Can someone clarify these pickup terms to me pls?

[Royler]

Sorry, I know these are some basic terms, but still I don't know exactly what they mean. I'm planning to buy some Duncans, but I must admit that I don't quite understand their descriptions of tone.

What means that:

- pickup cleans up well

- pickup has good dynamics

- pickup has good harmonics

- pickup has lower string pull

- pickup has soft attack

- pickup has warm sound (if it can be described). I sometimes use that word too, "to sound warm", but I'm not sure if it has any standardized meaning.

Is there also any link to some existing page that describes these terms?

Thank you very much, fellows!

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Can someone clarify these pickup terms to me pls?

- pickup cleans up well = Sounds good clean as well as distorted. Cleans up when the volume is turned down.

- pickup has good dynamics = The pickup responds well to picking nuance. Playing harder yields a harder edged sound and playing softer yields a sweet and open sound.

- pickup has good harmonics = The pickup is responsive to pinch and plucked harmonics. Also the pickup produces pleasant overtones clean and distorted.

- pickup has lower string pull = The magnetic field generated by the pickup doesn't choke string vibration.

- pickup has soft attack = The pickup doesn't produce harsh sounds when played hard.

- pickup has warm sound (if it can be described). I sometimes use that word too, "to sound warm", but I'm not sure if it has any standardized meaning. = The pickup is not bright, clean, loud or harsh sounding.

 

[Royler]

Re: Can someone clarify these pickup terms to me pls?

- pickup cleans up well = Sounds good clean as well as distorted. Cleans up when the volume is turned down.

- pickup has good dynamics = The pickup responds well to picking nuance. Playing harder yields a harder edged sound and playing softer yields a sweet and open sound.

- pickup has good harmonics = The pickup is responsive to pinch and plucked harmonics. Also the pickup produces pleasant overtones clean and distorted.

- pickup has lower string pull = The magnetic field generated by the pickup doesn't choke string vibration.

- pickup has soft attack = The pickup doesn't produce harsh sounds when played hard.

- pickup has warm sound (if it can be described). I sometimes use that word too, "to sound warm", but I'm not sure if it has any standardized meaning. = The pickup is not bright, clean or harsh sounding.

Wow!!! Exactly kind of explanations I was looking for!

Many many thanks, bro!

 

[sosomething]

Re: Can someone clarify these pickup terms to me pls?

Yeah, the snow dog pretty much hit that one out of the park.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Can someone clarify these pickup terms to me pls?

And yet we end up back at the start - define, in tonal/EQ terms, "sweet" and "open".

 

[Despair]

Re: Can someone clarify these pickup terms to me pls?

"Open" is the opposite of "closed" -- less compressed, even lower mids and upper mids, maybe a slight mid dip. [Closed tends to mean compressed with bloated focused mids and poor note separation and pick responsiveness.]

"Sweet" is less-defined, due to confusion with use of it as meaning "good"... But tends to mean a broad, smooth mid to upper mid boost, without any harsh spikes.

 

[marvelous_seven]

Re: Can someone clarify these pickup terms to me pls?

Good questions, I'll watch
pcorn:

 

[Royler]

Re: Can someone clarify these pickup terms to me pls?

Me again.


I came across 2 more terms: "present" and "organic" tone of the pickup.

Anyone? :wave:

 

[voggin]

Re: Can someone clarify these pickup terms to me pls?

These terms remind me of a wine tasting I went to. The guy leading things said one wine was something like, "oaky, with a strong, almost whiskey-ish presence and a touch of tobacco". Which sounded to me like drinking JD spilled in a wooden ashtray.

Just kidding, though. I like snowdog's list (almost as much as his avatar)

 

[Diego]

Re: Can someone clarify these pickup terms to me pls?

Organic, in that it lets the natural sound of the guitar come through the amplified signal and not just the pickup's sound.
That's usually found in less powerful pickups, with lower output like the Duncan '59 and the Duncan SSL-1.

High output pickups tend to color and dictate the sound a lot more, like the Duncan Dimebucker and the Hot Rails.
The natural sound qualities of the guitar are less relevant with stronger pickups like these.

Present I'd say it's related with the brightness of the sound, to how much "cut" in the higher frequencies it delivers.
You'd say a bright pickup like, again, the Duncan SSL-1 is very present, since it's focused on giving a very clear tone.
Likewise, you wouldn't say a Duncan Alnico II Pro humbucker is the most "present" pickup out there.
It does have that, but not as dominant, because that humbucker is meant to give warmer tones.

"Organic" is thrown around all the time, it's a regular discussion regarding pickups. Present, not so much.

You'll get good at this in no time.

 

[Royler]

Re: Can someone clarify these pickup terms to me pls?

"Organic" is thrown around all the time, it's a regular discussion regarding pickups. Present, not so much.

You'll get good at this in no time.

Thank you very much, Diego. Muchas gracias!! :beerchug: