Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

[Artie]

The neck position is naturally mellow, the bridge position naturally bright. When you pick your pups for those positions, do you tend to choose something that accents that quality, or compensates for it? Do you want a bright pup for the bridge, or mellow? Same with neck.

Or is the question too generalized?

Artie

 

[Kelsey]

Re: Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

I try to match to the guitar -- I trust the Duncan specs on neck vs. bridge. Note that most of my swapping has involved Teles, where I try to control the high end a bit. On Strats, the bridge pickup choice is usually different from the others to add some fatness and tame the highs.

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

I'd be more apt to say "accentuate." I usually look at an overall goal and try to build toward that. If I'm trying to get two completely different styles from the same guitar I'd look for a neck pickup that compensates for what the bridge pup lacks, but I'm not big into that. I think a guitar's pickups should work together to get that one feel you're looking for from your guitar.

Of course, I've been known to go off the deep end and do crazy things.

 

[Artie]

Re: Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

Of course, I've been known to go off the deep end and do crazy things.

I'll bet that statement applies to most of us on this board.

 

[Kac]

Re: Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

Compensates!
Combo I would want if I had an HH guitar: Invader (b) / Jazz

Rock On :chairshot

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

When it comes to humbuckers, I tend to like an alnico 2 neck humbucker because they tend to have less bass and less "woof" or "boom".

I can go either way ( a2 or a5) with the bridge humbucker pickup but both of my Strats have an alnico 5 59 Trembucker which has more bass than most alnico 2 humbuckers and sounds great to me as the bridge humbucker in a Strat.

My other two humbucker guitars have a pair of alnico 2 humbuckers in each: Seth Lover/Custom Custom in my Hamer and a pair of Tom Holmes HB's in my Les Paul.

Lew

 

[ErikH]

Re: Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

I like to compensate to even things out somewhat but yet still retain the tone of the guitar. I like an A5 neck (Jazz specifically) but will go with an A5 or A2 in the bridge.

My Strat is a different story. I can't seem to make up my mind with it so I threw the little 59 back in the bridge and am happy with that for now. Gotta finish the LP swap first.

 

[Artie]

Re: Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

When it comes to humbuckers, I tend to like an alnico 2 neck humbucker because they tend to have less bass and less "woof" or "boom".

I can go either way ( a2 or a5) with the bridge humbucker pickup but both of my Strats have an alnico 5 59 Trembucker which has more bass than most alnico 2 humbuckers and sounds great to me as the bridge humbucker in a Strat.

Lew

Ah . . . that makes sense.

I'm just thinking of a "project" guitar.

Artie

 

[ErikH]

Re: Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

Speaking of "projects", this has me thinking of a future possibility for my MIA Strat (alder body, maple board). When I play it with the Little 59, I keep thinking to myself how great it would be if it was 1 hum (full size), 1 single. Sure, I technically have 1 hum and 2 singles in it now but, me being so undecisive on it, it sounds like a good idea. CC in the bridge and SSL-1 or SSL-2 in the neck. Opinions?

 

[Robbiedbee]

Re: Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

Good question.

I found that I select pups that accentuate the position they are in, I like having quite a broad spectrum of sounds at my disposal, so I tend to go for hot pups in the bridge, and nice mellow ones in the neck. Cool Rails is the obvious exception here, they are quite hot for a neck pup (by my standards).

 

[Artie]

Re: Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

Speaking of "projects", this has me thinking of a future possibility for my MIA Strat (alder body, maple board). When I play it with the Little 59, I keep thinking to myself how great it would be if it was 1 hum (full size), 1 single. Sure, I technically have 1 hum and 2 singles in it now but, me being so undecisive on it, it sounds like a good idea. CC in the bridge and SSL-1 or SSL-2 in the neck. Opinions?

Exactly what I was thinking with this project . . . a Cy-Clone:

Not sure what pups to use just yet. Maybe a 59 trembucker with a QP tapped.

 

[Artie]

Re: Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

Cool Rails is the obvious exception here, they are quite hot for a neck pup (by my standards).

I agree. But in a good way. They provide the "punch" that a neck pup sometimes lacks.

 

[Robbiedbee]

Re: Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

I agree. But in a good way. They provide the "punch" that a neck pup sometimes lacks.

Yeah, I agree with you, because I like that in a lead tone. I do nowadays anyway.

We are using the word 'punch' quite a bit as of late aren't we, Artie?

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

I like for a pickup to be almost like a microphone, that is, to let the most of a guitar's acoustic voice come through.

That said, I tend to preffer alnico II based pickups with low to medium output.

 

[Artie]

Re: Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

We are using the word 'punch' quite a bit as of late aren't we, Artie?

You might be right. I guess its one of those things we "solid-state" guys do.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Neck/bridge choices: accentuate, or compensate?

Accentuate.... neck tone has to be smooth and bell like, with a tad of sparkle and snap for clarity... JB and Cool rails do it best IMO

Bridge on teh other hand I tend to choose a darker pickup for, because I like for the Bridge to have nearly as much girth as the Neck but a much more aggressive "bite", and the output has to match up as well... Custom, Distortion and Dimebucker all seem to do wonders for me