Misplaced Pages

#29970

40-425: The EBow uses a pickup in an inductive string driver feedback circuit, including a sensor coil, driver coil and amplifier, to vibrate strings, producing a sound reminiscent of using a bow on the strings . The EBow was introduced in 1976 at NAMM , and has remained in continuous production since. The first version was activated by plucking the guitar string . The second, introduced in 1983, added an on/off switch and

80-445: A loudspeaker in a speaker enclosure . The signal from a pickup can also be recorded directly. The first electrical string instrument with pickups, the " Frying Pan " slide guitar, was created by George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker around 1931. Most electric guitars and electric basses use magnetic pickups. Acoustic guitars , upright basses and fiddles often use a piezoelectric pickup. A typical magnetic pickup

120-405: A Wind that Screams" and his cover of T. Rex 's "The Visit". Pickup (music technology) A pickup is a transducer that captures or senses mechanical vibrations produced by musical instruments , particularly stringed instruments such as the electric guitar , and converts these to an electrical signal that is amplified using an instrument amplifier to produce musical sounds through

160-444: A design restriction that limits the dynamic range of the circuit. The active circuitry may contain audio filters, which reduce the dynamic range and mildly distort certain ranges. High-output active pickup systems also have an effect on an amplifier's input circuit. Rickenbacker was the first manufacturer to market stereo instruments (guitars and basses). Their proprietary "Ric-O-Sound" circuitry has two separate output jacks, allowing

200-401: A fairly recent development that work by sensing the interruption of a light beam by a vibrating string. The light source is usually an LED, and the detector is a photodiode or phototransistor . These pickups are completely resistant to magnetic or electric interference and also have a very broad and flat frequency response, unlike magnetic pickups. Optical pickup guitars were first shown at

240-614: A few particular models use include: The piezoelectric pickup contains a piezo crystal, which converts the vibrations directly to a changing voltage. Many semi-acoustic and acoustic guitars , and some electric guitars and basses, have been fitted with piezoelectric pickups instead of, or in addition to, magnetic pickups. These have a very different sound, and also have the advantage of not picking up any other magnetic fields, such as mains hum and feedback from monitoring loops. In hybrid guitars , this system allows switching between magnetic pickup and piezo sounds, or simultaneously blending

280-567: A high input impedance , typically a megohm or more, and a low-impedance load increases attenuation of higher frequencies. Typical maximum frequency of a single-coil pickup is around 5 kHz, with the highest note on a typical guitar fretboard having a fundamental frequency of 1.17 kHz. Single-coil pickups act like a directional antenna and are prone to pick up mains hum —nuisance alternating current electromagnetic interference from electrical power cables, power transformers, fluorescent light ballasts, video monitors or televisions—along with

320-421: A magnet, and are the most common type used. They can generate electric potential without need for external power, though their output is relatively low, and the harmonic content of output depends greatly on the winding. "Active" pickups incorporate electronic circuitry to modify the signal. Active circuits are able to filter, attenuate or boost the signal from the pickup. The main disadvantage of an active system

360-520: A more powerful drive. The third, introduced in 1989, had improved sensitivity and faster attack . The EBow Plus, introduced in 1998, adds a blue LED and a switch to allow users to move between normal and harmonic modes (which sounds one octave higher). It is powered by a nine-volt battery . The EBow uses a pickup and a magnetic feedback circuit to vibrate strings without touching them. Whereas guitars traditionally have fast attack and slow release , meaning notes ring immediately and then fade out,

400-406: A patch cable. The pickup is most often mounted on the body of the instrument, but can be attached to the bridge , neck or pickguard . The pickups vary in power, and they vary in style. Some pickups can be single coil, in which one coil picks up the sound of all strings, while other pickups can be double coil humbuckers . A special type of humbucker characteristic for Precision type bass guitars

440-542: A similar inductance. Most electric guitars have two or three magnetic pickups. A combination of pickups is called a pickup configuration , usually notated by writing out the pickup types in order from bridge pickup through mid pickup(s) to neck pickup, using “S” for single-coil and “H” for humbucker. Typically the bridge pickup is known as the lead pickup, and the neck pickup is known as the rhythm pickup. Common pickup configurations include: Less frequently found configurations are: Examples of rare configurations that only

SECTION 10

#1732869091030

480-404: A sound', and are not so neutral. On fine jazz guitars, the parallel wiring produces significantly cleaner sound, as the lowered source impedance drives capacitive cable with lower high frequency attenuation. A side-by-side humbucking pickup senses a wider section of each string than a single-coil pickup. By picking up a larger portion of the vibrating string, more lower harmonics are present in

520-439: A very wide frequency range output compared to the magnetic types and can give large amplitude signals from the strings. For this reason, the buffer amplifier is often powered from relatively high voltage rails (about ±9 V) to avoid distortion due to clipping . A less linear preamp (like a single- FET amplifier) might be preferable due to softer clipping characteristics. Such an amplifier starts to distort sooner, which makes

