ineedanewamp
New member
Hey guys need some help understanding DC resistance in pickups.
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Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
DC Resistance
- Thread starter ineedanewamp
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ineedanewamp
New member
Re: DC Resistance
Thanks cause there is a Seymour Duncan prototype that has a 48 DC resistance so I was trying to figure out why that pick up was so different
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Thanks cause there is a Seymour Duncan prototype that has a 48 DC resistance so I was trying to figure out why that pick up was so different
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DarkMatter
Unprofessional Toneologist
Re: DC Resistance
All new members of the forum should be required to check a box indicating that they have read and understand the following statement.
DC resistance does not equal output.
All new members of the forum should be required to check a box indicating that they have read and understand the following statement.
DC resistance does not equal output.
LonePhantom
New member
Re: DC Resistance
I was about to say! DC resistance has more to do with compression than output.
I was about to say! DC resistance has more to do with compression than output.
Re: DC Resistance
There is not much you can tell about a pickup based solely on its K rating. Its one of the most misleading elements of pickup spec, mainly as people immediately assume it refers to pickup strength. The most you can say for the K rating is that it will tell you whether your pickup is functioning in normal range.
There is not much you can tell about a pickup based solely on its K rating. Its one of the most misleading elements of pickup spec, mainly as people immediately assume it refers to pickup strength. The most you can say for the K rating is that it will tell you whether your pickup is functioning in normal range.
VHTJay
New member
Re: DC Resistance
Yes, resistance can certainly be misleading, especially in reference to a pickups output. It is really only an indicator in an "all other things equal" scenario. Like, if you had say two humbuckers wound with 43AWG wire and the magnet gauss was the exact same, the one with the higher resistance value will have more output. It gets further complicated when you try comparing pickups using different gauges of wire and of course, different magnet types. For some reason, many people immediately look to the resistance value as an indicator of output, but I think the magnet actually plays a more important role.
Yes, resistance can certainly be misleading, especially in reference to a pickups output. It is really only an indicator in an "all other things equal" scenario. Like, if you had say two humbuckers wound with 43AWG wire and the magnet gauss was the exact same, the one with the higher resistance value will have more output. It gets further complicated when you try comparing pickups using different gauges of wire and of course, different magnet types. For some reason, many people immediately look to the resistance value as an indicator of output, but I think the magnet actually plays a more important role.
DreX
New member
Re: DC Resistance
It would be nice to get a sense of which factor affect approximately how much of the tone, for example how much impact does magnet gauss have on the tone, all other things being equal, or how much impact does wire gauge make, or what the wire is insulated with, and then whether it's scatter wound or not (if that even has any impact whatsoever), because it seems that people say "it's lots of factors" but the reality is that some factors matter much more than others, and some factors are so small that the color of the pickup cover probably has a bigger influence on what people believe they're hearing.
It would be nice to get a sense of which factor affect approximately how much of the tone, for example how much impact does magnet gauss have on the tone, all other things being equal, or how much impact does wire gauge make, or what the wire is insulated with, and then whether it's scatter wound or not (if that even has any impact whatsoever), because it seems that people say "it's lots of factors" but the reality is that some factors matter much more than others, and some factors are so small that the color of the pickup cover probably has a bigger influence on what people believe they're hearing.
DreX
New member
Re: DC Resistance
That's true, but I think pickup makers must see a trend where some aspects are always above others. This would have to be their starting point when crafting any sound profile; you'd begin with the big factors and then work your way to the smaller ones.
That's true, but I think pickup makers must see a trend where some aspects are always above others. This would have to be their starting point when crafting any sound profile; you'd begin with the big factors and then work your way to the smaller ones.
