Please explain how resistance affects tone and gain?
- Thread starter kingsxman
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KeeperOS
New member
Re: Please explain how resistance affects tone and gain?
The very VERY basic rule is that, the bigger the DC resistance, the greater the output (volume) of the pickup but also the lower the resonant peak / darker the sound.
That however is only if every other variable (gauge/type/insulation of wire, type of magnet, materials used, construction method, EVERYTHING) is exactly the same.
As you can understand, by playing with any of those variables there's an infinite amount of combinations that can be made...
The very VERY basic rule is that, the bigger the DC resistance, the greater the output (volume) of the pickup but also the lower the resonant peak / darker the sound.
That however is only if every other variable (gauge/type/insulation of wire, type of magnet, materials used, construction method, EVERYTHING) is exactly the same.
As you can understand, by playing with any of those variables there's an infinite amount of combinations that can be made...
Re: Please explain how resistance affects tone and gain?
yeah there are lots of threads on this type of things. you could say that the higher the resistance the 'hotter' the pup will be but that wont always be accurate.
magnet type, size, strength
wire size and type
winding pattern and tension
pup construction
and other things influence how a pup will sound, so if you look at a 20k alnico 2 stacked single coil size humbucker and a 10k ceramic real single coil, you would expect the 20k to be hotter if you only looked at the resistance but in reality the 10k single coil would probably be significantly higher output
yeah there are lots of threads on this type of things. you could say that the higher the resistance the 'hotter' the pup will be but that wont always be accurate.
magnet type, size, strength
wire size and type
winding pattern and tension
pup construction
and other things influence how a pup will sound, so if you look at a 20k alnico 2 stacked single coil size humbucker and a 10k ceramic real single coil, you would expect the 20k to be hotter if you only looked at the resistance but in reality the 10k single coil would probably be significantly higher output
Sludgenutz
New member
Re: Please explain how resistance affects tone and gain?
There are soooo many factors, but one general concept with simple inductors (coils of copper wire) in many other electronic circuits, is that all things being equal...the more turns of wire on a coil, the more treble frequencies are quenched.
Pickups are a signal generator, which use a magnetically induced coil to produce a certain band of frequencies at very low voltages. All things being equal, more winds generate a larger signal, but with reduces highs.
Single coil pickups are purer examples of this concept.
Guitar pickups are AC signal generators, not merely static resistors, with an simple DC resistance reading.
There are soooo many factors, but one general concept with simple inductors (coils of copper wire) in many other electronic circuits, is that all things being equal...the more turns of wire on a coil, the more treble frequencies are quenched.
Pickups are a signal generator, which use a magnetically induced coil to produce a certain band of frequencies at very low voltages. All things being equal, more winds generate a larger signal, but with reduces highs.
Single coil pickups are purer examples of this concept.
Guitar pickups are AC signal generators, not merely static resistors, with an simple DC resistance reading.
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