bmusic - Product News and Reviews

Seymour Duncan's 21 Day Real World Pick-Up Exchange Program
So you are thinking about purchasing a pickup but just not a 100% sure it’s the right model for you. What do you do? Well, with Seymour Duncan/Basslines pickups & Dominant Music in Australia you’re covered under the new 21-Day Real World Exchange Policy.

Here’s how it works:
You purchase your pick up and check it out carefully for up to three weeks with your own gear, in the places you normally play. Concert halls, the studio, your bedroom- wherever. In other words: “The Real World”. Does the pick up work for you? If it does, great - enjoy!!!

However, if you’re unhappy with it for any reason, you can exchange it for another model of the same value. Or, if you want to exchange it for one of higher value,you pay the difference.

To help you choose the best pickup to suit your needs we have some great tools available:

> Read "How to pick a pickup"

> Read the full detail of the Seymour Duncan 21 Day Real World Pick-Up Exchange Program, including all Terms & Conditions, HERE

> Visit the Seymour Duncan TONEWIZARD. A brilliant service that advises you on the perfect pickups

> Listen to audio samples & check the tone charts at the Seymour Duncan Audio Samples Pages

Are you constantly fighting with it to put out great tone? Or maybe you’re just not getting any. You know, your instrument should love you as much as you love it. If things between the two of you aren’t working out, then it’s time for a new pickup.

what’s a pickup?
Technically, pickups are transducers that “pick up” string vibrations and translate them into an electrical current which then comes out of your amp as a tasty jazz run, a chunky power chord, or an in-yer-face death metal riff.

Why change pickups?
Simply put: Are you totally satisfied with your instrument’s tone? Look – 99% of all guitars are built from the same basic stuff: wood, strings, hardware, and pickups. Each of these components plays an important role in formulating the tone and determining how your instrument will sound. But check this out – if you’ve got an instrument that looks right and feels right, but doesn’t sound right to you, then the pickups in that instrument are not the right pickups for you. Seymour Duncan/Basslines manufactures hundreds of pickup models for all kinds of instruments with the single-minded goal of helping you find your tone. Your tone.

OK, this is about me. So, how do I choose the right pickups?
First off, determine your tone needs. Do you need more output? Are you looking for a thicker tone? Is your tone lacking bottom end? Are you in search of more sustain or better dynamics? Answering these questions is the first step in choosing the right pickup for you.

Next, you need to read about the pickups. Think about how the various models presented in ours and Seymour Duncan's websites will work for you. If you’d like to actually hear the electric guitar pickups, grab yourself a copy of The Journey is the Destination, Seymour Duncan's three-volume CD series that highlights most of their electric guitar pickups under scientific conditions. The Journey is the Destination is available from bmusic by request or factory direct. Or, if you’ve got a computer with really good speakers, listen to it – for free – at SeymourDuncan.com's Soundbytes section.

We strongly advise you check out the great tools Seymour Duncan have on their website, like the Tone Wizard™ who will help you start off on your pickup quest. You’ll also find a bunch of cool wiring diagrams and detailed drawings of pickup dimensions – very important, since sometimes guitar manufacturers change their pickup route cavities without us knowing about it. And you’ll find a User Group Forum with the nicest, most knowledgeable, most tone-minded folks on the ‘net. There are also FAQs, Q&A with Seymour, artist interviews, newsletters, the Wall of Fame and lots of cool features.

What makes one pickup sound different from another?
Basically, a passive pickup is composed of two things: a magnet and a coil of insulated copper wire. The magnet works to magnetize the strings creating something called a flux field. When the strings vibrate, the movement of this flux field creates an alternating current within the pickup coils. This alternating current then travels from the pickup to the amplifier. When you crank your amp, you hear the combination of the pickup and the amplifier interpreting the vibration of the strings. When you’re thinking about how a pickup will sound, there are a few variables that determine the way it will transduce the string vibrations.

Coil
A pickup coil is merely a long strand of insulated copper wire, wound thousands of times around a bobbin (or coil form) that has magnetic pole pieces at it's core or a bar magnet at its base. We use several types of insulation and several gauges of wire to give you the right tone. The different sizes and shapes of the bobbins have an impact of determining how the pickup will transduce the string vibration. For instance, a narrow coil that’s close to the pole pieces like a Fender® single coil results in extended treble response. A P-90, on the other hand, is shorter and fatter, yielding a more midrangeintensive tone.