ItsaBass
New member
Re: DC Resistance
The resistance value of a pickup is an almost useless figure to know. Everything it tells you about a pickup is extremely "rough." It can roughly tell you how much wire has been used to make the pickup...however, that will vary depending on the wire gauge, as skinnier wire has more resistance per unit of length. How much wire has been used in a pickup can roughly tell you how many turns of wire have been placed in the pickup...however, that will vary depending on the wire gauge and the bobbin dimensions. Number of turns can roughly tell you what a pickup's e.q. might sound like...however, that will vary depending on the dimensions of the completed coils. E.g. exactly 5000 turns each on three different types of bobbins will sound three different ways. Then there is the strength of the magnets used...and where they are placed in order to make the coil...and whether they are pole-piece magnets, blade magnets, or under-slung magnets using slugs and/or pole-piece screws to direct the magnetic field.
If all other things were equal, resistance would help you roughly compare the basic tone and rough output of two pickups...however, all other things are rarely equal between two different models of pickups...and output is never as simple as across-the-board power. It's always frequency-specific. So, as you can see, using resistance to determine a pickup's tone will almost always steer you wrong.
IME, the most telling specification about how a pickup will actually sound is inductance. Once you know that, you not only know the rough tone of the pickup, and the rough output, but you can also figure out how it will interact with your particular wiring setup (i.e. pots and caps). I.e., you can design a tone circuit that works best with that pickup, instead of using a bunch of trial and error, like we have to do most of the time when figuring out what pots and caps to use to achieve a certain sound.
The one thing that resistance value is actually good for is basic troubleshooting. If you know what the resistance spec is, you can quickly and easily measure resistance as a way to test for internal problems with a pickup.
The resistance value of a pickup is an almost useless figure to know. Everything it tells you about a pickup is extremely "rough." It can roughly tell you how much wire has been used to make the pickup...however, that will vary depending on the wire gauge, as skinnier wire has more resistance per unit of length. How much wire has been used in a pickup can roughly tell you how many turns of wire have been placed in the pickup...however, that will vary depending on the wire gauge and the bobbin dimensions. Number of turns can roughly tell you what a pickup's e.q. might sound like...however, that will vary depending on the dimensions of the completed coils. E.g. exactly 5000 turns each on three different types of bobbins will sound three different ways. Then there is the strength of the magnets used...and where they are placed in order to make the coil...and whether they are pole-piece magnets, blade magnets, or under-slung magnets using slugs and/or pole-piece screws to direct the magnetic field.
If all other things were equal, resistance would help you roughly compare the basic tone and rough output of two pickups...however, all other things are rarely equal between two different models of pickups...and output is never as simple as across-the-board power. It's always frequency-specific. So, as you can see, using resistance to determine a pickup's tone will almost always steer you wrong.
IME, the most telling specification about how a pickup will actually sound is inductance. Once you know that, you not only know the rough tone of the pickup, and the rough output, but you can also figure out how it will interact with your particular wiring setup (i.e. pots and caps). I.e., you can design a tone circuit that works best with that pickup, instead of using a bunch of trial and error, like we have to do most of the time when figuring out what pots and caps to use to achieve a certain sound.
The one thing that resistance value is actually good for is basic troubleshooting. If you know what the resistance spec is, you can quickly and easily measure resistance as a way to test for internal problems with a pickup.
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tonelabequa
New member
Re: DC Resistance
Another pretty useless measure by itself is the resonant frequency, since this is indicated for the pickup alone, without the wiring. Once you add the wiring , guitar cord, etc. you end up with a different res. Freq. , usually between 1 - 2 kHz. Now, if you knew inductance, resistance and res freq of the pickup on its ow you could infer its freq response when wired up ... and make a fair comparison between different PUs.. A very high resistance does usually mean high output, but also darker sounding PU ( more windings --> higher inductance --> lower res freq when wired ) But that is only a very general and rough thing...
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Another pretty useless measure by itself is the resonant frequency, since this is indicated for the pickup alone, without the wiring. Once you add the wiring , guitar cord, etc. you end up with a different res. Freq. , usually between 1 - 2 kHz. Now, if you knew inductance, resistance and res freq of the pickup on its ow you could infer its freq response when wired up ... and make a fair comparison between different PUs.. A very high resistance does usually mean high output, but also darker sounding PU ( more windings --> higher inductance --> lower res freq when wired ) But that is only a very general and rough thing...
