What does "The coils are individually tuned to capture overtones"

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Offline Crane

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I am trying to find more info. about DiMarzio pickups and it is not easy. I am looking at the PG13s and the neck version says "The coils are individually tuned to capture overtones that resemble a single-coil yet maintain low-end definition." What does that mean? Are there individual coils for each magnet/string? or 2 bobbins? And does that mean that the neck pickup should placed in the guitar with the screws closer to the neck? (because the individual coil for the high e strings needs to be under the high e string) Does the bridge version of the PG13 have a similar build?  Help

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Offline mmmguitar

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Re: What does "The coils are individually tuned to capture overtones"
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2021, 04:26:06 AM »
Until recently, the patents listed for each product were the most pertinent/reality-based technical info Dimarzio was willing to share about their many distinct and proprietary flavors of vanilla. The product descriptions are mere ads, ranging from boilerplate to nonsensical (“Thundering cloud of ice cream”, anyone?); and should be taken with a grain of salt.

The description seems to reference their “dual resonance” patent, which consists of winding a humbucker’s two coils to different resistance measurements (e.g. an 8k humbucker with coils measuring 3.9k and 4.1k). Dimarzio achieves this in a few different ways, depending on the design. Essentially, the intended result is for the phase cancellation between two different coils wired in series to produce a pickup timbre that seems to emphasize whichever particular frequencies aren’t being cancelled out.

Steve Blucher has been experimenting with this for at least thirty years; so Gilbert likely submitted an abstract request that the neck pickup of the set sound like refried beans or something. Steve likely felt that the prototype Paul approved sounded more like a single coil than humbucker, and that impression subsequently made it into the ad copy.

Concerning coils: Dimarzio pickups have, at most, two coils/bobbins. I recall some goofy three-coil humbuckers from 20 years ago, but that’s it. Every Dimarzio humbucker (with the partial exception of the Bluesbucker) is “intended” to be mounted with the screw coil facing “out”, but you’re free to flip them around if you feel they sound better. Dimarzio addresses this here:

https://www.dimarzio.com/node/1723

« Last Edit: May 13, 2021, 04:36:55 AM by mmmguitar »

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Offline Guitar74

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Re: What does "The coils are individually tuned to capture overtones"
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2021, 12:15:58 PM »
"Gilbert likely submitted an abstract request that the neck pickup of the set sound like refried beans or something."

That's hilarious! If I ever hit the big time, I will remember that request, but shorten it to "make me a set of pickups that sound like a fart".
« Last Edit: May 13, 2021, 12:19:57 PM by Guitar74 »
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Offline darkbluemurder

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Re: What does "The coils are individually tuned to capture overtones"
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2021, 04:56:08 AM »
The description seems to reference their “dual resonance” patent, which consists of winding a humbucker’s two coils to different resistance measurements (e.g. an 8k humbucker with coils measuring 3.9k and 4.1k). Dimarzio achieves this in a few different ways, depending on the design. Essentially, the intended result is for the phase cancellation between two different coils wired in series to produce a pickup timbre that seems to emphasize whichever particular frequencies aren’t being cancelled out.

I agree, and you described it well. I will add that to the sticky with a question mark until the information is confirmed.

Cheers Stephan
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Offline mmmguitar

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Re: What does "The coils are individually tuned to capture overtones"
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2021, 02:35:09 PM »
I will add that to the sticky with a question mark until the information is confirmed.

I believe it was black beans.