AC |
Alternating
current. An electric current that changes it's direction of flow
typically 50 or 60 times a second (60Hz or 60cps) as in the
case of mains supply but also at any frequency above 0Hz (the
sky's the limit). Audio frequencies are defined as between 20Hz
and 20KHz but it takes a really good ear to hear to 20KHz, most
human ears have difficulty hearing past 14KHz. All passive guitar circuitry operates
within this bandwidth. |
| Action |
The
gap between the underside of the strings and the crown of the
fret on a guitar. Can be influenced by the truss rod setting,
the nut grooves or the bridge settings. See TONE WORKSHOP >PERFECT
GUITAR page and Setup. |
| Active
pickup |
A
pickup that has active electronics built into the casing and
powered by an external battery. Often these have a crude noise
cancelling design (common stack) consequently the tone looses
that organic feel and the sound is often somewhat sterile. The
active electronics attempt to recover the tone that has been
lost because of the primitive noise cancelling arrangement.
Position 2 and 4 Strat sounds are not authentic as the active
electronics buffer the coils from being connected directly in parallel which is
necessary to achieve that sound. Battery failure means guitar
no work. |
| Alnico |
A
very special old technology magnet material that possesses remarkable
properties when applied to guitar pickups. It is the only magnet
material that can actually influence the induction behaviour
of a string sensing coil, when used in the core of or adjacent to the coil.
A well designed pickup with Alnico possesses complex detailed midrange
frequencies that are the prime factors in achieving Fender genre
sound. Without Alnico this detail is missing and there is no
known way to compensate when using alternate magnets such as
Ferrite or Samarium Cobalt. For more information and an in-depth
discussion visit my Perfect Guitar page >Magnets. |
| Buzz
|
The
higher harmonics of 60Hz noise from a pickup or guitar's wiring
that is typically emitted from lighting and dimmers. See Noise-RFI.
Can also mean gossip or newsworthy information. |
Calibrate |
To
check the accuracy of quantum graduations. What this has to
do with guitar pickups baffles me but some manufacturers with limited vocabulary think
it has something to do with graduating output levels between bridge and neck pickups. See
Graduate. |
Capacitance |
The
ability of a system of electrically isolated components to store
an electric charge between them. However, coil layers in a pickup
also have it and has a profound effect on the sound. It's also
what kills the treble when you turn the Tone control down or
use long cables. Micro-farad (µF) is the usual measurement unit
but nano-Farad and pico-Farad are also common. |
DC |
Direct
current. Often associated with Resistance measuring using DC
as distinct to impedance measuring with AC. Unit is volts. There
is no DC in a passive guitar's circuitry. |
Definition |
The
property of a guitar's sound that enables it to be distinguished
from the competing sound of the cymbals etc. Balanced presence and
dynamic range are key factors in achieving this difficult performance.
Not always easy to evaluate unless in the context of a band
in full tilt. 1970's Strats had a very thin sound that was low
in definition. Sometimes hearing loss results in player-perceived
lower definition. Also see Presence
and Punch in Sonic section. |
Degaussing |
Gauss
is a measurement unit of magnetic attraction so when the strength
of a magnet is intentionally or unintentionally downrated it
is said to be degaussed. Old pickups are commonly [but erroneously]
believed to be degaussed. See Aged
Tone in Sonic section. |
| Dope
Slap |
Smacking your hand against your forehead when you do something
REALLY stupid. |
| Dopelar
Effect |
The
tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when you approach them
quickly enough. |
Distortion |
When
a signal is intentionally or unintentionally driven beyond the
transient limits of the amplifier and results in a square wave-form
as distinct to a sine wave-form. See Overdrive.
|
| Dummy coil |
Ostensibly to cancell hum in a passive or active environment onboard a guitar. It is very similar to a pickup but has the magnets removed. In a passive environment a dummy coil has a significant negative impact on attack, dynamic range and high frequencies. |
| Dynamic
range |
The
amount of sine wave output energy generated by a pickup at the moment
of attack. See Attack and Presence
in Sonic section. |
EMF |
Electro
Motive Force or more simply an electric current. Measured in
volts. Eg mains are 110 or 240 volts and pickups are typically
100 millivolts. |
Frequency response |
Not
really applicable to guitar pickups because their graphical
response is basically a lump or one big resonant peak. Many
might argue the point though. The seeming varying content of
bass and treble of various pickups has more to do with the
effect that midrange response has on the human hearing system.
|
Gauss |
The
measurement of magnet strength. Typically Alnico-5 is 1,200
gauss, Alnico-2 is 850 gauss. |
Graduated |
The
gradual increasing of the output of a set of pickups typically from bridge pickup to neck pickup. The bridge pickup needs to have increased output compensation
because of it's handicapped position next to the bridge. Graduated sets have more or less balanced output levels from all pickups. Sometimes mistakenly referred to as calibrated by those with limited vocabulary. |
Harmonic |
The
multiplying of the fundamental frequency of a sine wave. Example;
Assuming a 100Hz fundamental then 200, 400, 800, 1.6KHz, 3.2KHz
etc etc would all be harmonics. Guitarists often refer to string
harmonics. These are node points along the length of the string
(Eg right above the 12 fret) where the first harmonic of the fundamental
coincide and the string will divide into multiple sections with
each section vibrating at it's own resonant frequency but the
total string section is completely devoid of the fundamental.
Playing a harmonic does not require the string to be fretted,
the mere touch of a finger tip at the right node point is enough
to prevent the fundamental from sounding but allow the harmonic
to sound. |
| Harness |
Pickups need a connection to amplifier, that means wiring. For greater control over sound that wiring usually incorporates controls and switcting. The collection of wiring and controls is called a Harness. Even the simplest guitar has a Harness of some form installed by it's manufacturer. In recent years after market harness have become available. Here at Kinman the harness has developed into an art form and provides enhanced switching for more sounds than is normally provided in stock harness. We have also developed our harness to provide solderless install of both pickups and harness, thus we called it our NoSoldering Harness. |
| Henry |
Not the Henry who passed the bucket in popular verse but a unit of inductance. Eg 2.4 Henrys (being typical of a great Strat pickup) Also see Inductance |
Hot pickup |
The
more output that is derived from a pickup the hotter it is said
to be. Usually gained at the expense of clarity and transparency.
|
Hum |
The
60Hz noise reproduced by pickups that originates in mains wiring
and appliances powered from mains supply. See also Noise. |
Humbucker |
The
clever arrangement of 2 coils of a pickup designed to cancel hum whereby
both coils produce equal hum level in opposite phase (or
directions) thus leading to cancellation. When there
is residual hum the noise energy of the coils is not equal (most regular side-by-side humbuckers).
Many people are confused by the term 'humbucker' and use the term losely. Verticle humbuckers (or noiseless single pole pickups) are vastly different to side-by-side humbuckers of the Gibson genre which have 2 sets of poles sensing the strings. Noiseless Single pole pickups have only 1 set, thus their descriptive name.
When I applied the verticle technique to single pole pickups I made the noise sensing coil very different to the string sensing coil with less than half the coil winds and with larger wire, while maintaining equal noise levels in each coil. This assymetrical departure from previous symetrical humbucking coil technique results in sound dramatically less effected by the second coil. If one shorts out (or bridges or disconnects) the noise sensing coil of a Kinman pickup the sound stays the same. This demonstrates the huge difference between this type and regular side-by-side humbuckers.
To be more precise perhaps Kinman's should be known as 'Asymetric Verticle Humbuckers'. |
Hum
cancelling |
same
as for Humbucker but can also refer to active circuitry designed
to eliminate hum by deploying a dummy coil but with the considerable
disadvantages of active circuits and onboard battery. |
Impedance |
The
impediment placed on the flow of alternating current in a circuit
such as a coil and varies with the frequency of the current.
Measured in Ohms. Being frequency dependent it is often stated like 'XOhms at 1KHz'. |
In phase |
When
2 coils or pickups are connected in such a way that their outputs
have the same polarity. ie the forward pulse of the EMF is in
the same direction. Contrary to what many understand switch
positions 2 and 4 of a Strat and the Middle position of a Tele
are 'in phase' sounds. See Out of phase. |
Inductance |
or
Inductivity. The measure of efficiency of a coil to generate
an electric current at a given frequency. Measurement unit is
Henrys. The magic number for non-noiseless Strat pickups is 2.4 Henrys. |
Insulation |
The
ability of a film such as varnish or plastic to prevent the conduction
of an electric current to adjacent conductors in close proximity. Quality is usually defined by voltage
level before arcing occurs. See Dielectric
coating |
Level |
The
term applied to the amount of electrical or sonic energy outputted
from a pickup or amplifier. See Output
Level. |
Magnet
aging |
An
erroneous belief that old pickups sound aged due to degaussing
of their magnets. Contrarily, old pickups often exhibit as much
magnetism as a new pickup. See Aged
Tone and Degaussing. |
Magnet/string
gap |
The
gap or distance between the top of the magnet or (pole piece)
and the underside of the string associated with it. Adjustable
by means of the pickup mounting screw. Closer for brighter,
louder sound. Further away for duller, lower output sound. See
also Stratitis. |
Magnet strength |
The
attractive force of a magnet, often measured in Gauss. |
Magnetic
field |
The
invisible force or field radiating from a magnet that attracts
material objects with iron or nickel content, or an electro
magnetic field generated by a coil with a DC or AC current applied. |
Magnets |
or
Permanent Magnets. There are three basic types [or groups]
of magnets according to their composition.
