Measuring output

[Rocklobster93]

After checking out the dimarzio site and looking around, I noticed that they measure the output of their pickups in millivolts instead of DC resistance. I would have thought that this way would give a more accurate measure of a pickups true output (keep in mind I don't really know much about the more technical side of pickups). I was wondering why exactly most makers measure their pickup's output in resistance?

[hunter]

I think the problem with mV is I believe that you need to have a signal going in the pickup (i.e. strings that were hit) and you wouldn't really be easily able to create a constant signal to compare outputs.

I might be wrong though.

[ToneMonkey]

I presume (probably wrongly) that the reason most people use resistance is because it gives and accurate figure for the pickup that is independant from all other factors.

Wouldn't the output of the pup (in millivolts) be different depending on how hard you hit the strings?

No doubt one of the electrical or pickup bods will answer this one.

[ToneMonkey]

Wel done Hunter, beat me to it by a matter of seconds   :lol:

[Rocklobster93]

ahhh... i didn't think of that

[ToneMonkey]

It might not be right yet  :lol: :lol:

[Frank]

DC resistance doesn't really tell you much about how the pickup will sound, given that in normal operation it will never have any DC current flowing through it. Agreed, milliVolts would be more useful - if we knew all the other test parameters like what strings were used, distance from pickup to string, how hard the strings were hit. More useful still would be a graph of frequency response or something like the tone guides on the Deymour Suncan pickup site. But then I wonder, who actually buys guitar pickups based on DC resistance or frequency graphs? All I ever do is head for the mp3s and decide which one sounds best to me.