Where to place my pickups? HELP!!

Lincoln · #1 10-16-2009, 02:53 PM

I have a set of Bartolini P4 CB pups and I need to know a distance from the nut for their placement.

I'd like to get something with J-like qualities and with enough room to slap. Think Richard Bona's Fodera.

Can anyone give me a hand?

jworrellbass · #2 10-16-2009, 04:02 PM

This might help.
http://www.bartolini.net/selecting_pickups/choos_93.htm

Lincoln · #3 10-17-2009, 09:10 AM

Thanks!

**line6man** · #4 10-17-2009, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jworrellbass

This might help.
http://www.bartolini.net/selecting_pickups/choos_93.htm

Honestly, that is a pretty worthless paragraph.

Someone here had a link to a very good article on pickup placement. It went real heavy into physics, with all the equations and everything relating to the vibrating string and it's nodes.
Does anyone have that link? I have no idea what thread it was from, so I cant search for it.

jworrellbass · #5 10-17-2009, 09:45 AM

This one. Sorry you found the last one week.

I'm sorry "worthless", maybe since it came from Bartolini's web site and the op is using Bartolini pups I thought he might find it useful.
http://www.till.com/articles/PickupResponse/

**line6man** · #6 10-17-2009, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jworrellbass

This one. Sorry you found the last one week.

http://www.till.com/articles/PickupResponse/

Yep, that's the one.

Well, that little paragraph just said that the pickups were brighter and deeper in the bridge and neck positions. It didn't give any explanation as to why.
They could have at least stated that a neck pickup puts more emphasis on the fundamental, and a bridge pickup puts more emphasis on the harmonic.

Just telling me what a pickup sounds like in different positions is pretty useless. I want to know why it sounds different too...

jworrellbass · #7 10-17-2009, 10:16 AM

That little "paragraph" also gave the location of the pickups. 1/16 for the bridge and 6" for the neck. Besides the op said "thanks".

Their really isn't any right or wrong place for pickup placement, just personal preferrence of tone. I like to place the bridge 1/12 (8.3 %) and the neck 17.4% of the scale from the bridge. Most builders find thier pickup locations form trial and error, they use their ears.

Lineman6 I think you are very informed and helpful, I really enjoy your post. I don't want this to get ugly.

**line6man** · #8 10-17-2009, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jworrellbass

That little "paragraph" also gave the location of the pickups. 1/16 for the bridge and 6" for the neck. Besides the op said "thanks".

Their really isn't any right or wrong place for pickup placement, just personal preferrence of tone. I like to place the bridge 1/12 (8.3 %) and the neck 17.4% of the scale from the bridge. Most builders find thier pickup locations form trial and error, they use their ears.

Lineman6 I think you are very informed and helpful, I really enjoy your post. I don't want this to get ugly.

That's true, it does give you the locations, but I think it would also be very helpful to know why different locations give you different tonal qualities.
If you can understand how everything works, it makes it easier to pick the right location.

But on the other hand, it looks like the OP was just looking for someone else to figure out the location for him and give him the measurements.

jworrellbass · #9 10-17-2009, 12:00 PM

That was my impression, the op'er was just looking for measurements and locations. A couple of years ago on a different site their was a gal who was building a 10 string tapper and she was asking the same question and she got all kinds of answers, someone finally gave her the first link (that I put up) and she was satisifed with that.

When I build my first instrument I really spent alot of time on line and on the bench trying to locate a great spot for the pups, it's really amazing how much a 1/8" makes a difference in tone, not to mention the output of a pup. The locations for my pups work with my windings, I'm sure they would sound different with other pups.

Lincoln · #10 10-17-2009, 05:38 PM

Here's where the routs for the soapbars went, I hope this is close. What do you guys think?

**line6man** · #11 10-17-2009, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lincoln

Here's where the routs for the soapbars went, I hope this is close. What do you guys think?

Is this a 34" scale?

The bridge pickup route looks like it's going to be way too close to the bridge for a J pickup vibe.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think that the the neck pickup also looks too close to the bridge for a J vibe when you are playing on both pickups.

Lincoln · #12 10-19-2009, 06:57 AM

would adding a coil tap switch help?

Rickett Customs · #13 10-19-2009, 07:09 AM

Typically, I've found that putting them in "harmonic hotspots" have worked great for me, get it strung up and find some, eh? But it looks like the cavities have already been routed, so much for that suggestion.

Lincoln · #14 10-19-2009, 07:38 AM

Here's the rough placement with the bridge that gives a better idea of placement...

to my eye ( highly imperfect...) it looks like I'll get some j-like tones, but with some differences based on the soapbar pickups.

If I want a more Marcus-like slap sound - run in single coil mode and turn up the pickups full on...I guess.