560-476: A wider range of available sounds. For early pickup devices using the piezoelectric effect, see phonograph . Some pickup products are installed and used similarly to piezoelectric pickups, but use different underlying technology, for instance electret or condenser microphone technology. There are basically four principles used to convert sound into an alternating current, each with their pros and cons: An amplification system with two transducers combines

600-402: Is a transducer (specifically a variable reluctance sensor ) that consists of one or more permanent magnets (usually alnico or ferrite ) wrapped with a coil of several thousand turns of fine enameled copper wire. The magnet creates a magnetic field which is focused by the pickup's pole piece or pieces. The permanent magnet in the pickup magnetizes the guitar string above it. This causes

640-444: Is called split coil pickup: two coils, each of them picks up different strings, on a 4-string bass, one coil the E and A string, the second coil the D and G string. The pickup is one of the most important aspects to distinguishing an electric guitar's sound. Most guitar models have a distinction in pickups, which act as a new selling point for guitar companies. Pickups have magnetic polepieces, typically one or two for each string, with

680-426: Is composed of two coils, with each coil wound reverse to the other. Each set of six magnetic poles is also opposite in polarity. Since ambient hum from electrical devices reaches the coils as common-mode noise , it induces an equal voltage in each coil, but 180 degrees out of phase between the two voltages. These effectively cancel each other, while the signal from the guitar string is doubled. When wired in series, as

720-467: Is most common, the overall inductance of the pickup is increased, which lowers its resonance frequency and attenuates the higher frequencies, giving a less trebly tone (i.e., "fatter") than either of the two component single-coil pickups would give alone. An alternative wiring places the coils in buck parallel, which has a more neutral effect on resonant frequency. This pickup wiring is rare, as guitarists have come to expect that humbucking pickups 'have

760-420: Is not isolated by a buffer amplifier or a DI unit . The turns of wire in proximity to each other have an equivalent self- capacitance that, when added to any cable capacitance present, resonates with the inductance of the winding. This resonance can accentuate certain frequencies, giving the pickup a characteristic tonal quality. The more turns of wire in the winding, the higher the output voltage but

800-422: Is requirement of a battery power source to operate the preamp circuitry. Batteries limit circuit design and functionality, in addition to being inconvenient to the musician. The circuitry may be as simple as a single transistor, or up to several operational amplifiers configured as active filters, active EQ and other sound-shaping features. The op amps used must be of a low-power design to optimize battery life,

840-531: The MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) protocol. A hexaphonic pickup and a converter are usually components of a guitar/synthesizer . Such pickups are uncommon (compared to normal ones), and only a few notable models exist, like the piezoelectric pickups on the Moog Guitar . Hexaphonic pickups can be either magnetic or piezoelectric or based on the condensor principle like electronicpickups Optical pickups are

SECTION 20

#1732869091030

880-612: The Red Hot Chili Peppers , Van Halen , Metallica and the Foo Fighters . In the 1980s, the Bongos used the EBow in the intro of their song "Numbers With Wings" and in "River To River", "Miss Jean", "Glow", "Flew A Falcon" and "Sweet Blue Cage". Frontman Richard Barone continues to use an EBow on his subsequent solo recordings and much of his production work including his songs "Love is

920-501: The 1969 NAMM Convention in Chicago , by Ron Hoag. In 2000, Christopher Willcox, founder of LightWave Systems, unveiled a new beta technology for an optical pickup system using infrared light. In May 2001, LightWave Systems released their second generation pickup, dubbed the "S2." Pickups can be either active or passive . Pickups, apart from optical types, are inherently passive transducers. "Passive" pickups are usually wire-wound around

960-681: The 1996 Oasis song " Don't Look Back in Anger ". The EBow was prominently used by the Siouxsie and the Banshees guitarist John McGeoch on "Sin in My Heart", from the 1981 album Juju . The EBow is used by the Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien for performances of songs such as " My Iron Lung ", "Talk Show Host", " Jigsaw Falling Into Place ", "Where I End and You Begin" and " Nude ". Other users include Duran Duran ,

1000-560: The EBow "changed everything for me ... [It] basically turns the guitar into a keyboard ... It completely opened up the sound of the guitar." The EBow has been used to create background textures or sustained notes similar to guitar feedback , as in " (Don't Fear) The Reaper " (1976) by Blue Öyster Cult and " Heaven Beside You " (1996) by Alice in Chains . It was used by the Edge on the 1983 U2 album The Unforgettable Fire and by Noel Gallagher on

1040-432: The EBow can sustain notes indefinitely and gives greater control over attack and decay. The EBow can only play one string at a time, but can be moved across the strings to play arpeggios . It can produce sounds similar to cello or violin. The EBow was particularly popular in 1980s music, used by acts such as Big Country , Tones on Tail , Love and Rockets and Bill Nelson . The Love and Rockets guitarist Daniel Ash said