(1)
The metal based variety such as Alnico that,
by their very nature, influence the behaviour of induction
in any string sensing coil, and which I correctly call TONE
magnets. Alnico tone is the original Fender and Gibson sound.
(2)
The non-metallic variety such as Ferrite that, because
they are non-metallic, have absolutely no influence over the
induction behaviour of a string sensing coil. And quite correctly
I call these TONELESS magnets for that reason.
(3)
Rare Earth type: such as Samarium Cobalt.
These are metal but have very different properties to Alnico
because they can not be used as stand alone magnets like Alnico
can. Samarium Cobalt magnets are extremely powerful and by
necessity must be limited in physically size to reduce the
attractive force. That means using a steel collector to lessen
the magnetic intensity. As soon a steel is introduced in the core of the coil the
pickup behaves very much like one with ferrite magnets.
Alnico
magnets are necessarily made of a mix of various metals (an
alloy) in various ratios that determine the resulting magnetic
properties such as magnetic strength. Generally in the lower
range of magnetic strength when compared to rare-earth and
ferrite magnets.
Alnico-2:
(Anisotropic; means not particularly directional in field
pattern) An older magnetic material composed of Aluminum,
nickel and cobalt and of course Iron. Relatively low in attraction
strength compared to modern day magnets. An oldie but goodie
in guitar pickup technology.
Alnico-3:
I believe similar to Alnico 2 but a bit more magnetic peformance.
Alnico-5:
(Isotropic; means very directional in field pattern) A more
modern, higher strength magnetic alloy that is an industry
standard in guitar pickups. In single coil pickups it gives
rise to Stratitis and shorter sustain but does have some desirable
sonic characteristics.
Bar
magnet: Often used in Gibson type side-by-side humbuckers
but occasionally in single coils as well (eg Fralin steel
pole pickups)
Rod
magnet: A magnet in the form of a solid cylinder
(or Rod) such as used in Fender single coils.
Samarium Cobalt: A very modern
high-tech *rare earth* magnet of impressive strength. These
were originally designed to increase the efficiency of electric
motors and such. Because these magnets must be buffered by
a steel collector they do not influence the induction properties
of a string sensing coil, but the steel does much to the detriment
to the sound. In my opinion there is no useful place for Samarium
Cobalt magnets in musical instrument pickups. Alnico does
a better job in every valued example.
Ceramic,
Ferrite or Barrium Ferrite: Another rare earth magnet,
but not as powerful as Samarium Cobalt. Part of the group
of TONELESS magnets because there is no metal to conduct electrical
currents within the molecular structure of the material.....as
there is in Alnico. |
Metal cover |
The
cover of a pickup when formed from metal such as Brass or Nickel-Silver.
Allows Eddy Current to flow that reduces level, attack, brightness,
transient response, dynamic range with consequent dull tone.
Side-by-side Humbuckers and Tele neck pickups sound louder and
brighter with the metal covers removed. Also see Plastic
Cover. |
Microphonics |
When
a microphone feeds back the regenerative sound is very high
pitched and gets very loud thus the term microphonic. Guitar
pickups do the same thing if the coil is not wax potted or any
part is not mounted securely. See Wax
potting. |
Midrange |
Any
frequency in the audio spectrum between 500Hz and 2kHz. Below
500Hz is considered to be Bass and above 2Khz is treble. |
Noise (EMI) |
Electro
magnetic Interference. The magnetically propagated hum reproduced
by pickups that originates in mains wiring or appliances. Typically
60Hz. See Humbucking and Noiseless.
|
Noise (RFI) |
Radio
Frequency Interference. Noise or Buzz that is harmonics of 60Hz which is propagated by and behaves like
radio frequency transmission. May be of many and varying frequencies
such as interference from gasoline engine ignition
systems, radio transmitters, electric power tools and static
produced by arcing of switch contacts etc. See shielding.
