Does anyone know if there are measurements for determining where a pickup should be placed when building a guitar? Like X distance from the scale length line for the bridge etc.? Or is it just kind of a put one close to the bridge and one close to the neck kind of thing?
Pickup placement?
- Thread starter rapfohl09
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no real science, the closer the bridge pup is to the bridge the more harmonic content and brighter the pup sounds, also less output.
the closer the pickup is to the middle of string vibration the warmer and fuller it sounds. it may be posible to get the bridge pup too close to the bridge but people tend to prefer the neck pup as close to the neck as possible. some people believe the 24th fret is the ideal location but that is silly, because for one it is a node to a 2nd octave harmonic in the open position so if anything it will take something out of the sound at least in the open position. and for another playing on different frets throws the sweet spot theory out the window. also the 24th fret location is what causes "stratitis" with single coils because it strikes a harmonic if the magnetic field is too narrow and has too much pull. you can analyze it to death but you wont find a mathematical ideal because playing in different positions will always change it so put the neck pup close to the neck and the bridge pup near the bridge but not too close and don't over think it.
the closer the pickup is to the middle of string vibration the warmer and fuller it sounds. it may be posible to get the bridge pup too close to the bridge but people tend to prefer the neck pup as close to the neck as possible. some people believe the 24th fret is the ideal location but that is silly, because for one it is a node to a 2nd octave harmonic in the open position so if anything it will take something out of the sound at least in the open position. and for another playing on different frets throws the sweet spot theory out the window. also the 24th fret location is what causes "stratitis" with single coils because it strikes a harmonic if the magnetic field is too narrow and has too much pull. you can analyze it to death but you wont find a mathematical ideal because playing in different positions will always change it so put the neck pup close to the neck and the bridge pup near the bridge but not too close and don't over think it.
Jusatele
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I ran across a article written by some tech guy that took into placement of the pickups. He based the article on the wavelength of the notes and the vibration of the strings. Talked about the orientation of the center of the node etc. I found it very interesting that the more he argued the more he had to argue his point because every time you change your fingering you change everything he was discussing. I thing in the end I decided it was so vaiable you just go by what sounds right
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