What are the top 3 reasons for ice pick tone?

[kevinT]

What are the top 3 reasons (with regard to pickup design) for harsh, overbright, ice pick tone? And would the same 3 reasons for a SC be the same for a humbucker?

[Dr. Guitar]

I install a lot of harsh treble-y pick ups. One thing I notice is that those who choose these pick ups are "older" players. By "older" players I mean those who have played in bands for at least a decade, not their age. I think they choose these kinds of pick ups due to hearing damage. It seems logical to me that they just don't hear all the high frequencies anymore. I get a lot of "Wow, it's so ballenced" when it isn't to me.

Plus you can't add treble to a guitar (post construction). You can only take it away.

That's 2.

[SteikBacon]

Putting the bridgepickup closer to the bridge can be the 3rd..

[Stan H]

Underwound ceramic pickups will do it...

[kevinT]

Fully CHARGED mags.

[madialex]

Ok, heres a question? If you can tell me what the difference in a loose tensioned coil and fast scatter sounds like to a med tensioned fast scatter coil and visa versa you will figure out possibly the truth you seek

[Mark Hammer]

As I understand it, one of the reasons for choice of volume pot value is because many single-coil players find the tone resulting from use of a higher value volume pot too brittle sounding and harsh. I don't know if that's "ice pick tone", but it's certainly one of the reasons why I personally like a 1meg volume pot. But then, I like Johnny Guitar Watson.

[GlennW]

I think Danny Gatton used 1 Meg pots on his Tele.

[madialex]

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[kevinT]

Ok, heres a question? If you can tell me what the difference in a loose tensioned coil and fast scatter sounds like to a med tensioned fast scatter coil and visa versa you will figure out possibly the truth you seek

Ok...I'll show my dumbness again but you gotta forgive me for being hard headed if i didn't get your clues correct...

Too much scatter and too loose a coil will produce a muddy microphonic pickup... right?

Are you saying the opposite of that?....e.g., too much tension with no scatter will produce harsh, ice pickish tone?

[madialex]

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