Neck vs Bridge Pickup - Which do you use/why?

I use both pick-ups for most of my playing and switch to the treble (bridge) pick-up for solos . Not always , but sometimes I want it to cut through during a particular solo and it's easy just to flip the switch .

Wow, didn't see this thread until today. :oops:

I am like Chris (Cnev), I've never liked neck pickups as much as the bridge. Now, playing pure clean tone the neck pickup sounds very nice, very warm and full, you can get that classic Hendrix tone with a Strat. But when you go to distortion the notes do seem to run together and muddy up a bit. I have read that this is caused by the neck pickup being where the 24th fret would be on other guitars. This is directly under your harmonics and this is part of the problem, you get lots of overtones which muddies up the tone. This is why some argue the superiority of 24 fret guitars, the neck pickup is not placed under harmonics on the strings and you get a clearer tone.

I jammed again with Chris last night, we have a great time. Mike the bass player and Kevin the keyboard player came over as well. We worked out a few songs pretty good. We got White Wedding by Billy Idol down very well, Chris sang this and sounded great. He doesn't believe he is a good singer, but he is. :D

At the end of the night Chris and I jammed to the Lemon Song by Led Zeppelin. We both used the neck pickup with the tone rolled off and a good overdrive tone on the Guv'nor pedal. It really sounded great, I think Chris and I played this progression for a full hour over and over. That makes about 10 songs we have now. Pretty soon we are going to hit an open mic.

Anyway, I mostly use the neck pickup to play clean tones where I want a warm, almost acoustic guitar tone. I will usually go to the bridge pickup for distortions, although the neck can be very good for playing solos, it has a very fluid, violin type tone to it with high gain. I do enjoy the neck pickup for solos like this. But when playing chords with distortion I will almost always go to the bridge or middle position on my guitars.

Hey everyone :D

Sorry to post here so late.
I've been pretty busy as of late.

Anyway....

On my 88 Strat, I like the neck pup. (Or the neck/mid cause it's a 5 pos)
Like it's been said, it's much better without all the distortion.
It produces a nice round warm sound.

With my 71 Strat, I LOVE the mid pup the best.
It covers most things I want to do. (It's only a 3 pos. pup selector, so I can adjust the height of the mid pup to sound good
by itself)

With my 88, the mid pup is lower because of using it with the 2 extra pup positions.
It has a nice jazzy sound by itself.

For things like a nice James Gang sound.... Bridge pup all the way for all the crunch and high end.
(Also for Claptons Bluesbreakers sound - bridge w/tone up to 10)

For distorted neck - gotta roll the tone off for that Clapton Cream Woman tone.

At home, I prefer the Neck or Mid pup with amp volume cranked, the tone rolled off just a bit, til I hear that edge come off and it gets nice and round, and guitar volume at about 7-9... usually till it just starts to break up when played hard. (This is for playing most blues type stuff)

When playing live with a band, unfortunately I find myself switching to the bridge more often than not, just so I can cut
through the mix.
Live, great guitars and amps seem to matter less. (In a LOUD rock band)
Which could account for alot of players using Les Paul/Marshall live and Tele/Fender in the studio.

It's seems to me that the less experienced your ear is, the more the trebly bridge pup is favored.
I say, just keep playing, and you'll start to gravitate towards the mellower, rounder, cleaner sound of the other pups.

Also, IMO - adjusting the pup height is one of the all time greatest and cheapest things you can do to improve the tone of your guitar.
There is no set mathmatical approach to doing it.
All 3 will be different. (On a Strat)
The bridge pup will be the highest because the strings will pull less there due to the bridge making the strings stronger.
On the neck pup, the strings will pull more if the pup is too close, and it will cause cutting out, loss of sustain, or in extreme cases, will actually pull the string to the pup magnet.

Angle the pups so that they are up on the high string side (G/B/e), and low on the low string side (E/A/D).
If the pups are flat, the frequencies will sound off, as you described. (Too much Bass = muddy tone)
After angling, strum the strings and dial in the heights till a nice even frequency response is heard by YOU.

Also, on the amp, if you cut the mid/low and crank the high, you'll get some nice crunch outta yer bridge pup and you'll
probably like the other pups a bit better.
They'll sound less muddy.
If your bridge pup sounds too thin with the amp like this, roll off some tone.

Best,

Ken

Live, great guitars and amps seem to matter less. (In a LOUD rock band)
Which could account for alot of players using Les Paul/Marshall live and Tele/Fender in the studio.

