Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

[Mez Cal]

Heyo ToneMasters, hope you're having a real cool day. Could you please describe your experiences with using Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position of your guitar?
Although I am primarily interested in Heavy Metal related descriptions ALL comers are welcomed. Please include the make/model of your guitar and your Rig...Amp,Speakers and pedal chain.
Thank you very much for sharing.
CHEERS!

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

Bridge humbuckers work really well in 24 fret guitars, where the neck has to be shifted closer to the bridge to allow for the neck placement. Using a bridge model of say a Jazz or '59, two pickups where the only significant differences is wind count, allows a little bass to be added and treble to be removed from the neck position, making it sound closer to how that pickup would sound in a guitar with the traditional neck pickup placement.

Then there are bridge pickup models such as the Seymourizer II and Screamin' Demon which were originally intended for the bridge and people found they worked well in the neck. The Seymourizer II became the Distortion Neck model. Some people even like the JB (I like the JB/JB combo in the right guitar) and members of the Custom family in the neck. We just recently had a forum member find out about putting a '59/C in the neck. Heck, the El Diablo, a monster a of a pickup, can be put in the neck when matched with the even more insane SLUG.

You can really put anything in the neck it you have a hot enough bridge. And you might have better results if you cut the screws of the neck humbucker flush with the baseplate, that'll add some more highs.

 

[Securb]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

I have a TV Jones Classic Plus bridge in my 21 fret MIM Tele neck. The thing sounds awesome. Of course, it gives a great Malcolm Young like tone but can be pushed into the deeper realms of gain and dirt.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

Depends on the pickup.
The PAF strength varieties are most likely just the same wind but with more wire to give greater signal. But on occasion they will also be tweaked to reduce treble bite and beef up mids. In this latter case the extra output makes the pickup likely to be more woolly in the neck slot, and additionally the tweaked tonal response does the same too - double whammy.

 

[Mez Cal]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

Bridge humbuckers work really well in 24 fret guitars, where the neck has to be shifted closer to the bridge to allow for the neck placement. Using a bridge model of say a Jazz or '59, two pickups where the only significant differences is wind count, allows a little bass to be added and treble to be removed from the neck position, making it sound closer to how that pickup would sound in a guitar with the traditional neck pickup placement.

Then there are bridge pickup models such as the Seymourizer II and Screamin' Demon which were originally intended for the bridge and people found they worked well in the neck. The Seymourizer II became the Distortion Neck model. Some people even like the JB (I like the JB/JB combo in the right guitar) and members of the Custom family in the neck. We just recently had a forum member find out about putting a '59/C in the neck. Heck, the El Diablo, a monster a of a pickup, can be put in the neck when matched with the even more insane SLUG.

You can really put anything in the neck it you have a hot enough bridge. And you might have better results if you cut the screws of the neck humbucker flush with the baseplate, that'll add some more highs.

In regards to cutting the screws to shift the tone....'cutting them flush with the baseplate' ...i dont quite get how much of each screw...cut them all the same amount = flush?
Just because of circumstance i have the opportunity to pair my Duncan Custom in bridge with an 80's Vintage JB...16.1 DCR in the neck of my SG Standard (i prefer-LOVE-sh-5 in bridge)

Black Winter (B) & Nazgul (N) in my Les Paul build. ...Mahogany body/ spalted maple top & maple neck/rosewood fretboard
I would really like to have my neck position(s)
Sound and feel like a bridge position pick up.
Like having two "voices" in one rig

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

If you want to have two bridge pickup sounds in one guitar, get two single coil size humbuckers and put them right next to eachother. It won't be a drop-in replacement, but if your pickups are mounted to the pickguard it is pretty easy to do.

It's pretty tough to get the neck pickup to sound like a bridge pickup and putting a bridge pickup in the neck will actually take you in the opposite direction of what you are looking for. It just makes the neck pickup thick and dark, not make it sound like a bridge pickup.

 

[Blille]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

If you want to have two bridge pickup sounds in one guitar, get

 

[TVFV]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

In regards to cutting the screws to shift the tone....'cutting them flush with the baseplate' ...i dont quite get how much of each screw...cut them all the same amount = flush?
Just because of circumstance i have the opportunity to pair my Duncan Custom in bridge with an 80's Vintage JB...16.1 DCR in the neck of my SG Standard (i prefer-LOVE-sh-5 in bridge)

Black Winter (B) & Nazgul (N) in my Les Paul build. ...Mahogany body/ spalted maple top & maple neck/rosewood fretboard
I would really like to have my neck position(s)
Sound and feel like a bridge position pick up.
Like having two "voices" in one rig

If you want multiple voicings in one pickup then look into Fishman Fluence pickups.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

I've personally never been fond of the hot mid-focused bridge pickup paired with a scoopy, chirpy, weak neck pickup like the JB/Jazz set, personally. I much prefer a neck pickup that's strong and smooth but that's not bassy either so it doesn't get all bloated and muddy.

I don't like the Jazz-N, but I also don't like the PAF Pro, which isn't as weak and scooped. I find it's every bit as chirpy, scratchy, and attacky, though, and I hate that in a neck pickup.

My favorite pickup for high-gain fluid yet cutting leads is the EMG 81. In fact, I much prefer the 85(B)/81(N) combo as opposed to the standard 81/85. I haven't found a passive neck pickup that I like as much as the old trusty 81 under high-gain. The cleans on the 81 are not great, to say the least, though.

I am using a '59B in the neck position of my RG570 right now with a Black Winter in the bridge, and... well... it's alright. It works. It could be better, though. The '59 is a bit too bassy and scooped for the mid-focused BW-B, but then again, the '59N is pretty bassy too and probably even more scooped.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

I used to run a 59'b in the neck of my Lester years ago and really liked it. I kept it just a bit lower than normal. I ran that into a JCM 800 2205. No experience with anything hotter, sorry.

