Posts Tagged ‘electric guitar pickup’
The Dirty Secrets Of Electric Guitar Building… Part 12
Posted by admin in General Electric Guitar Building on February 16th, 2010
Without a doubt, pickups are the single most controversial component on an electric guitar. Ask five players what they like and you’ll get five different opinions. And in some cases–depending on who the five players are–the discussion can get rather heated to say the least.
I try to keep an open mind regarding pickups. Since I always wind my own, I tend to try different methods in order to achieve varied tones. I know what I like, but that doesn’t matter if I’m building for some one else. However, when it comes to building your own guitar, there are a few dirty secrets you need to be aware of.
First, there’s the issue of pickup placement. How do builders decide where to locate each pickup? Some luthiers like to finish the guitar first so they can play it acoustically in order to determine optimum placement based on the maximum amplitude of string vibration. Others–myself included–try to best utilize the given space between the bridge and the fretboard’s heel. In other words, I locate the bridge pickup as close to the bridge as possible and the neck pickup right up against the fretboard’s heel. This approach maximizes the difference in tone between the two pickups.
If you try to place the pickups as close to the string’s maximum amplitude of vibration, the effort becomes futile. Why? Because the maximum amplitude of vibration–also known as the sweet spot–changes depending on where you pick and fret the strings while actually playing a song. In my opinion, the goal should be to maximize the difference in tone between the bridge and neck pickups rather than trying to pinpoint an ever shifting sweet spot.
Another approach would be to fill the space between the bridge and the heel of the fretboard with as many pickups as you can stuff in there. But, this method only works if the pickups are radically different from each other in design and tone. For example, you could use a high powered, ceramic or neo mag pickup in the bridge position, a medium powered alnico V mag pickup in the middle and a low power alnico II mag pickup in the neck position. Of course I’m talking about humbuckers here since millions of Stratocasters have shown that multiple single coils work very well this way. Regardless of the style pickups you select, keep in mind that should the pickups be too similar in design, the result will be almost monotone as you switch or blend them.
Next is the issue of installation. Single coil pickups are usually installed by routing the pockets into the front of the guitar and covering them up with a pickguard. This approach is a no-brainer since you can do a sloppy routing job and cover it up nicely. The problem is, if the pockets are crude and or oversized, there may be a detrimental impact on tone. So make those pockets smooth and just slightly larger than the pickup itself. The closer the wood is to the pickup, the greater the body’s contribution to the guitar’s tone.
With regards to humbuckers, make sure the pockets will be small enough to hold the pickup while still being covered by the pickup ring. There’s almost no room for error here so check your template by placing the ring on top of it. Carefully examine all sides of the ring to make sure it covers template’s pocket shape. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to either make a smaller template–though large enough to hold the pickup–or source a larger ring. Also, remember to account for the ring when positioning the neck pickup against the fretboard’s heel. If you rout the pocket too close to the fretboard’s heel, you may not have enough room for the ring.
The last issue is wiring. Before you even start building your guitar, have a wiring schematic at your side. Waiting until the last minute could be a real problem. The last thing you’ll want to deal with at this stage is a control cavity that’s too small for your plans or a wiring scenario that won’t do what you need it to do.
If you’re installing humbuckers, make sure you identify them by adding a piece of tape to the one of wire leads. I usually do this to the bridge pickup. If you’re installing more than two, tape two of the leads and mark them with a “B” for bridge and an “M” for middle. If you forget to do this, you might be able to gently tug the leads where they enter the control cavity and see which pickup moves in its ring. However, I don’t recommend doing this as it could damage your pickup. For single coils, this isn’t necessary since they are usually installed to the back of the pickguard.
That about covers the dirty secrets of pickup installation. If you have any questions or comments send them my way and I’ll try my best to answer them asap. In the next installment of this series, I’ll go a little deeper into wiring scenarios. Stay tuned!
As The Winder Turns…
Posted by admin in General Electric Guitar Building on February 9th, 2010
Right now, good friend of mine in Houston, Texas is in the process of tooling up for an eventual foray into the market of affordable, custom, made-to-your-specifications electric guitars. Designs are done and templates are being made so all he needs is a little extra time to do the work.
Part of building and selling guitars involves sourcing the parts and perhaps the most important components are the pickups. With that in mind, he’s asked me to wind up some custom humbuckers and single coils, which will be installed on the guitars he plans to sell. The deal is, if he buys me a better winder, I make ten sets of pups for him free of charge.
This creates a potential opportunity for me to sell custom, hand-wound pickups. I would offer three different models of humbuckers, single coils and P90s. Each type would be available in three different levels of power output; low, medium or high. By matching the right magnet to the level of output would result in tailor-made tone. For example, the low power design would feature the clearest and widest range of tone, which would be perfect for the studio. The medium power would have slightly less tonal range, but would be great for the stage. And last, but not least, the high power would be for harder rock/any style of metal where tonal range takes a backseat to driving an amp instantly into distortion.
Of course, this is all just pie-in-the-sky thinking right now. There are a lot of custom winders out there already, but what they charge for pups seems a little out of line especially in this economy. Unfortunately, many builders have to cut corners on pickup selection in order to keep their projects within a preset budget. That’s a shame since the pickups can make or break a guitar’s tone.
Feel free to chime in and let me know your thoughts about doing this.
The Dirty Secrets Of Electric Guitar Building… Part 10
Posted by admin in General Electric Guitar Building on January 20th, 2010
Next subject up for me to explain regards the various pockets and cavities you’ll need to form in the body. This is where a good plunge router really shines. However, as you might have guessed, there’s more to the story than router skills. In fact, most of the work will actually be done with a big Forstner bit.
The most important cavity in terms of critical dimensions is the neck pocket. Regardless of whether you’re making a bolt-on or set-in neck, you’ll need to form a pocket that the neck can sit in nice and snug. There should be no play or gaps and ideally, before you glue the two together, you should be able to lift the neck without the body falling off the heel. One might assume this is accomplished by having a good template, but that is not the best approach. In truth, the neck itself–specifically the heel tenon–should serve as a template. If you were to try and make a template from a plan, there’s a good chance it won’t match the neck’s heel tenon. That’s the nature of woodworking by hand. Even if you try to stick to the plan, sanding and shaping can slightly alter the tenon from the intended shape. Unless you’re using a CNC router to do the work, you’ll need to use the heel tenon in order to get the most accurate pocket shape.
In this photo, you see the guide boards in place around the pre-drilled neck pocket.
Here is the workflow I follow for making the neck pocket: Start by laying the neck on top of the body where it will ultimately sit. Make sure it’s straight with regards to the body’s centerline. It’s a good idea to clamp the neck in place so it won’t move around. Next, I trace a pencil line onto the body all the way around the tenon. To save wear and tear on my router, I like to pre-drill the pocket with a big Fostner bit in my drill press. Before I drill, I set the depth of the bit so it will only drill a hole that’s equal to the depth of the pocket. If I plan to angle the neck, I will either keep the bottom of the pocket flat and angle the bottom of the tenon, or I’ll keep the bottom of the tenon flat and angle the pocket. I like to keep the pocket flat because I can really fine tune the angle by sanding the tenon and testing the neck’s fit.
After drilling out the pocket (stay at least an 1/8″ [3mm] from the edge of the pocket), I clamp boards on both sides of the pencil line indicating the sides of the pocket. Then, I add another to butt up against the back line. Make sure the boards are right on top of the line so that when you rout, the pocket will be a shade smaller than it needs to be. All three are clamped (or attached with double-stick tape) in such a way that I can move the router around the pocket without hitting a clamp.
This is a pattern bit.
Before going any further, it’s important to make sure the boards are both level to the body and that they have edges straight edges. They will serve as a guide for the pattern bit you’ll be using in your router. Set your router’s depth so the bearing will contact the boards as you clean up the pocket’s sides. At the same time be aware of the depth When you get near the bottom, shut off the router before plunging the bit to the bottom. You don’t want to accidentally punch a hole in the bottom of the pocket!
When you’ve finished with the pocket, you’ll likely end up with rounded corners. The easiest way to deal with this is to round the corners of your neck’s heel. You could chisel them out, but only do this if you have the necessary skill.You’ll also notice (if you did the routing correctly) the pocket is slightly smaller than the tenon. To get the two to fit, sand the tenon and repeatedly test the fit. The goal is a snug fit. Not so tight that you really have to force it in (this could split the body!), but tight enough to hold them together when you lift the guitar off your work surface.
Now that's a good fit!
At this stage, you’ll be tempted to glue up the neck to the body, but DON”T! I’t easier to work with the body, sans the neck, while you form the pickup and control cavities. Speaking of the pickup and control cavities, let me move on.
The rule here is to use templates. Even if you have to make your own. However, I have found that purchasing templates can be cheaper than making your own, but everyone’s situation is different. If you have to make your own, do so as precisely as possible. Remember, the clearance between the edges of a humbucker pickup pocket and the trim ring is very small. If you make the pocket too big, the ring won’t cover it.
Forming the control cavities follows much of the same techniques as were used to make the pickup pockets. However, there are a few things you’ll need to consider first. If you plan to plunge the cavity from the front of the body, you’ll need to make sure it’s at least a 1/4″ (6mm) smaller than the pickguard that will cover it. If you plan to access the cavity from the back, you’ll have to decide how you’ll want the cover to fit over it. The easiest way is to make a cover that is at least 1/4″ (6mm) larger than the cavity so it sits against the back. However, I think this approach looks clunky. Instead, you’ll want to consider routing a recessed shelf all the way around the edge of the pocket that’s as deep as the cover’s thickness. That way the cover will sit flush with the body.
For a flush control cover, you'll need two templates.
Look closely and you can see a 1/4" (6mm) shelf, which will support the cover.
When routing a recess, you’ll need two templates. The first will be used to rout the inside edges of the pocket after it has been pre-drilled with a big Forstner bit. Make sure you know the depth of the pocket before you start drilling. The depth will be determined by how tall the threaded shaft is on your pots and switches. You’ll need to leave enough wood (no less that 1/8″ [3mm]) from the bottom of the cavity to the front of the body, so be sure the threaded shaft is long enough to go through the body while giving you enough threads to screw on the nut and washer.