It's seems to me that the less experienced your ear is, the more the trebly bridge pup is favored.
I say, just keep playing, and you'll start to gravitate towards the mellower, rounder, cleaner sound of the other pups.

Agree on both.

I favor the neck pickup for most playing, but I generally play rhythm and chords. If I'm playing something with a lot of individual notes (Freewill) I'll go to the bridge.

When playing live with a band, unfortunately I find myself switching to the bridge more often than not, just so I can cut
through the mix.
Live, great guitars and amps seem to matter less. (In a LOUD rock band)
Which could account for alot of players using Les Paul/Marshall live and Tele/Fender in the studio.

It's seems to me that the less experienced your ear is, the more the trebly bridge pup is favored.
I say, just keep playing, and you'll start to gravitate towards the mellower, rounder, cleaner sound of the other pups.

I disagree with this completely and am surprised that Greg (Gnease) agreed with it. Whether you prefer the neck or bridge pickup (or whatever configuration), that is all it is, a personal preference. I have been playing 35 years, happen to think I am pretty experienced, and I prefer the bridge pickup to the neck. And many famous players like Jimmy Page, Angus Young, and Eddie Van Halen are known to use the bridge pickup almost exclusively.

I would say they are all very experienced players. :roll:

Now, that said, they all have something in common, they all tend to play heavy Rock with distortion. But that is what they like. I like clean guitar, love super clean Surf guitar with lots of reverb. But my favorite sounds have always been that Marshall tone of the 70s usually played with a humbucking pickup in bridge position. That just happens to be the tone that turns me on.

You may personally hate the famous Marshall tone, but nearly every great group for 40 years has played Marshall. It is the sound of Rock. I LOVE a cranked Marshall amp tone like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1iya2buDvw

That is not junk tone, that is AWESOME tone. :twisted:

And it isn't easy to get that great tone as you make out.

If I got into Jazz, I am sure I would prefer the neck pickup. But that is all there is to it, a personal preference.

Whether you prefer the neck or bridge pickup (or whatever configuration), that is all it is, a personal preference.

Hear hear!

Wes -
I'm sorry.
I can see how what I said could be misconstrued.

I was in no way saying that LP/Marshall combo was a less than great set up or sound.

Just that in a loud live band, the power of a Les Paul w/HB's thru a Marshall is needed to have something along the lines of good tone.
While something like a nice dry, clean, woody Tele thru a sparkling Fender amp would sound great in the studio,
it would be really hard to get that sound live.

As I was saying that I love the neck/mid pups with the volume down at home.... LIVE everything is cranked and I frequently
turn to the bridge pup to be heard over everyone else.

You mentioned Jimmy Page....
He is a well known example of someone who played a LP/Marshall live and a Tele in the studio.

And I have nothing against the bridge pup.
I was saying that (Myself included), when your ears are 'young' or less than trained tonally speaking...
it's always - lots of distortion and lots of crunch via the bridge pup.
The more you play and the better your ear gets for tone, the cleaner you start to play and yuo start to use the bridge less.

I'm not saying that I don't use the bridge - for that 70's James Gang sound or the Bluesbreakers.... A Must.
I use it alot for rhythm and then play the solos on the neck pup.
I use it to cut thru in a live situation.
I'll switch to it at certain times in a solo if things are dynamic enough for dramatic purposes.

I was just saying that 'young' players tend to think that the bridge pup is the only one that sounds good.

And Gnease must have known what I was trying to say is all.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Ken :wink:

I disagree with this completely and am surprised that Greg (Gnease) agreed with it. Whether you prefer the neck or bridge pickup (or whatever configuration), that is all it is, a personal preference. I have been playing 35 years, happen to think I am pretty experienced, and I prefer the bridge pickup to the neck. And many famous players like Jimmy Page, Angus Young, and Eddie Van Halen are known to use the bridge pickup almost exclusively.

I would say they are all very experienced players. :roll:

Hi,

I don't think that anyone is saying that the bridge pickup is inferior to the neck one, or that only newbs play the bridge one. But I do think it's true that that the neck one takes longer to figure out, and that many new players will start with the bridge pup, simply because it's initially easier to get a reasonable and predictable sound with that one.

Once you've figured them out, then it's of course just a personal choice, and would largely depend on what style you settle on. As a hobby player I jump around from pickup to pickup, and setting to setting depending on what I'm trying to play - lead or rhythm, rock or blues, or whatever. If a pro settles into a 'signature style' they probably have less reason to change around.

