Resonant peak
The frequency at which a pickup's coil inductance and the circuit's capacitance resonate, producing a pronounced boost in the upper midrange or treble.
That peak largely defines how a pickup is heard: sitting low in the spectrum gives a thick, midrange-heavy sound, while sitting high gives brightness and air. Its location is set by the inductance of the winding, the capacitance of the cable and the resistance of the volume pot, which is why the same pickup can sound brighter into a short cable and duller through a long one. This is also why a buffer changes tone as well as level.
Example: plugging the same guitar into a long cable shifts its resonant peak down and the sound becomes noticeably less bright.
See also
Related
- PageInductance
- PageCapacitor
- PageActive pickup
- PageAlnico
- PageBlade pickup
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley
- PageAd-Rock