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Originally Posted by marty bradbury
So would the style of guitar make a difference, hollow body, semi hollow, solid? Would the same pick up sound different in each of these guitars? Thanks for the information but am Deffinately ignorant when it comes to this but find it fascinating.
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Guitar type/style makes a difference, though the pickup "sound" stays the same. The same pickup will sound different in a solid body than it will in a semi-hollow or fully hollow body. Quality of components assumed equal, the solid body contributes more "sustain" while the semi/fully contribute their own additions to the pickup's contribution due to the body cavities. Plus size counts - same pickup in a Gibson 339 will sound slightly different in a 335.
That's the problem with upgrading - it's a rabbit hole for the unwary, with a badger at the end. I've read multiple posts from folks who've changed pickups X times because they heard about the newest XYZ, only to end up with their factory pickups and a fistful of regret at the money/time wasted from getting better on the instrument. Now, if you're trying to replicate a particular artist's sound, then you may require "their" pickup to match it (and even then, you may need "their" pedals/amp!).
Dru raises a good point about magnets, especially with humbuckers. In addition to the wire gauge/windings used and other internal bits that distinguish one pickup from another, is the magnet. Check this video:
You can change the magnet to change the pickup's output/strength/whathaveyou. Eg, - alnico II is low output (but per the video, alnico III is lower??), alnico V/VIII much higher. Which do you want? Well, probably the one that came in the pickup, but maybe you want to adjust the magnet a bit because your guitar came with pickups that were too "hot" (too strong a magnet and/or too many windings) for what/how you play, and, while they work better with more gain/distortion, they're not as good "clean". BUT, many great rock/distortion guitarists LOVE alnico II magnets in their low output pickups because they get a great sound letting the amp, not the pickup, do the work of putting out the volume.
I hope you can appreciate how complex the quest can be - might be better not to start?? I know I don't have enough years left to learn and apply it all, if there even IS a right answer.