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Topic: Microphonic pickups |
Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 7 Feb 2007 5:01 am |
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I have a Supersustain pickup that is somewhat microphonic (altho it doesn't show up on tunes that are overtracked). I am not currently in the mood to take it off and send it for repotting.
Wondering about switching it to an E66, I discussed it with Mike Perlowin who gave me his thoughts on the E66. Mike said his E66 is also somewhat microphonic; that all pickups are to an extent, and suggested bringing the question up as a topic.
Any comments?
What pickups will drop right into an MSA Classic (SD-12)?
_________________
Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
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Ulf Edlund
From:
Umeå, Sweden
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Posted 7 Feb 2007 6:42 am
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I switched from E66 to TrueTones om my Classic SS, but now i'm back with the E66 on the E9 neck again. Mainly because i preferred the sound, but i also find the E66 being much less microphonic.
I've heard good things about the BL XR16 and i wouldn't mind trying one.
Uffe |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2007 8:55 am
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| It is my opinion that all pickups, to some extent, are microphonic. |
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Brint Hannay
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2007 9:13 am
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I've thought for a long time that microphonic pickups have both bad and good sides.
If you can mute the strings and knock on the guitar and hear it through the amp, it stands to reason that the body's resonance in response to string vibration is getting through as well, and contributing to the tone of the instrument.
Many Tele players feel this contributes to the "magic" of vintage Teles. (In the case of Teles it's probably also the resonance of the bridge plate.) I feel it contributes to the rich, "woody" tone of stock Sho-Buds.
The downside for pedal steel, of course, is that it has all those mechanisms clunking, clacking and clicking. It's a trade-off situation. Rather than eliminate microphonicity (?) or try to isolate the pickup from the body, I'd say a high priority in pedal steel design would be coming up with ways to minimize mechanical noise.
Last edited by Brint Hannay on 7 Feb 2007 9:22 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Brint Hannay
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2007 9:15 am
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| OOPS, my first double post. The first time I got a screen that said Unable to something...something about Debug. I have no idea what that means. |
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 8 Feb 2007 6:34 am
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(The downside for pedal steel, of course, is that it has all those mechanisms clunking, clacking and clicking.)
Soft sponge installed in, and around the rods help somewhat.
Bill
_________________
Bill Ford S12 CLR, S12 Lamar keyless, Misc amps&toys Sharp Covers
Steeling for Jesus now!!! |
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 8 Feb 2007 6:35 am
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oops double post.
Bill
_________________
Bill Ford S12 CLR, S12 Lamar keyless, Misc amps&toys Sharp Covers
Steeling for Jesus now!!!
Last edited by Bill Ford on 9 Feb 2007 11:06 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 8 Feb 2007 6:38 am
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| I think microphonic pickups are good. They pickup body vibrations. They sound more alive. |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 8 Feb 2007 6:42 am
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| Kevin Hatton wrote: |
| I think microphonic pickups are good. They pickup body vibrations. They sound more alive. |
I think that's what Mike P. was referring to, the nature of the beast.
I have some rubber tubing I'm going to put on rods to reduce the clicking, and perhaps try a sponge mounting on the pickup.
The worst offender, tho, is the volume pedal if it hits the pedal bar. The pedal bar and the legs seem to be excellent structures for transmitting mechanical noise due to their length and mass.
Thanks for the feedback and ideas!
_________________
Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 8 Feb 2007 7:04 am
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If I'm not mistaken, an old test for a microphonic pickup is to holler into the pickup and if you can hear yourself through your amp, then the pickup is TOO microphonic.
Anything short of this is considered OK. |
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Michael Douchette
From:
Gallatin, TN (deceased)
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 8 Feb 2007 9:08 am
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| Charlie McDonald wrote: |
| The worst offender, tho, is the volume pedal if it hits the pedal bar. |
The answer to that is to get a mountng bracket for the volume pedal.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 8 Feb 2007 2:33 pm
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| Quote: |
| The answer to that is to get a mountng bracket for the volume pedal. |
It's a similar vintage MSA pedal, and it gets really noisy when attached.
I'm going to fabricate/fake a rubber bracket.
_________________
Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 9 Feb 2007 12:53 pm
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This will help if you use this type bracket.Just glue in a piece of carpet.
_________________
Bill Ford S12 CLR, S12 Lamar keyless, Misc amps&toys Sharp Covers
Steeling for Jesus now!!! |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 9 Feb 2007 1:02 pm
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Good idea. Thanks Bill.
And to all... a good night.
_________________
Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
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Jon Hyde
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 10 Feb 2007 5:20 pm
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| Timely subject... Just last Sunday I noticed that my old Sho Bud 6139 pickup is microphonic - talking into it and the whole 9 yards. I just started making the arrangements to pull it and have it potted but now I think I'll let it sit in there and see if it isn't better off the way it is. Maybe the reason I never noticed it until now is that it's no big deal. I can always pull it and send it in later on. The mechanics on this thing are loud though - it will be easy to determine... |
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Bobbe Seymour
From:
Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 10 Feb 2007 8:14 pm
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Think about what Kevin Hatten has posted, there is a lot of fact in what he has said. I know a top Nashville steel player (that had a very famous steel guitar named after him) that installed a contact mic to the botton keyhead end of his Emmons P-P guitar, ran it through a blending volume pot and took advantage of the natural wood vibrations in the guitar body.
This all feeds back to what make a good tone/timbre and keeps "dead" guitars from ever sounding good.
This is a very deep subject and many variables are involved in this experment, but Kevin Hatten has touched on this factor here. The tone in not in the pickup, (aside from treble and bass) but rather what it is actually picking up, from the strings, OR from the body.
Bigsby pickups are the most microphonic pickups ever, but this is one reason these great guitars sound so great, the pickups are picking up great vibrations from the entire guitar, creating many overtones to be sent to the amplifier. Loops, lodes, what you are hearing on these guitars is not just the string simply vibrating, but rather many other blended vibrations combined with the primary frequency of the note.
Why don'y steel builders and pickup makers manufacture new microphonic pickups? Pedal noise is one factor, feedback under high volumes is another. Bigsby players have a problem with their pedal guitars, severe clicking of the mechanisum when pedals are depressed, however, it is a great trade off for wonderful tone on these guitars.
This is all I'm going to post on this subject, food for thought, or food for fools to argue over, your choice.
Bobbe |
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