Alchool Posted July 27, 2003 Report Share Posted July 27, 2003 Is there any rule to follow when placing pick-ups? I.E. Distance from the bridge, distance from the neck... I read somewhere that pick-ups are usually placed where the strongest harmonic lay... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted July 27, 2003 Report Share Posted July 27, 2003 The only rule that I've ever heard is that neck pickups a typically placed so that the closest edge of the coil is right where the 24th fret is. You can see the problem there, if you have 24 frets, you have to move the pickup back a bit. But, it's true for all 22 fret guitars that I've seen. So, I don't really think that there's any magic numbers for pickup placement. If it sounds good, do it I say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cr_XD Posted July 27, 2003 Report Share Posted July 27, 2003 i don´t know if this is just something i´ve made up, or actually read somewhere, i can´t remember where, but it´s got something to be with the vibration of the strings. in certain places it vibrates different, and so might be desireable to have the pick up placed there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbish247 Posted July 27, 2003 Report Share Posted July 27, 2003 I can remember watching Ronnie Montrose in the eighties when he was touring with Gamma and he had a pup mounted on two rails. Move it toward the neck, more bass. Move it toward the bridge, more treble. It made for one hell-of-a tone control... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted July 27, 2003 Report Share Posted July 27, 2003 I'll take the outback approach and say "No rules just right" seems I see to many commericals for Outback steak house, anyway I've seen guitars with the pickups mounted away from the strings (yes solid body electrics and basses), even though it isn't a common practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted July 28, 2003 Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 I wonder if ole' Ronnie got that lil' gimmick from Ibanez... When they came out with the Icemen in the late '70's, one option was a sliding pickup...hmmmmm........time period seems right, give him a few years to happen onto one... Either way, Montrose Ruled... PS, the only rule set in stone is to not put your bridge pkp too close to the bridge, or it'll get reeeel thin sounding... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted July 28, 2003 Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 i just measured distances from the bridge oh various guitar's and made a couple of choices, and for the neck pickup just shove it right up against the neck, unless it's a 21 fret neck or so, then i think the "rule" is pace the neck pickup 4 inches from the bridge one (center to center) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulNeeds Posted July 28, 2003 Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 I wonder if ole' Ronnie got that lil' gimmick from Ibanez... When they came out with the Icemen in the late '70's, one option was a sliding pickup... One of the Gibson basses had one too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cr_XD Posted July 28, 2003 Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 i just found out the source of my knowledge XD just kidding, but i remember reading it somewhere, and that is roger h siminoff´s book constructing a solid body guitar. it has nothing to do with melvyn hiscock´s but has got some more points of view to certain problems. Anyway that´s page 40, if anybody else owns it, and it talks about where the strings vibrates with more amplitude in the different partials, it´s just briefly explained, and eventually just makes a division between the neck and the bridge pick ups, so isn´t a big deal.... that was it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted July 28, 2003 Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 I can understand that maybe there's a rule-of-thumb about pickup placement with open strings. But, once you fret the string somewhere, all the nodal points are going to change. There can't be any "best place" for a pickup for that one reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cr_XD Posted July 28, 2003 Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 that really puts an end. hadn´t think about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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