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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Electric → Concerning pickups
Good Morning,
I have a guitar with an h,s,s configuration and a five position slider. My question is which pickup configuration is for what application?
In other words, is the neck pickup for lead, middle for rhythm, etc. ? Can someone run them down for me please?
Thank You,
Danny
Well, I would use the neck for leads when playing blues.
I would use the bridge for lead and rhythm when playing rock.
The middle 3 positions I don't know much about because I play 2-pickup guitars.
I guess that would be up to you to decide what they sound best for.
On my guitar I use the neck pickup (Charlie Christian) for lead and rhythm because it's so warm and versatile. My middle position is wired to be out of phase so I use that for when I REALLY want to cut through the other instruments like a hot knife. I use my bridge pickup (SD SH-4 JB) when I'm playing distorted rhythm or if I am doing pinch harmonic leads.
=]
Dm
morning danny,
when i played my strat, i used the middle pick-up for rhythm and the other two for lead breaks depending on what tone i wanted for a particular song. everybody's playing (tonality) is an individual thing, it's your own signature. nurture it and only copy what you see in other peoples playing what you want to incorporate in your own. there are many richie blackmore clones....but only one richie blackmere!
phill
Now I understand. There is no recommended application for a specific pickup.
I've been trying different pickups in combination with tone settings.
I'm starting to figure it out.
Thanks guy's,
Danny
To simply finding your tones...turn the guitar volumes all the way on and the tone volumes off...then start with your front pickup and adjust your amplifier to the volume and tone that you like. Play that combo for a while and then switch to your different pickup position and listen to the tones. Typically your bridge (rear) pickup will have a brighter tone in comparison to the front...in country music that would be your "Twang" sound! Each guitar and amp has nearly an endless supply of tonal posibilities to play with... Hope this can give you some ideas
Thanks Jay, I'll try it. Your right though. Between the pickup combination's, the tone adjustments on the amp and the tone adjustments on the guitar the possibilities do seem endless. Some of the variations are also very suttle. I'm finding myself leaning toward the single coils. At least for now.
Thanks again,
Danny
Thanks Jay, I'll try it. Your right though. Between the pickup combination's, the tone adjustments on the amp and the tone adjustments on the guitar the possibilities do seem endless. Some of the variations are also very suttle. I'm finding myself leaning toward the single coils. At least for now.
Thanks again,
Danny
Also the reason I mention turning your guitar pickup all the way up is that the volume can make a lot of difference with some pickups. I have some humbuckers that at 1/2 volume (on guitar) have a sweet sound...at full volume they get aggressive and distorted. Again, the possibilities can keep ya busy for a while...jg
One of the Chordie moderators posted this
Position 1 - The most downward position activates the bridge pick-up
Position 2 - activates the bridge and middle pick-ups
Position 3 - middle pick-up only
Position 4 - neck and middle pick-up
Position 5 - neck pick-up only
Hope this helps
Bridge pickup for everything me, I just love the bite you get when playing the rhythm and lead.
On my SG I turn the volume all the way down on my neck pickup and click the switch to the neck when I put the guitar down for 5, effectively muting the guitar, thats all neck pickups are good for ;?)
There are no rules... do what sounds good to YOU! It's not what settings you use, it's what you do with them. All the greats have their own unique sound that may have been unusual for their time, it wasn't the sound that made them great, it was what they did with it.
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Electric → Concerning pickups
