What type of strings to compliment the various pickup types?

[Pine Cone]

Alright, so I've read a fair bit about strings and I've read about pickup type differences, but how do the two interact? How does the B-M-T of a pickup interact with the brightness or warmness of the strings? How about the output? How about whether it's a single coil, P90, or humbucker?

For instance, I just got some Daddario chromes (really warm) and stuck them on my guitar with P90s. I did this because it sounds like warm means more middle frequency and less high and the P90s emphasize strong middle tones. Is that correct? That setup is nice in that it doesn't sound shrill or muddy. It's defined pretty much all over the spectrum, but I don't get quite the crispness or sharpness or clarity that I get with the really bright strings on my humbucker guitar...

Then do you have recommendations on how to adjust the amp frequency with the string and pickup combo?

I'd have a hard time going back to roundwounds though because the chrome flatwounds feel so nice.

 

[Michael_DK]

All that stuff is so subjective.

But maybe think of it this way:
Pickups have their own tone signature across the frequency spectrum. They pick up some frequencies more than others.
They can only pickup what is already there; the strings determine what's there to pick up.
(likewise, the guitar itself can attentuate certain frequencies, like the pickups; let's ignore that for now, it's analogous).

Simplifying greatly, you can go with something that accentuates the frequencies that are most prominent (strong mids from strings, strong mids from pickup) or something that counteracts / complements (example: strong mids from strings, scooped mids from pickups).

In your example, you went for either one of those two; I'd actually think it was the complement - low mids from strings, high mids from pickups. balancing out. No experience with p90s, so that's a guess.

Now, how hard you hit the amp might give different characters to the distortion, or clipping, or overdrive, or slight hairyness, depending on how much gain is there.

1) If you use strings with strong mids and also pickups that accentuate the mid frequencies, then the mids will be what drives the amp. That'll give you one kind of tone.
2) If you use bass heavy strings and bassy pickups, you drive the amp in another way (might be muddy, but what the heck).
) If you use real zingy strings and pickups with accentuated highs, you drive the amp in yet a third way. Possibly ice-picky.

You might prefer to balance the frequency spectrum a bit.

That can be done with other strings for the same pickup or vice versa. (might not be the first place to tinker, but what the heck).

It can also be done on the amp's tone controls.

case 1 above: maybe you'll turn down the mids a bit. if the tonestack of the amp is after the preamp tubes, then you get the preamp distortion from the mid frequencies, which gives some higher harmonics. You then remove some of the mid-heavy aspect of the tone AFTER than point, so you get the distortion character in the higher frequencies, but not all those mids.

Same for case number 2. Although the tone may have already been muddied up by all that bass from strings and pickup and guitar.
On the other hand, if on that particular amp the tone control is BEFORE the preamp, then you might avoid that muddiness.


All this to say that it's a complex system (if not very complicated).

Think about what frequencies are pushed, and how that drives the amp into clipping/overdrive. And how the tone controls may or may not play into that.


You can see how choice of pickup position (bridge, middle and neck) plays into this as well - going from bright to full or even bassy.



That sharpness or clarity you're looking for... Try first the treble/presence controls on your amp. But it may be that the mids drive the amp into clipping, covering up the clarity, and it might be that the tone controls are AFTER the preamp tubes.

Try turning down the gain and see if it helps. Also try turning down the bass and/or mids on the amp.


You may also want to play with the pickup heights to see if that shifts it into more favourable territory.


I hope others will chime in

 

[CantankerousCarl]

All that stuff is so subjective.

But maybe think of it this way:
Pickups have their own tone signature across the frequency spectrum. They pick up some frequencies more than others.
They can only pickup what is already there; the strings determine what's there to pick up.
(likewise, the guitar itself can attentuate certain frequencies, like the pickups; let's ignore that for now, it's analogous).

Simplifying greatly, you can go with something that accentuates the frequencies that are most prominent (strong mids from strings, strong mids from pickup) or something that counteracts / complements (example: strong mids from strings, scooped mids from pickups).

