For decades, players have split into two camps. Vintage purists say potting suffocates tone. Modernists call unpotted <a href="high-vs-low-the-eternal-pickup-output.html">pickups</a> unplayable at stage volume.
So which side is right?
The Experiment
To find out, we need more than opinion.
In a recent controlled test, two identical <a href="high-vs-low-the-eternal-pickup-output.html">pickups</a> were compared in the same guitar:
One was left raw (unwaxed, unpotted).
The other was dipped in wax to stabilise the coil windings.
Both were recorded under identical conditions.
The frequency response results?
Almost identical.
At normal playing volume, the difference in spectral curves was so small it fell within measurement noise.
So where did the “air” come from?
The Hidden Variable
The truth is that an unpotted pickup behaves a bit like a tiny condenser microphone.
Because the coils are loose, they vibrate microscopically with the guitar body, the pick attack, and even the room.
This means the pickup captures not only string vibration, but also:
Body resonance
Pick noise
Reflected sound in the room
To the ear, this registers as a faint halo of high-end shimmer.
At low volume, it can sound like “life.”
At high volume, it turns into a howl.
Romance vs. Reality
Here lies the heart of the controversy:
Unpotted <a href="high-vs-low-the-eternal-pickup-output.html">pickups</a> add a layer of microphonic noise. Fans interpret this as extra presence and “breathing.” Critics call it uncontrolled and impractical.
Potted <a href="high-vs-low-the-eternal-pickup-output.html">pickups</a> are stable, consistent, and quiet. But to some ears, they lose that last drop of unpredictable “magic.”
So is the “breathing” tone real tone?
Technically, no.
It is not the string’s vibration, it is noise.
Beautiful noise, perhaps. But noise nonetheless.
Why It Still Divides
This explains why the debate will never be settled.
Vintage fans see wax potting as a crime against character.
Modern players see unpotted <a href="high-vs-low-the-eternal-pickup-output.html">pickups</a> as a liability.
One side chases ghosts.
The other side kills them.
The Takeaway
Wax potting changes nothing about the string’s voice.
It only mutes the pickup’s own accidental whispers.
The decision comes down to philosophy:
Do you want the cleanest possible capture of string vibration?
Or do you want to live with the ghosts, those extra resonances that make the guitar feel more alive, but also more volatile?
Sometimes, an electric guitar is not just about electricity.
Sometimes, it is about whether you want to feel the sparks. ⚡
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🎸 Learn the Tone. Save the Sound.
