Glossary of Terms

A Compendium of the Arcane

Compiled by Dr. EMG

The first time you had that "bad" feeling was when you finished unsoldering the pickup selector switch from your Strat and realized that there were an awful lot of wires in that guitar. But hey, you didn't really need the bridge pickup anyway, right? And who even knows what the middle knob is for...

But this is getting ridiculous! You feel like you need a PhD in Material Science just to buy a set of strings ("Yeah, I'll take the cryogenic chromium doped alloy hybrid set, please"). And that's nothing compared to the components counter...

Never fear- Dr. EMG to the rescue! This glossary will translate that gobbledygook on the package into useful, everyday terms so that you can be a smart buyer. Understanding the specs will help you home in on the right parts to fine tune your sound.

Oh, and if I missed something, please tell me about it at emgtek@emginc.com. I aim to please!

Buffer: Definition pending.

Center Frequency: A tone control is a network of active or passive components that have uneven sensitivity across the frequency range. For example, a bass control is more sensitive to low frequencies than high frequencies with the end result being that the bass sounds louder. The tone control network is designed to have maximum effect at a certain frequency. This frequency, at the center of the affected range, is called the center frequency. A tone control can have a fixed center frequency (a conventional passive control or an EMG-SPC), or can have a tunable center frequency (such as the EMG-VMC parametric midrange control).

DPDT: Double Pole - Double Throw. This term refers to the construction of a switch. The "poles" refer to the number of independent sets of contacts exist in the switch. For example, a double pole switch can independently switch two separate circuits. The "throws" reflect the number of positions the switch element can occupy. A simple on-off switch is a single-pole switch; a double throw switch can connect a single wire to either of two other wires.
DPDT switches are commonly used to control accessory circuits - in one throw, the instrument signal is routed through the EQ; in the other throw, the EQ circuit is bypassed.

High-impedence: Definition pending.

Impedence Modeling(tm): An EMG Exclusive. With complete control over the coils, wire, magnets, preamp, EMG can precisely tune the primary and secondary resonances of the pickup coils. This gives an unprecedented level of control over the most important aspect of a pickup's sound - the resonance. Since impedance varies with frequency, controlling the impedence plays a major factor in shaping the pickup's tone.

Low-impedence: Definition pending.

Parametric EQ: A parametric EQ lets you control the basic characteristics of the equalization filter. Generally, you can control the amount of cut or boost, the center frequency, and (mostly on studio mixing boards), the Q or width of the frequency range affected by the EQ. A parametric EQ lets you focus the effect of the tone control right where you need it - to increase the punch of slapped strings, or reduce the low midrange to clean up guitar chords.

Piezo Film: A piezo transducer is an element that generates (or moderates) an electrical current based on physical pressure on the element. EMG Acoustic pickups use a plastic film with piezoelectric properties under the bridge to detect the vibrations of the strings. Plastic film is advantageous for use in a piezo pickups since it can be accurately shaped for the application and is sensitive to string motion in one plane only. This reduces the extraneous noise level from touching the guitar top, while accurately reproducing the string's vibrations.

Shielded: Definition pending.

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