WHEN GIGGING, DO YOU PREFER NECK P/U, BRIDGE P/U or MIDDLE?

[AMJBASS]

Generally both pickups on full. Although, I roll off the neck a bit when playing harmonics, or sometimes when I am soloing.

 

[NickInMesa]

100% on the bridge, 80% on the neck, 80 to 90% on the tone.

I play a vintage Peavey Foundation w/ flat wounds, best for detuned songs (1/2 step down or drop C) and a Yamaha RBX4-A2 w/ round wounds light gauge.

The Foundation will hum, due to not having a humbucking setup, the Yamaha does not hum, I don't know how Yamaha did it but they got a nice bass.

 

[bassplayer7770]

Generally, I start with the Blend control in the Middle, but I adjust depending on the song. If I want a P-Bass sound, then I'll solo the neck pickup, etc. My 5-string has two dual-coil pickups, and I have the option of favoring the outside or inside coils. The outside coils are supposed to get a J-Bass-like sound, and the inside coils help get a more MM-like sound. Kinda cool.

Link Removed

 

[DanTheMan2112]

depends on the bass...but since, now I only own a single 2-pickup bass (other 3 are single pup basses), I'll say that I run generally in the middle (Jazz bass)...I like the tone there and besides it's noiseless...I do run from the neck (fatter to the bridge, more defined)...but I stick to the middle 90% of the time...

I like to set and forget, generally, and then just concentrate on the music.

Me too.

 

[slackinatthebas]

i tend to solo my neck p'up. my spector has a pj emg combo set. i used to blend the j into the p but, it really didn't make as much of a difference as i like, so i started going full on neck pickup. if i want a midrange growl, i bump my mids up on the eq. p p'ups just sound fat and growly anyway.

 

[EricF]

+1.... nothing like a P. Instead of messing with the controls, just move your hand a little more forward or backward.

Yup. The P is where it's at.

I have gigged with my G&L ASAT a number of times, and I always find myself happiest being close to a P sound, so I guess my answer would be "neck".

 

[gweimer]

I tend to be an all-open, full blast kind of player, no matter what bass I use, but I have started rolling off the treble a little in the past year. The less I have to worry about knobs, the better for me. If I take the G&L, I have to roll off the volume a little bit.

 

[kjpollo]

I change settings mainly based on the song.
All of my basses are 2 pickup models and I tend to play over the bridge pickup most of the time.

I use ONLY the neck pickup on my SX SPJ (the J is just TOO noisy-shielding job in the future), I favor the neck pickup on my Clement and Carvin basses; and I'm usually running both equally on my ESP, Schecter and T-40.

Except for the SX, all of the other basses are subject to change, thats just how I set them MOST of the time. Especially the Clement. I have a Duncan Quarter pound P at the neck and a Duncan MM at the bridge. I get a nice variation in tone just by panning to one pickup or the other.

 

[kcole4001]

Mostly middle, though it really depends on the song, fast or slow, how loud the rest of the band is, how defined I need to be at certain points, etc....
I often switch during songs, I suppose that's why they put a switch there.

 

[standupright]

currently doing mostly blues / groove type stuff.

full neck pup, about half mast with the bridge pup. all knobs on amp at noon with slight boost in the highs.

 

[PasdaBeer]

full on, bass 1/2 trebble 1/2 ( flat )

I play all active basses for the most part

my P bass is well...full on, tone backed off fully, with bright stainless strings.

 

[splitcoilsenior]

I use both, because I payed for both =), and I love the nice evan sound

 

[savit260]

I use a P bass for everything, so I voted neck.


I'll buy a 2 pickup bass the day I think I need a bridge pickup sound. IN 27 years of playing , that hasn't happened yet.

 

[incubus2432]

I couldn't vote because there wasn't a selection that applied to me. I use all three (bridge, middle and neck).

Seriously.....I typically have all three p/u's on and cranked. When I need subtle variations in tone I tend to just alter my technique. I am a hack though so take my comments for what you will.

 

[Steve!]

I prefer to play close to the MIDDLE. So the middle pickup is soloed

When I think about it I do switch from song to song.

 

[Beltdrive]

My jazz bass is hard wired with both pickups on the same controller, they are always on the same at any volume. I just like it that way.

 

[slackinatthebas]

I use both, because I payed for both =), and I love the nice evan sound

i use both... i solo my p pickup and use the j pickup for a thumbrest

 

[Ian Perge]

I'm generally a Jazz and Spector bolt-on (think the love-child of a Spector and a nice Jazz Bass) type-o'-guy, so I typically run "down the middle" but I've also *recently* (within the past few years) been discovering the great tone of backing off my neck pickups a decent amount (20%?) and boosting my low-end and/or low-mids to compensate which I've found can give me a wonderful "cut through the mix" tone without loosing any meat to my tone.

 

[countrybassist]

I Use both pup's but I roll off the bridge to about 70% neck, 30% bridge.

 

[SirGrotius]

I use crank them both up, since I'm playing a Jazz bass in a hard rock band, but the more I think about it, ideally, I should crank up the bridge pickup a bit more and tone down the neck, while beefing up my amps lows. Hmmm...