The 1968 Sekova Grecian also has a noteworthy pickup configuration, with a pickup for each string, the bass frequencies coming from the neck and the treble from the bridge. Memorable examples include the Teisco Del Ray Spectrum 5, which features six staggered pickups, three for the treble strings and three for the bass strings, with five different pickup switches the Greco 975 Shrike 12-String employs four pickups in two opposite ‘arrow’ formations – you can use all four simultaneously, or only the ‘top’ from the bridge pickup, or only the ‘bottom’ of the neck pickup, or vice versa. And innovative pickup configurations were a huge focus in these designs. Japanese guitars from the 1960s exude some of the most unique designs to ever have emerged on the guitar market, often blurring the fine line between beauty and monstrosity. Who cares what they sound like? What other guitars can do that? Japanese Monsters With more than 10 knobs and switches to work with, these guitars were insanely versatile (though not noted for sounding that great), with options to select between different combinations of the four pickups, to set each one to “pick up” either the lower or upper three strings, and even pan on the fly. While there are some crazy experimental versions with multiple necks and pickups into the teens, the Stella is easily the most crazy commercial Soviet guitar when it comes to pickups.
Rather than concentrating on clean body-lines, resonants woods, and tone from the actual guitar, the creators of these guitars went to town on the circuitry.īecause of this, the pickups and circuitry in many of these guitars was ridiculously complicated.
In the 1960s, beyond the Iron Curtain, electric guitars in the Soviet Union developed with little influence from the ‘capitalist’, or Western, guitar types we know today.
#Single coil vs humbucker preference mod#
But, then again, there’s always the option to go down the DIY route and mod your guitar at home by carving out or taping up the pickguard (Sonic Youth were known to do this extensively with their guitars, ripping out electronics and replacing them with whatever they could get their hands on). Whether you’re a “single coil” or “humbucker” guitarist ultimately depends on what your guitar model can fit. But, of course, ultimately it’s up to your preference. However, the warmth and high output of humbuckers gel perfectly with jazz and metal, two genres which sit almost exclusively under the scope of the “humbucker” sound.
#Single coil vs humbucker preference plus#
While this is an obvious plus for anyone who spurns the nosiness of a single coil, they do compress more than the single coil, and don’t have the certain brightness or ‘twang’ required for genres like country and surf. Invented by Seth Lover from Gibson, these pickups have two coils in the same casing, with magnetic poles in opposite directions to ‘buck’ out the electrical hum. Where single-coils tend to be clear and bright, humbuckers are thick and heavy. And you don’t have to look far to spot a lipstick-armed guitar in the hands of many modern players (Beck’s Silvertone 1449 anyone?) Humbuckers As the latter suggests, these pickups were favoured in American surf music in the late 50s, as well as rockabilly. Many vintage Danelectros and Silvertones sported these sleek pickups, as well as modern guitars such as the Squier Vintage Modified Surf Stratocaster, which features three Duncan Designed lipstick pickups. Instead of a bobbin, the coil is wrapped around an alnico VI bar magnet, wrapped in copper wire, and stuffed into the metal case. LipsticksĪnother type of single-coil, these pickups get their name, quite literally, from their construction – in the 1950s Danelectro used actual army surplus lipstick tubes to house the electronics for their pickups. One artist’s trash is another artist’s treasure. These are described as having a clear top end with rich harmonic overtones. Custom Goldfoil pickups by artists like Curtis Novak and Jason Lollar are receiving a lot of praise, and can go for hundreds of dollars. Despite their cheap or trashy reputation, they have a cult following for some tone tastemakers. On the inside, adjustable pole pieces run through a steel bar to widen the magnetic field.