All access neck joint? Good idea ,but bad for tone!

[littlegreenman]

Thank you dude, I knew it was something like that, but I'm not pickup smart

[Zeek]

Originally Posted by dcord

Pickups work by creating a magnetic field which is disrupted by the vibrations of the strings. Harmonic waves are included in this vibration.

The density of the wood affects the waves of the strings' vibration and their harmonics.
~d~

So does the density and/or resonating of the wood actually cause the string to produce more (or less) harmonic overtones (and/or the fundemental)?

Or, does the string vibration cause certain frequencies in the wood to resonate, and this is also amplified by the pickup? (along with the string vibration)

[darren wilson]

Nothing (other than feedback or a sustainer device) will add energy to a vibrating string. Once the string is plucked, it starts to lose energy.

Where the guitar's material comes into play is in how the vibrating string is allowed to vibrate... which frequencies and overtones will resonate and become more prominent, which will be absorbed by the wood and cancelled out, etc.

But essentially, yes, the complex densities of different woods (and composite materials) affect how the strings dissipate their energy, and thus, how they vibrate and produce harmonics and overtones.

The pickup's role is to be tuned to detect and enhance those vibrations from the string.

[dcord]

Originally Posted by Zeek

So does the density and/or resonating of the wood actually cause the string to produce more (or less) harmonic overtones (and/or the fundemental)?

Or, does the string vibration cause certain frequencies in the wood to resonate, and this is also amplified by the pickup? (along with the string vibration)

What Darren said! LOL

Basically, nothing is "amplified" by the pickup. The string's vibration distorts the pickup's magnetic field. Those distortions in the field cause current to flow through the pickup's windings as a sine wave (actually MANY waves). These waves are then sent to the amp and amplified there.

The basic waveform of the string's vibration is shaped by the materials the strings are touching, and what those parts are touching.

~d~

[Zeek]

Originally Posted by dcord

Basically, nothing is "amplified" by the pickup. The string's vibration distorts the pickup's magnetic field. Those distortions in the field cause current to flow through the pickup's windings as a sine wave (actually MANY waves). These waves are then sent to the amp and amplified there.

The basic waveform of the string's vibration is shaped by the materials the strings are touching, and what those parts are touching.

~d~

Ok... now we're getting somewhere The pickups are not "amplifying" the tone resonating from the wood or even from the string itself. The string *physically* alters a magnetic field from the pickup and this is what creates the tone.

All this much I knew. What i'd never dug into before was just how the wood affects this. Interesting.

Gee, given this, now should i bring up the 'body mounted' vs 'ring mounted' pickup debate?

[dcord]

Originally Posted by Zeek

Ok... now we're getting somewhere The pickups are not "amplifying" the tone resonating from the wood or even from the string itself. The string *physically* alters a magnetic field from the pickup and this is what creates the tone.

You got it, mostly. The distortions in the magnetic field create the actual electric wave that gets amplified. "Tone" is the actual shape of the wave itself, which is shaped by the materials in the guitar's construction as well as the string's construction itself.

All this much I knew. What i'd never dug into before was just how the wood affects this. Interesting.

Gee, given this, now should i bring up the 'body mounted' vs 'ring mounted' pickup debate?

Yeah, the wood is a major component of the guitar's tone because the density of the wood helps to dampen or accentuate certain overtones in the basic wave.

It is said by some that body mounted pickups sound better. It could be argued that direct mounted pickups create a more stable magnetic field since they don't move, but it's probably hogwash. I prefer direct mounted pickups simply because I think mounting rings look stupid.

~d~

[darren wilson]

Originally Posted by dcord

The distortions in the magnetic field create the actual electric wave that gets amplified. "Tone" is the actual shape of the wave itself, which is shaped by the materials in the guitar's construction as well as the string's construction itself.

Don't forget that the construction and position of the pickups also play a role in how the tone is shaped. The kind of magnets, the number of windings, the gauge of wire, position of the pickup and distance from the strings are all contributing factors for the size, shape and strength of the magnetic field, and thus how the strings interact with it.

In the direct-mounted vs. ring-mounted debate, i've heard it argued from a pseudo-scientific/mechanical point of view that mounting the pickups directly can cause them to vibrate sympathetically with the wood's vibrations, which can have a subtle effect on how the magnetic field interacts with the strings. Certain frequencies could be vibrating in or out of phase, either enhancing them or cancelling them to a degree.

Conversely, spring-mounting them in rings or on a pickguard can isolate the pickups from the body vibrations, resulting in a more "true" capture of the string's pure vibration.

It's a sensible argument, but if there is a difference, the average ear wouldn't be able to hear it.

Either way, i'm with dcord... i prefer direct-mounted because i think ring-mounted pickups look dumb.

At any rate, this particular discussion has been carried out many times before, so we should continue it in one of the existing threads, rather than steer this one too far off topic.

[Zeek]

Originally Posted by darren wilson

It's a sensible argument, but if there is a difference, the average ear wouldn't be able to hear it.

Makes good sense to me. And no, I don't believe anyone (well, most mortals, anyway) in a blind comparison could tell the diff. Even in 2 identical guitars (which is theoretically impossible anyway).

Originally Posted by darren wilson

Either way, i'm with dcord... i prefer direct-mounted because i think ring-mounted pickups look dumb.

I agree. I'm not fond of rings, either.

Originally Posted by darren wilson

At any rate, this particular discussion has been carried out many times before, so we should continue it in one of the existing threads, rather than steer this one too far off topic.

Yep.. I was only really joking about the direct mount debate anyway