Changing Your Pickups/ Post # 4

In my last post I had talked about pickups, what they were and how they function. For this post, we will be looking at the internal wiring specs of a guitar. Don't worry, it's not as scary as it sounds! Usually, when you buy a new guitar it  is more than likely going to come with stock or generic pickups. To the untrained ear they might sound the same as any other pickup would but to the trained ear, it might sound off-putting. When this does occur, one might want to switch out the stock pickups for something that will give them the preferred sound it is that they are looking for. In order to do so, you must have a few things available to you, tools if you will.

 
 

Pictured above are a simple screwdriver, a pickup wiring schematic(Seymour Duncan), Seymour Duncan humbuckers, and a soldering iron with extra solder. Use the screw driver to remove the back plate of the guitar which protects and houses the guitar's electrical wires. Once removed, start by removing the old pickups from the guitar. You must have the strings off in order to do so. Use solder to weld off the already existing wires from the conductor. Once the old pickups are removed, it's time to insert the new set. Do this by looking at a wiring schematic of the brand and type of pickups it is you are going to swap in. It is essential that you are careful in knowing how to read the schematic while also being careful not to use too much solder than what is needed. A small flaw in either of these things can result to the pickups not working or a bad electric shock. There are more tedious details in which I have left out but those are personal preference. This Friday I will be talking about guitar pedals, a fun tool that can be used to further distort the sound of the guitar. Tune in then, have a good one.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comparison of Pickups/ Post # 3

After briefly going over the types of wood that can be used to construct a guitar, I think it's about time we get into the electrical components that give us that great sound we call amplification. Let us start by comparing an acoustic guitar to an electric guitar. The main difference that distinguishes one from the other is that electric guitars are loaded with pickups while acoustics have a resonating chamber that allows the sound to be heard by using the strings vibrations.

With that out of the way, I'll be continuing with the electric guitar and pickups.
The way pickups work can be thought of as complicated but I will just get to the main points. When a string is struck, the vibrations are picked up by the powerful magnets that are contained within the pickups. The concentrated vibrations are then transferred to an amp via guitar input cable where they will be heard as either clean or distorted notes. There are a wide selection of pickups available on the market from many different retailers pushing their products.You have your single coils to your humbuckers to your active blackouts to burstbuckers and the list goes on. I will name a few now from a retailer that goes by the name of Seymour Duncan: Sentient, which is a humbucker that gives off a rich harmonic sound.

Another is Livewire Classic 2 for Strat which is a humbucker that has the appearance and overall same resulting sound as a single coil pickup would have.

Each type of pickup has its own unique look and sound that is produced. The great thing about these are that they can be swapped out for your preferred sound or simply for a new set. In my next post, I'll discuss how to swap out a pickup, the component responsible for allowing the vibrations to be heard through an amplifier, for another pickup. Stick around and have a good one.    

Good Wood/ Post # 2

Hello viewers, before I get into the actual content or topic of this post I would like to take the time to mention that in my last post, I had forgotten to state that my blog would focus mostly on electric guitars. I took the time to mention that now because acoustic and electric guitars do not have the same components. My previous post had indicated that I would be discussing the types of wood that are used to make guitars. There are many types of wood that can be used to make a guitar and the choice that is selected will affect the guitar in some ways. Some examples of wood types are maple, mahogany, basswood, alder, walnut and the list goes on. The type of wood that is used can alter the weight of the guitar, the price of a guitar, but most importantly, the tone of a guitar.

Fender, which is one of the most successful guitar retailers still selling instruments, likes to use a variety of woods but they all vary from prices to looks and the sound that is produced. A guitar can have any sound the guitar luthier, one who makes and or fixes the stringed instruments, desires. When Leo Fender, the founder of Fender, began drafting his first designs, he chose many woods but felt comfortable with the look and sound of a particular wood. “ Leo Fender chose swamp ash for his first Esquire, Broadcaster and Telecaster guitars... swamp ash is lighter... that makes it remarkably resonant and sweet sounding, with clearly chiming highs, defined midrange and strong low end. Higher overtones are more clearly defined in lower registers, improving harmonic content. Further, the wood has a beautiful grain and color that make for gorgeous transparent finishes”. As you can see, all of these things are to be considered when making or purchasing a guitar because they go a long way when you actually play the instrument. Leo’s decision of using swamp ash wood was very particular for the set of guitars it was intended to be used for. That being said, it can be applied or used to make other guitar styles or types but the end product will always be different. Wood is a very important component of the guitar making process and the wood that is used will affect the guitar in specific ways. Stick around for my next post where I will be discussing some of the electrical components of the instrument.

http://www.fender.com/news/tech-talk-ash-and-alder/

Introduction/ Post # 1

What do you think of when you see a guitar? What do you think of when you hear the instrument? When I first saw a guitar I cared noting about it, didn't give it the time of my day. That changed when I went over to a friends and picked it up. It almost felt natural to hold and I have been playing everyday since. My passion for the instrument grew and it continues to do so to this day . That is part of the reason why I am sitting here trying to type this thing out(also because I'm constantly talking about them). If you want to learn about a guitar for any reason, whether it be to be informed or because you wish to purchase a specific guitar you've come to the right place...might not be the best place but its a start. Catch my next post in a couple of days where I will be discussing wood types and the bodies of guitars. Until then, have a good one!