|
Noise cancelling |
See
Noiseless, below. also see Hum cancelling. |
| |
Often
referring to a single coil (or single pole, to be more precise) type pickup that has a 98% capability
to cancel externally generated hum. Noise is readily cancelled
but examples of good sounding pickup that are noiseless are
very rare since the mechanism by which noise is eliminated often
also eliminates the tone. See DiMarzio and Fender VN. |
| Non-wound string |
Usually the 3 strings on the treble side of the fretboard on a guitar are of the non-wound type. That is they are a single filament of steel that is smooth to the touch, not rough as a wound string is. See also Wound string. |
Ohms |
The
measurement unit of resistance to the flow of an electric current
through a conductor. Measured in Ohms (O) |
Out of
Phase |
When
2 pickups or coils are connected in such a way that the current
flows are in opposite directions and tend to cancel one another
they are said to be out of phase. Position 2 and 4 of a Strat
switch is not out of phase, in fact quite the opposite…they
are in-phase. Out of phase sounds consist of very little bass,
dominate mids and highs with a characteristic 'nasal, honky'
sound and have a much lower level. Also see In-phase.
|
Output level |
The
amount of voltage outputted from an electrical transducer or
pickup. Typically example is 100 mv (milli-volts). Can be varied
by adjustment of pickups. See Magnet/string
gap and Level. |
Output
polarity |
Output polarity (or the phase of the output) can be said to be positive or negative. Not the same as magnetic polarity or coil polarity. It is only important to know this when mixing different brands or different kinds of pickups, so that a correction can be made for when 2 different kinds of pickups switched on together will sound in-phase. There is no Industry Standard for this so one must determine output polarity using a simple test devised by Chris Kinman, follow this link to read more. |
Output
socket |
the
best ones are made by Switchcraft (USA). Cheap nasty ones let
the plug drop out and make terrible static noises as the guitar
player moves about. Should be replaced at least every 2 years.
Often mistakenly referred to as "Inputs". |
Overdrive |
When
the input of the amplifier is driven beyond it's clean capability
into distortion. Happens when a sine wave from a pickup slams
into the transient limits of the amplifier and takes on a square
wave-form. Pickups do not distort, only an active circuit can.
The rated power output of an amplifier (usually measured just
before distortion occurs) multiplies with heavy distortion hence
the need for excessive speaker power-rating. See Distortion.
|
| Paperweight |
A
guitar salesperson's term for an unpopular model of guitar that is nearly
impossible to sell. |
Parallel |
When
position 2 or 4 is selected on a Strat selector switch two pickups
are switched on and said to be connected in parallel and in-phase.
The sound becomes hollow and delicate, devoid of quack and with
a drop in level. Mark Knopfler made this his trademark sound.
Also see In-phase. |
Passive
pickup |
One
that consists solely of magnet/s and coil/s with no included
battery powered active electronics. All the great old pickups
are passive. Has the disadvantage that cable capacitance can
modify the sound somewhat but the organic sound and feel far
outweigh this. |
Phase |
Assuming
you understand the concept of wave forms (as in sine wave)… it's
the relationship between two (or more) such waves. In guitars
they either oppose one another (being out of phase) or are in
phase (in synchronous). To put it another way it's when the
output polarity of two pickups (or coils) either match or oppose one
another. Eg, in phase or 180 degrees out of phase. With in-phase series
connection the wave forms add their energy together for increased
level while out-of-phase wave-forms subtract from one another
to decrease level. |
Pickup |
An
electrical device, in it's simplest form, consisting of a coil
of wire wrapped around a set of permanent magnets so designed
to induce a corresponding EMF of the strings in the coil by
vibrating the magnetic field with the strings. See also Humbucker
and Noiseless. |
Plastic
cover |
Because
plastic is magnetically transparent and electrically non-conductive
it is an ideal material for the cover of pickups. Covers not
only contribute to the look of a guitar but also protect the
delicate pickup coils from sweat and mechanical damage. Also
see Aged covers and Metal
Cover |
Pot |
Potentiometer;
a variable resistance device for controlling electrical
currents that works by increasing or decreasing the resistance
in the path of the current, and shunting unwanted currents to ground. Also see Tone
pot. |
Pot curve |
"A"
curve means Audio curve. A special taper because the human hearing
system responds to sound pressure level on a log curve, not
in a linear fashion. "A" curve Tone and Volume pots are necessary
for guitars to get the right increase (or swell) of level change
per given rotation of the knob. Same is true in reverse for
the Tone pot. |
P-90 |
Excellent
single coil pickup in the Gibson family. Great tone due to the
presence of 2 Alnico bar magnets but terribly noisy. Easily
recognized by it's centralized 6 adjustable steel screw pole
pieces and rectangle plastic cover, often cream in color in
the soapbar variety or Black in the dog-ear veriety. Has 2 opposing
Alnico bar magnets lying flat underneath the coil. Resonates at a lower
frequency that Strat pickups therefore has a chunky tone. Extremely
difficult to cancel hum from and retain authentic (punchy/bright)
tone. |
Q factor |
The
ratio of frequency bandwidth to the peak voltage output of a
pickup. Has a direct consequence in dynamic range, attack and
output level. Of paramount importance in producing trademark
tone. Fender Strat sound is defined with the magic number of
2.5. See also Dynamic Range
and Attack & Air
in the Sonic section. |
Radius
setting |
The
configuration of magnet lengths arranged to approximately coincide
with the arc of the strings that is reflecting the radius of
the fretboard for the purpose of achieving balanced outputs
from the various strings. See RADIUS
page. Severely mismatching Radii of fretboard and magnets can result in offensive string output imbalance. |
Resistance |
The
force opposing the flow of a (DC) electric current through a
conductor. Unit is Ohms. Eg where 'K' is a thousand 250KOhms
= 250,000 ohms. |
| RMS |
An acronym for 'Root
Mean Square'. The accurate and unexaggerated power rating of
an amplifier or speaker. Other units such as 'peak power' are
used by some unscrupulous manufacturers to embellish their products
beyond their actual capability. |
RW/RP |
Reverse Wound coil and Reverse magnetic Polarity. Not to be
confused with the quack sounds of position 2 and 4 which do
not require it, RW/RP is used as a hum cancelling arrangement
between 2 pickups and works like a humbucking pickup. The coils
are in-phase sonically but because they are out of phase with
respect to externally generated noise (hum) the hum is cancelled/neutralized
inside the coils. Applied to a Strat it works only in switch
positions 2 and 4. Kinman AVn pickups are hum cancelling in
their own right so this is not an option that has to be considered
for noise free performance over the entire pickup selection. |
| Seattle
Tuxedo |
A
clean flannel shirt; because the residents of Seattle are so
comfortably casual. |
Sensitivity |
Another
word for dynamic range. This term refers to the amount of electrical
output for a given energy input. The more sensitive a pickup
is the more output it will deliver for a given pick stroke.
Q is another synonym. |
Series |
When
two coils or pickups are connected together end to end much
like the batteries in an electrical appliance where the voltage
is the addition of the individual cells (ie 1.5 + 1.5
= 3). |
Set-up |
The
geometric and distance relationship between neck relief, string
height, pickup adjustment and bridge settings of a guitar. Every
guitar should have one yearly, performed by a good quality guitar
tek. |
Shielding |
A
grounded conductive coating of copper foil OR graphite (or Nickel or Silver)
paint that is applied to the walls and floor of the cavities
of an electric guitar that house electrical components to prevent
RFI (noise) from entering the wiring and electrical parts. Shielding
does not reduce hum from pickups, only static type noise. See
also Noise (RFI). |
Shielded
cable |
Connecting
a noiseless pickup to the controls with unshielded single conductor
wires can contribute noise to the sound. I use shielded cable
to prevent unwanted noise entering the system. See also Noise
(RFI). |
Shorted
turns |
When
the insulation coating of copper winding wire breaks down and
allows current to jump across from one turn to another (or to
the pole piece) to avoid taking the correct path around the
bobbin. Can have drastic consequences in sound quality and output.
|
Single coil |
The
simplest of all pickups. Leo Fenders examples have a great sound
but have the annoying problem that they act as an antenna for
(EMI) hum often driving musicians to insanity whilst recording
and playing loud. Some have even been known to smash their guitars
with frustration. Can also refer to Noiseless single coils even
though these invariably have 2 coils but have the outward appearance
of true single coils. To be precise these should be known as noiseless single pole pickups... see next entry. |
Single pole |
Another
term for single coil but can also describe a particular type
of hum cancelling pickup of the verticle type. |
| Sorcerer's
Apprentice syndrome |
When
every problem you solve causes two or more more problems to
appear.
