Pickups - are they the same from low string to high string?

[warnergt]

Are pickups uniform from the low string to the high string? That is, is there any difference in the pickup on the E (low) string end from the G (high) string end? Do they need to be oriented a particular way when they are installed?

The question I'm really getting at here is: if there is a difference in tone from the low string to the high string, is the string the main factor? There is no reason for the pickup to perform differently on one end from the other, right?

 

[Siegy]

That's a good question. I would assume there would be no difference in a single-coil or a soapbar humbucker. But I have heard of people switching the position of the coils in P-style pickups, I forget the explanation they gave though.

 

[JustOpenYourMind]

There are no differences at all, a pickup is only a coil of wire wrapped around a base that holds the magnetic polepieces, it's the same number of coil all around the pick-up.

As for split-coil P-bass pickups, there are indeed 2 coils, but both are interchangable and have the same impedance.

The comment about changing the coils position in P's is in regard to the position of the coil, how it is routed in the body of the bass, a normal P-bass setup would have the coil under the E and A string towards the neck and the coil under the D and G towards the bridge. There is also the reverse P bass in wich the coil under the low strings is towards the bridge and the one under the high strings is towards the neck.

Hope this helps.