I'm in the middle, roughly, of building a guitar from parts salvaged from an electric guitar I bought. On the original guitar the pickup is at the bridge but after really helpful discussions with folks from here I think I'd like my new build to have the pickup at the neck. Can I use the same pickup or do I have to buy a pickup specially designed to go at the neck? No clue here so help would be appreciated before I cut the hole to drop the pickup into.
Cheers folks.
Bear.
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I agree with all - if it sounds good to YOU - it is good! Pickup winders do make different winds for different positions where they will try to accentuate what they want in each position. A lot of times (though far from always, as some sets are wound the same in all positions) the neck pickup will be wound less "hot" than the bridge. Strings vibrate quite a bit more at the neck than they do at the bridge so the idea is to control the bass/mud/woof and keep good clarity. The higher vibration also means that it takes less pickup to get the same volume, so the difference in windings are also used to balance out the pickups in a set.
But yea, throw all that out and give it a go. We wouldn't have nearly the cool sounds and ideas we enjoy if we stuck to one thing. Did Gibson, Fender, etc have this down to a science back in the day? Hardly. It was a rubber band that ran the wire turn counter and if the factory worker wasn't watching, that neck pickup could have been wound hotter than the bridge anyway. A group put together a listening test of something like 6-10 59 Bursts and one of the best sounding examples had a weak bridge and way hot neck - which on paper would lead "experts" to believe it should have sounded like crap. Let your ear be the final judge and don't be scared to try something just because the label doesn't fit.
I loved the "if it's good for you" part especially. I think that's the key to cbg building in the way we experiment. I've started a few projects lately that I had an idea of but no clear knowledge of how to do some of the jobs required to finish it. No disasters yet, a few work arounds and lots of helpful folk helping out with advice when I need it. Job's a good 'un!
I've added some photos of the build so far for those who'd like to see what I'm waffling on about with decorations on the box getting in the way. You can just see the strap of decoration right where I could have put the pickup. No harm done. I'll just move it a bit further away from the neck to cope with the setback.
Back in the old days, a pickup manufacturer "DeArmond" made a pickup that attached to a rod that started at the neck and extend to a point by the bridge. It was called "Monkey on a Stick". You just moved it to where you wanted it for whatever tone you wanted on a particular song. Jazz and Blues players used them a lot on the big semi-hollow/hollow body guitars of the day or whatever they had.
You can put a pickup where ever you want, by the neck for darker tone, by the bridge for brighter tone or in the middle for a mid tone. If go the 2 pickup route, make sure the neck pup is reverse wind and polarity from the bridge pup. 3 pup guitars have the middle pup reversed. Weaker pups are usually used in the neck and middle positions and stronger ones in the bridge, but you can do what you like.
Some interesting and very helpful facts and information in there Paul! I bet one of those old time guitars would be worth a nice bit of change now, huh? Thanks for the help :)
some neck and bridge pups have different readings on a 2 pup guitar , this is more-so to accent the same thing you are trying to achieve, and with a more noticeable difference in the 2 .
yes you can use that pickup , and yes it will make it sound fuller and warmer .
Michael Hagen > the anonymous pickFebruary 21, 2016 at 3:38pm
If you're using two pickups, you can use a 2-position pot (top or bottom) of a 5-position pot (all top, 3/4 top, half-and-half, 3/4 bottom or all bottom), Or separate output jacks for each pickup. But I realize I've wandered off the original topic.
Replies
when in doubt .......
cover all your bases ;-)
lol
I agree with all - if it sounds good to YOU - it is good! Pickup winders do make different winds for different positions where they will try to accentuate what they want in each position. A lot of times (though far from always, as some sets are wound the same in all positions) the neck pickup will be wound less "hot" than the bridge. Strings vibrate quite a bit more at the neck than they do at the bridge so the idea is to control the bass/mud/woof and keep good clarity. The higher vibration also means that it takes less pickup to get the same volume, so the difference in windings are also used to balance out the pickups in a set.
But yea, throw all that out and give it a go. We wouldn't have nearly the cool sounds and ideas we enjoy if we stuck to one thing. Did Gibson, Fender, etc have this down to a science back in the day? Hardly. It was a rubber band that ran the wire turn counter and if the factory worker wasn't watching, that neck pickup could have been wound hotter than the bridge anyway. A group put together a listening test of something like 6-10 59 Bursts and one of the best sounding examples had a weak bridge and way hot neck - which on paper would lead "experts" to believe it should have sounded like crap. Let your ear be the final judge and don't be scared to try something just because the label doesn't fit.
Have fun!
Back in the old days, a pickup manufacturer "DeArmond" made a pickup that attached to a rod that started at the neck and extend to a point by the bridge. It was called "Monkey on a Stick". You just moved it to where you wanted it for whatever tone you wanted on a particular song. Jazz and Blues players used them a lot on the big semi-hollow/hollow body guitars of the day or whatever they had.
You can put a pickup where ever you want, by the neck for darker tone, by the bridge for brighter tone or in the middle for a mid tone. If go the 2 pickup route, make sure the neck pup is reverse wind and polarity from the bridge pup. 3 pup guitars have the middle pup reversed. Weaker pups are usually used in the neck and middle positions and stronger ones in the bridge, but you can do what you like.
some neck and bridge pups have different readings on a 2 pup guitar , this is more-so to accent the same thing you are trying to achieve, and with a more noticeable difference in the 2 .
yes you can use that pickup , and yes it will make it sound fuller and warmer .
If you're using two pickups, you can use a 2-position pot (top or bottom) of a 5-position pot (all top, 3/4 top, half-and-half, 3/4 bottom or all bottom), Or separate output jacks for each pickup. But I realize I've wandered off the original topic.
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