pup placement

[wicked_child]

does it really affect your tone?

[LewsTherin]

Yes. Alot.

Because of the way your strings vibrate, different parts of the strings vibrate differently from others. Its just like how where you pick/pluck effects your tone.


Next time your in a music store, pick up a Jazz. Solo the neck pup, play, then solo the bridge pup, and play.

The two pickups are close enough to being the same that its really only the placement that matters.

[moghes69]

yes. i can't remember the explanation, but i know from experience. take a jazz bass for example: the bridge and neck pickups sound different. the neck is beefier than the bridge.

edit: beat to it

[bass&cookies]

as said before, yes
would there be any point in having multiple pickups if it didnt affect your tone?

[Son of Magni]

Every note you play is composed of that note and various harmonics, the combination of these is what makes up the tone or "timbre" of the note. The placement of the pickup determines just which of these harmonics are amplified, and the relative strength of each of them.

[wicked_child]

thanks. the idea just popped in my head. what if they create a bass with the pbass pup near the bridge and a jazz directly beside the neck (like the pup placement of an ebo) just wondering what kind of wacko tones will that setting produce.

[Peg Dizzler]

Like everyone else said, yes. Tone is trebly toward the bridge, bassier toward the neck.

Another thing, that is often overlooked, is the output difference. The farther towards the neck, the more output. So that's why bridge pickups have alot of output, and neck pickups don't have as much; it's to make up in the large volume difference.

For example, if you tried putting a bridge pickup in the neck position, and the neck pickup in the bridge position, the bridge would sound really quiet while the neck would be really loud. Haha, I should try that just for the hell of it...

[mutant!]

as said before, yes
would there be any point in having multiple pickups if it didnt affect your tone?
So you can have different types of pickup. If placement didn't affect my tone, I'd have an APS-2, Antiquity and Quarter Pounder in my Strat.