1080-690: The Highlander iP-2, the Verweij VAMP or the LR Baggs dual source and the D-TAR Multisource. Hexaphonic pickups (also called divided pickups and polyphonic pickups ) have a separate output for each string ( Hexaphonic assumes six strings, as on a guitar). This allows for separate processing and amplification for each string. It also allows a converter to sense the pitch coming from individual string signals for producing note commands, typically according to

1120-439: The bridge feet and the top of the instrument, or, less frequently, wedged under a wing of the bridge. Some pickups are fastened to the top of the instrument with removable putty . Piezoelectric pickups have a very high output impedance and appear as a capacitance in series with a voltage source . They therefore often have an instrument-mounted buffer amplifier fitted to maximize frequency response . The piezo pickup gives

1160-440: The distortion less "buzzy" and less audible than a more linear, but less forgiving op-amp . However, at least one study indicates that most people cannot tell the difference between FET and op-amp circuits in blind listening comparisons of electric instrument preamps, which correlates with results of formal studies of other types of audio devices. Sometimes, piezoelectric pickups are used in conjunction with magnetic types to give

1200-407: The final sound because the magnet's pull on the strings (called string capture ) can cause problems with intonation as well as damp the strings and reduce sustain . Other high-output pickups have more turns of wire to increase the voltage generated by the string's movement. However, this also increases the pickup's output resistance and impedance , which can affect high frequencies if the pickup

1240-407: The lower this resonance frequency . The arrangement of parasitic resistances and capacitances in the guitar, cable, and amplifier input, combined with the inductive source impedance inherent in this type of transducer forms a resistively-damped second-order low-pass filter , producing a non-linearity effect not found in piezoelectric or optical transducers. Pickups are usually designed to feed

EBow - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-518: The musical signal. Mains hum consists of a fundamental signal at a nominal 50 or 60 Hz, depending on local current frequency, and usually some harmonic content. To overcome this, the humbucking pickup was invented by Joseph Raymond "Ray" Butts (for Gretsch ), while Seth Lover also worked on one for Gibson . Who developed it first is a matter of some debate, but Butts was awarded the first patent ( U.S. patent 2,892,371 ) and Lover came next ( U.S. patent 2,896,491 ). A humbucking pickup

1320-461: The musician to send each pickup to its own audio chain (effects device, amplifier, mix console input). Teisco produced a guitar with a stereo option. Teisco divided the two sections in the upper three strings and the lower three strings for each individual output. The Gittler guitar was a limited production guitar with six pickups, one for each string. Gibson created the HD.6X Pro guitar that captures

1360-500: The notable exceptions of rail and lipstick tube pickups. Single polepieces are approximately centered on each string whereas dual polepieces such as the standard pickups on the Fender Jazz Bass and Precision Bass sit either side of each string. On most guitars, the strings are not fully parallel: they converge at the nut and diverge at the bridge. Thus, bridge, neck and middle pickups usually have different polepiece spacings on

1400-409: The output. Solid bodied guitars with only a piezo pickup are known as silent guitars , which are usually used for practicing by acoustic guitarists. Piezo pickups can also be built into electric guitar bridges for conversion of existing instruments. Most pickups for bowed string instruments, such as cello, violin, and double bass, are piezoelectric. These may be inlaid into the bridge , laid between

1440-426: The qualities of both. A combination of a microphone and a piezoelectric pickup typically produces better sound quality and less sensitivity to feedback, as compared to single transducers. However, this is not always the case. A less frequently used combination is a piezoelectric and a magnetic pickup. This combination can work well for a solid sound with dynamics and expression. Examples of a double system amplifier are

1480-406: The same guitar. There are several standards on pickup sizes and string spacing between the poles. Spacing is measured either as a distance between 1st to 6th polepieces' centers (this is also called "E-to-E" spacing), or as a distance between adjacent polepieces' centers. Some high-output pickups employ very strong magnets, thus creating more flux and thereby more output. This can be detrimental to

1520-424: The signal produced by the pickup in relation to high harmonics, resulting in a "fatter" tone. Humbucking pickups in the narrow form factor of a single coil, designed to replace single-coil pickups, have the narrower aperture resembling that of a single coil pickup. Some models of these single-coil-replacement humbuckers produce more authentic resemblances to classic single-coil tones than full-size humbucking pickups of

1560-409: The string to generate a magnetic field which is in alignment with that of the permanent magnet. When the string is plucked, the magnetic field around it moves up and down with the string. This moving magnetic field induces a voltage in the coil of the pickup as described by Faraday's law of induction . Output voltage depends on the instrument and playing style and which string(s) are played and where on

1600-464: The string, but for example, a Samick TV Twenty guitar played on the bridge measured 16 mV  RMS (200  mV  peak) for one string and 128 mV RMS (850 mV peak) for a chord. The pickup is connected with a patch cable to an amplifier , which amplifies the signal to a sufficient magnitude of power to drive a loudspeaker (which might require tens of volts). A pickup can also be connected to recording equipment via

#29970