Tag: Guitar Pickups

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Guitar Care: Traveling Tips for Protecting Your Instrument

If you are traveling with your guitar, here are some tips on how to protect it.

1) Make sure the case is sturdy. You want a case that can withstand being thrown around or dropped without worrying about your instrument getting damaged. There are many cases made of hard plastic or metal that will do this for you; however, if you would like something softer, there is always leather and fabric options available as well.

2) Include padding in the inside of the case to keep the guitar from moving around too much when transporting it (this also prevents any damage caused by striking other objects). Some people use old clothing they no longer wear because it already has lots of padding built into it, but whatever material you choose, be sure that it is soft enough to not damage your instrument.

3) If you are taking a drive and have the car moving around with bumps, try putting something in between the guitar case and other objects inside of the trunk so they don’t hit each other too hard (you may need more than one object). If this doesn’t work well enough, you can always wrap the guitar case in blankets or pillows for added protection.

4) If you are flying (which is much more dangerous as your guitar will go through a lot of shaking and can get thrown around quite a bit), it’s best to put something soft like clothing between the instrument itself and where it might bump into inside of the case. You can also purchase special “guitar socks” which will help to keep it in place and protect it from scratches or any other minor damage. As a final precaution, you might want to put your guitar in a hardshell case specifically made for air travel – this will give it the most protection if something does go wrong.

In the end, it’s important to be as careful as possible when transporting your guitar. By following these simple tips, you can help ensure that your instrument arrives at its destination in the same condition as when you left. Happy travels!

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Guitar Pickups for Playing Metal

In my search for guitar pickups I’ve read a lot about metal.

It is interesting to know bands such as Blue Cheer and Jimmy Hendrix were the primary root to heavy metal music but officially, Black Sabbath is considered to be the first heavy metal band. Other bands such as Zeppelin, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden came later.

Although many people may confuse heavy rock with metal music, it is crystal clear that heavy rock is based on blues music while metal music is based on the sound of electric guitar.

All of this has made pickups a very common topic of discussion among metal musicians. These are the three I’m looking at:

EMG 81 +85 Zakk Wylde set

The fact that they are used by the famous heavy metal premier lead guitarist Zakk Wylde, sounds very intriguing. They use Alnico magnet loaded coils, which allegedly make their output amazingly measurable. They also have a wide aperture which maintains a more natural tone – good for chunky blues chords and rhythm.

Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB

I’m reading that these have a flat EQ metal sound with a little mixture of stoner tones, which I found amusing. They claim a completely balanced coil configuration that results in a high-quality metal sound. They have precise harmonics and high output, which should give good sustain and distortion sounds.

Bare Knuckle Nailbomb

These are known to have a relatively high output and beautiful tone. They come with an array of options for covers and screws, so they can always look good when installed. Many guitarists like them since they work well for quite a few styles.

Although there are a ton of options out there, these three remain the most interesting options.

Cheers!