FAQs

What makes a ‘good’ pickup?

Good tone is subjective and pickup making is an art as well as a science, but there are some test parameters that we can use to objectively evaluate what is important in a pickup design.

These parameters will vary in relation to the type of pickup in question. For example, a P90 will almost always be more sensitive to touch and volume roll-back than a Humbucker. The advantage of a Humbucker over a P90 of course is the cancelling out of 60 cycle hum.

So much of this comes down to personal preference. A good pickup should be well built, using quality materials and should convey the sonic point-of-view of the designer’s ear - much like a good boutique guitar pedal or amp.

Here are just a few tests that we do to evaluate our own designs.

If the answer to all of these is yes (within the unique restrictions of each pickup type) then we feel like we’re onto something!

Sound separation:

Can you hear each note ring out within a chord?

Dynamics:

Does it respond well to light picking vs heavy picking? (Turn your compressor off!)

EQ Bass:

Does the bass feel warm without being wooly or booming?

EQ Highs:

Do the highs sound clear and articulate without harshness?

Volume Response:

Does it clean up when you roll the volume back?

Tone Response:

Can the highs be controlled with the tone knob without becoming muddy?

The importance of high frequency preservation:

The two most important factors in understanding pickup fidelity are:

  • High frequencies are the first thing to be lost to capacitance in a rig (“tone suck.”)

  • It is always better to cut than to boost.

For these reasons we put a lot of care and attention into the high-end frequency response of our pickups. We use tricks like charging our magnets individually by hand to specific levels. This helps to control the very highest transients, to create a smooth tone with the fullest frequency response possible, and to allow a pickup to punch through the mix.

As a player you can dial in your perfect sound by adjusting the heights of your pickups, using the tone knob on your guitar and EQing your amp… But if your pickups don’t have the ability to capture those frequencies in the first place, you have way less to work with.

Why we don't typically wax-pot our pickups

Most of our pickups are shipped unpotted, because we prefer the open airiness and feel of unpotted pickups.

People sometimes say that unpotted pickups can cause feedback problems, and that can be true of loosely wound coils or where parts do not fit together perfectly.

Our pickups are designed to not be wax-potted, meaning that we have very low tolerances for parts moving within the pickup. Everything fits snugly and our coils are wound with precision & consistency.

A little controlled feedback can be a wonderful creative tool. Think Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Lou Reed, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth… All have used “controlled feedback” as an integral part of their sound.

In our tests unpotted pickups:

  • Tend to have a little more high frequency presence, along with slightly improved dynamics and responsiveness (the “feel”) vs potted.

  • Can also be more microphonic, meaning that you will hear more of your guitar, the wood, your pick attack, all of that great organic stuff. Some people say that unpotted pickups feel more “alive.”

  • Make it easier to find the sweet spot for feedback when playing at higher volumes or with more gain. Controlled feedback effects can be used to add sustain and character to your playing

Are flat pole pickups better than staggered?

In our tests, flat pole single coils have a little more presence and a little more bass, compared to their staggered magnet-height cousins. Pre-1955, all Teles had flat pole pieces, along with vintage Jazzmasters and Mustangs. That is why we primarily design our single coils with flat pole pieces, just like these iconic vintage instruments.

If you find that you are fighting the G string on a Strat, flat poles could be for you.

Trying flat poles:
If you have already adapted your playing to the weaker low strings and prominent G of staggered magnets, it might take a minute to get used to the slightly different response of flat poles. Once you get used to them, we think you’ll love the enhanced range and feel of flats.

High Output Vs Lower Output pickups?

Most of the pickups we make fall into the “Vintage” to “Hot-Vintage” range when it comes to output. The reason for this is that the clarity and articulation of a low to moderate output pickup makes a huge difference when playing clean to edge of breakup and crunch tones.

For high-gain tones, hotter output pickups with a flatter EQ profile are often desirable. As contemporary metal tones are often heavily produced, in this context a good high-gain pickup should deliver a consistent, unbiased tone with plenty of dynamic range and a smooth roll-off in both the high and low end.

Do pickups matter when using digital modeling:

With the majority of players (even vintage amp collectors) opting for the flexibility, portability and convenience of devices from Kemper, Line 6, Neural DSP etc. good quality, highly dynamic pickups make even more sense. Players get to have more source frequencies (more tone) to manipulate throughout the signal chain.

Because digital modelers tend to have an input level control, a lot of players find that vintage output pickups perform better overall. They tend to have more clarity for clean playing and can easily be signal-boosted and EQ-cut within the software to create any number of tones, through a range of gain stages.

What is dynamic range and why does it matter?

Everything that happens to your signal after it leaves your pickup and before it gets to your amplifier attenuates (diminishes) the higher frequencies. Even the potentiometers in your guitar and the cable to your amp have an effect on high frequencies, (without even getting into the world of pedalboard setups!)

If the combined elements of your signal chain add too much overall capacitance and eat away too far into those high frequencies, that is when people describe the tone as “muddy”. A good rule is to preserve as much of the frequency range as possible at the pickups stage, so that we have the option to attenuate it with our tone controls (guitar, amp or boost, eq) as desired.

The challenge for pickup builders is to preserve the highs without sacrificing the warmth, so that the pickup sounds full and rich, with enough top end sparkle.

How do I cut through a band mix?

Treble and upper mids cut through better at lower volumes because of the way our ears perceive sound frequencies. If your goal is to cut through a mix, opting for well designed vintage output pickups and using your amplifier volume or a boost pedal, is often a better idea than going for the highest output pickup you can find.

What are Balanced Sets?

When we say “balanced set”, we mean that the entire set is made at the same time, by one person, in our California workshop.

Each pickup design is tested and tweaked to balance each set of pickups in terms of tone and output.

Can I place a custom order?

Yes, absolutely!

Just let us know what you are looking for and we will be happy to help you achieve your Heroic Tone!