basic pick up question. neck or bridge?

markblack · February 2015

if you are mounting one pick up on a guitar, at the bridge. Would you fit a bridge or neck pick up.

I know that sounds like a dumb question. But I mainly play on the neck pickup, so would I then add a 'neck' pick up, even thought it's at the bridge.

Did check google, but it didn't give me much of an answer.

Cheers

M

John_P · February 2015

Most people would probably choose the bridge, as that gives some of the most common hum bucker rock tones.

But there are no rules - if you like the neck position and never use the bridge position then just have a neck pickup.

Are you making a new guitar? It could be a limiting your options just having the one?

Or am i misunderstanding and you want to fit a pickup designed to be used in the neck position but fitting it in the bridge?

If that's the case then it will just be a lower output but still have the characteristic tones of a bridge pickup - it won't sound like a neck pickup anymore.

ICBM · February 2015

Bridge.

Sometimes there's no difference, so it doesn't matter. But if there is a difference, it will be either physical (polepiece spacing) or tone/volume. If you put a neck pickup at the bridge you will get a thinner and brighter sound than the equivalent bridge pickup, which will be wound hotter and thicker to compensate for the smaller string movement and inherently brighter tone there.

Andyjr1515 · February 2015

Hi, @markblack

It's a difficult one to answer without knowing quite where you are trying to get to. As @John_P refers to, it is the position of the pickup makes the most significant difference in tone. The closer you get to the bridge, the harsher the tone will be, the closer it is to the fretboard, the softer the tone will be.

Neck and bridge pickups are also usually different 'strengths' - with the bridge pickup having more 'power' to compensate for the smaller oscillations of the string near the bridge and thus compensating for the potential volume difference of identical pick-ups in the two positions.

So (although not exactly) bridge pick-up at bridge = harsh (compared with neck) and loud; neck pick-up at bridge = harsh and a little less loud.

But, if you prefer the tone of the neck pickup, why would you want to get a guitar with just a bridge pickup?

Hope this helps rather than confuses...

Andy

markblack · March 2015

Thanks for all of that. @Andyjr1515 @ICBM & @John_P all very helpful.

I just fancied modding a partscaster I have to something a bit more raw. (Pic below) At the moment it has two humbuckers, Last year I modded a guitar and did coil taps, so went the other way and tried to get as many sounds out of two pickups with limited ability. I was going to get a new scratch plate mad and leave space for just one humbucker sized pickup. try just a really simple set up.

So depending on where I get the space left for the pickup in the new scratch plate I could to either a pick up at the bridge or nearer the neck. I might try a pick up at the neck.

markblack · March 2015

I'm actually thinking of trying a dimarzio bluesbucker, I'll try it in both the bridge and neck positions and then get the scratch plate made to suit afterwards making it single pick up, one tone, one volume. I gather you can coil tap it as well, might be something to do as well.

steamabacus · March 2015

If you play predominantly on the neck pickup then I would say fit a single neck pickup. There's no rules to say you can't and many jazz guitars have precisely this configuration.

I have a friend who modded his old Squier strat to have just a single P90 pickup in the neck position and it sounds great. Isn't the Bluesbucker supposed to emulate a P90 like sound? Seems like a sensible choice. Or, if you're cutting a new scratchplate anyway, how about an actual P90? I'm not sure why but, personally, I think that would look 'right' (somehow, a neck humbucker wouldn't).

markblack · March 2015

@steamabacus I could fit an actual p90, I just know a humbucker size will fit, without me messing anything up. and it will fit the body of the guitar. Haven't taken the scratch plate off yet as the guitar is at my parents, picking it up this week.

I have the usual suspects - Les Paul, SG, 335 and a Strat. So just wanted something very different, very minimal.

The Bluesbucker seemed like a good option and nice and quite as well?

mrkb · March 2015

markblack said:

Thanks for all of that. @Andyjr1515 @ICBM & @John_P all very helpful.

I just fancied modding a partscaster I have to something a bit more raw. (Pic below) At the moment it has two humbuckers, Last year I modded a guitar and did coil taps, so went the other way and tried to get as many sounds out of two pickups with limited ability. I was going to get a new scratch plate mad and leave space for just one humbucker sized pickup. try just a really simple set up.

So depending on where I get the space left for the pickup in the new scratch plate I could to either a pick up at the bridge or nearer the neck. I might try a pick up at the neck.

@markblack - how's that body finished? Looks great, I'm after a non glossy finish on a tele I'm making and that's the finish I'm after.

markblack · March 2015

@mrkb - sorry no idea, I didn't finish it.

I did this with Danish Oil and it gave the finish you are talking about. Dead easy to use.

bit more here bcrichbichrefinish.wordpress.com

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basic pick up question. neck or bridge?

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