Poll: How do you blend your pickups?

[Fun Size Nick]

With a lot of standard Jazz two-rail arrays, you get a significant tonal variation when you dime the neck and slightly roll off the bridge. So, that's my jam.

This is how I tend to go with my jazz as well.

 

[Frenchy-Lefty]

what about the tone control?

Full open or slightly dimmed

 

[superdick2112]

One pickup at 10, the other at 9.
Which one is at 10 depends on whether I'm looking for a bit more bottom end & punch, or a bit more articulation & presence.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

All choices, depending on the song & the bass.

PJ - favor the P pup most of the time. Both wide open at other times.

Jazz - both wide open and slightly turn one or the other down so the tone of the other comes through.

5 string active w/Jazz style pups that are stacked humbuckers - blend control set about 1/4 of the way from the center detent toward the bridge pup with the active bass and mids boosted about the same amount from their center detent.

There was no single answer that fit, so I didn't choose.

 

[Peteyboy]

I do 100% neck/75% bridge at all times.

 

[lermgalieu]

I do 100% of my only pickup 100% of the time

 

[Miles_ONeal]

On my Thunderbird IV, the neck pickup is always 100%. Bridge is typically 0% to 10%, occasionally 30% to 50%, or (rarely) 100%.
I'm going for an old school, heavy bottom end most of the time (think Leon Wilkeson).
I am starting to play around lately with Chris Squire tones and Bob Weir tones, and those require more bridge (as well as EQ).

 

[countrybass5]

+1. That gives me the best sound with my Birdsong. 100 percent neck 75 percent bridge.

 

[oren]

On both my fretted and fretless Jazzes I usually slightly favor the bridge - there’s something about the phasing of the two pickups that way that appeals to me. On my Roscoe with Bart soap bars I tend to slightly favor the neck - big meaty sound.

 

[juancaminos]

Slightly toward the bridge

 

[cmcbass]

I tend to go for the neanderthal knob preference. I turns up knobz and smashes base!

I'll adjust an onboard preamp to my taste if the bass has one, but my volume is typically wide open. If I'm just playing at home I'll change my pickup balance and experiment with different sounds. Opening everything up tends to work best for the sound I'm aiming for in my band though.

 

[BassWaffle]

I use both for different songs within a set, but I only ever use one or the other. I've given blending a shot on a few of my basses and I always feel that the tone is just a less distinct version of whichever pickup is dominant.

 

[speyer]

Both equally but mostly neck.

In other words... I usually dial back the bridge just enough to create a bias where I hear a harmonic bump. There’s a slight gain in tone and volume somewhere there.... That’s the sweet spot for me!

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

With a passive Jazz Bass;

• Cut the bridge pickup by 10%, play loosely over the neck pickup with the fleshy part of the fingers; and you are in the P-Bass ballpark. Great for rock stuff or upright simulation.
• Set everything full, and you get that scooped slap-friendly J-Bass sound. Great for funk, general finger style; and also heavy effects due to hum cancellation.
• Cut the neck pickup by 10%, tone by 25%, play tightly over the bridge pickup with the tips of the fingers; and you are in the Jaco ballpark. Great for growly finger style.
• Solo the bridge pickup; and you get a decent solo instrument.

I happen to keep a journal of how I set pickups / EQ of various basses; might not work for everyone but here it is: How I EQ my Basses

 

[beaglesandbass]

P/J, mostly neck, some bridge. On a few songs I'll go all neck.

 

[edencab]

+1
It took me close to 30yrs of playing to realize one of the best sound on a Jazz is around 70% neck and 70% bridge which does not sound as scooped and bright as 100/100 but not as throtty as favoring one pickup over the other. It is the punchest sound with a Jazz Bass IMO

on my Jazz, I generally have all 3 "lines" on my VVTs pointing to the bridge saddles and parallel to each other...seems to be about 70% maybe %75.....

 

[edencab]

 

[Britsie]

I'm usually both but shaded a tad towards the neck, just enough to get that slight volume / tone change.

I'm at the other side of 50/50: just a tad towards the bridge so I get all the warmth and 'bass' from the neck pick up but enough 'bite' from the bridge pick up.

 

[Deleted member 261632]

Depending on the sound I need for the song, but in 90% the bridge pickup is the base, with some added neck pickup.

 

[mouthmw]

On my old passive PJ, I mostly played with P pup all the way on, J pup about 80%.

On J basses, I mostly played both on full, then I mostly played favoring the neck pup (back off bridge pup to about 70%). Sometimes I favor the bridge pup and back off the neck pup a bit, depending on the song and the situation.

Can't wait for my Fender Pro Jazz to arrive.