Jimmie Misenheimer
From:
Bloomington, Indiana - U. S. A.
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Posted 30 Mar 2004 6:00 pm |
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I've read all sorts of posts about p/us down through the years, but I've ran across something that I've never read about before.
I have 2 "Zums", an "M.C.I. Range Expander", and a p/p "Emmons" - all D-10s. For years I used a well known brand of dual coil p/u, until I got to where I just couldn't stand it anymore. The loss of definition (sp?) and "mushiness" on the bottom end was killing me. From strings 6 or 7 on down, it was like you had sound, but you couldn't really hear anything.
I wore myself out changing p/us from one guitar to another. I finally decided that I'd had enough, and put an old set of '71 "Emmons" p/us on a "Zum", and though there was of course a little hum, the problem was gone.
I said "alright - That's what I'm after!" I had a second pair of '71 "Emmons" p/us laying around, so I put them on the other "Zum", - fantastic! I had no more single coils around, so I ordered a pair of "True Tones" for the "M.C.I." - again fantastic!
Now here's the problem. A couple of days ago I got the Emmons out of the case - where it had been for probably two years anyway, just to see if it still worked. Somehow this guitar DOESN'T have the same problem with being "mushy" that the three others had with a pair of dual coils on it, A PAIR THAT I'D HAD ON AT LEAST TWO OTHER GUITARS!
If someone told ME this, I'd probably look at them funny, but I swear that the same p/u problem - with the SAME pair of p/us that I had taken off of the other guitars DID NOT exist on the Emmons. Now someone tell me how in the hell that happens???
Jimmie
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 30 Mar 2004 6:49 pm
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Jimmie, near as I can figure, certain guitars (by virtue of their mechanical design), enhance certain frequencies (or "overtones") and impede others. Pickups (also, by virtue of their design) do the same thing, enhancing certain frequencies and impeding others. Some combinations seem to work very well, and others just leave something to be desired. For the best sound, all of the links in the "chain" from your strings to your speaker have to be balanced or matched to work together.
The problem is aggravated when any of the "links" in the chain don't perform properly. Usually, the most important link is the amp. I've played on a lot of other players' amps, and some of them really leave a lot to be desired, IMHO. The amp is like the transmission in a car in that it converts the energy of the pickup into motion (sound). If it's not "up to the task", nothing else will matter. |
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