Aside from its strings, the most commonly changed bits on any modder’s guitar are invariably the pickups. From just a handful of aftermarket choices back in the 70s, the pickup market has mushroomed to such an extent that you honestly wonder how all these brands survive. Have you ever wondered how many pickups you’ve retrofitted over the years? How many hours (days!) you’ve spent wrestling with wires and solder? Then there’s the dismantling and reassembly time: few classic designs make pickup swapping easy, like a Tele’s bridge pickup, or obviously a Thinline semi.
Earlier this year in issue 448 we auditioned a very forward-looking Relish Eucalypt Mary with its pull out/push in pickup system. A great idea… although you have to buy the guitar as well. But it set me thinking, isn’t there a better way for those of us who like to tinker?
More affordable than buying a Relish guitar, and readily more available, is the solderless pickup. In terms of manufacturing, some makers – though still the minority – are using pickups with push connectors so they just plug into the control circuit, which presumably speeds up assembly time in the factory. In the active world, EMG has a very effective solderless system for its pickups and components; Fishman uses push-on plugs to connect its Fluence pickups to the circuit, but the actual controls and so on still need a soldering iron. Back in the passive world, Seymour Duncan has the Liberator, mounted on either a 250k or 500kohm volume pot, which allows you to connect the bare output wires of its (or other makers’) pickups to the circuit with a screw-down solderless interface.
Denne historien er fra October 2019-utgaven av Guitarist.
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Denne historien er fra October 2019-utgaven av Guitarist.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Sonic Shaper
Electro-Harmonix revisits the effect that launched the company with the LPB-3 Linear Power Booster and EQ
Platinum Blonde
PRS has updated its Texas-voiced David Grissom signature amp with more features, lower wattage and a more approachable price tag
TAN LINES
Many of us regard straps as a bit of an afterthought, but to find one that matches the quality of a custom or vintage guitar, Rod Boyes of Pinegrove Leather can help
ELECTRIC STRINGS
Your tone starts with your strings - strike a balance between sound, tuning and durability with six of our favourites
DIFFERENT WINDS
While there's no end to repros of all the classic pickup styles, more and more pickup makers are mixing things up to move forward - Cream T is a good example
Long termers
A few months' gigging, recording and everything that goes with it - welcome to Guitarist's longterm test report
Top Guns
Chapman's new factory move coincides with a bit of a rethink. We track down the key players all around the world
the Wishlist
Dream gear to beg, borrow and steal for...
Reach For The Star
Earlier this year Guild reorganised its 70s-era Polara range. We spent some time with this mid-range 2024 model: a modern pawn-shop prize or a copy too far?
HIGH FLYER
Adrian Thorpe of ThorpyFX remembers the flight path - and turbulence behind Chris Buck's Electric Lightning overdrive/boost, named after a fighter jet and packing a bona fide valve