Guitar Musician News

Acoustic players consider acoustic guitar pickups because there comes a time in the life of every acoustic guitar player when they have honed their skills enough that it is time to perform. There are lots of venues where confident musicians can put the music they have perfected out on display. Almost all acoustic players, though, will want to make sure that they have some type of pickup on their guitar in order to maximize the performance potential.

What kinds of acoustic guitar pickups are there? There are dozens of styles of acoustic guitar pickups, each developed by one of dozens of manufacturers. There are two basic types: a pickup that is built into the guitar, and one that can be installed by the guitar owner. Pickups that are built in are the more desirable of the two, as they were placed and mounted within a guitar intended for the purpose. The pickup is located right where it can pick up the vibrations of the strings with maximum effect, and is usually also very accessible to the player for easy sound adjustment.

There are also several ways in which acoustic guitar pickups can be put through to an amplifier. The most common method is through a patch cord (which usually also needs an adapter in many types of sound systems). There are also dual pickup systems which can incorporate either a patch or a cord used for a microphone, but like with a combination TV/VCR player this type of acoustic guitar pickup will not always function at a premium level.

Classifying Acoustic Guitar Pickups

The kind of acoustic guitar pickups a person is using depends on the number of magnets that are incorporated into it. Single coil pickups are those with one magnet, around which a copper wire is wrapped. The audio given off by these types of pickup are typically brighter with more “twang”, useful for producing a country sound. The single coil, however, is also known for producing a buzz sound or hum. Double coils, which consist of two magnets, eliminate this hum and also have a heavier sound. Many guitar manufacturers will use a combination of single coils or a double coil to produce their sound.

Most acoustic guitar pickups will also have a range of features on board that allow the player to adjust the tone of the guitar. Typically, there will be a control for volume, bass, treble, mid, and an equalizer knob. These adjustments will help to set the tone with the already established levels on an amp when giving a performance.

Acoustic guitar pickups are a relatively new chapter in acoustic guitar history. Even the term acoustic guitar is a bit misleading, since up until the middle of the century almost all “guitars” were acoustic; the pickup had not yet been invented to broadcast the sound. The invention of the pickup meant that it was possible to play the acoustic in a band setting without compromising the level of the other instruments.

Classical guitars are the predecessors to all modern guitars, including basses, acoustics, and electrics. These original guitars are directly descended from the baroque guitar which was found in Spain, with modifications adapted from the early renaissance models. Today, classical guitars are used to play classical music written specifically with the guitar in mind, as well as in different varieties of folk music.

Music

In addition to classic music, the classical guitar is also widely used in two specific types of folk music:

    Celtic Music The guitars are used to add flavor to the other stringed instruments typical in celtic folk music, such as the fiddle and the stand up bass. Celtic music has also incorporated the previously little used strumming patterns on the classical.
    Spanish Music Perhaps the culture best known for their use of the classical guitar in their music are the Spanish. The classical guitar in the hands of a Spanish master gives off a sound like no other, and needs little in the way of accompaniment. It is virtually impossible to find a popular classical guitar player who does not include several dozen songs of Spanish origin in his or her repertoire.

Design

There are several different design variations in classical guitars when compared with acoustic guitars.

    The tuning pegs of the classic instrument are turned backwards.
    The body is made entirely of wood. Acoustics generally have a truss rod made of metal running through the neck. The classical guitar strings do not put the tension on the neck that steel strings of an acoustic will, so this part is generally not included.
    No inlays on the fretboard.
    Classical guitars are slightly wider at the nut than their acoustic and electric counterparts.

Style of Play

Another important difference in the guitar used to play classic music is the ways in which it is played.

    There is a specific posture recommended for classical guitar players. The guitar should be held at a 45 degree angle, with the curve resting on the left knee. The right leg is extended, or used to brace the bottom of the guitar.
    No type of pick or other plectrum is used to pluck the strings. Instead, the fingers are used to pluck the strings to produce a polyphonic sound.
    Strumming is rare in classical guitar playing, but when it is used it is done as a special effect.

And the most important difference….

The most important difference between this instrument and other types of guitar are the strings. Classical guitar strings are made of nylon (they used to be made of ox gut). The three treble strings are made purely of nylon, while the three bass strings are made of a steel wire wrapped with nylon. This string makeup produces the unique sound of classical guitars as well as accounting for the differences in makeup noted above. Nylon strings are also easier to break, which is why strumming is rarely used.