|
Staggered poles |
The
array of different length magnets arranged to approximately
follow the camber of the strings as dictated by the arch of
the fretboard. |
Stratitis |
(Strat-itis
is simultaneous multiple discordant frequency syndrome). Dirty
or rusty strings can also cause this but many players know this
horrible phenomena is caused by excessively strong magnets in
the pickups; here's how it works. What happens is the magnets
of the pickups pull a section of the string (the part that's
over the pickups) into a U shaped vibration path. Normally the
strings vibrate in what is essentially a single-plane path or
horizontal pattern. Lets say that the time taken for a string (not subjected
to excessive magnet pull) to complete one cycle or oscillation
is X milliseconds. Traveling in a U shaped path it actually
takes longer to complete one cycle or oscillation since the
distance is greater via a U shaped path, so the time is X +
Y milliseconds. Now it's getting clear that what you have is
a string that has a section of it's length vibrating in a U
shaped path and part of the remaining section traveling in a
direct single-plane path and yet other sections traveling at
all frequencies between these two extremes. This means that
the three sections are actually vibrating at many different
frequencies when the string should be vibrating uniformly at
a single frequency. What happens when you mix all these different
frequencies together? Uggghhh, dissonant Stratitis that's what!
It's bad enough hearing 2 non-harmonious notes coming from a
single string, but when you get multiple dissonant frequencies
(or notes) being produce simultaneously from a single string
the results are absolutely horrendous. A string that's out of
tune with itself no less, big time. That is what regular Strat
pickups do; the excessively strong magnets also cause the strings
to crash into the frets resulting in buzzes and rattles and
loss of sustain. See also Magnets-Alnico-5.
|
String rattle |
If
the string heights (action) are set too low they will crash
into the frets causing a very unpleasant sound, but if used
skillfully can add certain desirable effects to ones playing.
Also see Set-up. |
Tone pot |
The
control (Variable Resistor or VR) that uses a capacitor to simultaneously alter the resonance
and attack of a pickup resulting in a dull lifeless tone if used excessively. "A"
curve pots are mandatory for these controls. See Pot
curve also Tone Workshop > Perfect
Guitar page. |
Transient response |
Same
as Dynamic range. |
Turns count |
The
number of turns of copper wire wrapped around a pickups
bobbin (former). Typically 8,300 for an early 1960's Strat pickup.
|
Virtuoso |
The
greatest, most creative and most admired of players. Inspiring
and exciting to listen to. Jimi Hendrix, SRV and Eric Johnson
for examples. |
Wire gauge |
The
diameter or thickness of the copper wire used in the winding
of pickup coils (and other electrical appliances). |
| |
The
coating applied over copper wire to prevent shorted turns
or short circuits in pickup coils.
Enamel:
A dark coating used to coat and insulate the copper conducting
wire used in various guitar pickups (not my favorite). Very
difficult to remove from the wire for soldering.
Formvar: A gold colored insulating coating for copper wire
used in Fender Strat pickups of the 1950's and 1960's (amongst
others). This is the coating responsible for the favored sound
of the legendary Stratocaster. Seems to have magic properties.
If it's not wound with Formvar then it's not a authentic reissue.
Polyurethane: A modern and convenient coating for copper wire.
Handy since it is easily removed from the wire by the heat
of a soldering iron. Results in excellent sonic properties. |
Warble |
See
Stratitis. |
Wax potting |
Removing
the tiny pockets of air trapped within the coil of a guitar
pickup and replacing them with wax. Necessary for good coil
performance and for preventing microphonic whistle at high levels.
All Kinman pickups are wax potted under heat and extreme vacuum
to 98% of complete impregnation. Also see Microphonic.
|
Wirogram |
The
diagrammatic representation (drawing) of the circuit of a collection
of electrical components and connecting wires. For example the
wiring of three pickups, volume and tone pots, selector switch
and output socket of a typical Stratocaster or Telecaster shown
on the PDF files on my TONE page.
|
Wolfe Tones |
See
Stratitis. |
| Wound string |
Usually the 3 strings on the bass side of the fretboard on a guitar are of the wound type. That is they have a coil of small gauge wire wrapped around the core of the string. They are a bit rough to the touch and can cause a 'zing' sound when fingers slide up or down a string. Bo Diddley used this sound to great effect on the opening line of his song called 'Roadrunner'. See also non-wound string. |
Xylaphone |
Not
one of the guitar family so won't be discussed here but just had
to have an X in here somewhere. |
