Pick ups impedance ??

[tonyquipment]

Not sure if this correct forum but..

Does anyone know anything about impedance and pickups?

I'm looking at upgrading my p bass pickups but what relevance does impedance have? Is higher better or lower impedance better?? What difference does it make?

Will lower impedance pickups make more noise and feedback or not?

Any advice would be LOVELY.

[Roger2611]

From my understanding impedance is how hot the ouput of your pickup is going to be, the higher the impedance the higher the output will be which will translate into driving the front of you amp harder and earlier into distortion (great for a lead guitar not so sure for a lot of bass work) you don't really have to worry about matching impedance but if you had a bass with twin pickups and had 1 high impedance pickup and 1 low impedance pickup you would potentially have a noticable volume drop when switching between pickups.

I think I am right on the above but if not I am sure someone will point us in the right direction

[Dad3353]

Good evening, Tony (I hope that's right..?)...

The above is generally correct, especially the 'matching' part. Low impedance is, however, preferred if long cables are to be used, being less susceptible to hum and interference (mics are generally lo-Z for this reason...). An example would be the >Epiphone signature Jack Casady bass, with switch-able impedance (from low to very low..!). If you are looking to boost your signal, go up in Z; if you wish for a cleaner signal, go for lower Z.
Subject to completion, correction and/or contradiction from others; hope this helps.

[tonyquipment]

Thanks! High impedance is better then. !

[tonyquipment]

I like loud bass so higher would be more suited... The blend im not sure that would work on precision

[Mr. Foxen]

Resistance is what you can measure with a meter, impedance varies with frequency, so you end up with a graph. you can measure inductance, which is what effects the tone, it is sort of related to resistance, since they are both determined by how big your coil of wire is. Overall, resistance is not a good way to judge pickups for suitability. Usually the higher resistance pickup is going to be hotter output, and in turn be darker sounding, but there are all sorts of exceptions. Noise and feedback are pretty much totally unrelated to it, being prone to feedback is down to how well the pickup is potted, from not at all to vacuum impregnated, which also effects the tone independent of resistance.

[flyfisher]

. . . plus the impedance matching of the amplifier input can make a big difference, which is (one reason) why the same instrument can sound different through different amps.

Basically, the whole chain from finger to speaker is a mass of variables.

[customstocker]

ive wound my own pickups for a project in germany , single coil versions to date & 1 model was a precision bass type , the single 4 pole unit ...not the split p-bass. i tested a few variations ranging from a thin wind to basically as much wire would fit on the bobbins. these outputs went from around 6.8 ohms to 9.5 ohms . , the guitarist in the workshop is a great blues guitarist , so i also built strats for his home made stratocaster , kind of as a litmus test . the one he favoured was the 7.8- 7.9 ohm wind as it had the clearest tone with a big powerful output. i used rare earth (neodymium) magnets under steel poles for these . im sure the magnets helped alot with the power . potting them is also a good idea to eliminate unwanted noise . i used 25% beeswax & 75% petroleum wax mix. i also potted them at a much lower temperature than is discussed on the web ......140-150 degrees (F) submerged they flash off white until the temperature equalises ...then about 10 minutes a piece until the bubbles stop . so to answer the original Q. the higher the number the more powerful the sound , but its also the materials used that alter that sound . case in point , cheap far eastern pickups ....high outputs but almost universally hated ......why ?

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='tonyquipment' timestamp='1368924208' post='2083162']
Thanks! High impedance is better then. !
[/quote]

A high impedence pickup generally has more winds of a thinner gauge wire whereas a low impedance one has fewer winds of thicker gauge wire.

So sound wise its a tradeoff - a low impedence pickup will tend to generate a clean transparent sound with extended highs but with a lower overall signal output. A high impedence one will generate a higher signal level with more colouration and reduced high frequency response. Also a high impedence pickup will be more sensitive to cable quality and length.

Generally active basses use low impedance pickups with an active gain boost circuit in an attempt to get the best of both worlds i.e. transparent extended frequency response and high output.

[Lozz196]

I`ve found that with both bass and guitar, I tend to prefer lower output pickups, based on experience of buying higher output replacements, then replacing them back with the originals.

[tonyquipment]

Thanks for the replies!

So for example if I was to raise my pickups and have a low resistance, I would result in a really hot coloured signal?

Maybe a trade off and have high pickup height and med-high resistance ?

Basically, I just want it to be loud and relatively clear. I can make it dirty and messy afterwards!

[Mr. Foxen]

Loud and clear, get active pickups, EMGs at 18v, you can put them really close to the strings without issue as the magnets don't have much pull. Most of the complains about EMGs is from using them at 9v where they are underpowered.

[tonyquipment]

Can it be possible to achieve that with passive ? Or at least close? Don't like idea of active and batteries!!!

[Mr. Foxen]

Q-tuners. Not used them, but that is the idea. To get around the standard trade-offs, you need to go non standard.