What's the output, in ohms?

D.C. resistance readings are an easy way to check a pickup's

connections, using an ohmeter. The measurement refers to the

'resistance' of the pickup to the flow of D.C. voltage supplied by the

ohmeter. But, this measurement has little relationship to the

pickup’s actual output. Remember that during this measurement the output is

actually Zero, regardless of the resistance reading.

The resistance reading is affected mostly by the diameter of the coil

wire and the number of turns. While each of these contribute to the

tone and output of a pickup, there are other important factors that

affect the output at least as much.

The music you play is converted to A.C. voltage by the pickup.

Resistance to A.C. voltage is Impedance and this can have a significant

effect on the tone. Some of the other elements that affect the tone are the size, strength, and

shape of the magnetic field, and how the coil is wound and positioned in

relation to the magnets and strings. None of these factors can be

measured on an ohmeter.

Consider that a Tele neck pickup and a Gibson P-90 have

a very similar D.C. resistance (within 15%), but radically

different output levels, for the very reasons cited above. Some pickups

simply produce more output without necessarily measuring more resistance.

Also keep in mind that identical coils with exactly the same number of

turns, often show different D.C. resistance readings, and so

'matching' coils by ohmeter readings is largely guesswork.