Magnetic Guitar Pick Explained: Does It Move Strings or Just Modulate the Pickup?

Overview

A magnetic guitar pick is tested to see if it can generate sound without strings vibrating. The video clarifies that while devices like the E bow can move strings with magnetic interaction, the magnetic pick itself does not move the strings. Instead it influences the guitar pickups and relies on post processing to create the promotional sounds.

• Not moving strings: the effect comes from the pickup
• Sound arises through signal processing after the pickup signal is altered
• The promo can be misleading but the device is not a scam
• Considerations about price and creative use

Introduction

The video investigates a magnet shaped like a guitar pick that claims to let a guitarist sound from a distance. The host explains why the claim is controversial and situates the discussion within the physics of electric guitars and signal processing. It is made clear that a device like an E bow can cause strings to vibrate via magnetic fields, but the magnetic pick itself does not move the strings.

How Electric Guitars Work

Electric guitars produce sound when the strings, made of ferromagnetic materials, interact with pickups containing magnets and coils. When a string vibrates in the magnetic field of a pickup, it changes flux in the coil, generating a current that is amplified into sound. The host emphasizes that strings are not magnets themselves; magnets in the pickups magnetize the strings only temporarily, enabling the conversion of mechanical vibrations into electrical signals that are later amplified into audio.

The Magnetic Pick and Its Effects

The magnetic pick tested in the video is shown to modulate the guitar pickups rather than move the strings. By bringing a strong magnet near the pickups, the user can create a loud, low frequency signal pulse that can be shaped through post processing to produce the timbres shown in promo material. The video demonstrates that, at louder playing levels, the interaction is with the pickup, not with string motion.

Hands-On Investigation

The host visits a guitar store and tests the magnetic pick on multiple guitars. He records the guitar straight into an external recorder with no amps, then runs the signal through effects pedals to see if the magnetic pick reproduces the promo sounds. He shows a direct comparison: the strings vibrate due to the left hand, while the right hand near the pickup modulates the signal. When the magnetic pick is used, the resulting sound is not produced by the strings moving but by the pickup being influenced and subsequent processing. The host also performs a post production test by re-creating the magnetic pick’s effect using a non magnetic pick and a raw guitar recording, confirming the effects can be achieved without the pick itself moving the strings.

Conceptual Foundation

The video provides a concise overview of how pickups convert string motion into electric current, and why any moving magnet near the pickups can induce currents. It also clarifies that the magnet in the magnetic pick interacts with the pickup in a way that generates a strong, low-frequency pulse which is then shaped to achieve the desired sounds. The result is not a device that wins over string vibration, but a tool that expands sonic possibilities by manipulating the pickup signal and the post processing chain.

Final Thoughts and Pricing

According to the host, the magnetic pick is not a scam because it reproduces the effects shown in promotional materials, but the mechanism is different from what it might imply. The video argues that the price is justified by the combination of the magnet pick and the intellectual effort put into developing the playing techniques and post processing techniques. The main drawback noted is the physical inscription of the device on the strings which can feel unnatural for many playing styles. The video closes by highlighting the potential for new creative expression while cautioning about expectations and usage scenarios.