gtrplyr Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 i have no idea how this is done, can someone explain it to me? is it possible to mod my pickups so it will allow me to do this (im using a cheap starter guitar)? will it ruin my pickups if it is possible to do this to them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j. pierce Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 I can't get Youtube here at work - but if the effect is what I'm imagining, it's simply very very microphonic pickups. I've had pairs that did that before. Basically, when the coil of wire is wound around a pickup, if it's wound fairly loose, the coils will vibrate with air pressure. At high amp volumes, this produces feedback (usually not the kind you get from your strings, but the kind you get from a microphone that's too close to the PA) Generally this is undesirable, but some feel that a slight bit of this microphonic tendency adds to the character of certain pickups. (Depending on how the pickup is made, these microphonics can be quite pronounced and render the pickup unusable, but in less extreme cases, it's believed that the motion of the coils picks up a bit of the guitars vibration) In the worst cases, it takes so little to make the coil move, that yelling into the pickup under high gain produces sound out the amp. Most modern pickups, even the cheapest as of late, it seems, are either wound under enough tension that this is not a problem, or the coils are potted in wax, epoxy or lacquer to prevent unwanted microphonics. Most coils are machine wound these days, so a fair amount of consistency is relatively cheap to obtain. The boutique pickup makers that specialize in hand-wound pickups generally are shooting for a more high-quality product. I had a friend who once had a junky no-name guitar that had these type of pickups - I eventually replaced the bridge pickup, but he left the neck pickup as is for the purpose of doing just this. If the effect in the video is what I suspect and have explained, the easiest route is going to be to pull the pickups from a junky instrument that already does this, or wind your own pickup with a very loose coil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrplyr Posted February 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Ahh that's a good idea, striping it from a guitar that already does this. Thanks. Now I just have to find one that does it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Confirmative. It’s an extremely microphonic pickup we're dealing with here. If you start to look for one, start with a humbucker with cover. And try to find one that isn't potted. The potting kills the microphonics. Or get a cheap HB without a cover and add one (without potting it afterwards of cause). Might work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 The first electric guitar I owned in high school did this - a Sears catalog LP knockoff! May I suggest going to Toys-R-Us and trying one of theirs out.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrplyr Posted February 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 haha will do, hopefully emg covers come off cuz i want my pickups to match Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim37 Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 haha will do, hopefully emg covers come off cuz i want my pickups to match i don't think you will get the cover off a emg without hurting something check here http://www.universaljems.com/cart/pcover.htm there is a black plastic cover toward the bottom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 haha will do, hopefully emg covers come off cuz i want my pickups to match Metalic cover! Sorry for any confusion. The cover act more or less as a membrane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrplyr Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 haha will do, hopefully emg covers come off cuz i want my pickups to match i don't think you will get the cover off a emg without hurting something check here http://www.universaljems.com/cart/pcover.htm there is a black plastic cover toward the bottom ahh perfect thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 The unfortunate thing about really microphonic pickups is that they squeal and feedback like a son of a gun with any kind of distortion. It's a double edged sword... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrplyr Posted February 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 The unfortunate thing about really microphonic pickups is that they squeal and feedback like a son of a gun with any kind of distortion. It's a double edged sword... hmmm i had an idea today, but i dont know if it will work. for all you microphonic pickup geniuses, do you know if its only possible for a pickup to be microphonic if its humbucking or can this be done with a single coil? if it can be done with a single coil pickup then my guitar build would be H-S-H and i would only use the singlecoil for such purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 It can happen with any pickup. It is just the result of a poor quality pickup. SC or HB doesn't matter. But you'll need to watch your switching with a HSH configuration. If you have a 5 way switch that bad pikup will be mixed into the 2 and 4 positions with the bridge or neck pickup and cause the unwanted squeeling. I would go with a 3 way switch for the two HB's and then a mini toggle to add in the SC for microphonic effect only when wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 It can happen with any pickup. It is just the result of a poor quality pickup. SC or HB doesn't matter. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrplyr Posted February 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 do u know any guitar that has a mini toggle switch like u said? im not quite sure what you mean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted February 17, 2009 Report Share Posted February 17, 2009 (edited) gtrplyr- A mini toggle switch looks like the one 4th down on the right side of this page: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/switch.htm Edited February 17, 2009 by Paul Marossy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted February 17, 2009 Report Share Posted February 17, 2009 Hmmm...I'm not sure how John's does it...but there would be an easier way to get the effect... Pull apart a cheapo dynamic mic perhaps and put the mic membrane/capsule bit in under the neck pickup and run it through to the output jack, preferably with a switch to turn it off and stop the squealing. With the mic going through a guitar amp it will be suitably distorted! I wouldn't be surprised if this is the kind of "cheat" going on anyway inside the guitar, it would probably be more reliable. A piezo would work too, but you would need some kind of preamp to prevent loading. Just a thought...if you must! pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 There is actually a pickup winder who specializes in making microphonic pickups upon special request. Don Mare. Just type in Done Mare pickups, you'll find him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrplyr Posted February 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 There is actually a pickup winder who specializes in making microphonic pickups upon special request. Don Mare. Just type in Done Mare pickups, you'll find him. now THAT is what i needed, thank you drak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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