Benedetto Pickups - 12k Resistance!

[Doug B]

I was checking out some Benedetto A6 neck pickups made by Seymour Duncan. In the product description, it states that the pickup dcr (resistance) is 12 k !!! Yikes-I thought jazzers use pickups around 5-6k (humbuckers)

Doug

[kris]

I was checking out some Benedetto A6 neck pickups made by Seymour Duncan. In the product description, it states that the pickup dcr (resistance) is 12 k !!! Yikes-I thought jazzers use pickups around 5-6k (humbuckers)

Doug

I think it is : 5.92 k Ohm -resistannce for A6.

[Stringswinger]

I have an A-6 in the neck position of my Super 400. It is way louder that the 57 classic in the bridge position. Cats who use both pickups should use the A-6 in pairs.

[Doug B]

I think it is : 5.92 k Ohm -resistannce for A6.

Not according to this:

Benedetto A6 | Seymour Duncan

[Doug B]

I have an A-6 in the neck position of my Super 400. It is way louder that the 57 classic in the bridge position. Cats who use both pickups should use the A-6 in pairs.

I understand the idea of having balanced pickups. I was questioning the 12 k resistance. Previously the only humbuckers with a resistance that high that I had come across were for playing heavy metal!

So why would one want 12k pickups for jazz? Just for higher volume? Why not turn your amp up or get a boost pedal or get a bigger amp if that's the case!

[Stringswinger]

I understand the idea of having balanced pickups. I was questioning the 12 k resistance. Previously the only humbuckers with a resistance that high that I had come across were for playing heavy metal!

So why would one want 12k pickups for jazz? Just for higher volume? Why not turn your amp up or get a boost pedal or get a bigger amp if that's the case!

I cannot answer the why, but I can say that they are a wonderful pickup for jazz. Warm, fat and detailed, all at the same time.

[Sam Sherry]

The Benedetto B-6 is indeed based on high-output coils specced at 6.1k Ohms each, 12.2 in series. That, in turn, yields a relatively low resonant frequency. (Oddly enough, that appeals both to jazzers and metalheads). The trick is that, to keep all that output from distorting, the B-6 has almost 1/4" of epoxy cap on top to ensure plenty of gap between the pickup and the strings.

Here's a tremendous writeup on B-6 construction. Brock gingerly took a Dremel and reverse-engineered the B-6. If you're a big-time gearhead it's a fascinating read. If you're not interested in nuances of pickup construction then skip it and practice.

[Doug B]

I cannot answer the why, but I can say that they are a wonderful pickup for jazz. Warm, fat and detailed, all at the same time.

Hmm.. Thanks.

Doug

[Doug B]

The Benedetto B-6 is indeed based on high-output coils specced at 6.1k Ohms each, 12.2 in series. That, in turn, yields a relatively low resonant frequency. (Oddly enough, that appeals both to jazzers and metalheads). The trick is that, to keep all that output from distorting, the B-6 has almost 1/4" of epoxy cap on top to ensure plenty of gap between the pickup and the strings.

Here's a tremendous writeup on B-6 construction. Brock gingerly took a Dremel and reverse-engineered the B-6. If you're a big-time gearhead it's a fascinating read. If you're not interested in nuances of pickup construction then skip it and practice.

It's the "A6" that we were talking about. Is the B6 the same pickup?

[kris]

Not according to this:

Benedetto A6 | Seymour Duncan

Benedetto A6 Standard Mount Humbucker (6 String) BLACK - DjangoBooks.com

DC resistance ­ 5.92 K Ohms per coil

[Stringswinger]

Benedetto A6 Standard Mount Humbucker (6 String) BLACK - DjangoBooks.com

DC resistance ­ 5.92 K Ohms per coil

Yep and there are two coils per pickup.

[339 in june]

you can also try the Benedetti pick-ups :
Humbuckers | benedettipickups

[sgosnell]

With high output pickups, you can roll the volume back a lot, lower the pickup height, and get a darker sound that's very clean.

[neatomic]

i'd bet duncans using #43 wire to wrap the coils... that'll get the resistance number higher without being truly hot output...# 43 wire @ 12k is about the same output as the typical #42 wire @ 9k...just changes tonal characteristics a bit

resistance numbers mean very little on their own...the construction of the pickup is key to the true understanding

cheers

[Doug B]

With high output pickups, you can roll the volume back a lot, lower the pickup height, and get a darker sound that's very clean.

Thanks for the explanation.

[Doug B]

you can also try the Benedetti pick-ups :
Humbuckers | benedettipickups

Different company.

[ugarte]

the A6 is definitely not a B6.

I've used both extensively, the A6 is a much more conventional design but does have pretty high DC resistance.

