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Pickup positioning question

Y

Yellow

Apr 20, 2006
390
1
Sooke, BC, Canada
www.yellowcabamplification.com
#1
Hi everyone,

as I get closer to cutting the wood all these other questions arise. I am used to my jj bass, but I hardly ever use neck pickup I find myself always turning my blend all the way back to bridge.

On my new bass I would like to try another pickup position/spacing. The configuration of two pickups close to the bridge how do I space it properly and what will this configuration offer in terms of tone?
 
#3
GENERALLY, the closer pups are to each other, the more they cancel out the higher harmonics they pick up. If they are too close, you get a humbucker sound, warm and with more fundemental.

The closer the pup to the bridge, the better it picks up the higher harmonics in the string, resulting in a brighter sound. Tilted pups? If the bass end is closer to the bridge, you get brighter bass strings and a more "even" sound. If the treble end is closer to the bridge, you will have strings that sound less like each other, bassier basses and brighter trebles.
 
#4
ehque said:
The closer the pup to the bridge, the better it picks up the higher harmonics in the string, resulting in a brighter sound. Tilted pups? If the bass end is closer to the bridge, you get brighter bass strings and a more "even" sound. If the treble end is closer to the bridge, you will have strings that sound less like each other, bassier basses and brighter trebles.
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Thanks, so is there a way to calculate the position or do I take my J pup at the stadard bridge position and pivot clock or counter clock wise for desired effect?
 
#5
find out the position where you like the pup for the lowest string. then find the position where you like the pup for the highest string.

Place pup across these 2 positions.

Personally i think the bridge pickup for the normal jazz position is bright enough, you'll want to not move any closer to the bridge, but instead move one end away.

No standard positions for slanted pups, sadly.
 
#7
FrizzleFry said:
If you put the two pickups to close together wont you get string pull ( I just recently read it here) but I just thought I'd mention it
Click to expand...

What is a "string pull"?

I am actually thinking about only using one pup, get a hot Bartolini maybe,(any ideas on their hot models) in a bridge position with a slight counter clockwise slant, and active EQ with the gain controll, for my next fretless I am about to start building.
 
#8
Yellow said:
What is a "string pull"?
Click to expand...

Magnetic Pickups are exactly what they are, magnetic. This exerts a force on the string inducing tones which may not be nice sounding (usually identified as warbling or a chorus effect). Basically, dont use more pups than you need. I have never heard of the effect where pups being next to each other causing string pull, because humbuckers are precisely that - 2 pups next to each other.

Yellow said:
I am actually thinking about only using one pup, get a hot Bartolini maybe,(any ideas on their hot models) in a bridge position with a slight counter clockwise slant, and active EQ with the gain controll, for my next fretless I am about to start building.
Click to expand...

sounds good. counterclockwise meaning closer to the bridge on bass strings? that's how i would do it.

It might be a bit bright, tho. i would either put in a fixed downward passive EQ (cut highs moderately, cut mids slightly) which then leads into the EQ section proper, or add a passive tone control before the EQ section.
 
#9
ehque said:
sounds good. counterclockwise meaning closer to the bridge on bass strings? that's how i would do it.

It might be a bit bright, tho. i would either put in a fixed downward passive EQ (cut highs moderately, cut mids slightly) which then leads into the EQ section proper, or add a passive tone control before the EQ section.
Click to expand...

Yes, personally I prefer sound I get in bridge J with bass up highs up but not all the way and no mids. I dont like lots of knobs but essentials Vol/Treb/Mid/Bass, bypass.

Being the brighter postion to begin with I am thinking to offset it slighly by darker Bartolini rather then EMG, I think it will balance it a bit. (I have Barts in my fretted 5 stringJJ)Still not sure on the model any recomendations?

I play 5 string EADGC
 
#10
If you'll be using a J style pickup, never mind, but in a similar setup I used a 72M45K-T, a fairly skinny soapbar with plenty of length to allow for the angling. I'm using it in a conventional passive volume/tone circuit so it's a little different than your plan, but it's making me happy. I had a lot of trouble sorting out choices from Bartolini's, and other websites. I wound up calling The Bass Place in Tempe (480 423-1161) and got immediately knowledgeable help in choosing, both in terms of sound and also what's actually available, not just listed in the catalog. As far as angling, do you move your right hand closer to the bridge on the E and further away on the G? Your usual picking spots are a good place to start in thinking about the angle for the pickup.
 
#11
Jim Breece said:
If you'll be using a J style pickup, never mind, but in a similar setup I used a 72M45K-T, a fairly skinny soapbar with plenty of length to allow for the angling.

As far as angling, do you move your right hand closer to the bridge on the E and further away on the G? Your usual picking spots are a good place to start in thinking about the angle for the pickup.
Click to expand...

I am not set on J pup, I was thinking a soapbar of some sort.
When I play I tend to rest my thumb on a neck J so thats where I pluck, I guess I should think about some kind of thumb rest or put another pup just for that.
 

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