Being as how the bridge pickup on my ash start just is completely icepicky- and its supposed to be a warm sounding pickup-not too bright, I went in search of more pickup info.
Of course, the gauge of wire, the way its wound, the type of magnet and lastly the type of electronics and wood in the guitar all play a factor in tone.
It appears that all things equal, I am going to need a pickup with more output to tame the highs on my start.
Well, heres some pickup ( and elctronics info. I hope this helps someone;
You can add or subtract bass, mid, treble, and output. The odds of a particular PU giving you exact tone you want is a long shot, because that varies with guitar design & wood (every piece of wood has its unique tone qualities, even if cut from the same tree). What do magnets do? The same PU becomes the Custom with a ceramic, a C5 with an A5, and a Custom Custom with an A2; huge differences in tone.
It comes down to this. You can: 1) live with a guitar's tone that isn't what you want, 2) spend hundreds of dollars buying & selling PU's hoping to stumble across a stock PU that fits your wood and desired tone (there are no guarantees), or 3) start using magnets, pots, and caps to dial in your tone. This is simple stuff that a kid can do, so don't roll your eyes & start making excuses.
Alnico Magnets:
A2 - low output, heavy mids, little treble, bass is loose
A3 - low output, like an A2 but with more treble
A4 - mod output, the most balanced EQ of the magnets
A5 - mod/high output, lots of treble & tight bass, scooped mids
A6 - high output with less treble
A8 - high output, like a A2 with muscle
Pots:
250K-300K - takes off some of the highest treble, ideal for bridge PU's
500K - emphasizes treble, ideal for neck PU's, and bridge PU's with warm magnets
Caps:
.022 - for more treble - good for neck
.050 - less treble - good for bridge
.100 - more bass, less treble - good for bridge
There are many old threads about these, with more details, and all you need to know to do the work yourself.
So do you want to keeping buying PU's that someone with good intentions recommended, that may sound totally different in your guitar, especially played through your amp? Or do you want to be self-sufficient and be able to make a PU fit your needs? You are on the best forum to get help to do all of this. So, how soon can you start reading old threads and get up to speed (and don't tell me you've got to pick up some dry-cleaning or rearrange your sock drawer)?
Magnets do add to the character of a pickup although it must be understood that a magnet doesn't have a sound on it's own, it contributes by the way it accentuates certain frequencies as current is induced in the coil windings.
Alnico II is the softest and generally has a smooth bass and treble although this is more pronounced the hotter the windings get.
Alnico III is very transparent, low output and clean,sounds great for rounded fat jazz applications-typical of '50s tone.
Alnico IV is probably the best vintage tone IMHO(for humbuckers) and along with II and III was used in the earliest PAFs-this is a fact and not myth as we've had them analysed and a collegue of mine has also seen original Gibson purchase orders that clearly state AIV bar stock being purchased.The tone of AIV is balanced and extremely organic, it produces the most authentic vintage tone and sits better in slightly hotter vintage winds than AII which tends to get very soft in the bass and highs if used incorrectly.
Finally Alnico V is the hottest producing more highs and lows, great for rock applications or where power and cut are important.
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