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Questions tagged [pick-ups]

An electromechanical device for amplifying the vibrations from guitar strings. Pickups can consist of ferromagnetic poles wrapped with copper coils for amplifying the vibrations of steel-based strings or piezoelectric crystals which amplify vibrations of the guitar bridge or body. These are both distinguished from microphones.

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63 views

Controls on my Vantage VS-696 guitar

I have this Vantage VS-696 guitar for decades that I used to use as a "Silent guitar" and never plugged in any amp. Today I'm plugging it into a DSM & Humboldt Simplifier and I fail to ...
4 votes
8 answers
28k views

Uneven volume of guitar strings when plugged in

Ive been facing some issues when recording with my Ibanez GRG 170DX. I noticed this recently, as I got a Scarlett Solo interface. When I record my guitar, the input volume from the lower E string is ...
2 votes
0 answers
52 views

My 1980s telecaster neck pickup is louder then usual but the bridge pickup is almost silent even turned all the way up [closed]

My 80s telecasters neck pickup is almost 2x louder then before and the bridge pickup is huming but makes vary little sound when turned all the way up any help
1 vote
1 answer
60 views

Can you use 2.5mm mono jack cables as a quick plug system in a guitar control panel?

I've picked up a guitar kit that has a simple solderless system for connecting the pickups to the control panel. You can see it here: I was wondering if it's possible ...
38 votes
3 answers
34k views

Why is the bridge pickup on a Stratocaster angled?

I've always wondered why the bridge pickup of a Stratocaster was angled. Is it cosmetic, or does it make a difference in the sound?
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Electric guitar pickup not picking up a specific string

Just string an old guitar with Fender's pure nickel wound 009 gauge. I don't have any prior knowledge whether the pickup is faulty or not. The issue is the B string not picked up by the guitar pickup. ...
4 votes
1 answer
111 views

How to correctly install a humbucker (electric guitar) pickup cover?

I'm planning to cover up an open coil humbucker, with a cover that has no holes exposing the slugs, that looks something like this (it's simply easier to keep clean): I watched this video on the ...
0 votes
3 answers
71 views

Magnets and pickups (guitar)

My partner and I are working on a small, analog device that would attach to the strings. We're thinking that for simplicity of design, attaching the pieces using magnets would be most elegant. However,...
8 votes
5 answers
10k views

What are the benefits and drawbacks of active pickups?

I have two guitars, one with "passive" pickups and one with "active" pickups. Although I looked on the web, I'm not really sure to understand what is the difference in terms of ...
1 vote
2 answers
176 views

How do I wire a Fishman soundhole pickup with the pickup in the soundhole and a vol (+ tone maybe) control on the guitar?

Fishman Blackstack Soundhole Pick Up - Double Stacked Humbucker I have contacted Fishman to ask what vol pot and or tone pot I would use with this humbucker. I want to mount the pots on the guitar, ...
2 votes
3 answers
4k views

is there a way to fix Seymour Duncan Woody HC Hum-Canceling Soundhole Pickup cable?

A friend that visited the States got it for me, but after half hour of using it I believe the cable got broken. Now it sounds with a buzz everytime I use it. Is there a way to replace the cable? ...
1 vote
1 answer
325 views

How do you stabilize a humbucker pickup with loose screws?

I tried to disassemble and reassemble my neck pickup because it moves a lot, it looks lower and too much movable, unlike the bridge pickup. The two middle screws of the neck pickup, left, are movable ...
1 vote
3 answers
94 views

Fluctating volume between pickups

I have a squier telecaster. I don't exactly have the expertise to fix the problem I have. However, I have been trying to find what is wrong but I can't seem to figure it out nor can I have someone ...
3 votes
2 answers
397 views

What is causing major humming from my guitar whether plugged into my amp or my computer?

I have an Epiphone Les Paul Junior. I 'm plugging in to the computer through a Scarlett Solo USB. It hums so bad its unplayable. Even when I'm touching the strings. I checked the electronics on the ...
12 votes
5 answers
17k views

Do active pickups not work correctly with wireless systems?