In your example, you went for either one of those two; I'd actually think it was the complement - low mids from strings, high mids from pickups. balancing out. No experience with p90s, so that's a guess.

Now, how hard you hit the amp might give different characters to the distortion, or clipping, or overdrive, or slight hairyness, depending on how much gain is there.

1) If you use strings with strong mids and also pickups that accentuate the mid frequencies, then the mids will be what drives the amp. That'll give you one kind of tone.
2) If you use bass heavy strings and bassy pickups, you drive the amp in another way (might be muddy, but what the heck).
) If you use real zingy strings and pickups with accentuated highs, you drive the amp in yet a third way. Possibly ice-picky.

You might prefer to balance the frequency spectrum a bit.

That can be done with other strings for the same pickup or vice versa. (might not be the first place to tinker, but what the heck).

It can also be done on the amp's tone controls.

case 1 above: maybe you'll turn down the mids a bit. if the tonestack of the amp is after the preamp tubes, then you get the preamp distortion from the mid frequencies, which gives some higher harmonics. You then remove some of the mid-heavy aspect of the tone AFTER than point, so you get the distortion character in the higher frequencies, but not all those mids.

Same for case number 2. Although the tone may have already been muddied up by all that bass from strings and pickup and guitar.
On the other hand, if on that particular amp the tone control is BEFORE the preamp, then you might avoid that muddiness.


All this to say that it's a complex system (if not very complicated).

Think about what frequencies are pushed, and how that drives the amp into clipping/overdrive. And how the tone controls may or may not play into that.


You can see how choice of pickup position (bridge, middle and neck) plays into this as well - going from bright to full or even bassy.



That sharpness or clarity you're looking for... Try first the treble/presence controls on your amp. But it may be that the mids drive the amp into clipping, covering up the clarity, and it might be that the tone controls are AFTER the preamp tubes.

Try turning down the gain and see if it helps. Also try turning down the bass and/or mids on the amp.


You may also want to play with the pickup heights to see if that shifts it into more favourable territory.


I hope others will chime in

Awesome write-up Michael. Personally I have never tried matching strings to the individual guitar. I tried some higher-output strings (Cobalts) awhile back but thought they made the single coil tones sound like poop. I really dig the NYXLs as they just seem to bring out whatever guitar they are on a little bit without sounding artificial.

 

[gush]

I've been using NYXL and I think those have become my favorite strings.

 

[Pine Cone]

Thanks for the replies!

That's a great point about the pickups only being able to gather what the strings give them. I did like NYXL strings when I had those, except I left them on so long they really sounded lame after like 2 years and no E string lol. So that's a good recommendation for a general go to?

I wonder if high output strings need high output pickups and vice versa? If you said cobalt made your single coils sound like crap, maybe low output strings just don't jive with active pickups either?

I'd think you'd want to complement/reinforce your pickups with your strings, because you'd want to maximize on what you liked about the pikckups. Counteracting would just make them sound like more general/stock pickups right?

I'm still not exactly sure how bright and warm translate to frequencies though...

When I turned up the treble on my amp, it did sound more sharp than just mids. With the P90s and chromes though, it really doesn't like bass, way way muddy. It's weird, I liked bright strings more for clean sounds and for heavy gain/distortion, but the warm strings work really well for heavy effect layering. They don't screech out or get indistinguishable nearly as bad.

 

[helmi]

SIT 9 1/2 strings for everything!

 

[dogrocketp]

I use different gauge and brand strings on several different guitars. If they need to be sparked up a bit, it`s NYXL`s, either 10-46 or 10-52. If the instrument has the sound I like it`s PRS 10-46. I have 2 mahogany body Singlecut SE`s that get PRS 9-42, 1 with 2 P90`s & 1 with 2 USA #7 Humbuckers. Then there`s the 2 P90 single with DR pure blues. Some guitars do respond better to certain strings, If there`s any doubt, it`s PRS strings.