 

[audiocheck]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

Guitars: Les Pauls
Amps: Carvin X-100 and V3m
Speakers, Celestions G12m-65 Creamback, G12-50GL Lynchback, G12T-75 and G12m-70

Bridge Pickups I have used in the neck: Screaming Demon and StagMag

StagMag: Makes a very beautiful sounding A2 Humbucker in the neck and very iconic Les Paul neck tone under gain, Split and clean it has an awesome Strat spank

Demon: pushes the amp into a soft breakup, it has nice articulation and decent under gain. not the most elegant clean tone, but it doesn't excel in the bridge position at that either. just really nice articulate pickup under high pre-amp gain. I put shorted screw poles in the neck pup. I did this to just get a little more brightness out of it.

 

[RolanTHUNDER]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

I am thinking of running my D Activator X which is a bridge only pickup by design in the neck position of the current guitar its in (RG2570 Prestige - LOVE) because I will probably end up with the X2N from my 470FM if I install Dave's pickups in her. So X2N bridge and D Activator X (bridge) neck...sounds like it will be brutally brutal! I'd imagine that the neck would sound too boomy but the DAX has a more open sound to it than the other D Activators so it may be a usable combination in the absence of me selling the DAX and buying the neck version. They (X2N/DAX) look identical so that's a bonus aesthetically speaking

 

[RolanTHUNDER]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

In regards to cutting the screws to shift the tone....'cutting them flush with the baseplate' ...i dont quite get how much of each screw...cut them all the same amount = flush?
Just because of circumstance i have the opportunity to pair my Duncan Custom in bridge with an 80's Vintage JB...16.1 DCR in the neck of my SG Standard (i prefer-LOVE-sh-5 in bridge)

Black Winter (B) & Nazgul (N) in my Les Paul build. ...Mahogany body/ spalted maple top & maple neck/rosewood fretboard
I would really like to have my neck position(s)
Sound and feel like a bridge position pick up.
Like having two "voices" in one rig

Nazgul in the NECK, whoa

 

[RolanTHUNDER]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

Now THIS is something you really don't see everyday lol. Nice

 

[Mez Cal]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

Nazgul in the NECK, whoa

Yeah, im probly not going to go BW (B) NAZGUL (N)....the Nazgul is awesome in the bridge of my SG...so is the SH-5, anyway...neck position? ...Screaming Demon Neck with BW, & maybe a Pearly Gates Bridge or a 59'/Custom in the Neck with a Duncan Custom in the bridge ---Les Paul build


Or a stock straight up Black Winter Set in the Les Paul? probly cant go wrong either way.

 

[Mez Cal]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

I am thinking of running my D Activator X which is a bridge only pickup by design in the neck position of the current guitar its in (RG2570 Prestige - LOVE) because I will probably end up with the X2N from my 470FM if I install Dave's pickups in her. So X2N bridge and D Activator X (bridge) neck...sounds like it will be brutally brutal! I'd imagine that the neck would sound too boomy but the DAX has a more open sound to it than the other D Activators so it may be a usable combination in the absence of me selling the DAX and buying the neck version. They (X2N/DAX) look identical so that's a bonus aesthetically speaking

Rolan, Brother, how'd it turn out?
You know, the D activator in the neck

 

[Mez Cal]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

Guitars: Les Pauls
Amps: Carvin X-100 and V3m
Speakers, Celestions G12m-65 Creamback, G12-50GL Lynchback, G12T-75 and G12m-70

Bridge Pickups I have used in the neck: Screaming Demon and StagMag

StagMag: Makes a very beautiful sounding A2 Humbucker in the neck and very iconic Les Paul neck tone under gain, Split and clean it has an awesome Strat spank

Demon: pushes the amp into a soft breakup, it has nice articulation and decent under gain. not the most elegant clean tone, but it doesn't excel in the bridge position at that either. just really nice articulate pickup under high pre-amp gain. I put shorted screw poles in the neck pup. I did this to just get a little more brightness out of it.

Thanks for your response. ...under high gain, which do you prefer?

 

[stratguy23]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

Bridge humbuckers work really well in 24 fret guitars, where the neck has to be shifted closer to the bridge to allow for the neck placement.

Under this theory, I tried an SH-5 Custom in the neck position of a 24-fret SG/LP-type guitar, the Dean Deceiver, and found it bland and overly hot.

I bought a used PRS SE Santana, 22-fret version, that had a Gibson 57 Classic+ in the neck position. It sounded OK but was slightly hot for my taste; I prefer a standard 57 in neck position.

Over time, I've grown to embrace the older way of thinking, which is "whatever works in a given position". DiMarzio sometimes markets pickups as being good for both neck and bridge positions. The 36th Anniversary PAF (non-bridge version) is especially good in both positions. I like "same PAF in both neck and bridge position" setups like Gibsons with 57 Classics.

I think bridge position pickups could work in neck position if you want "more" out of the core tone of the neck version. The immediate contender in my mind is the Jazz bridge pickup. I find the Jazz neck pickup good-sounding but a bit wimpy, so it would make sense to add a little more oomph.

 

[Mez Cal]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

Heyo Stratguy, thanks for posting. ...i have been contemplating putting an sh5 in the neck of a Les Paul...your post is a valuable opinion as it backs up my reckoning...can you expand on your "bland" statement please? I really love the 57 classic but only in the neck...ive never tried a 57+, so, in your Santana was it the same tonally just with more saturation?

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Bridge Humbuckers in the Neck Position

The Nazgul seems like it would make an interesting neck pickup since it's really bright and really tight. I don't know if it'd have great cleans, but I bet the lead tone would be to-die-for.