Pickup Question

tombak · 23rd December 2007

Stone me if necessary...

Other than physical positioning, what is the difference between a neck pickup and a bridge pickup?

My question arises because I've been on the hunt for a vintage Gibson Humbucker for my 74 LP deluxe. A former owner ripped out the mini humbucker and routed the body out for a regular size humbucker. They went through all this trouble and put a crappy 90's Epiphone PU in there that sounds pretty bad.

I've been on a hunt for a regular sized vintage HB but I can only ever find neck pickups, would it be bad idea to put a neck pickup in the bridge position? Are they that different sounding or acting?
I'd prefer not to put a new PU in there as I'd like to keep the vintage vibe alive.

Any input is appreciated oh dear slutz!

ScottTunes · 23rd December 2007

Sometimes the bridge pup is "over-wound," meaning it has more windings for higher output to compensate for less string vibration. They are usually brighter, hotter and edgier than the neck pups, the latter of which sound "sweeter" to me as a rule.

Neck or bridge position pups are sometimes wound reversed of the other so when both are on, it sounds "notched" or comb filtered.

If you are playing Blues or Jazz, a neck pup is fine for the bridge position. However, I'd recommend the bridge pup for the bridge position for most Rock guitar.

theGeek · 24th December 2007

as stated before one may be wound with more or less windings. its also common to wind them in such a way that if you use a coil tap you can have the two outer coils as hum-canceling.

But other than that they are essentially the same and you could swap them out if you wanted to. Who knows, you might like what you hear.

tombak · 6th January 2008

Thanks for the feedback! I think I'll just have to try some out and see what happens.

I tend to like a warmer tone so maybe I'll like the sound of two neck pups.

ScottTunes · 13th January 2008

I have a Carvin guitar with 2 Carvin neck HB pups in it. The coils on both can be split so I can also get a single coil sound.

The neck pup in the bridge position sounds so much like a vintage Tele (in single coil) it's spooky! I seldom use HB in the bridge position... I like both single coil and HB for the neck position, however. I also wired the pups with reverse phase, and series for different sounds.

Carvin sells their pickups separately, of course. I believe they still offer a 10 day "trial," and are returnable if you do not like 'em. Bottom line, I recommend trying the Carvin pickups. They just might rock your world too!

23rd December 2007	#1
tombak Lives for gear Joined: Nov 2004 Location: New Amsterdam, Neitherlands Posts: 773 Thread Starter	Pickup Question Stone me if necessary... Other than physical positioning, what is the difference between a neck pickup and a bridge pickup? My question arises because I've been on the hunt for a vintage Gibson Humbucker for my 74 LP deluxe. A former owner ripped out the mini humbucker and routed the body out for a regular size humbucker. They went through all this trouble and put a crappy 90's Epiphone PU in there that sounds pretty bad. I've been on a hunt for a regular sized vintage HB but I can only ever find neck pickups, would it be bad idea to put a neck pickup in the bridge position? Are they that different sounding or acting? I'd prefer not to put a new PU in there as I'd like to keep the vintage vibe alive. Any input is appreciated oh dear slutz!

24th December 2007	#3
theGeek Lives for gear Joined: Dec 2007 Location: Indiana Posts: 809	as stated before one may be wound with more or less windings. its also common to wind them in such a way that if you use a coil tap you can have the two outer coils as hum-canceling. But other than that they are essentially the same and you could swap them out if you wanted to. Who knows, you might like what you hear. __________________ theGeek Springload - Juice Rock Tremor Christ Pearl Jam Tribute Shouldn't you be practicing?

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23rd December 2007	#2
ScottTunes Gear addict Joined: May 2007 Location: Left Coast (El Aye) Posts: 403	Sometimes the bridge pup is "over-wound," meaning it has more windings for higher output to compensate for less string vibration. They are usually brighter, hotter and edgier than the neck pups, the latter of which sound "sweeter" to me as a rule. Neck or bridge position pups are sometimes wound reversed of the other so when both are on, it sounds "notched" or comb filtered. If you are playing Blues or Jazz, a neck pup is fine for the bridge position. However, I'd recommend the bridge pup for the bridge position for most Rock guitar.

6th January 2008	#4
tombak Lives for gear Joined: Nov 2004 Location: New Amsterdam, Neitherlands Posts: 773 Thread Starter	Thanks for the feedback! I think I'll just have to try some out and see what happens. I tend to like a warmer tone so maybe I'll like the sound of two neck pups.

13th January 2008	#5
ScottTunes Gear addict Joined: May 2007 Location: Left Coast (El Aye) Posts: 403	I have a Carvin guitar with 2 Carvin neck HB pups in it. The coils on both can be split so I can also get a single coil sound. The neck pup in the bridge position sounds so much like a vintage Tele (in single coil) it's spooky! I seldom use HB in the bridge position... I like both single coil and HB for the neck position, however. I also wired the pups with reverse phase, and series for different sounds. Carvin sells their pickups separately, of course. I believe they still offer a 10 day "trial," and are returnable if you do not like 'em. Bottom line, I recommend trying the Carvin pickups. They just might rock your world too!