Pickup alignment on fan fret basses

[ga_edwards]

The pickups on the Ibanez EHB multiscale basses are angled slightly differently to compensate.

 

[sikamikanico]

I think there are three possible arguments: manufacturing, looks, and sound. There may be others.

The manufacturing argument is probably weak, but it may be easier to build basses with parallel pickups. The looks argument may be more plausible - perhaps marketing research (or builder's bias) suggest preference for parallel pickups.

And then there are the sound arguments. I imagine folks like Sheldon spent some time experimenting with slants/positions. We know that Leo did, it wasn't just theory or luck. So they probably picked what sounded best. It's probably less about theory and nodes and stuff like that, but more about what sounds best in practice. But this is where different ideas of what sounds best come into play - some want the sound to become thinner as they go to treble strings (Leo's P orientation, Strat bridge pickups), some like it to become thicker or more consistent (e.g. reverse P). This also interacts with how you play, like folks suggested above - on a parallel pickup, that's different than on a fanned fret bass. To get a thicker sound on treble strings, especially if the pickups slant is working against it, you have to move your hand increasingly towards the neck (follow the pickup). One thing that you do have to take into account is that some pickups, like Sheldon's, are reverse split coils under the hood. So their treble coils are positioned ever slightly more towards the neck, countering the slant effect a bit. My sense is Sheldon paid more attention when designing his basses than most others, Dingwalls are well thought out.

 

[ardgedee]

No, it looks to me like both pups are at the same angle, which is closer to the fret angle at the end of the neck. But a fret at the bridge pup location would be at at a steeper angle to get to what I'm describing. Basically, it would be at the same angle as the bridge itself.

They're angled to be proportional to string length, like the frets. The blue line is the angle of the bridge pickup, red line is angle of the neck pickup.

 

[JIO]

I just completed a fan-fret headless active 2 pu 5'r build and wondered about pu placement before routing for them as it is my 1st fan-fret bass. After a search it seemed all across the board so I angled the neck pu to follow the heel angle and the bridge pu to follow the bridge(S) angle. (like the illustration above) I separated them more N-S than a J (more like a Dano) and at the end of the day - it sounds great. Better/different in a different location/angle? Maybe. Now that it's completed, I'll spend my focus playing it over wondering about it!

 

[Arjank]

Are there any bass companies that align the 2 pickups on their fan fret models so that they are parallel to where the fret would be at their locations?

Yes, the Ibanez EHB1006MS is aligned like that

 

[monsterthompson]

They're angled to be proportional to string length, like the frets. The blue line is the angle of the bridge pickup, red line is angle of the neck pickup.
View attachment 7410077

Dang. I would’ve said they were parallel just based on looking at the picture without lines. Thanks.

 

[Jon Cowens]

Don't assume the coil is parallel to the cover. I am sure I read an interview with Dingwall somewhere that mentioned this purposeful misaligment in their design.

 

[J Wilson]

. . . I got nothing . . . .

 

[dabbler]

I just completed a fan-fret headless active 2 pu 5'r build and wondered about pu placement before routing for them as it is my 1st fan-fret bass. After a search it seemed all across the board so I angled the neck pu to follow the heel angle and the bridge pu to follow the bridge(S) angle. (like the illustration above) I separated them more N-S than a J (more like a Dano) and at the end of the day - it sounds great. Better/different in a different location/angle? Maybe. Now that it's completed, I'll spend my focus playing it over wondering about it!

Can we see a pic?

 

[Element Zero]

I have not played every multiscale bass on the market, but I have experience with Dingwall (Super P, Super J, D-Roc, Combustion) and I have sold them all.
IMO, the problem of the slanted pickup is that the more it is slanted, the more it becomes uncomfortable to play on the D and G strings because of the proximity of the bridge and the tightness of the strings.

If you play with your plucking hand on the bridge pickup and move your hand perpendicularly accross the strings, your hand is so close to the bridge that the tightness of the string is really uncomfortable (at least it was to me). And it would be worse if the pickup was parallel to the bridge. May be the Dingwall fans who like to play their bridge pickup move their plucking hand diagonally to avoid hitting the bridge ?

View attachment 7410038

I could see how that would be an issue for some. That close to the bridge on the D and G strings is just not enough power to get the strings moving. I’ve adopted an approach that I move my hand back towards the bridge when plucking on the B and E strings and more towards the neck over the neck pickup on the D and G strings. Started doing that last year when I pretty much only played my fretless StingRay just because I liked how it sounded. Now that I have a Dingwall it just feels natural to do it.

But yeah, they’re not for everyone.

 

[JIO]

Can we see a pic?

Gladly -

before -

...after