Fretless guitar pickups

[ThomasP]

Hi,

I was wondering wich kind of pickups goes in a fretless guitar? In mine there is humbuckers for output and sustain but I was thinking about putting telecaster pickups in my fretless guitar. Or a '59 humbucker in the neck and a jb junior humbucker in the bridge? The guitar has a 3 way switch so either scenarios seems pretty possible. The question would be wich kind of pickups and why?

Thank you!

 

[Securb]

I would think you would want to lean towards something very articulate to pick up the nuances of the glissando of a fretless. With that in mind, it would help to know what type of music you are playing and what kind of amp you are using. Is there an artist who you look to and admire for their sound? Do you prefer dark tones. bright, tones, heavy mids or no mids? It would also be helpful to know the model of the guitar.

It would be easier to help you if we know what direction you are heading in. Your guitar sounds cool could you post pictures?

 

[ThomasP]

I really love arabian music and all those dominant b9b5 scales but I also love country music with the fretless. I'm looking for a mid focused sound not to proeminent on the highs because fretless guitar can make harsh sounds.

I had those telecaster texas special pickups waiting to be used for something so I installed them on the guitar. I seem to have a wiring problem, the bridge pickup is very loud and the neck pickup barely audible. What can cause this problem?

Here is some picture of the guitar and the wiring im using.

 

[Securb]

Very cool-looking axe. Going back to the Texas vibe, you could go with a Pearly Gates bridge which is mid-focused and would work well for country and your world music. I am sure others on the forum will also have some great suggestions.

In regards to your wiring issue, a picture of the wiring helps. My first move would be to connect the pickup directly to the jack or a cable to ensure the pickup itself is not faulty and to get a better read on its volume.

 

[Mincer]

I would think active pickups might work well. You need the articulation, but also power, since fretless instruments have limited sustain.