I certainly began using only the bridge pickup, because I didn't have the experience to know how to get the best out of the other settings. This seems to apply to most other learners I've met too. Now I use both. Currently it's roughly neck for rhythm and bridge for lead, but that can vary too. I don't think we need to argue about which is one is 'best' - I think we all agree that it's just a personal preference. They have different characteristics, and it takes a while to figure out what their strengths are. The bridge just seems to be the easiest place to start - at least it was for me. :)

Cheers,

Chris

If I got into Jazz, I am sure I would prefer the neck pickup. But that is all there is to it, a personal preference.
lol

"Hi. My name is Greg, and I like jazz." :P

Just that in a loud live band, the power of a Les Paul w/HB's thru a Marshall is needed to have something along the lines of good tone.
Certainly makes it easier to be heard live. And it's a good tone -- but not the only good tone.
While something like a nice dry, clean, woody Tele thru a sparkling Fender amp would sound great in the studio,
it would be really hard to get that sound live.

As I was saying that I love the neck/mid pups with the volume down at home.... LIVE everything is cranked and I frequently
turn to the bridge pup to be heard over everyone else.

You mentioned Jimmy Page....
He is a well known example of someone who played a LP/Marshall live and a Tele in the studio.
+1

And I'll add Lindsey Buckingham -- a good player IMO, went from hardcore Tele-guy to 'bucker-player (Turner Guitars) specifically to cut through the mix of live F-M shows.
And I have nothing against the bridge pup.
I was saying that (Myself included), when your ears are 'young' or less than trained tonally speaking...
it's always - lots of distortion and lots of crunch via the bridge pup.
The more you play and the better your ear gets for tone, the cleaner you start to play and yuo start to use the bridge less.
Yep -- same here. When young, it was all bridge and 'buckers. Then I started playing singles, and opened up the world of cool, clean neck pup tones, whether Tele, Strat or a dark, but delicious P90. The great thing about a P90, is that it can actually complete with a 'bucker live .... and win :wink:
I was just saying that 'young' players tend to think that the bridge pup is the only one that sounds good.

And Gnease must have known what I was trying to say is all.

Pretty much what I thought.

AFAIK I've preferred neck over bridge from the start. My first guitar was with humbuckers because single-coil bridge pups sounded like needles in my head. Ofcourse I was also completely tonedeaf at the time (no joke). I think you can compare it with cello vs violin. You can't say it takes more time to appreciate the warmer sound of a cello, it's just taste.

I haven't chimed in on this? Probably because Arjen has broken my confidence with his review of my song. :P Well, I use the neck and or middle position for ..... clean tones and blues. For hard rock, metal, classic rock I tend to prefer the bridge pickup with distortion. I mostly use the bridge pickup as that is the music I like, but will utilise the neck for the above mentioned tones. I don't like to use the tone controlls on my guitar. They can only cut tones, not enhance. I use the amp to adjust such things. Thats just me and I echo the wise advice previously stated. PERSONAL PREFERANCE!

Well, all I was saying is that some people prefer the bridge, some people prefer the neck.

Truth be told, I've never owned an electric that I truly liked the sound of the neck pickup until I purchased the Gibson Faded SG a few months ago. This has the 490 pickups in it. Now, I truly love the neck pickup in this SG, prettiest neck pickup I've ever heard, very warm and full with some jangle. But the thing I like about it most is that it is not muddy whatsoever. Even my Strat and Tele with single coils sound rather muddy in the neck position. They have a nice chime and ring to them, but the notes run together a bit. Don't know how to explain it, but I like seperation. I like to hear each individual string in a chord. And this is probably why I've always preferred the bridge pickup, it has a tighter, well defined tone.

I have played with Chris (Cnev) quite a few times lately and we talked about this issue. And I believe he had the same problem with the neck pickup tone, he felt the tone was muddy and not defined.

For single note playing with a clean tone, I do really enjoy the neck pickup tone.

I will agree with the P-90s. I think I prefer them over single coil or humbuckers. They are high output and breakup better than single coils, but have more spank and sparkle than a humbucker. I am seriously considering the SG with P-90s as my next purchase.

I am also interested in the new PRS SE One :shock:

PRS SE One

Yep, bridge pickup only. :D

C'mon Wes, real P90s are single coil pups! That's one reason they have more definition than 'buckers. The only downside is the hummmmm -- but they are worth it.

So dig this: I'm almost finished with my first Squier '51 modded -- just waiting for the nitro to cure. It's got the 'bucker in bridge and a nice, hot Reverend P90 at the neck. This strikes me as a good use of 'bucker and single in the right postions.