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Kasperow
Registered User
Joined: 10/09/12
Posts: 693
Kasperow
Registered User
Joined: 10/09/12
Posts: 693
11/11/2013 4:12 pm
I've got three questions here. Two that's been bugging me ever since I bought my Les Paul, and one that's bugged me for not that long.

First: What is the difference between Alnico Pickups and Ceramic Pickups? My SG and ES both have Alnico Classic Pickups, while my LP has Ceramic 8 Pickups, and I have absolutely no clue what the difference between the two types of pickups is.

Secondly: What is the difference between "open-coil" and "closed-coil" (or "shielded" and "un-shielded") Pickups? My local guitar store usually only has open-coil Ceramics and closed-coil Alnicos on their guitars, which leads me to think that Alnicos need that shield to sound proper, while Ceramics can apparently go without, but they sound pretty much the same to me. Does the shield make a difference in the sound the guitar makes or is there some other reason to have it there?

Thirdly: What does it mean when a Pickup is "hot"? Christopher Schlegel mentions the term in one of the first lessons in his 70's Arena Riff Rock tutorial.
"Commit yourself to what you love, and things will happen."
- Mika Vandborg, Electric Guitars, "Follow Your Heart"
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Gear:
Chateau PS-10 Cherry Power-Strat
Epiphone G-400 LTD 1966 Faded Worn Cherry
Epiphone Les Paul 100 Ebony (w/ Oil City Pickups Scrapyard Dog PLUS pickups)
Epiphone ES-345 Cherry
Fender 2014 Standard Stratocaster Sunburst
Martin DX1K Acoustic
Fender Mustang II Amplifier
Jet City Amplification JCA22H Tube-head and JCA12S+ cabinet
Pedals...