Number of turns
The number of turns of copper wire wound around the bobbin greatly affects the performance of the pickup and the overall tone of your guitar. A pickup with lots and lots of turns will have high output, but this output will come at the expense of dynamics and high end. A pickup with way too many turns will actually lose output due to resistive losses caused by excessive impedance. On the other hand, an under-wound pickup will come across sounding thin and weak. Getting the right number of turns for a great-sounding pickup is as much art as it is science.

Seymour Duncan

D.C. resistance and resonant peak
The gauge of wire and the number of turns on the coil each play a part in defining the D.C. resistance. D.C. resistance is resistance to the flow of direct current. Generally, the more turns of wire, the higher the D.C. resistance, the higher the output and the lower the treble response. For single coils, the D.C. resistance generally ranges from around 6.5k for a vintage tone, to 15k for a high output tone. For humbuckers, the range is around 7.5k to around 16.5k. Though it may seem that this is the clear-cut way to determine what kind of pickup is best for you, remember this is only one of several variables that aid in determining the tone or voice of a pickup.

Resistance to the flow of alternating current is called impedance and it changes with frequency. The frequency where a pickup’s impedance reaches its highest level is called the resonant peak. Generally speaking, the higher in frequency the resonant peak, the clearer and brighter the pickup’s tone.

The relationship between D.C. resistance and resonant peak is a great way to understand the voice and tone of a Seymour Duncan or Basslines pickup. For example, if you check out the tone chart you can see that an SSL-2 Vintage Flat for Strat® has a significantly higher resonant peak (9.0 KHz) than, say, a similar pickup like an SSL-3 Hot for Strat® (4.4 KHz).

Based on these numbers, you can easily see that the Vintage has a much brighter tone and the Hot has a much fatter tone. Or, if you see that the Vintage (6.6k) has a much lower D.C. resistance than the Hot (16.4k), you will understand that the Vintage has less output and more brightness compared with the Hot.

Notice the inverse relationship between D.C. resistance and resonant peak. Generally speaking, the higher in frequency the resonant peak, the clearer and brighter the pickup’s tone.

We list the D.C. resistance and resonant peak for almost all of our pickups. It’s most informative to compare D.C. resistance and resonant peaks between similar pickups, that is, between single coils or between full-size humbuckers for example, and not across broad categories, like comparing a single coil to a full-size humbucker. Besides actually hearing the pickup, this is the best way to figure out what the pickup is going to sound like.

What makes one pickup sound different from another?

Magnet
The magnet brings life to the pickup. Seymour Duncan use two different magnet materials: Alnico and ceramic. Alnico, an alloy which includes aluminum, nickel and cobalt (“ALNICO”), tends to have lower string pull and creates a softer magnet field which improves sustain and helps smooth out the tone. They use two different strengths of Alnico magnets -- Alnico 2 and Alnico 5 -- to create two totally different tones. Alnico 2, which is slightly weaker than 5, tends to have a smoother, warmer, rounder tone with softer attack. Alnico 5 has a brighter, more dynamic tone with a tighter bottom end than 2.

Ceramic magnets are a blend of magnetic iron and rare earth materials like barium or strontium, which is formed into bars under high pressure and intense heat. If you are looking for power and extended range in your tone, ceramic is the way to go. Ceramic creates a magnet field more powerful than that of Alnico and is more resistant to environmental aging. Seymour Duncan use ceramic magnets on some of their humbuckers (like the SH-13 Dimebucker), single coil sized humbuckers (like the JB Jr.), and bass pickups (like the active soapbars), because it produces a more aggressive tone with a punchier bass end and enhanced upper mids.

Understanding the relationship between D.C. resistance and resonant peak is a great way to discern the “voice” of a pickup. But of equal importance is understanding how the magnet of the pickup matches with the various types of tone woods used in guitars. Ask yourself this: is my guitar naturally bright sounding or warm sounding? Bright sounding guitars will have a tendency to have a pronounced high-end detail; and warm sounding guitars will have more emphasis in the lower-midrange. Certain woods, like mahogany and rosewood, will often create a warm sounding guitar. Other woods, like maple and ebony, will make a guitar bright sounding. What kind of wood is used on your guitar?

