More bite out of a neck pup

[Kain]

so i always ask this question on forums but i never get a straight answer, its ALWAYS agumentative.

so i dont like the normal smooth, creamy sound a neck pup gives you. i like both my pups to sound like a bridge pup, but still different sounding mind you. For a jackson that i have ive put an invader (bridge) in the neck and lowered it down to equal out the volume and this has gotten me pretty close to what im looking for but not quite there yet.

the question is can someone give me a few ways to get this sound im looking for if anyone knows. if it helps the guitar im trying to do this with is going to be sort of a high-gain 80's hair metal guitar.

maybe i should just keep getting bridge pups and lowering them down like that. well idk just someone if you have an answer itd be most splendid and appriciated.

[purpleplexi]

Raising up the polepiece screws will make it brighter.

[ericsabbath]

the neck nailbomb sounds very "bridgey"
a lot like the bridge version, but brighter and more scooped

I've heard the neck painkiller is somewhat bridge sounding as well

[Transcend]

the neck nailbomb sounds very "bridgey"
a lot like the bridge version, but brighter and more scooped

I've heard the neck painkiller is somewhat bridge sounding as well

I have also heard that the painkiller is quite an aggressive neck pickup. Probably due to the fact that its ceramic.

[gwEm]

some ideas:

1) use an adaptor plate to fit a strat coil or minihumbucker
2) wire the neck pickup in parallel
3) fit the neck pickup upside down (screwpole pieces nearest the bridge)
4) on 12 screwpole pickups, raise up the side nearest the bridge

i agree with your taste in neck pickups. and have tried all the above. the problem with (1) is basically the look, it can be a bit weird. (3) and (4) will only get you so far. i'm getting great results with (2) at the moment.

[darkbluemurder]

In going with solution (2) you may want to add a small capacitor (e.g. 1000pf - 3300pf) from the pickup's hot leads to ground to tame the resonace peak to the value with series connected coils.

Cheers Stephan

[Kain]

oh my, this is splendid thank you all so much. im glad i can here for this. i dont know why i didnt before.

i think what i might try is try both (3) and (4) and see how that goes. the reason i ask is because i got a VHII for the neck position ( i dont know why i would do that it was a stupid decision) and i was very displeased with it so i was gonna put it in a different guitar and then buy like a rebel yell (Bridge) or another VHII but this time not neck and then try and make them more bitey.

but all of this deffinitly helps and very grateful.

[Philly Q]

i got a VHII for the neck position ( i dont know why i would do that it was a stupid decision) and i was very displeased with it so i was gonna put it in a different guitar and then buy like a rebel yell (Bridge) or another VHII but this time not neck and then try and make them more bitey.

I don't think buying "bridge" pickups and putting them in the neck position is going to give you the bright sound you're after! 

In fact, in most cases, they'll probably sound darker because they're wound hotter than the neck models.

[gwEm]

oh my, this is splendid thank you all so much. im glad i can here for this. i dont know why i didnt before.

i think what i might try is try both (3) and (4) and see how that goes. the reason i ask is because i got a VHII for the neck position ( i dont know why i would do that it was a stupid decision) and i was very displeased with it so i was gonna put it in a different guitar and then buy like a rebel yell (Bridge) or another VHII but this time not neck and then try and make them more bitey.

but all of this deffinitly helps and very grateful.

the vh2 is meant to sound really good split or wired in parallel. if you have only 2 condictor wire, tim will change it for 4 conductor at a very reasonable price.

[gwEm]

i got a VHII for the neck position ( i dont know why i would do that it was a stupid decision) and i was very displeased with it so i was gonna put it in a different guitar and then buy like a rebel yell (Bridge) or another VHII but this time not neck and then try and make them more bitey.

I don't think buying "bridge" pickups and putting them in the neck position is going to give you the bright sound you're after! 

In fact, in most cases, they'll probably sound darker because they're wound hotter than the neck models.

was wondering that too..

[ev1ltwin]

I don't think buying "bridge" pickups and putting them in the neck position is going to give you the bright sound you're after! 

In fact, in most cases, they'll probably sound darker because they're wound hotter than the neck models.

but if its a ceramic bridge pickup and its lowered down a lot (which was said in the OP), it could sounds bright and clear. it really depends on a ton of variables

[Transcend]

I don't think buying "bridge" pickups and putting them in the neck position is going to give you the bright sound you're after! 

In fact, in most cases, they'll probably sound darker because they're wound hotter than the neck models.

but if its a ceramic bridge pickup and its lowered down a lot (which was said in the OP), it could sounds bright and clear. it really depends on a ton of variables

im pretty sure a ceramic neck pickup such as the painkiller would do a better job.

Or the OP could even send the vhII back to tim to get the magnets replaced/wind altered and if he tells tim exactly what he wants that would be the number 1 solution imho

[ev1ltwin]

im pretty sure a ceramic neck pickup such as the painkiller would do a better job.

Or the OP could even send the vhII back to tim to get the magnets replaced/wind altered and if he tells tim exactly what he wants that would be the number 1 solution imho

clearly this is the case. i was just responding to the claim that a bridge pickup would sound muddy in the neck position (it's just not that simple).

[Transcend]

very good point i misread.

Look at emgs a lot of users use the 85 & 81 in the neck when theyre actually bridge pickups really they should use the 60 or 85a

[Kain]

I don't think buying "bridge" pickups and putting them in the neck position is going to give you the bright sound you're after! 

In fact, in most cases, they'll probably sound darker because they're wound hotter than the neck models.

but if its a ceramic bridge pickup and its lowered down a lot (which was said in the OP), it could sounds bright and clear. it really depends on a ton of variables

this is exactly what happened for me on my jackson. i took a duncan invader(bridge) and put it in the neck and it deffinitly  came close to what i was looking for, its lowered down quite a good bit also. i think the main problem is most people dont try these types of things because they see neck PUP and say o that goes here, i just cant stand neck pups is all. 

i may try some ceramic pups though because ive had luck with that but id really just like to try and get that bitey 80's ssound out of it