Les Paul Standard: pickup resistance?

[ruger9]

Anybody ever measure the resistance of these stock Epi humbuckers?

 

I'm going to be replacing at least my neck pup, but don't to unsolder everything to get a resistance reading before the new pickups arrive... since I might only be replacing the neck, I'd love to know what's in there now, resistance-wise. Thanks!

[generation zero]

Bridge pickups somewhere in the 12k to 14k range, neck maybe 7k to 9k. I've got an epi bridge pup right here that measured 13.76k... don't have any more epi neck pickups around, I sent my gold pair to animalfarm. I believe I measured and marked them before I sent them... I want to say the neck pickup in that set was somewhere just over 8k, and the bridge was close to the one I still have here, 13 and some change. Maybe if he reads this thread, he'll check them before he installs them, he should be recieving them monday or tuesday I would expect.

[animalfarm]

YEP, and I'm sitting here with my multi-meter in hand, waiting for the

goods to arrive!

Just did a quick resistance reading the "easy way" (I'll explain) on both my

EPI LP Classic and EPI LP Studio, results as follows:

 

LP Classic - Bridge: 13.04K

Neck: 8.06K

 

LP Studio - Bridge: 13.73K

Neck: 8.39K

 

Friend's G-400 - Bridge: 13.99K

Neck: 8.6K

 

The above-listed Bridge pickups are Alnico Classic Plus Humbuckers,

Neck pickups are Alnico Classic Humbuckers

All with Alnico V magnets

 

If you have LP Standard, yours will be same as per 2008 EPI catalog I have.

 

How do you do it? Uhhhhhhh...... Plug a standard gitar cord/cable into your axe,

turn both B and N volumes up to 10 (11 in some folk's case!). On the other

end of the cord, you'll see a plug that looks exactly like the one you just

plugged into your guitar. How amazing, the wonders of technology! Take

a multi-meter set to read resistance range as high as 15k+, select "treble" on

3-way switch. Place one meter lead on TIP(the pointy thing), place other lead

on the barrel (the roundy-looking thing) located ABOVE the plastic spacer ring

between tip and barrel. READ METER! You now have resistance value for bridge

pup. Move 3-way to "rhythm", repeat process to get neck reading. resistance values

will change a bit with temperature, but will be "close enough for government work".

[Ricochet]

 

LP Classic - Bridge: 13.04K

Neck: 8.06K

 

LP Studio - Bridge: 13.73K

Neck: 8.39K

 

Friend's G-400 - Bridge: 13.99K

Neck: 8.6K

 

The above-listed Bridge pickups are Alnico Classic Plus Humbuckers' date='

Neck pickups are Alnico Classic Humbuckers

All with Alnico V magnets

 

[/quote']

 

Just wondering about the discrepancies between the pickup's resistance?

 

My 57CH neck PU measures 7.8 K and the HOTCH bridge PU measures 14K ohms. That's pretty much nailing Epiphone specs.

Gibson have been able to wind to 0.25K tolerances since the early sixties. So it's a bit weird differences almost amount to 1K.

[ruger9]

Holy crap. I NEVER THOUGHT to just use a guitar cable & the pickup selector switch. Thanks for that tip! It just never occurred to me.

 

Man, those bridge pickups are HOT! Funny how all the boutique pups matched sets are much closer... maybe 7 something for the neck and 8 something for the bridge, but the Epi's seems way out of wack.

 

Which is interesting, because my neck pickup so overwhelms my bridge pickup (in the middle position) that the middle position sounds like it's 90% neck. Which is of no use to me. That's why I'm looking at a pup swap.

[Ricochet]

 

Man' date=' those bridge pickups are HOT! Funny how all the boutique pups matched sets are much closer... maybe 7 something for the neck and 8 something for the bridge, but the Epi's seems way out of wack.

[/quote']

 

Well.... 7 and 8K are more vintage PAF-type specs. In the early '80s players wanted a hotter bridge model to drive the preamp. Arguably the most popular replacement humbucker since then has been the Seymour Duncan SH4 JB which measures around 16K.

Since modern amps are pretty much able to give you any sound you want including "balls to the wall everything on 11" at whisper-volumes, players seem to have found a new appreciation for vintage output pickups.

[ruger9]

I love the JB I've got in the bridge of my 80's Charvel. But for a Les Paul, I think I'm more apt to want PAF/vinatge specs.

[animalfarm]

 

Just wondering about the discrepancies between the pickup's resistance?

 

My 57CH neck PU measures 7.8 K and the HOTCH bridge PU measures 14K ohms. That's pretty much nailing Epiphone specs.

Gibson have been able to wind to 0.25K tolerances since the early sixties. So it's a bit weird differences almost amount to 1K.

 

A pick up's "resistance" value can vary due to things like: The number of turns of wire on the pup,

the diameter of the wire and insulation thickness, TEMPERATURE of the pickup, and (using the guitar

cable method) the length of the git cable - shorter cable is better, as more wire introduces more inherent

resistance. If I measure using a 1 foot guitar cable, the measure again with a 25 ft cable, readings will

vary slightly. The idea of the post was just to allow the user to get a very close idea of what's in

the git. EPI pups are made in....China? I suppose if pups not made at same factory, specs can vary...

[generation zero]

Resistance isn't the only variable in output, either... Some models can actually put out a louder percieved volume with a much lower impedance rating. My Epi with SD '59s in it sounds louder than the one I used to have with a Jazz and JB combo in it... but that is because the '59 puts out a fuller, rounder tone, while the JB is voiced a bit more to the treble end. That gives the 59 a surprisingly more "ballsy" tone, all other variables aside. Granted, it could be a matter of pickup height, body wood density, or the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow across the African plains during a migratory season... there are tons of little things that can change how your ear percieves things like tone and volume.

