5-string pup on a 4-string bass?

[Lazylion]

Got a crazy idea that I want to run by the assembled wisdom here. I’m looking for a beater 4-string Jazz to do a bit of Frankensteining to, and my pickup idea is this:
Take a 5-string pickup and mount it diagonally, with the end polepieces under the E and G strings. The G string side would be closer to the neck. This would theoretically yield a fatter tone for notes on the G, and more high end for notes on the E. Plus, it would look unique!

Now, I realize that if this was a brilliant idea, I would have seen it done already. But I’m wondering WHY it is a bad idea. Is it just that the two inner strings wouldn’t be picked up well enough to be workable? If it’s that, is there a 5er pup with screw-out polepieces that could be adjusted to make up the difference? I was thinking a pup with a pair of polepieces for each string, then whichever polepiece was closest could be raised. Or do I have the theory wrong?

If this worked for Roy Wood:


then why wouldn't my idea work?

[Mrdak]

Maybe a 5 string bar pickup without pole pieces?

[Samsound]

Yeah, soapbar. Just be aware that a soapbar is just a casing - some bars have polepieces underneath. Be sure it's a rail type.

[Lazylion]

Another part of my scheme is to tune it BEAD. Any pup especially good for that? Or can I assume that any 5-string pup was designed with that in mind?

Also, assuming I keep the 4-string bridge pup, would there be any inherent electronic problem with having a 5 pup and a 4 pup on the splitter? Like phase cancellation or humming? Might I need 2 volumes instead?

[Lazylion]

Bump for the Monday morning electronics experts!

[walterw]

Originally Posted by Lazylion

Another part of my scheme is to tune it BEAD. Any pup especially good for that? Or can I assume that any 5-string pup was designed with that in mind?

Also, assuming I keep the 4-string bridge pup, would there be any inherent electronic problem with having a 5 pup and a 4 pup on the splitter? Like phase cancellation or humming? Might I need 2 volumes instead?

any pickup will handle any tuning just fine, that's not an issue.

as for phasing, you're sort of re-creating a P-J configuration here; an angled soapbar sort of does what a P-pickup does, hearing two strings further from the neck than the other two. that can create some phasing differences low to high when used with a bridge J pickup, but likely no more than ordinary P-J set-ups do.

as for humming, a typical soapbar will be hum-canceling, while the J pickup will hum if it's a single coil. this is true no matter where each one is placed.

what do you mean by "splitter"?

[Lazylion]

Originally Posted by walterw

what do you mean by "splitter"?

Maybe I meant "blend" knob? Or possibly "balance"... I guess it does more of a blending than splitting, come to think of it.
I'm not too swift on the technojargon, ha ha!

So is this idea crazy/pointless/inspired/other?

[62bass]

You could do it with the right pickup. I'd use a blade type pickup rather than one with separate pole pieces per string.

The idea has been done before with some one pickup basses. I think I saw a Peavey with something similar. One of the older ones.

How good it will sound depends on what pickup you use and where you place it.

Personally I don't think there'd be such a difference in sound that it would be worth hacking into the top of a good bass. Maybe pick up a very cheap offshore Fender copy for less than $100 and try it out.

[Lazylion]

Originally Posted by 62bass

You could do it with the right pickup. I'd use a blade type pickup rather than one with separate pole pieces per string.

Personally I don't think there'd be such a difference in sound that it would be worth hacking into the top of a good bass. Maybe pick up a very cheap offshore Fender copy for less than $100 and try it out.

Agreed, that's why I have an ad in the Want To Buy forum for a beater Jazz. I'm thinking of putting the 5er pup where the neck pup is, after doing additional routing. Anybody know where to get a blank pickguard?