What makes the good guitar pickup sound so good?

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I usually don't reply to zombie threads, but who really cares I guess. A lot of the posts so far respond as if pickups are monolithic. They are not. A few years back there was an issue of Guitar Player on pickup technology. The response varies tremendously over individual strings/polepieces. Recommended reading if this interests you. I don't have the issue but if I come across the issue number I'll post it.
 
since i don't know how to multiple quote...

@nigelwright7557: i like 'em...

i also like p90, p100, jazzmaster soapbar beebox...

i like single coils... no other pickups deliver that pure tone, but i totally dislike bad designed/wound/assembled pickups!

tell ya: such as jimi hendrix' hunt for a single fuzz face that sounded optimal for himself (its said that he'd sit and test many, uncountable fuzz faces and then send back the ones he didnt like, maybe a gimmick, maybe truth... i wasnt there to confirm) theres plenty of theories regarding no pre CBS pickup sounded the same!

@leadbelly: please bring it on m8

@voltwide: i dislike hum aswell, but some single coils are so good that i'm even willing to live with hum (tho it only hums when not played...) and we can always combine single coils to attenuate or even kill the hum also;

i've never tried the noiseless single coils so i cannot go further on it, but who am i to say that your taste on stacked strat pu's is wrong?

all i can say is that your statement had risen a big curiosity on me and i'll be looking forward to try it at least once someday

@all of u: take my 5 cents of brazilian currency (thats worth alot less than USD) *throws the nickel then run away laughing*
 
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not really, you will alter the sound by doing so.

i understand your statement, but its still a good option to keep it up if the hum that is only audible when not playing is a major concern

as the same regarding the strat sized stacks... even i've never tried a jb jr, for example, i know the antiquity jb on my jazzmaster is the real deal compared to the 'jr'

same for the claimed single coil noiseless with dummy coil

but i really understand your statement, as said above and i also agree with you: two (or more) true single coils when combined, regardless if rwrp+standard to kill hum or both in phase, will no longer sound like a single coil, i totally agree with you

but i dare to state something, even not experiencing a 'single coil sized stack' - its so cool to play a strat, mustang or even sg/lp loaded with single coils wired in stock + rwrp... it have a different feel, even humbuckers can't compare to, if the singles are wired in series... maybe 'cause one pickup is at the neck, another in the bridge... and theres a gap, usually a significant gap in the middle between both... maybe thats cause we can adjust both coils with independent height...

the humbuckers only allow the screws to shift position, but the coils and magnets are fixed when compared to adjust two independent singles wired in a composite way

theres also the infamous secret strat wiring using 3 pickups simultaneously: two in phase wired in parallel, then connecting them in series with the rwrp

how many mics have ever done this so far?

ps/edit: i swear by firebird mini humbuckers, of which i use one sm1n installed on the neck of my jazzmaster! its 0verkill in a good way when paired with the antiquity jb!
 
I have a faux telecaster that I built for myself a few years back. It is fitted with two massively overwound pickups that are wired in parallel straight to the output jack - that's no volume or tone controls. As they are overwound, the pickups have quite a lot of inherent capacitance, so much so that the treble is sweet to the ear - my ear. What makes this guitar exceptional is the attention to detail in the setup, coupled with heavy gauge flat wound strings, brass saddles and a brass nut. The result is an exceptionally capable, very musical guitar. Yes, the choice of pickups is important, but its their integration with the instrument (and what is done with said instrument) that makes all the difference.

tapestryofsound
 

PRR

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since i don't know how to multiple quote.......

Under each post is a QUOTE button
quote.gif
but also the mysterious
multiquote_off.gif
button.

Click that
multiquote_off.gif
on each message you want to quote.

Now hit the QUOTE
quote.gif
and all the
multiquote_off.gif
-clicked messages are pre-pasted as quotes in your reply.

This can be unwieldy. Please trim the quotes to the essential point you are responding to.
 
not really, you will alter the sound by doing so.

anyway, after considering the way i've spoken about my opinions, sorry if i let you down by dissing the single stacks, what i really wanted to say is that you should value the true singles the next time you get the opportunity because even with the hum, theres possibilities to achieve happiness with it and single stacks are nice too, every pickup is nice if well made, and its rare to find a bad designed single stack, so i congratulate you and sincere apologies for any subliminal mistreat

I have a faux telecaster that I built for myself a few years back. It is fitted with two massively overwound pickups that are wired in parallel straight to the output jack - that's no volume or tone controls. As they are overwound, the pickups have quite a lot of inherent capacitance, so much so that the treble is sweet to the ear - my ear. What makes this guitar exceptional is the attention to detail in the setup, coupled with heavy gauge flat wound strings, brass saddles and a brass nut. The result is an exceptionally capable, very musical guitar. Yes, the choice of pickups is important, but its their integration with the instrument (and what is done with said instrument) that makes all the difference.

tapestryofsound

seems fun, quite hard to imagine the way it is without my mind colouring the picture, do you have any sample to show please?

Under each post is a QUOTE button
quote.gif
but also the mysterious
multiquote_off.gif
button.

Click that
multiquote_off.gif
on each message you want to quote.

Now hit the QUOTE
quote.gif
and all the
multiquote_off.gif
-clicked messages are pre-pasted as quotes in your reply.

This can be unwieldy. Please trim the quotes to the essential point you are responding to.

thanks dear PRR, your advise is much appreciated;
 
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