Pickup Installation

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

Over the years, I've noticed several different ways that builders attach the pickup to the guitar. I've seen the pickup mounted to a metal plate, which is then supported by springs. I've seen the pickups resting on foam rubber. I've also seen pickups attached directly to the body of the guitar.

Do any of you builders or re-builders have any insight as to the pros and cons of these various ways of installing a pickup? Does a pickup actually pick up and reproduce any of the vibrations from the body or neck of a guitar, or is it purely an electrical reproduction of the vibrations of the strings?
_________________
Lee, from South Texas - Down On The Rio Grande

There are only two options as I see it.
Either I'm right, or there is a sinister conspiracy to conceal the fact that I'm right.

Williams Keyless S-10, BMI S-10, Evans FET-500LV, Fender Steel King, 2 Roland Cube 80XL's,
Sarno FreeLoader, Goodrich Passive Volume Pedals, Vintage ACE Pack-A-Seat

Brint Hannay · From: Maryland, USA

I'm not a builder or re-builder, and I hope some who are will weigh in here.

I've always thought that, all sound being vibration, any pickup that microphonically transmits mechanical noise or a knock on the guitar's body to the amp (which most pickups do, at least slightly) must therefore also transmit body vibration caused by the strings. I'd be interested to know what those with experience in designing and building guitars think about what effect different mounting methods may have on this phenomenon.

David Doggett · Posted 25 Apr 2007 9:03 am

Interesting question. I'm not a manufacturer, but the springs and foam rubber seem to be used so the height of the pickup can be adjusted against the spring or foam tension. Since that also has the effect of isolating the pickup from body vibrations and mechnanical noise, it seems the manufacturers do not intend for any body resonance to be transferred directly to the pickup. However, body resonance is still capable of affecting the string vibrations (by feeding the vibrations back through the changer and nut), which can be picked up by the pickup.

I've done the knock test myself, and the knock can be heard through the amp via the pickup. However, I also noticed that to hear it through the amp, my volume pedal had to be set so high that if the strings were picked it would be deafening. I concluded that any body vibration or noise picked up by the pickup is so far below the signal strength of the string vibrations that it is negligible in the final tone one hears. That seems to be the normal situation the manufacturers intend. A defective "microphonic" pickup might be another story.

According to Mike Perlowin, piezzo or other pickups designed to pick up body resonance are unusable on pedal steels because they pick up too much mechanical racket.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I think part of the explanation for "that" sound on an Emmons p/p is because the pickups are mounted to the neck and not to the body and then, in turn, the necks are mounted to the body.

I am also working on a Rains and the pickups on this guitar are also mounted to the neck and not the body. On both of there guitars there is a solid screw connection w/spring from the pickups to the neck.

Brint Hannay · From: Maryland, USA

Erv, a couple of questions:

Would you say the effect you suggest is because the pickup is mounted to the neck, or because it isn't mounted to the body (directly)?

And given the structural similarity in this respect you note between the p/p and the Rains: Does the Rains have "that sound"?

David, I certainly agree that manufacturers don't intend the pickup to pick up body resonance. I remember when I was new on the steel thinking it might be cool to put one of those contact pickups on my steel. Wrong! However, I have a couple of Sho-Buds that have pickups that are pretty microphonic, and have, to my ears, great tone. I just wonder if the microphonicity might be contributing a little to the rich sound. I guess I won't know until I try switching the pickups out. But I would hate to wax pot them for fear of losing something.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Brint,
I definitely think that the way the pickups are mounted in the Emmons and Rains contribute to that sound. Bobby Seymour and others have stated that how you torque the neck screws on an Emmons make a vast difference in that sound. I believe that is because the pickups are mounted to the neck. If you ask someone who plays a Rains, they will tell you that they have a very Emmonsy type tone.
Ask one who owns one:

David Doggett · Posted 25 Apr 2007 11:40 am

Erv, on wood neck Emmons and the Rains, the pickup is mounted to the bolt on changer attachment plate, not the neck. What effect do you think this has? Since instruments with similar sounds have pickups attached to the body, the neck or the changer attachment plate, I guess I'm a little skeptical that this has much effect on tone. In fact, I suspect you could take the pickup off and hold it over the top of the strings, and the tone of the instrument would be the same.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Wouldn't it be kind of hard to play it that way, though? Rolling Eyes

As regards metal necked Emmons and Rains:
The Rains doesn't use a bolt on type changer, it is a split tail changer. On most Emmons, they also use a split tail changer. And on both of these guitars, the pickup is attached to the neck.

David Doggett · Posted 25 Apr 2007 2:34 pm

Well, yeah, you'd have to hold the pickup with your third arm. Wink

I thought someone recently pointed out that all wood neck Emmons p/p's were bolt on. That was news to me, but it does make sense. If the neck is wood, there is no worry about temperature expansion, which was the main drawback of the bolt on with aluminum necks. And, um, according to the above photos, what you are calling the neck, I'm calling the changer attachment plate. It doesn't appear to me that the pickup is attached to the wood neck of either guitar.

Joe A. Camacho · Posted 25 Apr 2007 3:28 pm

I'm not sure how the pickups on ZB's are attached, but you can hear everything going on underneath your guitar, including my knees cracking.

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

Forum Index > Pedal Steel		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic

All times are GMT - 8 Hours	Jump to: