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Guitar pickups such as this humbucker from Seymour Duncan have pole pieces that can be individually adjusted for height.
Correctly setting up a guitar can transform the instruments performance. Grant Bridgeman puts down his pick.
electronically, rather than the body of the instrument acoustically amplifying the vibrations. Strings are a very visual medium and can help you to understand some of the basics of harmonics and overtones as well as what goes into building up tonal character. When a xed string vibrates, a number of frequencies combine to form the overall tone
harmonics and denes the pitch of the note itself. The frequencies and amplitudes of the other harmonics are dependent on a range of other factors, most predominantly the position at which the string is plucked. A node is a point of zero displacement on the vibrating string, and they exist for each wavelength within the harmonic
predominant sound. The articial harmonic located above the 12th fret is the rst harmonic for the open string (the string vibrates in two equal lengths exactly one octave above the fundamental). It is this property that can be used to check the intonation of the guitar. The term intonation describes the tuning of the guitar along the fretboard. Intonation is said to be
Strung out
All guitars, whether electric, acoustic or classical, operate fundamentally on similar principles. The difference in the case of electric guitars and other instruments that have a pickup are that the vibrations of the strings are sensed and subsequently amplied
Keeping it real
Guitarists will be familiar with the term harmonics, identifying the word with the technique of playing at specic points on the fretboard (both open and fretted). But this technique is more accurately referred to as articial harmonics, since playing in this way produces just one of the selected harmonic series while muting the fundamental, which is usually the
This Gibson-style bridge allows for easy adjustment of the length of the individual strings. Setting up the intonation correctly, therefore, is a relatively easy job.
Pick it up
The pickups on electric guitars work by sensing the vibrations of the string and converting them into an electrical signal. However, the exact mechanisms vary slightly between different styles of pickup, with the resulting sound being quite different. The conventional pickup resides within the body of the electric guitar underneath the strings and is positioned in relation to the string harmonics. A pickup thats close to the bridge will emphasise the shorter wavelengths in the harmonic series, giving a brighter tone. Positioning them nearer the fretboard emphasises the longer wavelength harmonics, giving a more mellow tone. The pickup itself operates on a similar principle as dynamic microphones electrical induction. The pole piece within the pickup is a magnet that generates a magnetic eld around both the string and the pickup coil, which is wound around the lower section of the pole pies. As the metal string vibrates it causes variations within the magnetic eld; these change within the eld then induce a current within the pickup coils. It is this signal that is output to the amplier. The proximity of the magnet to the string has both benets and drawbacks. Locating the magnet closer to the string increases the
Harmonic modes are generated as the string vibrates at its fundamental frequency (first harmonic). The second harmonic is half the length and so on.
Tech Terms
string before checking the intonation. If your guitar is regularly detuned or you use alternative tunings, it is worth checking the intonation for these pitches as there will be slight differences in the setup.
Fret talk
When checking intonation, another problem often becomes apparent: fret buzz. This is when the string vibrates against a fret higher up the fretboard. In minor cases it is literally a light buzz that often goes unnoticed or is of little concern during normal playing, but in more serious cases the note can actually choke out, resulting in the note having reduced sustain or not sounding at all. The problem is caused by a combination of the playing height of the string, the frets themselves and the string gauge. String height can be increased at the bridge, usually via an adjustable
mechanism in the case of electric guitars (it is generally possible to adjust the height of each string individually) or by placing thin shim pieces under the saddle of classical and acoustic guitars. If the guitar has a single moulded bridge piece it is probably worth having it set up by a professional as the saddles are often glued in place and can be tricky to remove (it is vital to replace the saddle in the correct orientation as it will be pre-shaped to allow for different string sizes). A players preferred action is a very personal thing and comprises a combination of the guitar, the guitarist and their style of playing. A high action results in the guitar being harder to play, but also means increased volume and a reduction in fret buzz, but its ideal for slide guitar playing. With a higher action it is possible to use heavier-gauge strings, which can give a warmer, fuller tone to the
Impedance The output signal of an electric guitar is at quite a low level, so care needs to be taken to ensure that the destination input impedance is suitable for the output impedance of the guitar. Generally speaking, the higher the input impedance the better ideally in the region of megohms, hence the need to run it through a DI box rather than plugging directly into a mixing desk. Anti-node The node of a waveform is the point of zero displacement; the anti-node is the point of maximum displacement from the resting position. Piezoelectric pickups Piezoelectric pickups are small contact microphones that sense the vibrations within the body of an instrument and convert them into an electrical signal. Theyre often placed under the bridge or saddle of a guitar and offer an alternative to conventional micing.
FURTHER INFO
The Seymour Duncan website is a good source of information. This page explores common wiring techniques for different pickup and switch combinations. www.seymourduncan.com/ support/wiring-diagrams The Project Guitar website is an excellent reference source for anyone maintaining an electric guitar (or, indeed, building one from scratch). Erik Janssons Acoustics For Violin And Guitar Makers covers much of the theory about the nature of string sounds. www.speech.kth.se/music/ acviguit4/part4.pdf
Artificial harmonics exist at multiple points along the fretboard. They can be played by plucking the string while very lightly fretting at the points highlighted and are vital for the tasks of checking and correctly setting intonation.
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