Lap Steel pickup ohmage

Bob Metzger · From: Waltham (Boston), MA, USA

I'm in the market for a lap steel and I'm wondering what DC ohmage for the pickup would be ideal?

Are the ohmages of the more popular models known or published on the net? Has anyone taken the time to measure their pickups?

Thanks,

Bob M.

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

I don't know the ohmage of any lap steel pickup (or any other pickup for that matter), nor have I ever had the need to find out such information. Why do you want it? I'm just wondering.

------------------
Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Bob Metzger · From: Waltham (Boston), MA, USA

DC ohmage resistance reading are a great predictor of pickup performance. Almost all guitar pickup manufacturers list this info for their products. Why not for other pickups too; Enquiring minds want to know.

Bob M.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Bob,
The pickups for my old Stringmasters measure about 7k. These are the ones without the blend control. The Stringmaster pickups with the blend control are up around 9-10K.
Erv

Blake Hawkins · From: Florida

Bob,
Since you asked;
I have measured Fender Traps at 11.1K, 11.7K
and 12.8K.
They all sounded the same.
My 1956 Gibson with the 4-8-4 humbucker
has three pickups in series: 6.1K, 10.3K,
and 5.4K. They are wired in series
for a total of 21.8K.
I have another 6 string lap steel with 5.6K.
I would not use the DC resistance as a determining factor in the purchase of a guitar or pickup.
We use DC resistance to refer to pickups because it is easily measured. It does not give an indication of the performance of the pickup because the pickup is working with AC and complex waveforms.
There are many factors that contribute to the performance of a pickup such as the magnet strength, the way the coils are wound , the type and size of the wire used, the mounting, and the DC resistance.
A more accurate measurement would be impedence but that is difficult to do.
There have been threads in the past about that.
The pickup performance also varies depending on what amp you hook it up to, the setting of the tone controls, and the cables and stomp boxes used.(But I guess you know all that already.)

So I agree with Brad,in the overall scheme of things, it dosen't mean much.
Blake

Ron Victoria · From: New Jersey, USA

So in short, we should pay homage to the ohmage!

Paul Osbty · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

I'm not certain too many sellers would let anyone take their guitars apart to measure it. I know I wouldn't.

Jim Phelps · From: Mexico City, Mexico

You don't have to take anything apart to measure the resistance of the pickup. Just plug a guitar cable into the guitar's output jack, hold the ohmmeter's probes on the tip and sleeve of the plug at the other end of the cable. Make sure the volume and tone knobs are all the way open. If it's got more than one neck, set the neck selector to only one neck at a time. If it's got more than one pickup on each neck, like the Stringmasters with two single-coil pickups on each neck, set the little blend knob for only one coil at a time, turn it fully counter-clockwise for one, fully clockwise for the other on each neck.

[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 16 June 2005 at 12:12 AM.]

basilh · From: United Kingdom

I don't think the blend knob can select either pickup INDIVIDUALLY..
It's one or both..

------------------

Paul Osbty · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

Seems to me a volume pot would be in series (or parallel), too. To be certain, I would open it up.

Otherwise, if it sounds good, the info isn't too important. If it sounds bad, I wouldn't buy it.

Jim Phelps · From: Mexico City, Mexico

Thanks Basil, it's been a long time since I messed with a Stringmaster.

I did already mention to open up the volume control.

Forum Index > Steel Without Pedals		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic

All times are GMT - 8 Hours	Jump to: