(Fr. capteur, transducteur, Ger. Tonabnehmes, It. transduttore, pickup).
A transducer that converts sound vibrations received directly from a musical instrument or other source (rather than from the air, as in a microphone) into variations of electrical current. The two most common types are the magnetic pickup, best known in the electric guitar, in which an object (such as a string) containing sufficient iron or steel vibrates in close proximity (typically 2–4 mm) to an electromagnetic coil, and the contact microphone, in which a piezoelectric crystal element is fixed to the source in such a way that it vibrates as if it were part of it. The term ‘pickup arm’ describes the tone-arm of an LP record player, at one end of which the cartridge is mounted.
See also Electronic instruments §I, 2(iv).
HUGH DAVIES