The B6 is like alien technology, I don't know of anything that is built remotely similar (although this is the place to be corrected on statements like that). I'm actually a big fan and use one on my Eastman.

I tried to love the A6 for about a year, mounted in my Korean Hofner, but in the end I thought it really doesn't do anything better than a vintage PAF style low-wind like an SD Seth Lover.

[Watson]

I have the older Kent Armstrong Benedetto-branded pickup, but the 7-string version. It sounds and behaves absolutely nothing like a conventional pickup, and in fact took a lot of tweaking before I could get used to it. It's eerily clear and articulate, and surprisingly well-balanced between strings. It sounds almost hi-fi, in a sense, and I actually disliked it for a long time before accepting that aspect of it's sonic character. Calling it "alien technology" seems appropriate. At this point I love it.

And yes, it's extremely high output.

[Cunamara]

Lowering the resonant peak of the pickup- so that it's dark and fat- is part of the reason or the high DC resistance. But there are other factors- inductance, wire diameter, etc., etc., than just DC resistance. Resistance is just easy to measure with a multimeter by the average person.

[ptchristopher3]

That Yngwingiwie guy and Benedetto both have the same idea in mind. No really.

Make the PU for the “tone” (or resonant frequency) you want and disregard the actual output level.

Definitely.

So yes the A6 and B6 have very high output. But that is purely incidental. They are designed to get the resonant frequency (and really, overall response) down well below “ice pick” yet still have sufficient clarity (in the designers view).

This happens to yield a PU that has significantly higher output than we all associate with a “PAF” type humbucker.

A completely incidental artifact of this design is the high DC resistance of the coils.

The arguably important (and not even slightly mysterious) part is the low resonant frequency. Now you may or may not agree that this is a good thing for a jazz sound. But it is definitely the designer’s intent.

**************

”Hot” humbuckers, as conceived and foisted in the later 70s, were made with only incidental regard for resonant frequency or “tone”. They were designed for high output, with a clear understanding that the guitar itself was mostly a signal generator for the amp. The “tone” came from the distorted amp, and the thinking was that more output was better.

It is a funny coincidence (and nothing more) that a somewhat tangential artifact (DC resistance) of the A6 and B6 are seemingly related to the “distortion” humbuckers of the dark days of yore.

*************

Players (so to speak) used to actually bring in guitars to get those weak magnets in a PAF changed out for HOT (!!!!) aftermarket ceramic magnets that would actually pull cars (and nearby battleships) closer to the shop as they passed by. This was also a way to get hotter output. The resulting sound was like getting a tooth drilled out for a filling. Good times.

The Benedetto (and Yngwinwigywiewingwie) PU’s are wonderful designs 100% based on the desired frequency response. Both completely ignore the actual output level, since this is easy controlled elsewhere.

[Doug B]

the A6 is definitely not a B6.

I've used both extensively, the A6 is a much more conventional design but does have pretty high DC resistance.

The B6 is like alien technology, I don't know of anything that is built remotely similar (although this is the place to be corrected on statements like that). I'm actually a big fan and use one on my Eastman.

I tried to love the A6 for about a year, mounted in my Korean Hofner, but in the end I thought it really doesn't do anything better than a vintage PAF style low-wind like an SD Seth Lover.

Thanks for the info. Good to know before I commit to buying.

Can I assume that a B6 fits in a standard humbucker space?

Doug

PS-sounds like the B6 is made by using Voodoo!

[jads57]

Only thing I can say is when I replaced thr std pickups in my Benedetto Bambino with lower output Manluis PAF's the guitar really opened up and sounded way better.

[kris]

What humbucer has a most dark sound?
Some jazz guitars has only volume knod as I know.

[arnie65]

I have a 40 yrs old Ibanez FG-100 that I've been playing for years, the tone is great with the stock Super 58 pickups, but I wanted to try something new. After looking and listening to all the usual suspects for a year, I took a leap of faith with the B-6, after listening to Barry Green and how great his tone is.. I installed the set on the guitar, and followed Benedetto's people advice to use 250k or 300k pots for the volume, and a pickup height of no less than 6mm from the "D" string with no pressing of strings. What I got was a very fat, defined, and clear tone with complex mids and tight lows that I've never heard before. I was afraid of installing a pickup without screws which has no adjustment for each string, but the B6 does not need it, each string sounded balanced regardless of the radius of the guitar. A truly amazing pickup!



Cheers,
Arnie..

[58flame]

I don't know why anyone would want a dark sounding hot pickup. I used to yank those out of guitars. "Distortion" style pickups are not as nice sounding as a regular Gibson HB like a 57 classic. You can make a bright pickup dark, but you can't make a dark pickup bright. Use a bright pickup and darken with EQ if you must.