DreX
New member
I'm starting a new thread in response to https://forum.seymourduncan.com/sho...-singlecoils&p=3853195&viewfull=1#post3853195 to avoid concerns about going off topic.
Let me preface by saying that I'm only interested in getting at what you know and can share. Things might end up getting dramatic, but creating drama is never my intention.
If you state the facts, they will stand on their own. Nothing I could say would make those facts less factual.
I'm glad to hear you say there are things about pickups that haven't been figured out, because a lot of people here wouldn't even admit that much.
You make money from the sales of pickups, so I have to weight everything you put forth knowing you have a financial incentive to possibly say whatever can be said to increase the chances of a sale. What does it means to make an "excellent" pickup? Isn't it mostly subjective anyway? How can you characterize subjective qualities as being "excellent"?
Again, if you post factual finding, they will hold up over time, they will speak for themselves, you will be credited for bringing light to a dark corner of the internet.
That's both condescending and an huge evasion, we don't need this.
What does it mean to "dial in" frequency response? In more technical terms, what does that entail?
What does AlNiCo II, III and V sound like? It's interesting that you're emulating how they sound when people can't even seem to come to an agreement on exactly how they differ. Some say that A II makes for a "spongy" feel, has a "soft" bottom and top end, how do you sort out all that subjectivity to determine objectively what a particular grade of AlNiCo actually sounds like?
Again, what is this process of "dialing in", and minimal loss of what?
I could agree that frequency response accounts for 90% of a pickup, but there's that remaining 10%, and the frequency response of the coil doesn't account for the particulars of the magnetic circuit, where the magnets are places and how far they are from the string relative to the coil, this size and shape of any pole pieces involved. Touching back to the topic of this thread, people always ask for a noiseless single coil that sounds like a true single coil, how can you be sure that what people are looking for resides in that 90% frequency response domain you have a firm grip on, and not in that 10% mystery area that perhaps you don't?
This is not an argument, this is a detailed request for clarification and assurance of someone in the industry who has made particular claims about the pickups they sell, and pickups in general.
Let me preface by saying that I'm only interested in getting at what you know and can share. Things might end up getting dramatic, but creating drama is never my intention.
I get the feeling that if I told you the whole story, you wouldn't believe or accept it and all you would do is argue with me.
If you state the facts, they will stand on their own. Nothing I could say would make those facts less factual.
I'm not claiming I know everything about every aspect of how pickups work, but I know a lot, I know a few things that I don't think anyone else has figured out and certainly
I'm glad to hear you say there are things about pickups that haven't been figured out, because a lot of people here wouldn't even admit that much.
I know more than enough to make excellent pickups consistently.
You make money from the sales of pickups, so I have to weight everything you put forth knowing you have a financial incentive to possibly say whatever can be said to increase the chances of a sale. What does it means to make an "excellent" pickup? Isn't it mostly subjective anyway? How can you characterize subjective qualities as being "excellent"?
Frankly, I've come to the conclusion that posting this kind of information on forums is not a good use of time or resources. Too many people who think they know how it works based on the phenomenological crap that abounds on the internet, not willing to step out of their box to take a fresh look at things.
Again, if you post factual finding, they will hold up over time, they will speak for themselves, you will be credited for bringing light to a dark corner of the internet.
I will be posting more information on my blog, but I will be doing it on my schedule and on my terms. It's hard won information that's been gleaned through years of experimentation and analysis. It's also a fairly long, complicated and multi-faceted story so trying to get it across in a forum post is not really possible. Especially given the fact that I know this stuff is true, and I use it every day to design and control pickups, why am I compelled to spill my guts on a forum to a bunch of guys who probably don't know how to use a multi-meter and are just going to shoot it down based their incomplete, hearsay-based ideas of how pickups work?
That's both condescending and an huge evasion, we don't need this.
I'll give you a couple of clues for now, though. In another post that I'm not quoting here you asked/stated that my pickups are not much different from rail pickups. Well the response is that they are. In a number of ways, but the biggest is in the way I dial in the frequency response.
What does it mean to "dial in" frequency response? In more technical terms, what does that entail?
I do things with pole piece materials and configurations that no one else is doing. In fact, the pole piece and its role in shaping the tone is the single most important and overlooked aspect of pickup design. As an example, I don't use any AlNiCo in any of my commercial pickups. But, I've been able to develop a model for how the tone is derived and a corresponding library of materials that allows me to dial in a response that sounds like AlNiCo 5 or A2 or A3 or anything else for that matter. I've been able to establish what it is about these alloys that makes them sound like they do, and also how to get other materials to respond like them.
What does AlNiCo II, III and V sound like? It's interesting that you're emulating how they sound when people can't even seem to come to an agreement on exactly how they differ. Some say that A II makes for a "spongy" feel, has a "soft" bottom and top end, how do you sort out all that subjectivity to determine objectively what a particular grade of AlNiCo actually sounds like?
That's the real secret. The multiple coil design is just an efficient way to get hum cancelling with minimal loss. The really cool and important part is being able to take that efficient platform and dial it in where you want it. Predictably and repeatably.
Again, what is this process of "dialing in", and minimal loss of what?
I would also point out that while it's true that frequency response won't tell you everything about how a pickup will perform, it tells you most of it. Certainly the most important part of the physics of pickup response can be understood by considering the shape and position of the frequency response along with the inductance. .
I could agree that frequency response accounts for 90% of a pickup, but there's that remaining 10%, and the frequency response of the coil doesn't account for the particulars of the magnetic circuit, where the magnets are places and how far they are from the string relative to the coil, this size and shape of any pole pieces involved. Touching back to the topic of this thread, people always ask for a noiseless single coil that sounds like a true single coil, how can you be sure that what people are looking for resides in that 90% frequency response domain you have a firm grip on, and not in that 10% mystery area that perhaps you don't?
I know this is true because I use it every day.
I don't get value from arguing about it.
This is not an argument, this is a detailed request for clarification and assurance of someone in the industry who has made particular claims about the pickups they sell, and pickups in general.