Select a straight bit and a brass bushing that will work together for routing the recessed shelf.
The second template will be used to rout the recess. Since a pattern bit is too long for routing the shelf, you’ll need a straight bit instead. In order to follow the template, with your router, it’ll need a baseplate fitted with a brass bushing with an hole that’s slightly bigger than the bit. This means the templet will have to be larger than the cover. Measure from the outside of the bushings guide shaft to the blade on the bit. That measurement with tell you how much larger all the way around the template will have to be. Before you start routing, set the bit’s depth so it equals the thickness of your cover.
Make sure the screws you use to attach the back won't run into any wiring tunnels!
If you go the flush cover route, you’ll need to plan on the size of the screws that will hold the cover in place as well as where they will be positioned. I typically use a fairly small diameter wood screw with a length of about 3/4″ (18mm) to do the job. At least 4 screws will be needed. Since you’ll be connecting the control cavity to the pickup pockets and the bridge by drilling 1/4″ (6mm) tunnels, be careful not to drill the cover mounting holes so they might enter one of these tunnels. The last thing you want to do is cut the wires with either the drill bit or the cover mounting screws!
To drill the wiring tunnels, you likely need a 1/4″ (6mm) drill bit that’s at least 12″ (305mm) long. Long bits will help you get the angle you need to drill from pocket to pocket. Before you drill, pay very close attention to both the direction and the angle. You don’t want the bit to miss it’s mark and dill out the other side of the body.
The last cavity I should mention really isn’t a cavity at all. It’s the output jack hole. I like to mount my jacks into the edge of the lower bout. I drill a 7/8″ (22mm) from the edge into the cavity. Since you’ll probably have to use a hand drill, try to position the cavity so it isn’t any more than an inch (25mm) from the edge of the body.
If you plan to use a Strat style jackplate, you’ll need a template to form the hole, especially if the control cavity is routed from the back. Also, since you’ll likely need to rout the hole with a straight bit and a brass bushing, the template will have to be oversized to accommodate the gap between the blade and the outside of the bushing’s guide shaft.
If any or all of this info seems confusing or way too much work, it really isn’t. Describing woodworking techniques on paper is always a tad difficult. To help you grasp these techniques, I recommend printing out this posting and keeping it close as you practice routing on some cheap/scrap wood. Once you’ve developed the confidence to make your own cavities, then attack the body.
In Part 11, I will endevor to enlighten you on the myriad of complexities regarding the selection and installation of an electric guitar bridge. Stay Tuned!
How To Select An Electric Guitar Pickup
Posted by admin in General Electric Guitar Building on September 13th, 2009
I’ve always thought of electric guitar pickups as incredibly simple components. All they are is copper wire coils surrounding magnetic poles, right? For the most part, yes. However, as I’ve learned, they can be a lot more complicated, especially when it comes to dialing in certain tones. For example, the gauge of wire you use, it’s insulation material and the number of times it’s wrapped around the bobbin will have an impact. Another factor is the magnets that are available to choose from. The most common are the Alnico 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 with the 5 being the most popular. For hard rock and heavy metal, ceramic mags are the norm.
What I’m getting at here is how important it is to know what’s inside that set of pups you’ve got your eye on before you layout the cash. Here is my list, in order of priority, of items you’ll need to consider:
1. The coil wire. Find out what the gauge and insulation was used. Most pickups use between 42 and 44 gauge wire. The higher the number, the thinner the wire. Thinner wire is great for really packing a bobbin. This approach yields more power, however it does so at the expense of wide ranging tone. Thicker wire means fewer turns around the bobbin and that reduces output, yet it can mean a broader range of tone. The two most common types of insulation are single poly nylon (SPN) and Formvar. SPN usually gives a brighter tone while Formvar sounds warm and vintage.
2. The magnet. Alnico 5 and ceramic are the most common. For a warmer tone, Alnico 5 is the best choice. For heavy metal and hard rock music, ceramic is the way to go.
3. The parts. Some people claim the only way you can get true Gibson PAF tone (whatever that is) is to use parts made from the exact same materials that were found in the originals. I’m referring to the bobbins, baseplates, keeper bars, spacers and pole pieces. There have been test done that both support and debunk this belief, however, it’s becoming nearly impossible to source exact materials anyway since the original PAFs were made 60+ years ago. If someone is claiming they can make an exact copy of a PAF, be suspicious. In the end, I believe the parts have far less to do with determining tone than you’ll be led to believe.
I could go on and mention that how you wire the pickups will have an effect on tone, but that’s outside the pickups basic design. So too is the guitar they’ll be installed in. In truth, from your pick to your ear and everything in between will impact the tone. Hopefully, this post will give you a place to start when planning your guitar’s tone.
If you’ve ever thought about making your own pickups, check out this forum:
http://music-electronics-forum.com/f11/
These guys really know their pickups!