Guitar geek questions - DAM stompboxes, pickups, etc

Yeah I've been meaning play with winding my own pickups; I found a site that sells neodyms in various sizes and shape, rods, bar, etc...I kinda wanna experiment with 'em a bit. I see how having a super clean, sharp sound would be cool but I have a feeling I'll wind up sticking with trusty alnico in my guitars.

But yeah they look like they'd have a lotta string pull cuz they're so damn strong. I saw a site where a guy was doing all sorts of experiments with neodym magnets and he had to make special tools to separate them! Though I wonder if long screw pole pieces with the magnet way underneath the pickup and away from the strings would solve that.

I'm mostly interested in how they behave with different sorts of gain.

That thing looks like metal space race trying to come up with a passive pickup that has the same output as an active.

Also wtf @ these Alumitone things:

http://image.www.rakuten.co.jp/ikebe/img1029959839.jpeg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI8sMJVjHrY

thats from lace, whove been all about unorthodox magnet tricks ever since those early fender lace sensors (which supposedly came out of seismic research initially)

i have never heard one of the new ones, but some dudes seem all stoked about them - the extent to which that is because of "lookit how weird my pickups are!" geekery idk

Yeaaah, I just wanna hear one in a Tele or something that'd give me a reference point I could wrap my head around...and not in youtube-quality or like direct-in, and........I just wanna take all these apart outta morbid curiousity cuz I'll probably wind up sticking with more traditional stuff. I imagine all these new super-hifi advancements sound really good in a lap steel or something but I probably don't have much use for 'em. :\

How the f do people pick out new pickups? How do you know how pickups are going to sound in your guitar before buying them? The whole thing is mystifying to me.

YouTube videos basically.

I have an acoustic question -- I play a 1956 martin (family guitar). It's pre t-rod in the neck for what that's worth. Lately I feel like it's less resonant than it used to be. It's not the strings, just changed them a few days ago. The action also does seem a little low and I sometimes get a little string buzz on the first string. FWIW I'm playing it with DR Sunbeams light gauge (.012). Would heavier (and hence higher tension) strings make the difference? Should I raise the bridge? Is this something I need to see a good luthier about?

try higher tension strings for now and see if that works

if you hear a noticeable change and want more resonance, consider taking it to a luthier and let him know what you want

a higher bridge might work, however if it is actually from 1956, it just might be the box, and there is not much you can do apart from these two things

old guitars weren't exactly known for their resonance and volume, but we are talking about a dreadnought so i'm sure you can get a little more resonance from higher tension strings, just be careful not to go back to lighter gauge because you'll be messing with the nut as well

hmm, I didn't realize that, I wonder if I've already gone to lighter gauge strings at some point and messed up the nut.

It's a D-18 and it's 1956 based on the serial number.

Not only does it seem a less resonant to me but something sounds "choked" about the first and second strings.

Usually going smaller strings isn't a problem on the nut, you sometimes have to file open the slots a bit for a larger string. You might have to adjust the truss rod changing sizes though or adjust bridge height etc. if your guitar has such.

If the sound is there on an open string, it is either the bridge or the nut. If you haven't been doing so, I'd try either some graphite or a bit of naval jelly in the string slots on the nut and bridge. That way the string isn't getting caught up on either when it stretches back and forth.

If the note is dying on a fretted point, you could have one of the frets that has come loose and is a bit high or is worn at a point causing some buzz.