The Aperture of the magnetic Pickup
We all know that the magnetic pickups mounted on our guitars sense the vibration of each string. However, the details of this often elude us. In fact, the pickup “looks” at merely a portion of the length of the string – just like a camera in the optical domain, the pickup has an “aperture”. This […]
Do the pickup magnets influence the sound of a guitar? … the MAC-guitar may provide an answer …
In 2019 and 2020, we posted 3 articles discussing the Fender Wide-range Humbucker (see in particular here: https://gitec-forum-eng.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/TZ-Fender-Humbucker-Pt-3-WKM.pdf). In that framework, we showed the central element for the listening tests when comparing pickups: the PUC-guitar … PUC standing for Pick-Up-Change. Given the persistent (and sometime quite emotional) discussion of the question whether the magnets of […]
New website from Prof. Manfred Zollner, founder of GITEC … with lots more material (in German language)
The founder of GITEC, Professor Manfred Zollner, has recently set up his own website https://www.gitarrenphysik.de where he has posted – for the time being free and with unlimited public access – many highly interesting tutorials on the science of the electric guitar, and also a number of articles so far in their entirety only available […]
A little compilation of the Sound of a Leslie speaker when used with guitar … and a list of information sources on the Leslie
In the framework of a presentation for the annual meeting of the GITEC association (held on-line in 2020 due to the CoVid-19 pandemic), a presentation focused on the Leslie speaker and its use for guitar. It is a kind of primer and gives an overview on the topic. The presentation included a number of examples […]
DONE!!! The Translation of “Physics of the Electric Guitar” is CONCLUDED!
I find it hard to believe … we actually did it! The translation of “Physics of the Electric Guitar with its just shy of 1300 pages is complete. The remaining Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 8, as well as the introduction and the prefaces have just been uploaded and are online. As the (main) translator, I have […]
AT LAST: the 3rd article on the Fender “Wide Range” Humbucking Pickup: tests and audio examples
O.K. – here we are back again! First of all, I hope that you are all healthy and in good shape, and able to navigate these strange times dominated by the CoVid-19 pandemic. Indeed, it’s been an awfully long time coming … but at last here ist is: 3rd – and last […]
Tube-Mania! An experimental, modular tube amp for guitar … & science …
This report represents an introduction to a rather special animal: an experimental modular tube amp for guitar that offers an incredible amount of influence over all parameters that are important to a guitar tube-amp – and it offers a switchable selection to directly compare between tubes, transformers, circuits, and settings. All tube-heads MUST check it out: […]
While we’re waiting for the 3rd part of the article on Wide-Range Humbuckers: a little teaser …
It’s been quite a while since we posted the 2nd part of the article on the Fender Wide Range Humbucker … and it will be a while until we get to the 3rd part. In the meantime, and while you might be waiting, here’s a little teaser that also explains how some new hardware currently developed […]
More on the Fender “Wide Range” Humbucking Pickup: clones and the old competition
Our “wide-range” journey continues … in the second article in the series about the Fender Wide Range Humbucking Pickup, we check out some clones of this device, and we also consider the most relevant competition it faced when it came out back in the early 1970’s. So: more frequency plots and Q-factors coming right up […]
What’s so special about the Fender “Wide Range” Humbucking Pickup?
In the world of humbucking pickups, the original Fender humbucker – the so-called “Wide-Range” Humbucking Pickup – is a rather special animal. Although it has not achieved the notoriety and status of the Gibson PAF, it does have its fans and enjoys a really good reputation … good enough that several clones have been made […]