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Bass pick up in electric guitar?

I was doing some reading on a band called Local H. When they were forming, the bassist left. So the guitarist had a friend modify his guitar with a bass pick up. I didn't even know that was possible. My band only has me on guitar and my friend on bass but if I can do this, we can move him to drums. Anyone know anything about this? How different is the wiring on bass pick ups versus a basic strat pick up?
 
I was doing some reading on a band called Local H. When they were forming, the bassist left. So the guitarist had a friend modify his guitar with a bass pick up. I didn't even know that was possible. My band only has me on guitar and my friend on bass but if I can do this, we can move him to drums. Anyone know anything about this? How different is the wiring on bass pick ups versus a basic strat pick up?

You would have to find another guitarist, but that shouldnt be too hard if your town is anyhting like mine. GOOD bassists and GOOD drummers are hard to come by though. Fasinating in concept, but i dont know about it. You would need new tuners and a new nut to fit the bass strings i suppose. I have no clue about wiring. Good luck i suppose?
 
the wiring is the same as the principle is the same i guess... but it will not be the same thing... it can but cool none the less :P but it will never be a bass because it lack body for sustain and tone and the neck is also important... plus the fret spacing is not right even if you manage to install a bass bridge and a bass nut
 
I believe the guitarist from the Deftones has EMG bass pickups in his guitar, but that's because they tune down a great deal. If you leave everything the same, all that will happen is the response will probably be a little attenuated in the high range.
 
Guitar players can play a bass part in with their "guitar" part, although it is an octave
higher than an actual bass would play it.

Possibly, the pickup was added to provide a separate output for the two lowest strings,
which could then be sent to a bass amp or to an octave divider to lower the pitch first.

But a pickup itself can't change guitar frequencies into bass frequencies. The location of
the pickup can give you a "bassier" tone, though.

The low guitar strings are only one octave above the bass. Finger style guitar players often
play a bass part.
 
What the guy from Local H does is just play the guitar parts an octave lower. You could do the same thing with an octave pedal that has a clean blend.

Yeah, Local H is doing more then just playing a guitar with a bass pickup.

However I have seen them live before and they have used a 3rd (bassist) in the group. I think the band is touted to be a 2 piece for recording and in publicity, kinda like the White Stripes. But for live shows I think they have a road bassist.
 
the wiring is the same as the principle is the same i guess... but it will not be the same thing... it can but cool none the less :P but it will never be a bass because it lack body for sustain and tone and the neck is also important... plus the fret spacing is not right even if you manage to install a bass bridge and a bass nut

If body and neck are that important, explain Steinberger basses to me!!!

Like most things, I think the phrase 'why not???' is most valid here. Some guy on here has a P bass with a humbucker and I think he was sending some strings to a guitar amp.
 
I have a Bass with Guitar humbuckers..... sounds like a bass. Didn't Local H have a guitar with a low E bass string, or something.


edit:
lucas.jpg


I see the added P-pup, but I do not see a bass width string.... however, one could assume that he may have the P-pup going to a separate output jack, than to an octave pedal into a bass rig.


I'm just thinking out loud, I do not know for a fact.
 
Squier Broncos ship with a strat-style pickup under the cover with an extra bobbin topper (I don't know the correct term) to keep the pole pieces flush with the inside of the pickup casing. This is a 'period correct' feature as the old Musicmaster had the same feature (cheekily marketted as carefully designed bass pickups).

Secondly, those old toaster pickups in older Rick basses are the same as in guitar models... Fender VI basses further blur the lines, and by the time you factor in 'rails' pickups you are so far down the rabbit hole you don't know where you started.