What Affect Does Angling A Pickup Have

[lavern]

I've noticed that strats and tele's have the single coil pu angled at the bridge. what affect does that have on sound, and is there any reason you couldn't do it with a middle or neck position pu??

[Keegan]

More bass since the bass side is further away from the bridge. You could do the same with the other pickups if you felt like it. It's not really necessary, just keeps the bridge from being too thin-sounding. You could angle the neck the opposite direction for less bass in that position.

[WezV]

is there any reason you couldn't do it with a middle or neck position pu??

none at all, jake e lee was doing that way back when

[psw]

Some of this relates to the pickup position topic...and the need to understand the multiple modes of vibrations of strings and the harmonic series.

Generally (except in the highest frets) the neck and the middle position pickups sense a wider and more dominant fundamental mode...where as the bridge pickup, closer to the end point of vibration, will sense a lesser fundamental and more complex harmonic content or mode of vibration. Difficult to explain without diagrams I guess.

Anyway...the result is that in general the effect of things like slanting the pickup are far less the further from the end point of the string (typically the bridge or the highest fretted notes (of course in that case the notes are generally pretty high and the harmonic content very high and our ears are not so sensitive to such frequencies)).

In short, there is some noticeable effect when slanting the bridge pickup...but probably negligible with the neck and middle pickups give the above.

Now...there is a theory that perhaps Leo Fender got it wrong...perhaps the high strings could benefit from a less shrill harmonic content and a bit more fundamental, and the bass strings more harmonic complexity. Personally, I think he got the idea right (better fundamental response in the bass strings perhaps).

However, I believe that Hendrix felt differently...there were lots of good reasons why hendrix played an upside down strat, this reverse slant was a part of the reasoning I recall him having. But then he also liked the controls on top...where as few of us would want them under the forearm. A big part of it really was I suspect to be super cool, and a lesson that upper fret access is perhaps a little over rated. But the thing I notice most that went to his advantage was the upside down headstock...his need to regularly tune continually as he played given the technology of the day and the way he played. By having the tuners below the neck he didn't need to pull his up and over to tune...if you watch films, when he was with it enough to care about tuning....you can see how he tuned often and often without being noticed...

So...seemingly going off topic, but a lesson in the reversing of the slant and how little it really matters I suppose...I don't think there is a lot of advantage if any of slanting the middle and bridge pickups and changing the position will change combinations perhaps.

One thing to consider is that these days strat bridge pickups tend to be longer to account for this slant (and allowing longer wraps and so more power without enlarging the coil or going to a thinner wire). Slanting the other pickups may require a longer pickup to line up the poles...however these would be bridge pickups typically and not really ideal for other positions due to their overwinding.

A bit to consider...an interesting question given recent discussions however...

pete

[Crusader]

The slanted pickup on a Strat has always made me ponder but I always just considered it a bit of a gimmick

If its of any interest, what I found is this

The pole on the 1st string is 40.5mm from the bridge (1/16 of the scale length which is a node/antinode)

The pole on the 6th string is the same as if you had a humbucker (In the postion where most manufacturers put them - centre of pickup on the 1/16th node)

But having a single coil there, its "no-where"

Its things like this which make me conclude that the bridge pickup position is just a matter of personal taste

Psw what you said about Hendrix is very interesting. I always just thought he played a RH guitar upside down to accentuate that he is left handed - in order to stand out from everyone else

[borge]

Again with the nodes, anyone would think all you play is open strings

I'm left handed and playing the bridge pup on a RH strat restrung sounds nicer to my ears than a regular LH strat, (like PSW said) the treble strings aren't as shrill and more harmonic content from the bass strings.

Which, to me, especially after hearing it in action, seems the obvious way to angle it ie Leo got it 'wrong' again, of course i prefer the classic strat look (and dont want to hack up a PG) and fix one of Leo's other 'mistakes' to reduce the treble string shrillness, rewire to: bridge tone and mid+neck tone, still left on 10 most of the time but having it in the circuit is enough.

[soapbarstrat]

Now...there is a theory that perhaps Leo Fender got it wrong....

He did get it wrong. Reverse slant rules.

[ae3]

Dick Dales signiture strat has a reverse slant pickup.

They should make a strat with a moveable/rotating bridge pickup, twould be cool to try and build I think.

[j. pierce]

Billy Gibbons seems to think both you and Leo have it wrong, and prefers a non angled bridge pickup on his Esquire:

http://www.glendaleguitars.com/BFG.htm

http://www.celebrityrockstarguitars.com/im...ns%20Guitar.gif

[erikbojerik]

Well - whatever it is, I must have it wrong because I don't sound like Jimi when I play a strat.

[Prostheta]

That's because you're playing it upside down. You need to hang yourself by the ankles from the ceiling beams to sound like Jimi.

[Prostheta]

Billy Gibbons seems to think both you and Leo have it wrong, and prefers a non angled bridge pickup on his Esquire:

http://www.glendaleguitars.com/BFG.htm

http://www.celebrityrockstarguitars.com/im...ns%20Guitar.gif

A $249.99 bridge replacement? Yeeeeeeeeesh.

[WezV]

A $249.99 bridge replacement? Yeeeeeeeeesh.

nope.

its a $249.999 bridge plate replacement.

saddles are about $60 extra

[Prostheta]

[RestorationAD]

I have never been high enough to sound like Jimi....

I will say this. "Great guitarists can even make masonite sound good."

[j. pierce]

Wow, I stumbled upon the Glendale stuff last week, and until you guys pointed it out, I never actually looked at the *price*.

And there I was thinking it'd be a neat thing to try.

[Keegan]

You could make your own non-angled bridge, or just use a strat hardtail and route it out non-angled.

[Crusader]

Again with the nodes, anyone would think all you play is open strings

Someone had to say it LOL

Yeah I got nodes on the brain

But think about it, you gotta have nodes

Nothing goes down without noddy!

[GhostInTheMachine]

It could be used to tighten up the bass like Michael Stevens:

[Fowl2338]

It could be used to tighten up the bass like Michael Stevens:

That looks.......interesting.