Guitar pickup frequency response

AnnihilationRob · 22nd November 2011

I did a little searching and realized I couldn't find any frequency response graphs for guitar pickups like there are for mics. Why is this? It would be cool to eq one pickup to match another in a reamping situation.

AnnihilationRob · 25th November 2011

Sweet, this is pretty much exactly what I was looking for if anyone is interested: http://www.aqdi.com/cgi-bin/database.cgi

nedorama · 25th November 2011

The bigger issues is that the pickups are only a small part of the frequency response of a guitar - the wood, hardware, tonestack all influence this greatly. For re-amping, usually the goal is to get another tone down that you weren't able to before.

Can you explain more your goal in matching the pickup EQ in case I'm missing something?

Grant Ransom · 25th November 2011

Yes, it's just a part of the sound...
The thing it's useful for IMO is comparison.
I do think a visual (standardised) clue as to the peak and it's width might give people a usable frame of reference.
The common three band charts are pretty much idiotic IMO.

The Real MC · 27th November 2011

The reason is the coupling/loading by the guitar amp.

Mics are low impedance devices and are mostly insensitive to input impedances. Most mic preamps are designed to put minimal load on them so the frequency response stays the same.

Contrast that to pickups which are high impedance reactive devices whose frequency responses are very dependent on the guitar amp they are plugged into. Even with a DI between the guitar and amp, the pickups are loaded down by the amp and you will hear the compromised signal out of the DI.

And then you get the cable and tone pots where you're losing more high end.

Leo Fender and Les Paul both recognized that the guitar and amp are one unit and each were very dependent on the other. Paul was a longtime proponent of low impedance pickups which eliminated many problems.

Because of this, it was always pointless to publish frequency response charts for high impedance pickups.

AnnihilationRob · 27th November 2011

Ah cool, thanks for the info MC. I'm going direct into my preamps most of the time so I can at least use these graphs to get close if I'm trying to match pickups.

Grant Ransom · 27th November 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Real MC

The reason is the coupling/loading by the guitar amp...

Because of this, it was always pointless to publish frequency response charts for high impedance pickups.

Yes, the link to the site above includes selectable impedances.
If you have one of the pickups in the list, and want to know about another, it's pretty useful. That's why I think a standardised measurement might be cool, as I implied, purely as a point of reference for comparison.

As it is, some companies publish a resonant peak, but not the width, and millivolt output measurements.

22nd November 2011	#1
AnnihilationRob Gear Head Joined: Oct 2009 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 62 Thread Starter	Guitar pickup frequency response I did a little searching and realized I couldn't find any frequency response graphs for guitar pickups like there are for mics. Why is this? It would be cool to eq one pickup to match another in a reamping situation.

25th November 2011	#3
nedorama Lives for gear Joined: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,242	The bigger issues is that the pickups are only a small part of the frequency response of a guitar - the wood, hardware, tonestack all influence this greatly. For re-amping, usually the goal is to get another tone down that you weren't able to before. Can you explain more your goal in matching the pickup EQ in case I'm missing something? __________________ nedorama Monkey Boy Studios Summit 2BA-221, TLA-50 mBox Pro 3, Pro Tools 10.1.3 Radial JDI x 2, ProD2, ProRMP '65 Bandmaster 2x12 combo with Dr. Z Brake Lite, '65 Showman, '74 Princeton, '77 Princeton Reverb, Dr. Z. Mini Z Head, Dr. Z 1x12 Cab, pedals, George L's cabling

27th November 2011	#5
The Real MC Lives for gear Joined: Jun 2008 Location: secluded tranquil country Posts: 2,032	The reason is the coupling/loading by the guitar amp. Mics are low impedance devices and are mostly insensitive to input impedances. Most mic preamps are designed to put minimal load on them so the frequency response stays the same. Contrast that to pickups which are high impedance reactive devices whose frequency responses are very dependent on the guitar amp they are plugged into. Even with a DI between the guitar and amp, the pickups are loaded down by the amp and you will hear the compromised signal out of the DI. And then you get the cable and tone pots where you're losing more high end. Leo Fender and Les Paul both recognized that the guitar and amp are one unit and each were very dependent on the other. Paul was a longtime proponent of low impedance pickups which eliminated many problems. Because of this, it was always pointless to publish frequency response charts for high impedance pickups. __________________ You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink it. But lead a horse to liquor...

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25th November 2011	#4
Grant Ransom Gear Head Joined: Oct 2011 Location: We got lumps of it round the back Posts: 72	Yes, it's just a part of the sound... The thing it's useful for IMO is comparison. I do think a visual (standardised) clue as to the peak and it's width might give people a usable frame of reference. The common three band charts are pretty much idiotic IMO.