A major part of the modding world is to improve a function or a sound, making a guitar (hopefully) better. But what about wanting to make an instrument sound different, perhaps dramatically so? For a guitar maker that’s easy and we’ve seen plenty of examples from all sorts of sources that maybe plonk a pair of humbuckers onto a Strat, or a set of Filter’Trons onto a Tele, or a Tele’s pickup set on a Jazzmaster… to name just a few sonic mash-ups. Mixing up the design cues from the classics is commonplace, but beyond butchering a perfectly good guitar, investing in a full partscaster build, or commissioning a custom build, is there another way? Of course!
As we know, there are plenty of humbucking pickups that we can voice to approach the sound of a single coil, and plenty of single coil-sized designs that emulate the sound of a full-size humbucker. These can in, the first instance, give our instrument more sounds or beef up a bolt-on in the second. All good, but it’s just scratching the surface.
Numerous other pickup designs exist that didn’t originally fit either the humbucking or classic single coil-size protocol. The Gibson P-90 was one of the first to be adapted to fit a standard humbucking route, for example. Conversely, especially in its soapbar size, there are plenty of pickups that’ll drop into that size cavity and offer very un-P-90-like sounds.
Different Voices
But these industry-standard sizes simply don’t reflect the diversely different pickup designs that have been used throughout the history of the electric instrument: Fender’s Jazzmaster or Jaguar pickups and the original ‘Wide Range’ humbucker, for example; the Gretsch Filter’Tron or Dynasonic; the Gold Foil and its variants that graced many a retro Japanese build; the Guild LB-1… There are plenty more.
Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Guitarist.
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Denne historien er fra November 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