SD mV Pickup Ratings Reference

[ErikH]

I just noticed the SH-1b '59 bridge has more mV output than you'd think. And where is the SH-1n '59 Model neck?

[CipherArcher]

I just noticed the SH-1b '59 bridge has more mV output than you'd think. And where is the SH-1n '59 Model neck?

I was looking for the 59n myself.

[Juanhanglo]

I think the mv ratings are correct.

Dimarzio waits a certain amount of time after strike and measure the open a string. The delay would lower the peak drastically. Which is what the data shows.


my own opinion on why the dimebucker and full shred are so high, and the custom custom is so low in comparison (same wind and magnet as the full shred, but about 150mv less output) is that the more trebley the pickup, the higher the output.

My personal experience with the full shred set is that there does seem to be a drop in perceived volume as i cut the tone pot down. It gets worse as i go lower.

sounds plausible, no?

Please, pick this theory apart!

I'd love to figure this out!

[ErikH]

The Custom Custom has an A2 magnet. The Full Shred has an A5 magnet, and all Allen poles instead of screws/slugs. There’s the reason for the difference.

[Aceman]

Ignore list. Use ears and experience, or ask people who generally know about relative comparisons.

[Masta' C]

where is the SH-1n '59 Model neck?

The SH-1n is 572

Missed it...I'll have to add it to the table

[Masta' C]

MODEL	OUTPUT
PA-STK1n Parallel Axis Stack	291
SH-18n Whole Lotta HB Neck	382
SH-3 Stag Mag	389
SH-55n Seth Lover Model Neck	399
SH-55b Seth Lover Model Bridge	399
SH-18b Whole Lotta HB Bridge	440
APH-1n Alnico II Pro Neck	452
APH-2n Slash Alnico II Pro Neck	475
SH-8SGn Synyster Gates Neck	491
SH-8n Invader Neck	491
Sentient	499
APH-1b Alnico II Pro Bridge	499
SH-12 Screamin' Demon	500
SH-2n Jazz Model Neck	501
SH-PG1n Pearly Gates Neck	513
PA-TB1n Original Parallel Axis Neck	515
APH-2b Slash Alnico II Pro Bridge	524
LW-CH2n LiveWire II Classic Neck	534
SH-PG1b Pearly Gates Bridge	543
Pegasus	555
SH-2b Jazz Model Bridge	571
SH-1n '59 Model Neck	572
SH-11 Custom Custom	574
Perpetual Burn Bridge	582
SH-1b '59 Model Bridge	593
SH-16 '59/Custom Hybrid	625
SH-14 Custom 5	646
Nazgul	666
PA-TB3b Blues Saraceno	694
SH-10n Full Shred Neck	709
SH-10b Full Shred Bridge	724
SH-6n Duncan Distortion Neck	732
SH-4 JB Model	737
PA-TB2b Distortion Parallel Axis	741
Black Winter Neck	744
PA-TB1b Original Parallel Axis Bridge	749
SH-15 Alternative 8	761
Black Winter Bridge	763
SH-5 Duncan Custom	784
SH-6b Duncan Distortion Bridge	792
SH-8SGb Synyster Gates Bridge	813
SH-8b Invader Bridge	813
LW-CH2b LiveWire II Classic Bridge	936
AHB-3n EMTY Blackouts Neck	1079
LW-Must LiveWire Dave Mustaine Neck	1080
SH-13 Dimebucker	1160
AHB-1n Blackouts Neck	1283
LW-Must LiveWire Dave Mustaine Bridge	1368
AHB-3b EMTY Blackouts Bridge	1419
AHB-1b Blackouts Bridge	1598
AHB-11n Gus G Fire Blackouts Neck	1725
AHB-11b Gus G Fire Backouts Bridge	1784
AHB-10n Blackouts Coil Pack Neck	1829
AHB-10b Blackouts Coil Pack Bridge	1870
AHB-2b Blackouts Metal	3648

[Masta' C]

There are definitely some small discrepancies in the SD results. For example, no one who has played both a PATB-1 and a PATB-2 is likely to suggest that the PATB-1 has the higher output. Even on their respective product pages today, SD shows the PATB-2 as having the higher output.


Nonetheless, most of the values on the table seem to fall in line with what would be expected, at least in a relative sense.

[Mincer]

It is a guide really. It isn't exclusive across all frequencies either, but it is most useful when comparing pickups of the same type. I don't know if I'd notice (in an actual guitar) the difference between 450mV and 500mV.

[Aceman]

PAF Level: Seth, 59, PG, Jazz, A2P

Hot PAF: Demon, Whole Lotta?

Hot: Custom 5, Custom Custom, JB, Full Shred?

Very Hot: Distortion, Black Winter, Custom, Invader, Dimebucker

Just to my ears...

[Clint 55]

The mv chart isn't any more accurate than trying to rank pups by dcr in my view. Pretty sad effort.

[Masta' C]

The mv chart isn't any more accurate than trying to rank pups by dcr in my view. Pretty sad effort.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that...

I think this is a much more accurate reflection of relative output than DCR alone. Of course, most of us that are familiar with the progression of DCR for each gauge of wire and the effects of magnets pretty much knew this info without objective measurements.

Still, I think this IS a better way to show the relative output of SD pickups, even if the method was prone to a small margin of error. There are a couple outliers in the chart, but it's actually fairly consistent overall.

[Mincer]

The mv chart isn't any more accurate than trying to rank pups by dcr in my view. Pretty sad effort.

It was accurate on the day the experiments were performed. It is pretty impossible to test all variables across all frequencies consistently. So if you wanna know that an Invader is much louder than a 59, then this is your chart.

[Aceman]

It was accurate on the day the experiments were performed. It is pretty impossible to test all variables across all frequencies consistently. So if you wanna know that an Invader is much louder than a 59, then this is your chart.

In mV

How much louder in actual human hearing dB? Who knows....

[Clint 55]

It has too many ouliers that are way off to make me take it seriously. Much like trying to go off dcr alone.