Using distortion with the neck pickup?

[Dills]

How do you guys go about using your neck pickup? I mainly only use the neck pickup for clean work and occasionally soloing with distortion.

Do any of you here use the neck pickup for playing distorted chords? cause I find that the neck pickup is to muddy and bassy for playing these kinds of chords and there isn’t enough articulation and crunch especially if you play a bar shaped chord or a dropped chord, the bass notes just mud out and there is hardly any treble. Is it just me or do all neck pickups have this quality. I find open chords with distortion are a lot better. Will adjusting the pickup in any way effect tone?

In the end I resort to the bridge for distorted rhythm.

 

[7th Hell]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

I use my neck pup for psedo-blues/HellBilly stuff (which always ends up tuning into metal). Not too big on chords on the neck pup- you can do it by rolling the VOL knob down a hair. The sound you describe will be inherent to all neck pups, due to thier location from the bridge. The further away from the bridge, the bassier and mellower. The inverse is true also- things get brighter and more articulate as you approach the bridge. Try picking your guitar in different locations- move your picking hand away from the bridge and you'll see what I'm saying.

Adjusting the pup won't make much of a difference- a neck pup will NEVER sound like a bridge pup no matter what you do to it.

 

[Dime59hum]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

Good point 7th Hell. I use mine for cleans and distortion, but as of recently, I am using it more and more for cleans.

 

[nuntius]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

you could try a brighter neck pup with less bass.

i use my neck pup for some downtuned metal riffs as the tone you get is absolutely huge, providing it doesnt turn to mud

 

[Travis]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

I use my neck pickups mainly to solo with high gain. The leads come out smoother than with the bridge pickup. Don't use the neck pup much for rhythms.

 

[mongrollo]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

I have a 59 neck and it is quite bright. This makes the pickup very usefull to do soloist work and lead rythm.

 

[Young Angus]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

I use my neck pickups for clean stuff (its great for jazz) and also for lead stuff where im high up the neck...love it for that!

 

[Dills]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

I was hoping a PG would make a neck pickup more articulate and better with distortion it sounds like it has less bass and more treble does anyone recommend it?

 

[MikeS]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

I think it greatly depends on the guitar and the pickup. The neck pup in my LP almost never gets used - not even for distorted leads, as it's way too thick to produce anything that sounds good to my ears. Then there's my strat copy with the Cool Rails neck, which is very usable for leads and clean rhythms. Distorted chording? Still a tad muddy for my tastes. But the neck pup on my 50s RE Tele is very useful even for distorted chording. It all has to do with the way the guitar body's natural tone and the pickup work together.

Try turning down the low tones on your amplifier to lose some of the muddiness. If it gets to be a little treble heavy, roll the tone control back until you find the right balance.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

On my Les Paul I use the neck pup on full for distorted lead work, and with the volume rolled off slightly for rhythm work.

I don't really like the bridge much for lead work (too bright/fast, I like the necks "fuzzyness"), but it sounds great for heavy riffing.

I also spend alot of time in the middle position.

On my Strat I stick to the bridge under gain. It has a stock neck single, and it's ok for lead work under gain, but the chords just mud out.

 

[\m/(00)\m/]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

i use the enck pickup on my les paul(59) for leads and cleans. rhythsm will always turn to mud cause it's not meant for that. and i use the enck on my charvel for nothing because it's such a crappy enck pickup and the cleans are ok but the lead is so muddy and lifeless(dimarzio chopper). but i'll use the neck for somoother leads most of the time.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

rhythsm will always turn to mud cause it's not meant for that.

I've always wondered why they label the neck position the Rhythm position?

(I use mine for rhythm, just not high gain rhythm.)

 

[joelap]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

I've always wondered why they label the neck position the Rhythm position?

(I use mine for rhythm, just not high gain rhythm.)

Well back in the good ol days before distortion.....

I Digress

 

[Dills]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

When I bought my first gat, i thought rythm was intended for rhytnm both with distortion and clean work but i was wrong.

I too like the neck for sweet soloing and clean work but when I want to pump in more aggressiveness or cut i switch to the bridge.

Do you have your pickups balanced or do you have the bridge pup way louder.
Cause sets like the JB and Jazz wouldnt they be way different in terms of output?

 

[fusion101]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

i think if u use a jazz neck you could do some rhythm work under hi gain because it doesnt have that bass boom that the 59 does.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

Well back in the good ol days before distortion.....

I Digress

I thought of that as I was hitting the Submit button.....

 

[Boleslaw Gers 666]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

The Alnico II neck is not too bassy or muddy, it is almost a bridge humbucker but.... isn't. Give it a try if you like Slash.

 

[Artie]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

On all my guitars, I use my neck pickup almost exclusively. About the only time I use the bridge, is to bring it in to augment the neck. I can't help but wonder if this is one of the things that happens when you only have "emulated amps" instead of real ones.

I'll elaborate on this farther when I get one.

 

[Dills]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

thats weird artee too, i dont really get it cause how would you rock out with the neck pickup? Thats what the bridge is for isnt it. It would be less defined and also more muddy with hardly any cut. But if uve got your reasons sweet.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Using distortion with the neck pickup?

On all my guitars, I use my neck pickup almost exclusively. About the only time I use the bridge, is to bring it in to augment the neck. I can't help but wonder if this is one of the things that happens when you only have "emulated amps" instead of real ones.

I'll elaborate on this farther when I get one.

I used to do that when I used a clean only SS amp and a dirt box. The neck just plain sounded better, even with the dirt box on.