Hey Guys,

I am working on a bass design that has a single humbucking pickup in the "bridge" position...

There are 2 options that I am festering with...

1. Centering the pickup at the hypothetical 48th fret.
2. Centering the bridge coil at the hypothetical 48th fret.

Lemme know what you all think. Thanks.

Tim

I've routed a swath out below my strings so I can basically stick any pup shape anywhere (I got sick of routing limitations).

In my experience that much difference isn't going to make any difference with rare exception - in fact none in some 100 different pups. It may make a pup on the edge of intolerably bright being tolerable but that's about it. To date I've basically been a bridge player and when installing a single HB pup I typically line up the bridge coil in line with bridge J position in accord with the bridge J originally equipped in the bass. In fact that's how I mount MM's cause I prefer the tone there. Even with J's I may vary 3/4" or so. It takes me right at that (width of a typical J) to tell any difference in tone by moving the pup. Any closer to the bridge than that single J position has been to bright for me.