I am considering buying a wireless guitar setup - transmitter connects to a guitar's output, receiver connects to an amp's input. This is, essentially, the system we see in modern times that allows a ...
2 votes
1 answer
124 views

Baby Taylor BT1e didn't make sound at venue. The next day, it was fine [closed]

I have asked a few resources and I can't get a good answer. I was simply doing an open mic at a venue and when I plugged my guitar into their system, no noise came out. The performer just before me ...
3 votes
1 answer
5k views

Correct wiring for 3 Humbuckers

I have tried to create a guitar wiring diagram for 3 humbuckers that should result in the following posisitons using a 6 way, 4 pole rotary switch: Neck Middle/Neck parallel Middle Middle/Bridge ...
1 vote
0 answers
64 views

Hum happens with one guitar but not another

I'm having a problem that many of you must have already had. I have an old guitar with old humbuckers ( a Jolana, Galaxis model, 1970's Czech guitar) that is producing that classing "not grounded&...
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

Can I plug in an electrified acoustic guitar in a line level input?

I am a complete neophyte in recording, so I am very poor in theory. I am thinking of buying some hardware for some home recordings and I am faced with the first choice: the audio interface. Since I ...
1 vote
1 answer
109 views

How do I change which pickup a specific Guitar Pro 7.5 track uses?

I have a guitar part which uses the neck pickup. How do I switch the track to neck pickup so that it sounds more like the original track?
6 votes
5 answers
1k views

How do I record zither, harp etc. with a pickup?

Is there a way to record stringed instruments like zither, harp, piano via a pickup, similar to an electric guitar? Of course, these instruments can all be recorded via microphones, but what's ...
4 votes
1 answer
632 views

My B string on my bass keeps hitting the pickup

I went to record bass for my band a while ago and in some fills or moments I use the B string on my 5 string Sire Bass. Sometimes though, the Low B accidentally hits the pickup which makes a loud ...
2 votes
1 answer
80 views

How do Fender wide-range pickups change the sound?

Billie Joe Armstrong's blue strat has a tilted pickup in the back, its tilted a bit clockwise from the front of the guitar, so the pickup gets more lower end and and a extended higher end, it gives ...
0 votes
1 answer
393 views

What is the cause of low sustain or short note duration on 22nd fret on high E string for a 22-fret guitar?

I have a Fender Ultra Stratocaster with SSS configuration. The pickups are branded as Ultra Noiseless™ Vintage Strat®. I use Ernie Ball Mighty Slinky Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings, 8.5-40. ...
8 votes
5 answers
24k views

Can you play metal on single coil pickups?

People keep telling me you need humbuckers to play metal but I want to play some heavy stuff on my strat. How does high gain work on single coils and what are some of the pitfalls? People keep ...
4 votes
2 answers
807 views

Magnetic part of pickup sticks out

I got my guitar set up and the luthier did an amazing job. However, I want to know if the magnetic part of one of the pickups sticking out is normal. Beneath the A and D strings, these parts stick out ...
7 votes
10 answers
4k views

Are good pickups in a bad guitar worth it?

I have this Epiphone Les Paul 100 that I got probably 7-8 years ago now and it's still got its stock pickups. I was thinking maybe it's time to upgrade and wanted to get a new guitar, but I was ...
1 vote
0 answers
86 views

Pickup that has same output despite how hard you hit the string [closed]

EDITS -> * This might be a dumb question but I found nothing by googling I am new to guitars and have only a strat i bought recently. I was at a friend's house and tried to play one of his guitars ...
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why are humbuckers not skew?

I'm curious why single coil pickups on strats are skew but humbukers seem to be level with the bridge? VS
7 votes
5 answers
989 views

When making a pickup, does the orientation of the magnetic field relative to the winding matter?

The instrument I want seems to be hard to get hold of in my country, so I'm building one. I won't say which instrument, so that the answer will be more generally useful. I have sourced a magnet that's ...
4 votes
2 answers
153 views

Electric guitar troubleshooting

Went to look at a guitar yesterday and I'm trying to diagnose some of the problems it had before I potentially buy it. It's an LTD Alexi laiho 200 so single volume control and a single EMG 81 in the ...
3 votes
1 answer
89 views

Swapping mim Tele bridge pick up for humbucker

Will there be any wiring problems eg series/parallel and I'm hoping to put in quick disconnects under the ash tray Also do I need to "match" the humbucker (get one that suits electrics etc)
1 vote
4 answers
3k views

Acoustic guitar with humbucker pickup sounds like an electric guitar, not acoustic

