Single Pickup Placement Question

[THSL]

Hey Guys,

I am working on a bass design that has a single humbucking pickup in the "bridge" position...

There are 2 options that I am festering with...

1. Centering the pickup at the hypothetical 48th fret.
2. Centering the bridge coil at the hypothetical 48th fret.

Lemme know what you all think. Thanks.

Tim

 

[luknfur]

I've routed a swath out below my strings so I can basically stick any pup shape anywhere (I got sick of routing limitations).

In my experience that much difference isn't going to make any difference with rare exception - in fact none in some 100 different pups. It may make a pup on the edge of intolerably bright being tolerable but that's about it. To date I've basically been a bridge player and when installing a single HB pup I typically line up the bridge coil in line with bridge J position in accord with the bridge J originally equipped in the bass. In fact that's how I mount MM's cause I prefer the tone there. Even with J's I may vary 3/4" or so. It takes me right at that (width of a typical J) to tell any difference in tone by moving the pup. Any closer to the bridge than that single J position has been to bright for me.