View less...
Some pickup manufacturers have published specifications that can be used to estimate performance, namely inductance values. I have integrated those specifications into the table. Original data is in black font, while the data derived from the manufacturer's specifications is light gray. Resonant peaks are calculated based on the provided inductance figure, and the average capacitance observed in their pickups. Only Lollar, Tonerider and TV Jones have provided this information.
The two columns that are likely of most practical use are
Loaded Res. Freq. (pF) w/470pF and
Inductance (H).
- The
Loaded Res. Freq. (pF) w/470pF will indicate how bright and clear the pickup tends to be. The 470pF capacitance simulates the effects of a typical guitar cable.
- The
Inductance (H) strongly suggests the voltage output that can be expected, and along with capacitance, determines the resonant frequency.
The inductance is a more stable value than the capacitance, which readily increases with the length of your guitar cable.
- Note that the DC Resistance does not correlate strongly with either output or frequency response. It mostly indicates how many turns of wire a pickup has on the bobbin(s), if you also know the gauge of that wire.
- Note that "Self Res. Peak (dB)" is a "raw" value, and is only applicable if your guitar has no volume or tone pots, and the pickup is wired directly to the output jack. The Loaded peak is more realistic.
- Note that "Self Res. Freq. (kHz)" is a "raw" value, and only applicable if you were somehow using no guitar cable. The "Loaded Res. Freq." simulates typical cable capacitance.
Note that these values are derived from between one to three examples of a given pickup model, as indicated. The likelihood that other examples of a given model will match these values is dependent on the consistency of the pickup manufacturer. Where three pickups have been sampled, you can observe the variances by reviewing the bode plot image file, or clicking the "Detail" link to see a full analysis of the three samples.
I recommend Helmuth Lemme's
"Pickup Measuring Technique" to learn more about how the inductance and resonant peak of a pickup set it apart tone-wise from similar pickups.
It's also important to consider that
wider pickups cause greater comb filtering of high frequencies. Therefore, it's best to only compare pickups of given dimensions. For example, a loaded peak of 3kHz tends to be bright for a PAF, but dark for single coil pickups.