How much difference does 1K make?

Doug Jones · From: Oregon & Florida

I'm ready to put in some single coils in my LL-II; one is 18.8K, the other is 19.9. How much appreciable difference will I hear? My A Rig has 18.5 on both necks. Thanks, -DJ-

Carl Kilmer · From: East Central, Illinois

Hi Doug,
I think you'll find 19.9K will have a brighter sound
(not as warm as the 18.8K) and have a higher output.
Carl
_________________
aka "Lucky Kay"--Custom built Rittenberry SD10 3X5, Walker S/S, NV-112, and Hilton Pedal

Randy Wade · From: Batesville, Arkansas, USA

Generally the more ohms the stronger the output, the less ohms the more treble. Your 19.9 will be stronger output and your 18.8 will have a little less output but more treble in comparison if they are identical in construction. I would put the 19.9 on C6 and the 18.8 on E9. Get ready for some hum if you are used to humbuckers, it may be annoying as humbuckers are dead quiet and single coils do pick up some hum.

Tony Glassman · From: The Great Northwest

Doug,

I think Randy's essentially right. All things being equal (brand of p/u, p/u height etc), I think you won't notice much difference on the E neck (18.5K-->18.8K).

The C-neck, may be a tad darker w/ the 1000 ohm increase. If that's not to your liking, it can be adjusted out by either:

1] lowering the pickup or
2] EQ-ing the amp.

I think pickup height is one of the biggest determinants of tone in the whole sound-chain. Lower = more articulate and greater high end, to a point, after which it becomes tinny due to the weaker signal.

Doug Jones · From: Oregon & Florida

I had the old and rare L-605s in this Emmons for studio work. I no longer do sessions and want that single coil growl. These are brand new pickups from Emmons yet have a 1.1K difference. My workhorse stage guitar has 18.5Ks in it and I like the balance. Maybe, per Tony's suggestion, pickup height may compensate by lowering the 19.9. My other choice is to decide which wrap I like best and try to get another to match. Decisions, decisions . . . . . . .

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

Negligeable difference to the ear. Treble goes up as ohm's go down. Not the other way around.

Paddy Long · From: Christchurch, New Zealand

I know a lot of people say that single coils hum a lot, but I have Trutones in my Zum Hybrid and that guitar is dead quiet. I use it a lot on sessions and a few concerts, as well as every other imagineable gig venue and have never had an issue with hum ever!

I always run the guitar through a Telonics volume pedal and then to my rack - this could have a bearing - but I have never had hum from these pickups ! Very Happy

Maybe I'm just lucky !!!!!
_________________
14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases.

Tony Glassman · From: The Great Northwest

Doug.......just try 'em both in the guitar. If you really can hear a difference (I doubt you will), and cannot adjust it out, forumite Doug Palmer worked at Emmons and can pull some wraps off. I had him drop a pair from 20K to 16.5K.

Randy Wade · From: Batesville, Arkansas, USA

It is quite common to have a little more ohms on the C6 neck than the E9. My original single coil Sho-Bud pickups on my Pro II Custom are 23.3K C6 and 20.7K E9. On my BMI I have a GeorgeL E66 17.5K on E9 and a 10-1 19.5K on C6. I have heard of some fellows running an E66 on both necks, but I like the C6 side to sound a little more mellow. In answer to your original post "How much difference does 1K ohms make?" Very little.
I'd say it takes about 2K for most ears to hear much difference.

Per Berner · From: Skovde, Sweden

Whether single coils hum or not very much depends on the surroundings. When I play my Telecaster in the living room with the TV on (practising to a music DVD), I have to be very careful about how I stand. At certain angles from the screen there is nothing but hum, but if I turn 90 degrees it's dead quiet. On stage, with electronic equipment everywhere around you, things would probably be a lot worse. It's much easier to keep a PSG at a fixed angle, though!

Olli Haavisto · From: Jarvenpaa,Finland

I read somewhere that the happiest people live in N.Z.
Now we know the reason.
_________________
Olli Haavisto
Finland

James Morehead · From: Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.

I have shobud pickups rewound by Jerry Wallace of Truetone in my Shobud Fingertip. I go from my guitar to my Shobud potpedal/with 500K Allen Bradley pot to my amp, and keep my amp volume on 10(to open up those tubes)---no hum on stage or at home. My Fender Vibrosonic is in a head only cabinet and sits practicly under my changer for tweeking purposes as well as setlist/drink holding purposes. Evil Twisted

Before Ken Fox rebuilt and upgraded this amp, I could not do this. Again, thanx Ken!!

Single coils are NOT evil. Unserviced amps and faulty wiring jobs and over wound pickups are more at fault than anything.

In my shobuds, the higher ohmage I go with over 19K, the muddier and more overdriven the tone becomes. I use 18K on my C6th neck(coiltap at 11K) and 16K on E9 and coiltap at 8K. This guitar growels like a bobcat in a corner--because of NATURAL HARMONICS, expressed with the help of quality Jagwire strings.

IF YOU WANT TO HEAR THAT growel in your emmons, it will come through crystal clear with a lighter ohmage than using 19K+. That growel does not result from overdriven pickups, but rather from natural harmonics from a well built guitar with quality strings. If you can't hear "that growel" accousticly, it might not be in your guitar.

True, some of the old 'buds had 23K-24K windings. I check them all when they come into the shop. But those old pickups had a different TYPE of wire that's not available anymore. Even so, I find most hot wound shobud pickups(originals) to be kind of muddy. I drop a fresh 17K single coil in these guitars, and the tone really blooms and becomes crystal clear.

I'm not knowledgable about Emmons guitars, but the early ones like '64-'68's had 13-14K pickups in them from what I've heard. And those are the Emmons guitars my ear gravitates toward.

It's the natural harmonics most want to hear. Not over-driven pickups--single coil or humbuckers. YMMV
_________________
"Good judgement comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgement"~old cowboy proverb.
shobud@windstream.net

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

I don't know, Duggie, sounds an awful lot like Shobud envy to me...

Tony Glassman · From: The Great Northwest

Doug, when someone plays as "killer" as you, the last think anyone else is going to notice is one measly kOhm.

Paddy Long · From: Christchurch, New Zealand

Olli your right mate hehe !! Actually the reason is that our electrical system has high installation standards which is why we don't have the sames issues as perhaps some less regulated countries do ! I think Aussie is the same because I never have had any hum issues over there either. Maybe it's our 240v system?

Mind you we can also hunt and fish all year round - and that makes me a double happy person Very Happy

_________________
14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases.

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