I’m a happy bunny!
Endless moving around of pickups on spare electric guitar has never really satisfied.
The maths (arithmetic) suggests the harmonics that give a single note its tone are multiples of the root frequency: f, 2f, 3f, etc.
for a note C, the full sound would incorporate all these notes:
C, C2, G2,
C3, E3, G3, Bb3
C4, D4 …
C2 is an octave above C etc.
The wonderful open source software MuseScore just happens to have a midi approximation to a sine wave, so I had a play:
(MuseScore regulars please note. I’m a complete beginner and guaranteed to have done something wrong!).
Screenshot:
Note: the higher harmonics on a guitar string are increasingly wild approximations to the given notes.
Changing the relative volume of the harmonics generates some truly bizarre sounds – guitar stomp box (FX) overdue π
Related: CREATIVITY,
Addendum September 2020:
I’ve since built my own electric guitar (first such project), and done a major upgrade on a Squier Affinity (excellent build and playability with poor pickups). All three pickups replaced with hotrail pickups, each independently switchable between single coil and humbucker mode. Like project #1, neck and bridge pickups in humbucker mode with the middle as single coil gives 5 distinct, very pleasing tones …
Very pleased with the results π
Conclusion: The exact placement is not so important as the contrast in output between the middle pickup and the neck / bridge. This gives unique sounds (with a strat type setup) at selector positions 2 and 4Β (neck/middle, bridge/middle).
π¦ Β© Peter Fairbrother @pjforguk www.pjf.org.ukΒ π
I would like to hear more songs from my favorite Cornwall composer….will it ever happen?
It will. I’ve been mending flat roofs and the like, which are priorities in dry weatherπ€β but the musical loft beckons. It’s easier with lyrics (limits the infinite options) so I’ll try to write something new… Tomorrow! ππΆ
What’s the Emoji for “we’ve heard that before”? ππΌ
Further experiments with the Affinity Plus (my name for project 2) today, show all 14 combinations of pickups give promising and different tones. I’m VERY pleased!
Project 1 is called Sleepless…
I look forward to new music from the loft. That would be a good name for your forth coming album! Perhaps you could grow long hair and add 3 members forming a group. Yes,I can see it all now!
The B Tells?