips in terms of which guitars are better suited for 'hot' and not?
thanks!
-
I think the hotter the pickup the more it pushes the amp (not nec louder) meaning you end up with clipping at a lower volume/earlier stage.
Essentially the hotter the pickup the more perceived the level of saturation (on a very general level!)
-
I think the hotter the pickup the more it pushes the amp (not nec louder) meaning you end up with clipping at a lower volume/earlier stage.
Essentially the hotter the pickup the more perceived the level of saturation (on a very general level!)
Pretty much what he said, hot pickups have more windings and maybe stronger magnets, so producing a stronger electrical signal when the string is plucked. Hot pickups usually are louder, but other factors are involved so it's not going to be linear. Amps start clipping (distorting) at a certain point, if you have a greater input to start with they get there faster and have a more pronounced effect as you pile on the gain.
The DC resistance is used as a guide to how hot a pickup is because it is related closely to how many windings a pup has and therefore how 'hot' it is.
As for how loud a pup is, that also depends on the voicing of the pup. Your ears hear different frequencies with different efficencies, a pup that is voiced towards the low end will feel punchier (bass tends to move more air), but might sound quiter than one of the same output that is voiced towards the mids. Also amps will deal with different frequencies differently, so again the voicing will have an impact on what you hear. Case in point, Warpigs (22K bridge) can be played through a microcube and sound ok, Nailbombs (16K bridge) sound awful becuase they output more mids and highs and the microcube can't cope as well.
-
so even more to take into account when trying to find the right sound/pups...which amp do you play!
So, new thought, I have Crawlers in mine atm, and am not 100% sure what to put in my new guitar. If I want to switch guitars within a set, will other pups cause such an impact on guitar volume? I'd hate to phaff around with amp settings during a gig... :?
-
Off the Subject do you like the Crawlers?
-
How much impact the pups have depends on how different they are. I've never gigged so I'm not an expert on this, however I'm not sure it's something you need to worry about, you'll very quickly get to know the difference in levels if there is any decernable difference and you'll know how much to tweak the volume to compensate, it's not really a phaf to move the volume or gain one notch up or down is it, it will take longer to swap you guitar lead.
As for taking the amp into consideration when choosing a pup, again probably not a big problem, it will have an impact on tone, of course it will, just about everything does, but frankly you really don't know what a pup is going to sound like in any given guitar either, you can only guess, same with the amp.
I really wouldn't get too hung up on all the variables, you'll drive yourself mad, have a rough idea of how 'hot' you'd like it to be, decide what tonal characteristics you are after and that should narrow down your choices. Always email Tim for an opinion, post a 'I'm after this kinda sound' thread, and see what people say. Don't get too put out if you don't get many responses, poeple on here tend to only post if they have something useful to say, if they don't know they don't make stuff up.
Going back to your original post about what guitars suit a hot pup, I don't think it works that way, the hotter the pup the more it will stamp it's tone on the overall sound, but you pick the guitar for it's qualities and then match the pup to complement them and acheive a tone. Feel free to bounce a few ideas around the forum, like ' I'm thinking about an SG with Cold Sweats', or 'I want to play super heavy Death Metal, what do you guys use?'
Use the forum search too, chances are someone has covered off at least some of what you want to know.
-
cheers for the info! I have already posted in here and written to Tim, so in that sense I know what seems to be the best option, but I'm just not sure... The recommendation is RRs, but I'm thinking I might not find them hot enough despite them being very popular and seemingly perfect for an explorer - even rang Saxon's guitar roadie up to see what he thought of them in their guitarist's new guitar. I think I'm just worried I won't find they have the same energy/ferocity as the Crawlers...(although admittingly it took me a while to learn how to get that, and perhaps I can do that with the RRs as well, just give myself time...)
so, my opinion of Crawlers: When I first put them in the neck pup blew me away. love it to bits, and still find it does everything I'd ever want from a neck pup. The bridge was awesome, but for me I felt it didn't quite hit it 100% (but still incredibly good, don't get me wrong!). I also have them split and compared to other pups I can really hear the difference in sound with them split. I have them in a self-built PRS style guitar and find they are very versitile, especially once you're used to them and know them well enough to know how to get your sounds. I'm perfectly happen with them, but I need a lighter guitar, and want to get quite a strict sound for rock'n'roll/classic rock so want to specify my pup choice...
-
just read this:
I want that vintage sound, but with a serious vintage growl......................HUGE and handles distortion well.
That sounds like Crawlers.
^that's a fine way of giving a short description: vintage, growl, huge, handles distortion well.
-
The recommendation is RRs, but I'm thinking I might not find them hot enough despite them being very popular and seemingly perfect for an explorer - even rang Saxon's guitar roadie up to see what he thought of them in their guitarist's new guitar. I think I'm just worried I won't find they have the same energy/ferocity as the Crawlers...(although admittingly it took me a while to learn how to get that, and perhaps I can do that with the RRs as well, just give myself time...)
Namedropper! :wink:
But seriously, you will notice quite a contrast between Riff Raffs and Crawlers. The RRs are brighter, clearer and don't sound anywhere near as "big". They won't drive the amp as hard but I shouldn't think there'd be much difference in actual volume.
Having said that, they are definitely "rock" pickups, they don't sound pretty like, say, Stormy Mondays. Just think AC/DC - that really is the RR sound, although of course they'll do all sorts of other stuff as well. They're great for the rock'n'roll/classic rock you mentioned, but look elsewhere for "br00talz".
-
lol, damn right I am :P but I can't say I know the band personally.
I can't say I'm the biggest fan of trebley guitar sounds (for my playing at least), and being rhythm guitarist means I don't want that clean cut above the band sound. I love my mids, and have quite a mid-heavy EQ setting on my amp. I also love big sounds....I like to dig into the strings with my pick and I crank certain volume settings on my amp to create that strained to limits guitar sound (without much actual distortion). So in that sense a hotter pup might be a better choice? I think Tim said too hot pups aren't that good in Explorers if I remember correctly though....
as to music, yes, no br00talz please, just good ol' energy driven, no FX and phaffing around rock'n'roll/classic rock/stadium rock :P
-
Nailbombs are voiced with a lot of mids, you can get them to sing out the highs and they don't fall behind on the bass. Not sure if they fall into the too hot for an explorer, but they might be worth a look.
-
catalyst's avatar is "hot", while philly's is "normal".
o_O