adjustment screws threaded into the guitar body

[hwiho2002]

I remember seeing ed roman guitars online and one of his big selling points was that the neck tenon of his guitars extend deep into the body, and the neck humbucker is actually direct mounted onto the tenon, and that's supposed to have a big impact on the sound. As well g.e. smith talking about his sig tele and how he would direct mount the bridge pickup on his teles for a fatter tone. true? who knows, but it got me thinking what if a humbucker wasn't just direct mounted onto the guitar body, but in addition the adjustable polepiece screws are actually screwed into body beneath the pickup?

[AlexR]

Re: adjustment screws threaded into the guitar body

Ed Roman was well known for talking things up.......

Its unknown the effect of direct mounting. The guitar doesn't vibrate anywhere near enough for vibration to make any appreciable change to the tone generated by the very strong signal from the electromagnetic side.

Important hardware is most certainly 'improved' with a solid interface - beacuse they are involved with the physical function of the guitar. I think some people have just decided arbitrarily that the same sort of improvement must exist if the pickups also have this aspect.

[ICTGoober]

Re: adjustment screws threaded into the guitar body

First guy I ever heard of doing it was Van Halen. I've done it for clients, and on a couple of my guitars - but I couldn't discern any real diff.

[hwiho2002]

Re: adjustment screws threaded into the guitar body

I guess I should've titled this better, but I meant what if the adjustable polepiece screws were threaded into the guitar body. Obviously you'd need longer screws than norm and that would maybe change the magnetic field of the pickup a bit? Better energy coupling between the wood of the body and the strings? Other science mumbo jumbo I know nothing about?

[ICTGoober]

Re: adjustment screws threaded into the guitar body

I guess I should've titled this better, but I meant what if the adjustable polepiece screws were threaded into the guitar body. Obviously you'd need longer screws than norm and that would maybe change the magnetic field of the pickup a bit? Better energy coupling between the wood of the body and the strings? Other science mumbo jumbo I know nothing about?

No, never heard of THAT idea. Most pickups have a solid plate on the bottom, you know.... Also, wood is NOT magnetic. Energy coupling? Who knows?

[AlexR]

Re: adjustment screws threaded into the guitar body

Longer or shorter poles might make the tone a little differently focussed - as has been found before plenty of times. But lengthening them will be the key - screwing into the wood will do nothing extra.

[vel0c1ty]

Re: adjustment screws threaded into the guitar body

The bar magnet magnetizes the pole pieces which in turn magnetizes the string. As the string moves, its magnetic field moves along with it. When the intensity of a magnetic field changes inside a closed loop, which is the coil in this case, voltage is induced. This electric signal is then amplified and put through a speaker.

All this to say that the concept of direct mounting and its variants are literal horse**** snake oil. Wood is not paramagnetic. Therefore, it is not capable of producing a magnetic field. This lack of a magnetic field will do absolutely nothing to induce a signal in the coil from the frequency it vibrates at.

That being said, I like the look of a direct mount because pickup rings look yucky and just cover up the finish.

[orpheo]

Re: adjustment screws threaded into the guitar body

I have to admit that I have noticed a difference on the Aristides guitars I have been working on. Those guitars are so consistent from one guitar to another, tiny changes are clearly audible.

So, does it add sustain? nah. not really. It does 'beef' up the tone a bit, but it mostly is for looks but it also combats feedback issues ever so slightly. That's what made it interesting for me! I do not like the look, though, but on a 3 pickup LP with a trem and a 25.5'' scale 24 fret neck, you don't have much choice I'm afraid than go commando. I.e.: without rings.