Here’s the trick: you can balance a bright sounding guitar with a warm sounding pickup. And vice versa. Alnico 2 has a characteristic warm tone with soft attack. Generally, this means it usually works well with bright sounding guitars. Alnico 5 and ceramic generally have a brighter tone than Alnico 2, which make them well suited to warm sounding guitars. Keep in mind that these are general guidelines; and Seymour Duncan make some broad-based suggestions for woods for each pickup in their catalog description. But some Alnico pickups, like the APS-1 Alnico II Pro for Strat®, for instance, are actually bright sounding – not because of the magnet, but because of the low D.C. resistance and high resonant peak. See? It’s all related.

OK, what makes Seymour Duncan and Basslines pickups so good?

It’s the pickups
Seymour Duncan have a 100%, no-compromise attitude about their product. From the hand assembly to the fanatical quality control, they have a passionate devotion to making sure their product is the best it can possibly be. That’s why so many guitar manufacturers specify Seymour Duncan pickups as original equipment on their instruments. That’s why so many artists rely on Seymour Duncan and Basslines to give them their sound. And that’s what makes you sound so good when you get Seymourized.

It’s the people
Seymour Duncan are a company of guitar and bass players. They’ve been on stage. They’ve been in the studio. And they’ve spent countless hours practicing in their bedrooms. They know tone, and they know what it takes to give you the tone you’re looking for.

It’s pleasing you
Seymour Duncan's devotion to their customers starts with their product development and extends to their network of authorized dealers and their 21-Day Real World Exchange Policy. It’s all about taking care of you by helping you find Tone That Sets You Apart™. And helping you patch things up with that axe you know you love so much.

Check out the available range of Seymour Duncan pickups at bmusic HERE

Seymour Duncan 21 Day Real World Pick-Up Exchange Program Terms and Conditions:

So you are thinking about purchasing a pickup but just not 100% sure it’s the right model for you. What do you do? Well, with Seymour Duncan®/Basslines® and bmusic, you’re covered under Seymour Duncan's 21-Day Real World Exchange Policy™.

You purchase your pickup and check it out carefully for up to three weeks with your own gear, in the places you normally play. Concert halls, the studio, and your bedroom — wherever. In other words: “The Real World”. Does the pickup work for you? If it does, great! Enjoy!!! However, if you’re unhappy with it for any reason, you can exchange it for another model of the same value. Or, if you want to exchange it for one of a higher value and you pay the difference.

Some important things to remember. Make sure you take care of any Real World exchanges strictly within 21 days of your purchase. Make sure you have your original purchase receipt. Also, make sure the pickup isn’t totally thrashed (please). Get the pickup back to us by post (at customer expense) or present it in-store and will then arrange your exchange. We only ask that you explain why you are not happy with the pickup. This is to help us to recommend a more appropriate pick-up. We will then send your original pickup to Dominant Music, the Australian distributor of Seymour Duncan pickups. When they get it, provided everything checks out ok, they’ll send the replacement pickup to us at bmusic for you. That’s it!!
Pretty easy, huh?

Who is this available to?
Anyone who purchases a Seymour Duncan pick-up from Authorised Seymour Duncan Dealer bmusic.

Who is responsible for the installations?
You bear all responsibility for costs of all installations.

Advantages of this program:
Are you asking yourself the following question: “What is the pick-up going to sound like in MY GUITAR”? We can describe to you what it is going to be like but we realise there is still an uncertainty and this causes you some hesitation. This program eliminates this issue completely and helps you shape your sound with confidence!!

Terms and Conditions:
• This is a strict EXCHANGE ONLY Program, pick-ups will not be refunded under any circumstances.
• Exchange must take place STRICTLY within 21 days of the date of purchase stated on the receipt provided.
• Only applies to pick-ups purchase from Authorised Australian Seymour Duncan Dealers such as bmusic.
• Does not apply to Custom Shop pick-ups
• All installation cost, including installation of replacement pick-up is the responsibility of the customer.
• Explanation must be given as to why the pick-up did not suit so that a suitable replacement can be suggested. • Only one exchange per customer per transaction.
• Exchange will not take place until original pick-up has been received and inspected by Dominant Music.
• Pick-up will not be accepted by Dominant without original receipt, SDRA number and the SDRA form (that's our problem for the most part, you just need to retain your original receipt).
• Pick-up will not be accepted by Dominant if damaged in anyway by customer

If you have any questions relating to this program, please feel free to contact us here at bmusic or Dominant Music

Check out the available range of Seymour Duncan pickups at bmusic HERE