On the Topologies of Guitar Pickup Circuits

How do you get 620 potentially unique guitar tones from 4 single-coil pickups, or 310 from 3 humbuckers?

Read here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323390784_On_the_Topologies_of_Guitar_Pickup_Circuits

Abstract: Many of the U.S. patents involving switching circuits for electric guitar pickups have failed in the marketplace because they do not show the topologies generated by switching configuration, and thus fail to eliminate duplicate circuits and circuits with null outputs. Series-parallel circuit topologies of any complexity, with potentially unique tones, can be generated from small to complex by simple rules, as can the number of ways to switch pickups around in a particular topology, and to reverse individual pickup connections to change the phase of their contribution to the output. But the audio separation of “potentially unique” tones have to be verified by spectral measurements. This affects both single-coil and dual-coil humbucking electromagnetic string vibrations pickups, as well as other types of sensors.

This is just the beginning

(c) 2018 Don Baker  dba  android originals LC

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