So You've Decided You Need New Pickups-Why?

So You've Decided You Need New Pickups-Why?

It's always great to hear a players opinion on our guitars because it keeps

us going in the right direction. Here are some excerpts of an article I wrote about

finding your sound. Guitarists sometimes see greener grass when it could be 

theirs is green enough. They love to customize their guitars. The first thing they want to change are the pickups. Having never built one or tested a guitar pickup most players will forge ahead anyway and make the BIG CHANGE. I have to ask....Why?  Have you tested yours first?  Is it at the max height for best sound?  Is it broken? If it's picking up sound

it's doing the job.

A guitar pickup is very much like a microphone 

It basically mirrors back the sound. 

It simply hears the sound signal and transfers it to the amp.  There are a few factors you may want to test before you go to the trouble and expense of adding new pickups.

After all, I use all kinds, all brands and styles in the custom guitars I build to order for players and still find it difficult to determine there is much difference between them. They are just magnets and copper wire. All pickups have the basically the same ingredients.

Before you buy a new car do you ask the mechanic his opinion instead of the salesman?

Pickup companies are trying to sell you on their brand, guitar mechanics will give you the facts. Salesman will give you the bull.

So..... try the least expensive methods first before going nuclear. 

First: test the strings  try a string change to a different string. Newer strings are generally stiffer and fresher

thus a cleaner tone. Also, try a heavier gauge string to give you more body in the sound.

The second test for you will be more subtle, but it will be very effective. It involves distance and signal strength.

The pickups have elevator screws that are there to raise and lower them closer or farther from the strings. You'll just need a Philips head screw driver and turn until you see the pickups move either up or down where you want them and repeat the process until the pickups are within the range where they will hear the strings close up and personal.

Then begin your testing. Play,.... then lower the pickups incrementally between testing sessions so as to try several different levels of signal strength. Only in this way can you hear the differences. Remember, clarity and sound quality have more to do with "Your" ear than what other players hear.

A clean sound for some players may find the pickups very low under the strings whereas a clean sound for other players may find the

pickups snugged as close to the strings as physics will allow. Distortions can occur on the extremes of this spectrum

The next test is to check the amp you are playing from. For this test you need a clean control. Be sure there are no obstructions or ways in which players like to process or in some cases "over process" themselves to impeded the pure sound of what the pickup hears.

This means plug the guitar directly into the amp with no pedals, stomp boxes or effect in between to change the tone.

Your results will be much better. Some players make the mistake of testing each guitar on the same setting in their search for the

ideal sound in a guitar when the result will simply be just testing how different guitars sound on the same setting.

This test will produce results--but not the results you're looking for. Remember, every guitar is set up differently. The strings

are generally different ages or brands. So for the perfect empirical evidence needed everything must remain the same.

 Flatten The EQ

So, to make sure you're getting the sound you want to hear from your pickups try different EQ settings on the amp.

Be sure that if there are two volume controls turn the channel volume low and the master way up.

Start with flat EQ setting the introduce more or less high and low frequencies to get the sound best for your ear and the music

that you are playing.

Keep in mind the change of pickups should be the last resort in finding your sound and not the first.

Always thoroughly investigate what you have before you change it.  

There are so many brands of pickups how do you know where to start?   With some 100 plus pickup manufacturers just in the USA if you decide on a brand then the next problem is which pickup does that brand have that will do the job? At $150 average price for a set of 2 pickups just for a Telecaster how long can you afford to keep making changes in your search for the Holy Grail?  If after these free tests you should decide a pickup change is warranted be sure to take an experienced tech with you to the pickup store. The specs you'll need to be aware of are output and magnet strength. Output, measured in Ohms has nothing to do with tone or clarity just resistance. The magnet strength is important because a larger heavier magnet will cause the strings to be pulled out of tune and thwart sustain so be very careful here so as not to equate magnet strength or Ohms with "better quality". The least expensive fixes are often the most effective. If done properly and methodically you'll be surprised a what you'll find  and how many different tones are already in your pickups if you peek inside.

Blog Home

What Is Guitar Intonation And Why Is It Important?