Bass guitar strings are one of the most vital elements in the style, tone, and appearance of your instrument. There are several different types of strings made by dozens of different manufacturers, so it is important to have a good idea of what type of string is best suited to your play before you purchase a set.

Unlike guitars, bass strings are much less likely to break on a player. This is because of the much heavier gauge that allows the strings to make the deeper sound. Of course, the lighter strings may be prone to breakage, especially depending on your style of play. Aggressive play that includes a lot of slapping will mean that your strings break more often than players with a lighter style. If you do not play aggressively and find that you are having trouble with frequently breaking strings, you might want to check and make sure that you are stringing the bass guitar correctly in the first place; check your bridge to make sure the strings aren’t cutting on any sharp outcroppings.

Aside from breakage, basses may need their strings changed in order to maintain a sound that is clear and bright. Changing your strings for tonal maintenance will mean that the frequency you change the strings at depend on what you want to hear from your instrument and how often you play; some players may prefer the deader sound that well-used strings give off.

Types of Bass Strings

Bass guitar strings are classified according to how they are wound. Bass strings are actually made of two different strings; the core string and the winding string. The core string is pretty thick, while the winding string coils about the core in a wrapping pattern; this is why strings appear grooved.

Each type of bass string is named after the winding string used to wrap the core. Roundwound strings have a round shape, while flatround are created flat. Both will produce a different sound. Roundwounds sound very clear and are the most widely used type of string, as they can be applied to all sorts of musical styles. Flatround have flatter wrapping strings, and produce a mellower sound than roundwound. They are also very durable, as they have fewer grooves due to their broad makeup.

Re-using Bass Strings

Because of the durability of bass guitar strings, they do not have to be replaced as often as those used on acoustic and electric guitars. In fact, many players find that they can regain some of the brightness of the strings just by cleaning them. To do this, denatured alcohol is used (do not use water, as it will rust the strings). All the musician has to do is soak the strings in the solution for a half a day or more.

Because bass guitar strings are so important to your individual sound, it is best to gain a lot of knowledge about the way you play each type of string. As noted above, some players might find that they prefer the deader sound of old strings. When changing your strings, make sure not to bump your bass guitar pickups out of position!

Electric guitar pickups are the feature on electric guitars that pick up the sound and send it via electronics to an amplifying system. The pickup was first introduced commercially in a partnership between Les Paul and Gibson, and also around the same time by Leo Fender. These pickups revolutionized both guitars and the music industry, as they essentially created instruments capable of whole new levels of sound that had been impossible to even imagine before.

The types of electric guitar pickups

There are two kinds of pickup. Both use different principles of electronics and sound wave manipulation to send the sound to the amplifier. The oldest type are the magnetic pickups. These pickups consist of a magnet encased in hundreds of turns of copper wire. The vibrations from the strings of the guitar are picked up on the magnetic field that runs between the magnet and the strings, which is always the same when a string has not been plucked. When a string is plucked, the field is changed, and an electric pulse is created which is transferred to the amplification unit.

One issue with magnetic pickups is that the electronic field can create a hum on the low frequency end of the vibration. This hum is picked up by the amplifier along with the sound. To combat this effect, the double coil pickup was created, which has two magnets instead of just one. These pickups are also called humbuckers.

It is possible to make your own pickup, but it takes a lot of time and a lot of patience. In addition, you will not know if you have coiled the wire properly until you feed the power in, and if it does not work that is more hours spent wrapping and figuring out where you went wrong. Still, if you feel confident with this type of activity, there are kits that you can purchase to create your own pickup.

The other, more recent type of pickup is the piezoelectric pickup. Piezo electronics uses crystals to manipulate electric fields to generate voltage. In order to ensure the full response of the sound field, it is necessary to fit the guitar with a buffer, since they are in series. Due to the frequency of the series version of piezoelectric pickups, they are often labeled hexaphonic pickups. This is erroneous, however, as hexaphonic pickups can be used in both piezoelectric and magnetic pickups. The term merely refers to a pickup modulator located under each of the six strings of a guitar (in the case of a piezo electric device, there would be six crystals).

There are dozens of electric guitar pickups available, including those that are built in to electric guitars and those that serve as replacement pickups. Just like with the bass guitars, though, different people will find that some pickups work better with different guitars. Generally, the lower the output of the pickup, the cleaner the sound.