Why are Bridge Pups Hotter than Neck Pups?

[unit11]

Do bridge pups need to be hotter than neck pups in order to get the same quality of sound? I've always been confused a little bit by this trend - I know it isn't always the rule, certainly. But generally speaking, bridge pups always seem to boast having higher output than their neck counter parts. Is there a specific reason for this?

 

Also, I've noticed that neck pups tend to be 'warmer' while bridge pups tend to be 'brighter'... but I was under the impression that these tones would already be affected by position on the guitar - that is, a warmer neck pup in the bridge position will be brighter than normal, right?

 

Help me out here, I'm really confused!

[aenemated]

the generally accepted reasoning is that the strings vibrate at a much shorter amplitude closer to the bridge, thus providing a hotter and more treble-ly output.

 

at least, that's how i've understood it.

[Alecto]

Another reason is that the string doesn't vibrate as loudly near the bridge, so bridge pickups need to be hotter in order to compensate.

 

A former guitar teacher had and old Epiphone Casino with two P-90's. The neck pickup was significantly louder than the bridge pickup because they were wound exactly the same. It was the vibration of the string that created the perceived difference in volume.

[Wyatt]

The guys are right, dedicated bridge PU's are wound to be higher output and with more bass to off-set the nature of the beast -- because of it's location, bridge PU's are naturally thinner and brighter than using the same PU at the neck.

[Spudro]

Pick an unfretted guitar string very near the bridge.

 

Then pick that same unfretted string where your neck pickup is located.

 

A hotter bridge pickup is meant to accommodate for the physical difference that makes vibrations near the bridge not as large.

 

 

 

 

P.S.

Don't use a guitar cord to connect your amp head to your speaker cab.

[csm]

 

Another reason is that the string doesn't vibrate as loudly near the bridge, so bridge pickups need to be hotter in order to compensate. A former guitar teacher had and old Epiphone Casino with two P-90's. The neck pickup was significantly louder than the bridge pickup because they were wound exactly the same. It was the vibration of the string that created the perceived difference in volume.

 

 

I had exactly the same experience with the two 60s Gibson semis I used to own. On both the 1967 ES335 and the 1968 Trini Lopez, the neck PUs were WAY louder ... at least until I did some radical readjustment of the PU heights.

 

This is also why, on poorly set-up older Strats, the bridge PU often sounds 'thin' and 'weak' compared to the (totally identical) neck. And the Tele's bridge PU was always stronger than the neck, which is why it was easier to balance them right.