Difference Between Neck and Bridge Pickup

Neck vs Bridge Pickup

Pickup is a term that is used in reference to stringed musical instruments where their vibrations are picked up by transducers that are placed either in their bridge or neck. There are music lovers who feel that there is a lot of difference between the sounds produced by neck pickups and bridge pickups though there are also many who feel that the location of the transducer for picking up vibrations and converting them into electrical signals in the form of sounds does not make a difference in quality of sound. Let us find out in this article if there is any difference between Neck and Bridge pickup.

The function of a transducer is to pick up frequencies from the stringed instrument and later convert them into electrical signals. The location of the pickup on the stringed instrument is of great significance. It is visible to anyone that a neck pickup has lesser turns of wire than a bridge pickup. This is enough for a neck pickup to have a lower output and, therefore, a sound that seems to be brighter than the sound output of a bridge pickup. It is only natural for lower frequencies to get a chance of amplification when the pickup device is located closer to the centre of the instrument. This is the place where the vibrations travel the widest. However, the selection of music has a lot to do with the perceived differences in sound quality with neck and bridge pickup. When playing metal music, a bridge pickup is far more useful than a neck pickup. Neck pickup sounds heavenly when one is playing blue music.

What is the difference between Neck Pickup and Bridge Pickup?

• Vibrating string travels wider at the neck than at the bridge thereby allowing the pickup device to pick up more of lower frequencies.

• Neck pickup produces brighter and warmer sound than bridge pickup.

• When playing metal music, a bridge pickup is far more useful than a neck pickup. Neck pickup sounds heavenly when one is playing blue music.