Last week I had played the first time with a PA. My acoustic guitar Epiphone ej160e using mini acoustic humbucker sounds more like a clean electric guitar, not like an acoustic. But why? Can ...
3 votes
4 answers
2k views

Ways of reducing noise with single coil sound hole pickups

I currently use an sound hole single-coil magnetic pickup on my acoustic guitar so that I can get both a good "acoustic" guitar sound and so that I can drive electric guitar effects pedals. In some ...
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

Switching to neck pickup sometimes gives no (or low) sound output

I got a brand new Schecter Damien Platinum 8. I own it for about a month. At a point, while I was playing, I flipped the switch to the neck pickup position, and the guitar simply stopped producing any ...
1 vote
1 answer
306 views

Fender telecaster - gap between neck pickup and pickguard

Just today I finally made my dream come true and bought my first Telecaster. I brought it home and it plays like a dream! After I got to play with it for sometime and upon closer inspection, I noticed ...
10 votes
2 answers
6k views

How can an electric bass/guitar without pick ups work?

I have seen electric guitars and basses that don't have any pick ups. For instance, here is an image of two Line 6 electric basses that have no pick ups: How do these instruments work if they have no ...
1 vote
0 answers
40 views

Question about pickup phase

I currently have a hss guitar setup with a coil split and a five way blade selector. in 2st position with the coil split, it’s like a regular hss Strat with the middle single coil and the slug coil of ...
4 votes
1 answer
331 views

Should bridge pickup knobs affect neck pickup?

I have an Ibanez AF95RW with Super 58 Humbuckers, and the bridge volume and tone knobs act in a surprising way. When the pickup selector is all the way on the neck pickups, I would expect the bridge ...
16 votes
8 answers
61k views

H-S-H vs H-H what can do one and can't another?

I'm seeking a guitar to elicit the rich fat heavy sound. So as I understand a guitar with the H humbucker (double coil) pickup is what I need for that. But there is a wide range of layouts for the ...
6 votes
5 answers
4k views

Does an SSS standard Strat. sound the same as an HSS one with the 5-way switch on the 4th position?

I was about to buy a Strat. but I'm not sure about choosing the SSS, or the HSS model, let me explain a little bit more the situation. I had 2 Strats., both of them SSS, one was a Squier Bullet, the ...
10 votes
5 answers
6k views

Hot guitar pickup

What does it mean when a guitar pickup is deemed "hot"?
3 votes
1 answer
172 views

What physical phenomenon causes stratitis?

I've heard luthiers refer to the weird sounds from a badly adjusted pickup as 'stratitis' (or 'wolf sounds'?). What are the mechanics of stratitis? What physical phenomenon causes it to occur?
1 vote
2 answers
229 views

What determines the tone coming from a pickup?

I hear a lot of hocus pocus in music. One such thing called "Premium" pickups are heralded as some must-have for a good sounding guitar. To me, it seems like pickups are just electromagnets ...
1 vote
1 answer
189 views

Does electric guitar's body shape really effect its sound? [duplicate]

As I know electric guitar's sound is transferred to electric signal by Faraday's law, that a changing magnetic field produces electricity. So this is independent by shape of guitar then why so many ...
1 vote
2 answers
3k views

Why would a pickup be quiet?

I recently bought a Les Paul online and when I tested it out the neck pickup was incredibly quiet. I could hear that it was on, but I really had to listen. When I had it in the middle position, it ...
3 votes
2 answers
267 views

Using screws for guitar pickup magnets

I am trying to make a single coil guitar pickup. The problem is, I can't find any cylinder-shaped ceramic or alnico magnets in my country. Can I put screws (or another conductive material) where the ...
3 votes
1 answer
40 views

Guitar Pick-up issue

I've just bought a second hand ESP'81 humbucker pickup and have stuck it in a Les Paul project guitar of mine. I am by no means an expert but I've used the wiring diagrams available to put it in ...
2 votes
1 answer
886 views

How do acoustic DIs soften the harsh sound of transducer (piezo) pickups?

When you compare the raw output of an acoustic guitar recorded by a mic and by transducers mounted under the bridge, you will notice that the the transducer output sounds much harsher/crisper/uglier ...
1 vote
1 answer
53 views

E guitar pickup problem

I have an old Luxor Les Paul guitar(inherited) I am getting very low output on the B and high E strings on both pickups , I have raised the pickups, but still the same low output. Any suggestions ...