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darthphineas
New member
Re: DC Resistance
Wouldn't the wiring be indicative of the respective guitar? If people know what's going on with their guitar, they can factor in things like that. The same as people are best served by knowing if their guitar is inherently dark or bright
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Wouldn't the wiring be indicative of the respective guitar? If people know what's going on with their guitar, they can factor in things like that. The same as people are best served by knowing if their guitar is inherently dark or bright
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Re: DC Resistance
no offense but most of this is wrong. vintage strat pups could be as low as 5k but most are closer to 6k. a hot single coil could be as high as 16k. paf's are more typically 8k, never seen or heard of one as high as 12k. a distortion class humbucker is more like 16k
no offense but most of this is wrong. vintage strat pups could be as low as 5k but most are closer to 6k. a hot single coil could be as high as 16k. paf's are more typically 8k, never seen or heard of one as high as 12k. a distortion class humbucker is more like 16k
Re: DC Resistance
Yes. I want that shirt. It ticks all boxes: guitar lovers/geeks will get it, star trek fans will get it, science dudes will get it. Love it.
HTH,
Yes. I want that shirt. It ticks all boxes: guitar lovers/geeks will get it, star trek fans will get it, science dudes will get it. Love it.
Zhangliqun
Questionologist
Re: DC Resistance
DCR is useful in that it gives you some ballpark idea about the amount of wire on the coil. You do have to have some knowledge about pickup construction though, and know when it is likely that a smaller gauge of wire is being used, which will give a misleadingly high DCR reading for those gauging everything by 42 AWG vintage-ish or so designs.
It also helps to know the effect on the tonal character as you increase the number of turns, which is not gradual or smooth and will also vary -- or I should say the effect will vary -- according to whether it's a neck or bridge pickup. Coil geometry is a factor too, determining how big a length of string the pickup sees which affects mid and low freq response. And of course magnets and so many other things, some of which are subtle but all of which affect the sound much more than the color of the cover.
DCR is useful in that it gives you some ballpark idea about the amount of wire on the coil. You do have to have some knowledge about pickup construction though, and know when it is likely that a smaller gauge of wire is being used, which will give a misleadingly high DCR reading for those gauging everything by 42 AWG vintage-ish or so designs.
It also helps to know the effect on the tonal character as you increase the number of turns, which is not gradual or smooth and will also vary -- or I should say the effect will vary -- according to whether it's a neck or bridge pickup. Coil geometry is a factor too, determining how big a length of string the pickup sees which affects mid and low freq response. And of course magnets and so many other things, some of which are subtle but all of which affect the sound much more than the color of the cover.
TimmyPage
New member
Re: DC Resistance
I feel like it's an okay metric, like Zhang said, for making a 'ballpark' of the number of winds, as least in the way that most companies build their pickups (Dimarzio can get a bit weird if you try to take their DC resistance).
I think it's 'good enough' to be honest, as it's not like these companies really want to tell you every detail of what wire, bobbin etc they use. You don't make a million dollar recipe and hand it out for free, so they give you enough information and description to answer your basic questions about it's output and sound.
I feel like it's an okay metric, like Zhang said, for making a 'ballpark' of the number of winds, as least in the way that most companies build their pickups (Dimarzio can get a bit weird if you try to take their DC resistance).
I think it's 'good enough' to be honest, as it's not like these companies really want to tell you every detail of what wire, bobbin etc they use. You don't make a million dollar recipe and hand it out for free, so they give you enough information and description to answer your basic questions about it's output and sound.
Re: DC Resistance
not at all. if you want compression, use a dimarzio.
true. i find a high DCR pickup has more versatility with the guitar volume. you can get so many tones out of the volume with a good high DCR pickup. more sensitive and dynamic.
