How much difference is there between 2 different pickups with similar specs?

[Reee]

Take for example a Duncan Custom 5 and MFB Guthrie Govan bridge pickup, they are both A5, +-15kohm, 43awg wire etc, how much difference will there be in the sound?
or a Suhr SSH+, Dimarzio Breed and Duncan JB?

If there is a lot of difference in the final product, where do the differences come from if the specs are so similar?

 

[Adieu]

Magnet size (and sometimes number, some have multiple mags), pole piece type and material, baseplate, covers, potting or lack thereof, "air" and "halfair" (DiMarzio patented iirc, but easily diy-able)

Etc

 

[Reee]

Magnet size (and sometimes number, some have multiple mags), pole piece type and material, baseplate, covers, potting or lack thereof, "air" and "halfair" (DiMarzio patented iirc, but easily diy-able)

Etc

how does a baseplate affect the tone?

 

[idsnowdog]

how does a baseplate affect the tone?

All materials make a difference. Nickle silver baseplates are percussive, bright, mid-scooped, and loud. Brass baseplates are warm, round and bass/midrange heavy. Duncan tends to use nickle silver baseplates and long fillister screws. While Dimarzio uses brass baseplates and short hex head screws. The choice of these materials reinforces the companies design philosophies.

 

[Reee]

All materials make a difference. Nickle silver baseplates are percussive, bright, mid-scooped, and loud. Brass baseplates are warm, round and bass/midrange heavy. Duncan tends to use nickle silver baseplates and long fillister screws. While Dimarzio uses brass baseplates and short hex head screws. The choice of these materials reinforces the companies design philosophies.

interesting, thanks!

 

[jeremy]

7000 turns of #43 wire can be laid down on a bobbin a variety of ways. turns per layer, winding pattern, and tension influence how a pup sounds

 

[superpete]

most cheese pizzas are spec'd at crust, sauce, and cheese, but i find they don't all taste the same.

 

[AlexR]

Every winder seems to have their own tonal ballpark. Dimarzios sound a certain way, Duncans sound a certain way.....even when they are winding pickups of nominally the same sort of K reading.

There is a fascinating discourse by James Finnerty of ReWind pickups on DCR, turn count and inductance. There are ways of taking one metric and making it constant but varying the other two.
As you get higher DCR, the variability margin will tend to narrow. But even amongst super high K skullcrushing metal pickups you notice surprising amounts of variation if you listen closely.

 

[jeremy]

is that discourse available to peruse?