This question is for the guitarists here. All of my Alembics have two HG pickups. Is the difference between the STR and the HG similar to the difference between a single coil pickup and a humbucker?


In other words, if I'm looking to get more of a Strat sound on certain songs (without making amp and effect changes), will an Alembic with at least one STR get me closer than where I am now? Turning up the filter and flipping the BRIGHT switch gets me close...but I'd like closer. Or is an STR such a different beast entirely from a traditional STRAT single coil pickup that the point is moot?


Regards,


Jonathan

The simplistic way that I understand it is the larger pick up samples ("hears") more of the string (thicker sound) and the smaller pick up samples less (thinner sound).


That having been said, I can obtain a thin bright sound on my Skylark, which has the larger pick ups, by manipulating the tone and volume controls and the Q switches.


In fact, the only sound I can't accurately mimic on that guitar is the out of phase "quack" sounds produced by a single-coil equipped Strat-style guitar when using the 2 and 4 positions on a 5-way switch - but I can get pretty close.

The STRr and larger cased HG pickups are the same inside. Both pickups just have one str sized pickup. The difference between the two is just the casing.

Seriously?

So the only reason the Further has HG and STR pickups is for space or aesthetics?

I found this thread from four years ago in which I state the following:

"The HG has a wider aperture magnet than the STR; thus the HG sees more of the string than the STR.  The STR will thus sound cleaner than the HG."

I no longer remember stuff like that, but apparently at the time I felt confident that there was a difference in the size of the magnet and therefore the tone.

There are some other comments in that thread related to your question.

Thanks, Dave. I'll give it a read.

Well I must have readl that and forgotten about it then Dave, thanks for putting me right. :-)

Curious to hear more opinions on what people actually hear and experience themselves for audio differences between the larger and smaller Alembic pickups.  For people that have used/do use both and still have some further opinions, I hope you will please share additional info.

I'll try to find time to pull out my Electrum and listen to its pickups for you

http://club.alembicguitars.net/index.php?topic=8999.0

Quote from: gtrguy on December 12, 2017, 10:19:27 AM
I'll try to find time to pull out my Electrum and listen to its pickups for you

http://club.alembicguitars.net/index.php?topic=8999.0

Beautiful guitar you have! :-)