bridge pickup in neck position?

[marrstians]

i know that pickups are labeled neck and bridge but what really is the difference... i see that some of them have different resistances but would that make the pickup unusable for the neck position? are they made different? and what about the pickups that are only made for the bridge postion, like the JB, but you wanted something similar for the neck position?...

 

[msplines]

Re: bridge pickup in neck position?

It's usually a question of output balance, if you put a hot bridge pickup in the neck position, then it will overpower the bridge unless you set it very low, in which case you change the tonal characteristics and so on.

 

[dd12939]

Re: bridge pickup in neck position?

I know some people really like the JB in the neck position with a hotter pickup in the bridge spot. It all just depends on what you like.

 

[Mac-P]

Re: bridge pickup in neck position?

You can put whatever you want in the neck position. But the natural physics and resonance of a guitar will dictate that the sound produced at the neck is going to be louder and bassier than the sound produced at the bridge (which will be thinner, lower in output, with less bass and mids).

So most designers make their pickups with this sort of compensation in mind: the neck pickup will be brighter and with less bass, the bridge pickup will be slightly louder with less treble and more bass.

Of course, that equation is a huge simplification and not everyone does it like that. But that is a good, broad way to look at it.

And yes, a JB sounds great in the neck, provided you have a more powerful, bassier pickup in the bridge.