I've heard from several people that it's not really possible. You can get them, but they will be weak. The area the pinch harmonic is being hit at is usually behind the neck pickup. Meaning the area your finger is getting the harmonic to ring out at is behind it. If you can get them closer to the neck, they should ring out more, but from my experience, it just doesn't work. Hope that clears it up a little.
how can i get pinches from my neck pickup then! :lol:
it's not the pickup that affects where the node is, it's the note you're fretting. I'm not saying pinches aren't more difficult with the neck pickup (they are), but they're certainly possible, and shouldn't be too "weak" and that guff about the nodes being affected by the neck pickup kinda doesn't make sense because the node will change depending on which fret you're playing at (i think- i could be wrong, but i've done a little bit about quantum mechanics, nodes etc. in my time, and the stuff I'm saying makes more sense than the stuff you are).
Not trying to cause a fight or anything, I just don't think you're right. If you can't get pinches (at all!) out of your neck pickup, you're doing something wrong, whether that's technique, setting up the wrong amp tone, have the guitar knobs set at strange settings (tone rolled way off, say), etc..
:)
uhm... i usually pinch harmonics on neck pickups without much difficulties... of course if you pinch the string closer to the neck they'll be more powerful... i don't think it has got something to do with the distance from the poles, but it happens because there is where the string oscillates the most (in the picking area)... at least i think! :)
anyway it's true that some pickups (not necessairly darker ones) give weaker pinch harmonics... maybe it has something to do with high mids more than highs...
yeah, i think it's the voicing and gain of the pickup and amp (and the inherent voicing due to the pickup's location) which is making neck pickup pinches seem weak rather than anything to do with nodes.
