Username: Password:

Author Topic: How to match pickups?  (Read 1716 times)

PitchShifter

  • Strawweight
  • *
  • Posts: 7
How to match pickups?
« on: May 12, 2008, 04:09:10 AM »
I'm looking at 3 HB guitar and would like to stick a Stormy Monday in the middle position to have a creamy warm sound available. I'd like to bookend this with some other sounds.  What should I be looking at when trying to match different pickups together?  Is it  DC Resistance?

Antag

  • Welterweight
  • ****
  • Posts: 2071
How to match pickups?
« Reply #1 on: May 12, 2008, 10:18:12 AM »
Two words: calibrated sets

What the product page doesn't make clear is that the listed specs are for the bridge pickup only.  Each neck pickup is a different pickup wound specifically for the neck position (i.e. it's not just the same pickup turned around).  For example, the Cold Sweat bridge is 14k with a Ceramic magnet, but the neck is 8.2k with Alnico 5 magnet.

IMO, you should seriously consider calibrated sets before trying to mix'n'match different models that may not balance well together.  That's not to say that you can't or shouldn't have 3 different pickups in the same guitar, just be aware that the corresponding bridge/neck models might get you want you want anyway...

Also, what sounds do you want to achieve from your bridge & neck pickups?
BKPs: HD, MM, NB, PK, CS, Ab (b&n); Am (b only); VHII, Tril (n only); IT, Slow, Sult (m&n)