Is there a logic behind where exactly pickups go?

[cnltb]

I noticed that on my single coil P bass the pickup sits under the III...as in the harmonic I get when pinching just above the polepiece on the G string is a B.
Is it generaly rule(my guess is 'no') that pickups are placed at nodes under the string?
Is there any logic/rule as to where to place pickups on a bass?

 

[bholder]

More of a "dark magic", but yeah. You don't want them at the nodes (still points) you want them on the antinodes (max amplitude). But those spots move all over depending on where the notes are fretted. So yeah, starts as Science, ends up Alchemy.

 

[smeet]

Yeah, that dark magic is I think partially responsible for something I love, where the low notes are bright, and the high notes are round. As you shorten the vibrating length of the string by fretting it, the pickup gets closer to the midpoint of the string, so it has more fundamental.

 

[bholder]

Yeah, that dark magic is I think partially responsible for something I love, where the low notes are bright, and the high notes are round. As you shorten the vibrating length of the string by fretting it, the pickup gets closer to the midpoint of the string, so it has more fundamental.

Yup and more overtones towards the bridge - why there are so often 2 pickups. But it really does matter, there's huge discussion over the tonal differences every time anyone messes with "classics" like P pickup positioning. A small change can make a large difference.

 

[Mushroo]

Any attempt to make an "exact science" out of pickup placement, would be predicated on playing songs that only use open strings.

If you play genres of music that require fretted notes, then it is no longer an exact science, because as soon as you fret the string, you've changed the location of all the harmonic nodes. Hypothetically speaking, if there were such a thing as the "sweet spot" where the pickup is in the perfect location (there isn't, but humor me as a thought experiment) then you would need to reposition the pickup constantly throughout your band's set, depending on the key of the song and what fret number you're playing at.

There have been bass designs with movable pickups (the Westone Rail comes to mind) but they never really caught on, because (guess what!) that "sweet spot" I mentioned earlier is kind of a myth. You can play a jazz bass with the bridge pickup, and it will sound good every fret, from the open string up to fret 20. Then you can switch to the neck pickup, and it will also sound good every fret 0-20, even though the pickup is in a different spot. I'm not arguing that jazz back neck and bridge pickups sound identical (that would be a silly argument) but they certainly both sound good. There exists no note on a jazz bass where you have to use one pickup and not the other.

Finally, it's probably worth mentioning piezo bridge pickups. I was briefly obsessed with these in the 90s. The argument goes that, a pickup in the bridge is not affected by harmonic nodes, and therefore ought to give you a fuller tonal response over the whole range of the instrument.

 

[cnltb]

More of a "dark magic", but yeah. You don't want them at the nodes (still points) you want them on the antinodes (max amplitude). But those spots move all over depending on where the notes are fretted. So yeah, starts as Science, ends up Alchemy.

That's what I thought...put them at the antinodes - as a starting point obviously all changes once you start fretting. Then I checked where the pickup on the single coil P pickup sits...
The natural harmonics sit at node points. Right?

 

[bholder]

That's what I thought...put them at the antinodes - as a starting point obviously all changes once you start fretting. Then I checked where the pickup on the single coil P pickup sits...
The natural harmonics sit at node points. Right?

Correct, so do you want to emphasize harmonics or fundamental? Besides the Physics getting basically impossible, it's also entirely subjective what sounds "best". So back to it being black magic rather than Science.

 

[dwizum]

Let's make this simple. There is no magic. Theories based on nodes and harmonics make for nice reading on the internet but there is no basis in reality.

Pickup location impacts tone, but the relationship between tone and position is just a smooth curve. Towards the neck and there's more emphasis on bass frequencies. Towards the bridge and there's less emphasis on bass frequencies. Slide a pickup from the neck to the bridge in small increments and you get correspondingly small and very predictable changes in tone.

As you move the pickup, you absolutely do NOT get sudden magic points where the tone is suddenly awesome in one specific point. The points that people talk about in terms of nodes or harmonics do not suddenly sound better than the points right nearby.

 

[kesslari]

 

[A9X]

If you play genres of music that require fretted notes, then it is no longer an exact science, because as soon as you fret the string, you've changed the location of all the harmonic nodes. Hypothetically speaking, if there were such a thing as the "sweet spot" where the pickup is in the perfect location (there isn't, but humor me as a thought experiment) then you would need to reposition the pickup constantly throughout your band's set, depending on the key of the song and what fret number you're playing at.

Stingray players won't talk to you any more. P players too.

 

[JimmyM]

Mostly just by listening to different positions and putting it where the designers thought it sounded best. People have adpoted the Fender positions on other basses because they work, but many are downright experimental, so it's all about what the customers want in a custom or what they think will sell the most to the widest amount of people in the more commercial enterprises.

 

[Ostie]

Tell me again why Fender moved the bridge pickup on the J bass?

 

[g-dude]

Sometimes the best position is two positions at once.

Stratocasters sound best when you blend either the neck and the middle, or the bridge and the middle.

 

[eeyorebass]

Tell me again why Fender moved the bridge pickup on the J bass?

Wasn't it to make it fit under the ashtray bridge cover they were using at the time?

 

[lucas303]

Finally, it's probably worth mentioning piezo bridge pickups. I was briefly obsessed with these in the 90s. The argument goes that, a pickup in the bridge is not affected by harmonic nodes, and therefore ought to give you a fuller tonal response over the whole range of the instrument.

Is there any evidence one way or the other on this point? Did you reach any conclusion from your obsession?

 

[Slade N]

Sometimes the best position is two positions at once.

Stratocasters sound best when you blend either the neck and the middle, or the bridge and the middle.

that is totally subjective

 

[Mushroo]

Is there any evidence one way or the other on this point? Did you reach any conclusion from your obsession?

I had a piezo-bridge fretless for a few years. It sounded very nice! Lots of 'mwah' tone.

 

[StereoPlayer]

I wanted my tapped PU’s at their extreme distance from each other. This bass is awesome in stereo.
It was based on the PU’s of a Rickenbacker 4005.

 

[g-dude]

that is totally subjective

Well, the reason why Fender even introduced the five position pickup is because people discovered you could get this cool tone by putting the three position switch in between the three main positions.

Also, I mean Knopfler, Clapton, Gilmour, SRV and others make use of it….

Strat Quack: What is it, Anyway? — Seymour Duncan

So subjective? Sure. But I honestly believe it. Apparently so do a lot of other people.

 

[themickster]

Different positions make different tones. That's it. Some like on a Les P are up against the neck. Others are right by the bridge. Ibanez SR300E to 400E have two humbuckers nearer the bridge than the humbuckers on the SR500Es. The two split coils of the SR00Es are set the same as on the SR500E. It doesn't make a difference that matters.