Turning HB's around?

[jonny-b-brown]

I'm finding my bridge pickup to be too bright and my neck pickup too dark. It's not too far off from what I'd like, but just enough for me to notice. Can you just turn humbuckers around, with the polepieces toward the middle? I'm thinking I've seen one of the jazz guys with their pickups this way. Would it bring the two pickups closer together, tonewise?

[Me on crack]

There will be a sonic dif but not enough to notice it in a practical situation, i mean you'll hear it when playin alone but not with the band.

if you want a more drastical change, try eq or go for a pickup swap.

[RocketStar]

have you adjusted the height of the pickups? If not the individual pole pieces, at least the treble and bass sides up for more and down for less.

[Savant]

Originally Posted by jonny-b-brown

I'm finding my bridge pickup to be too bright and my neck pickup too dark. It's not too far off from what I'd like, but just enough for me to notice. Can you just turn humbuckers around, with the polepieces toward the middle? I'm thinking I've seen one of the jazz guys with their pickups this way. Would it bring the two pickups closer together, tonewise?

Yes, I did it for years. You can also put a cover on the bridge on, and keep the neck uncovered. The metal covers darken the sound.

[olddawg]

Try learning to use your tone control and pickup selector switch. It is not unusual to roll off the highs on the bridge pickup a bit or to blend the two pickups in the center switch position.

[cubby]

It should be noted that the side with the exposed pole pieces on a humbucker isn't the only coild picking up the strings. I expect that turning both around will not do much - even if it's possible. If they are factory installed pickups then there might not be enough wire. It was fairly common in the 70's to turn one humbucker around to try to get some out-of-phase effect.

[jonny-b-brown]

I've adjusted heights and polepieces, and I think I'm more than confident with the tone control usage.....it's just that I'd like the "sweet spot" on the tone controls to be somewhere in the middle, instead of being at the extremes (10 or 0). That way I've got a little room to go either way on the dial, tonally speaking. As it stands, I've got to have my neck tone wide open, and my bridge almost the opposite. Make sense?

[Savant]

Originally Posted by cubby

It should be noted that the side with the exposed pole pieces on a humbucker isn't the only coild picking up the strings. I expect that turning both around will not do much - even if it's possible. If they are factory installed pickups then there might not be enough wire. It was fairly common in the 70's to turn one humbucker around to try to get some out-of-phase effect.

It does a bit more when you have the cover on. The cover seems to really affect the magnetic field. The screw side pole pieces are the ones that seem to really pick up the signal stronger, as they tend to be closer to the strings. I've tried it both ways, and I really can tell the difference.

[Prime]

I see your issue...

I usually change pickup height, to try and get a better tone. For example my jag bass had zero mid range and too much treble and too much bass, and to get a more even range and a tighter sound, I raised the neck p/u and lowered the bridge p/u, then each were minutely changed (left and right hight) to find the "sweet spot", now it's ace.

I believe that most artcore series have separate p/u controls, I would suggest though after fiddling with the p/u to try both pickups together, your bridge tone at around 5 then the neck tone higher, you'll be a bit limited to give or take you want from having the tone in the middle.

btw how is your ibanez artcore I looked at one before getting the epiphone but I didn't have the money.

[jonny-b-brown]

@ Prime: I like my Artcore, it was kind of a well researched impulse buy that became my favorite guitar. I was really shopping hard on Epi Dots, Sheratons, Casinos, and a Supernova, but they just seemed really inconsistent and iffy on the fit, finish, and QC. It just seemed to be the right guitar when I found it, then I put it up when the "new" wore off, didn't touch it for a while. Got a free pair of Burstbuckers, and threw them in the only HB guitar I had - the Artcore, and now it's my favorite in the bunch. I miss single coils a little, but 99% of what I do, I do it on the one guitar.

I turned my bridge pickup around, and it did take a little bite off of it. So now I crank the treble on my amp to compensate, which makes the neck pickup lovely. A neat side benefit is that the middle position now sounds a little Fender-ish, and since I never used that position before, I have three usable positions instead of two. Yay.

[Savant]

Originally Posted by jonny-b-brown

@ Prime: I like my Artcore, it was kind of a well researched impulse buy that became my favorite guitar. I was really shopping hard on Epi Dots, Sheratons, Casinos, and a Supernova, but they just seemed really inconsistent and iffy on the fit, finish, and QC. It just seemed to be the right guitar when I found it, then I put it up when the "new" wore off, didn't touch it for a while. Got a free pair of Burstbuckers, and threw them in the only HB guitar I had - the Artcore, and now it's my favorite in the bunch. I miss single coils a little, but 99% of what I do, I do it on the one guitar.

I turned my bridge pickup around, and it did take a little bite off of it. So now I crank the treble on my amp to compensate, which makes the neck pickup lovely. A neat side benefit is that the middle position now sounds a little Fender-ish, and since I never used that position before, I have three usable positions instead of two. Yay.

I will admit, Hoshino Gakki has never skimped on the quality of their product. Even their cheapest guitars and drums have a good all around level of playability and sound.

[lobsty]

For what it is worth, Darrel always flipped his L-500's around...