pups!

[jeje]

How is a pickup if its "microphonic"?
And what about "hot"?

[Steelpriest]

Microphonic means that it causes an awful squealing at higher volume levels especially when you use lots of overdrive or distortion... you can also try to shout in the pickup...lol, you will hear it through the guitar amp. Generally this problem is caused by crappy or sloppy made coils... cheap pickups are often microphonic. A hot pickup is a pickup that delivers a high output and aggressive tone..., sometimes these hot pickups are considered as "distortion humbuckers"

[jeje]

okay, thanks

I usually dont bother to rig up with a mic, I just sing into my pups in between playing. does that mean my pickups are cheap?

I dont know whether mine are microphonic though.. they dont squeal and stuff, but they bring out all those fingermovements on the low strings real good, maybe thats just my playing?

[jeje]

How can I check if my pups are too microphonic? I don't have much experience with pickups, and this is my first electric..

[Steelpriest]

Just try the following: select a high gain sound on you amplifier and turn up the volume, strike a chord and then immediately mute the strings. There should be silence! If your pickups are microphonic you might listen to an awful squealing sound, or in some cases to something like a very deep feedback... this has nothing to do with "desirable and indeed musically useful" feedback of strings. It is more the feedback of the sound coming out of the loudspeakers that cause the coils of a crappy pickup to vibrate and thus develops a feedback loop. Forgive me for not using correct technical terms for I am german, but I hope I managed to explain it reasonable and understandable... By the way: at very extreme volume levels you come across that effect also with expensive pickups... it is quite normal, but it should not appear at "normal" rehearsal levels... ;D But what is considered as "normal" volume level? LOL, I guess me and my buddies are quite beyond what is considered as "normal".

[jeje]

I think I know what you mean.. I tested it, nothing unusual I lowered the pup height too, so no more icky sounds from my sloppy playing now everything is smooth, as far as I can tell.. Probably need a good professional setup soon though