Talk:Single coil

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I don't think the link to Tom Watson's page is at all authorative, in fact I am of opinion that the physics, as presented in link, is very flawed. E.G. passive pickups don't depend on electromagnets (as stated) but permanent magnets; Flux is a measure of a property of a magnetic field, not something physically produced etc (as is inferred) etc Richard 13:16, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

This article doesn't seem very good. It's too Fender focused (and don't get me wrong, I love Fenders, I own a few). The history needs work. Wasn't the first single coil pickup the Charlie Christian, outfitted in Gibson Archtops? I'm going to try and do a little work on this. Buster 23:00, 24 May 2007 (UTC)


Contents

[edit] From the History section...

"The first mass produced and generally successful instrument pickup was a humbucker pickup designed by George Beauchamp in the late twenties/early thirties. Using a washing machine motor to wind the coils and two horseshoe magnets to provide magnetism, it was integrated into the design for the first electric guitar, which was produced by Adolph Rickenbacker in the thirties."

Where's the cite for this?

"The fact that it was used as a pickup on Rickenbacker Basses and steels up until the late sixties and is still highly sought after proves the design and sound were ahead of the time."

And this conclusion is reached by who? You, the writer of this article? Buster 00:28, 25 May 2007 (UTC)


[edit] The Physical description section...

This section- "The Gibson company made an economical single coil for many years that was even simpler than the Fender type. It consisted of a single coil wound around a single Alnico bar magnet. It had several shortcomings:

it was microphonic and suffered from hi-gain feedback because of flimsy construction there was no way to compensate the output from different strings.

It was only available on Gibson's budget models."

Again no experts cited to confirm this data. The writer seems to have a pro-Fender bias. He neglects to mention that the Telecaster had the same microphonic feedback problems that plagued the P90s for awhile.

The line- "It was only available on Gibson's budget models" is completely inaccurate. Before the invention of the humbucking pickup, the Gibson Les Paul was outfitted with P90s. The Les Paul guitar is not a budget model. Buster 00:45, 25 May 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Reference sources added

I added four books to the Reference section for the current changes I made and for the coming changes that will be made. I find it amazing that in the nearly three years since this article was started that there was only one citation to back up any of the material that was added AND that was to elaborate on the "sonic effect of positions 2 and 4" of a strat switch! Adding data without citations is guitar fan-boyism that is fine for a posting forum like Harmony-Central but isn't fit for an encyclopedia. Buster 00:12, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Rolling Stones "Brown Sugar" line

"Examples of single-coil 'twang' include 'Brown Sugar' by The Rolling Stones" ...ummm... yeah. That got eliminated. A strat? Really? Are you sure that's not Keith's Les Paul playing those chunky fat horn-like chords to open the song? Even those plucked single notes in the intro and then in the chorus are more than likely a Les Paul, the guitarist playing them starts playing chords after them which come out fat and chunky. But here's the bottom line... you have no source or citation for that line so it's pure guesswork as is mine.

[edit] Single Coil vs. Humbucker

I wondered whether anyone had found audio clips that would provide an example of the difference in tone/sound of single coil pickups compared to humbuckers? If anyone does I would like to know. Nowiky (talk) 00:34, 7 April 2008 (UTC)