Understanding how to choose pickups

[Benn Roe]

I've been playing guitar and bass a long time, but I've never had much technical know-how. I'm mostly self-taught, and I've just picked up bits and pieces along the course of the last 20 years or so. For a variety of reasons I've decided to up my technical understanding game a bit, which is why I've started slowly accumulating parts to build and wire my first partscaster. The next step for my build is getting pickups, however, and after a fair bit of research I'm still feeling a bit perplexed. I understand the basic differences in construction between humbuckers and single-coils, but I guess I want help with understanding how a pickup's various specs affect its sound. What are the tonal differences between different types of magnets? What are the benefits and drawbacks of higher output pickups? Lower output? What other factors should I consider?

To help narrow the scope of information I'm requesting, here are some buzzwords that describe the tone I'm looking for: bright, well-defined, full, sustain, clear, crisp. Help me understand how to get there!

[Mudfuzz]

Some good places to start
https://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Electroni ... 0711902321 [the basics]
https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Magnetism ... 0933224257 [the oddball mad scientist]
http://www.lollarguitars.com/jason-lollar/winder-book [the how-to]

also maybe
https://www.amazon.com/PICKUPS-WINDINGS ... 1574242091
https://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Pickup-Ha ... sbs_14_t_1

[Chankgeez]

From your description, seems like maybe a mini-humbucker to me.

Although, I can't help you get there because I'm untechnical as well.

[kosta]

What kind of guitar are they going into? What types of woods? And do you have a guitar tone you can reference for us from a recording or YouTube video? To me, it sounds like maybe something from Lace or Alumitone might be up your alley, but a reference song might help narrow it down.

[adamajah]

If you're really starting from ground zero, have a skim of this basic guide: >>caution: non-ILF approved link>> https://www.seymourduncan.com/support-p ... sectionOne >>caution: non-ILF approved link>>

[Mudfuzz]

caution: non-ILF approved link>>

I don't agree on this nonapproval...

[Benn Roe]

Thanks for the help so far, dudes! The wood isn't locked in yet, but my plan was a hard maple Warmoth telecaster body. I already have an EGC tele neck for it. I'm less concerned right now with the "what", though, than I am with the "how" and "why". I guess my big question relates to the effect of a pickup's output and/or resistance on its sound. I honestly don't even have any sense of scale here either, with regard to what constitutes "high" or "low" output.

I'll try to think of a song to share that might help, but I'm mostly just continuing to refine my own tone based on sounds in my head more than from any tangible reference. I just figured since I'm putting a lot of money into a guitar I'll never be able to sell I may as well dot all my 'i's and cross all my 't's when ensuring that I like playing it

[kosta]

Do you play solid state or tube amps? And what type? Pickup output will behave/sound a bit different depending on the type of amp as well.

[kosta]

And yeah – the Seymour Duncan website is amazingly valuable for pickup and wiring info. Indispensable really.

[Benn Roe]

I mostly play tube amps. My main guitar rig at the moment is a Fender Quad Reverb. I sometimes double up with a solid state Acoustic rig, though (usually a 270 into a 104, but I have a pretty large vintage Acoustic collection, so it varies).

[repoman]

It's something you kind of have to experiment with and see what floats your boat. It's pretty subjective and theres lots of marketing schpiel to sway you one way or another.
IMO the lower the output, the more articulate/well defined the notes are. I tend to like finding the lowest outputs possible, with the pickup as close to the strings as I can get them before it interferes with playing. I generally associate humbuckers with a tighter, punchier attack of the note, and maybe a little less complexity vs. a single coil. Single coils seem to have a slower attack and sound a bit more 'rounded.'

[Bon Hoga]

[ibarakishi]

pretty much this

[calfzilla]

You'll probably run into someone saying "resistance doesn't matter"... I think it's great as a relative measurement between the same kind of pickup (single coil, humbucker, mini-hum, P90), but it gets tricky when you go between styles. A "hot" strat pickup is in the 8-10K range depending on position. 8K is on the edge of "vintage T-Top" for humbuckers. 5K is low for a single; I only know of one winder that does a humbucker that low.

Magnets can/will make a difference because of their strength. Stronger magnets are usually associated with more output (that's why you see A8 magnets in higher output humbuckers).

Another thing to look for is wire gauge. Some winders will use thinner wire, allowing them to get more winds and get "higher output readings", but it may not sound any hotter than something with thicker wire and less winds.

There's a lot of good winders with great prices. You'll probably end up having to buy a couple different kinds of pickups and pickguards and just experimenting.

[Gone Fission]

I'd be cautious about Duncan's pickup selection/recommendation content. Frequency-wise, they want everything to average out to vanilla. Decades have given me a rather firm opinion that is foolish to fight physics. As a matter of location, bridge pickups are gonna sound brighter and snarlier and neck pickups are going to sound bassier and smoother. I get further accepting that reality and just fine tuning a bit.