Guitar Intonation

An obvious question?  Yes!  Worth talking about?  Absolutely!

Intonation is the accuracy in which an electric guitar or bass can produce a fretted note and the most important issue with any instrument.  Setting the intonation on a guitar is the act of adjusting the length of the strings (by moving the bridge saddles) to compensate for the thickness of the string and the stretching of a string due to pushing it down to the fret board to produce a note. For our purposes here I will focus only on electric instruments for now.

To adjust the intonation of your guitar or bass guitar, you move the bridge saddles toward or away from the fret board until the 12th fret note and its harmonic are equal in pitch to the same open-string note, which are exactly one octave apart. Accurate intonation is critical to pitch quality.  Pitch quality is essential to "in tune"  playing.

Poor pitch quality = "out of tune" notes which in turn = poor musical presentation.  Wouldn't you want to present your musical talents in the best way possible?  Of course, you do.

Now, it is not necessary for a guitar player to know this at all.  It is essential however that the guitar possess this quality and maintain as close to perfect intonation as possible.  Buying on looks alone can be very disappointing.  If however, you like an instrument for the looks but realize that you will need to have it worked on to get it playable then that is fine.  It's best to speak to a Luthier or guitar builder previous to any purchase.  It's like to asking a mechanic which car he would recommend before you walk into the show room to select one. You can benefit from his first hand knowledge and experience and not have to go it alone.  After all the mechanic knows which cars  breakdown.

Ordering From Haywire Custom Guitars

If you would like to order this or any other custom guitar, please contact us and we will be happy to discuss your guitar needs.

Blog Home

The Haywire Blocked Tremolo or Hard Tail ? Which Choice For Your Guitar ?

The Haywire Blocked Tremolo or Hard Tail

All of our guitars at Haywire Custom Shop with standard 6 point tremolos are easily reversible hard tails. What do we mean by that?

Simply put, they are all blocked with the exception of the Floyd Rose models.

Why does Haywire block the tremolo?

Aside from the obvious fact that the outdated tremolo design has been used since the early 1950's, here are some more real good reasons why we block the tremolo as a "standard" feature:

Tremolo Headaches:

   1- If all strings are removed at once it is time consuming to re-tune the guitar.

   2- When one string breaks, all other strings go out of tune.

   3- Intonation is a much longer and inaccurate process.

   4- String bending can cause other strings to go slightly out of tune and sustain is lost.

   5- Action with a "floating synchronized tremolo system" changes constantly and frustrates players.

What is a blocked tremolo, how does Haywire accomplish it and why do it?

Blocking the tremolo requires tightening of the inertia block with the two tremolo claw screws at the back wall of the tremolo cavity to prevent it from moving. This makes the bridge behave more like a hard tail bridge,  eliminating common headaches. Remember this unit design has not changed since 1948 but playing techniques have. Players are more aware of out of tune problems today because of much better electronic tuners that were not around back then. Fortunately this change does not modify the instrument, nor is it permanent. It can always be reversed, making it ideal for collectible instruments that need to stay original. The Strat bridge is blocked and basically tightened with the claw screws under the tremolo cover plate in the back of the guitar body. The springs are so tight that the tremolo will not move thereby rendering it a hard tail.

Why not use a hard tail bridge?

 Well.... two reasons: The re-sale value is much better if we don’t physically change anything that can’t be reversed since lots of players still want a tremolo or whammy bar on their guitars (just loosen the 2 claw screws that have been tightened in the back under the tremolo cover to put the tremolo back into service and have a use-able tremolo system once again) and second there is a bit more added sustain with the tremolo bridge because it has a great deal more metal that a small hard tail bridge. It also has the benefit of the springs which add even more sustain....so...There you have it!  My suggestion, if I may, it’s blocked for you and you'll love it because it stays in perfect tune and the whole process is not permanent or invasive to your instrument and it’s completely reversible!

Ordering From Haywire Custom Guitars

If you would like to order this or any other custom guitar, please contact us and we will be happy to discuss your guitar needs. 

 Blog Home