[InsideMan]

A pick up's "resistance" value can vary due to things like...

 

Good summary' date=' AnimalFarm.

 

Resistance isn't the only variable in output' date=' either...[/quote']

 

Good point, GZ.

 

There is a lot of myth and hype surrounding pickups. As you point out, its not just resistance. Resistance is a gross measure of how many windings there are in the pickup. Number of windings is important because, the more windings, the more signal induced by the vibrating strings OTBE (other things being equal--which they never are). So, lots of thin wire windings would seem to be better than lots of thick wire windings. But the thinner the wire, the more resistive loss, so its not a straightforward relationship. And don't forget about the magnets. More powerful magnets create a stronger field which also induces more signal in the pickups from the strings.

 

So what's the conclusion. Listen to recommendations, but try to play a guitar with the pickups you're interested in. Or buy them, install them, and hope for the best. Cheers.

[animalfarm]

Yeah, what HE said! Thanks for the props, your free Custom Built

SLASH Model Air Guitar is on the way UPS Ground, Tracking Number

is: d-o-n-t-b-e-l-i-e-v-e-a-w-o-r-d-o-f-t-h-i-s...

[Guest icantbuyafender]

Yeah' date=' what HE said! Thanks for the props, your free Custom Built

SLASH Model Air Guitar is on the way UPS Ground, Tracking Number

is: d-o-n-t-b-e-l-i-e-v-e-a-w-o-r-d-o-f-t-h-i-s...[/quote']

 

 

 

I nearly spilled my beer laughing so hard when i read this...

 

i even pictured a commercial for it, with slash's voice doing the spec review like how its done on the epi site.

"i like this cause its just always worked for me. im sure more people are looking to get a better guitar for less money too.. yada yada"

 

oh mannn...

[animalfarm]

"Topic Bump", because I can! Wanting to know if others have

"tricks" for getting readings, etc from guitars. I already know about

using a multimeter to locate exactly which fret is buzzing (neat trick).

[generation zero]

I already know about

using a multimeter to locate exactly which fret is buzzing (neat trick).

 

Please do elaborate, kind sir... you have my full attention.

[animalfarm]

 

Please do elaborate' date=' kind sir... you have my full attention. [/quote']

 

You need to have a digital or analog multimeter so that you can measure resistance. You want to have a pair of test leads with a clip built into the end. Also, a capo is handy for holding the strings down in the position where you're getting the buzz. Sit in your normal playing position, that way gravity won't pull headstock

down and give false readings.

 

1. Starting at the first fret of the first string you will want to pick each note down the fretboard until you hear the "buzzing sound". (You can eventually do this same process on every string if you WANT to...)

 

2. Put the capo on the fret of the note you find the buzzing on. If the buzzing sound occurs when you strike the note on the fourth fret, then you will want to put the capo behind the fourth fret.

 

3. Put an alligator clip on one of the multimeter probes and attach it to the string between the nut and the machine head. You can also attach it to the string between the saddle and the tailpiece on guitars with tune-o-matic or similar bridges.

 

4. Put the multimeter on the highest resistance setting (if this doesn't work for you, lower the setting, you may have a really crappy multimeter. Mine is a 2.99 harbor freight special!) Using your right hand, pluck the string. As the string is vibrating, touch each fret with the other multimeter lead probe. When you get a reading on the multimeter, you have found a fret that is coming in contact with the string. This happens because the metal of the fret completes a resistance circuit with the metal of the string.

 

5. Don’t be surprised to find multiple frets on one string giving you readings.

 

The actual reading you get with the multimeter is not really that important other than the fact that it will give you a rough idea of the severity of the string and fret contact. The higher the reading, the less the string is touching the fret. Good metal-to-metal contact (Bad fret buzz) will have lower resistance - touch the 2 leads together just for fun, you'll see almost zero ohms resistance.

 

You will want to check the problem frets to make sure they have not come loose or lifted. If they have, you may want to try to gently tap them back down (with a sledgehammer - just kidding, I HOPE no one took that seriously) or you may need to check truss rod adjustment, or string action height.

[carverman]

 

Just wondering about the discrepancies between the pickup's resistance?

 

My 57CH neck PU measures 7.8 K and the HOTCH bridge PU measures 14K ohms. That's pretty much nailing Epiphone specs.

Gibson have been able to wind to 0.25K tolerances since the early sixties. So it's a bit weird differences almost amount to 1K.

 

Not all inexpensive ohmeters are calibrated to exact National Standards.

 

The basic ohmeter is basically a measuring wheatstone bridge with a battery (9V usually).

Where X the unknown resistor is part of one leg of the the "diamond" of 3 known resistors

that measure the unknown resistance. Through ohms law and a mathematical

formula, the 3 known resistors (part of the ohms range you select) and the current

flowing from the battery through all 4 resistances calculates the unknown "resistor" and

that is translated through a A/D converter chip/display chip to get digital readout.

 

The differences could be the calibration, internal translation error and perhaps the state

of the 9v battery that provides current to the bridge. I don't know if the current supplied

is regulated or not, but if it isn't the current will drop off slightly as the battery starts to

get weak.

 

On the magnetic pickup, it is only the DC resistance of the wire that is determined.

Dynamic aspects such a frequency bandwidth and other characteristics of

the pickup don't show up that well on the R measurement.

[Ricochet]

Variables in measuring a pickup's resistance... make poor arguments if I state the Epi pickups have been wound to fixed DC resistance values. Sure they're never exactly the same, but a 1K difference? That's not a variable, that's a different pickup...