Pickup alignment for multi scale basses

[bigbadbbass]

Hello

 

Been a long time member but this might well be the first time I’ve posted and not really sure where to post this question! Electronics is not my area of expertise as of yet!

 

I am at the very beginning of my luthier career and I’m at the 4th year of study. This year I’m making 2 multi scale basses this year (37”-34” scale). Looking at pickups for the instruments. 
 

1. do the pickups need to be tilted at an angle? I have an older Dingwall with the square pickups and my pivot point on my thumb is on the corner of a square pickup. I know that Dingwall use rounded end pickups now to compensate. 
 

2. will I have any issues with normal pickups being slanted and pole alignment? Is this something I need to look out for when choosing pickups?

 

many thanks in advance!

Steve

 

 

[MichaelDean]

I think the reason that pickups are tilted on most multiscale instruments is to even out the tone you get from string to string. Otherwise, you could get the lower strings sounding different tonally from the higher strings. Whether or not that is an issue may well depend on the positioning, the pickups themselves and the intended tone. 

 

It's definitely possible that you'll have an issue with angling pickups that are intended to be straight. I can't explain it after a couple of holiday beers, but try holding a standard pickup over the strings of your Dingwall and then angle it and see what happens. 

 

It might be worth building a test body with a swimming pool rout so you can try the different angles and find out which pickups work angled/straight. 

[tauzero]

Don't forget that some basses have slanted pickups (Ritter and Warwick, with Warwick even having differently slanted and placed pickups on the 4-string and 5-string Thumbs) so that may be another factor to consider when deciding on your slant. It so happens that I have an Ibanez EHB1265MS to hand, and measuring the bridge pickup (where the difference will be most marked), the width across the strings measured perpendicular to the strings (ie string spacing) is 72mm, giving a string spacing of 18mm, and the width across the strings measured along the centre line of the pickup is 78mm. That would be the equivalent of a string spacing of 19.5mm, so a pickup that could accommodate that would be fine for a 5-string. The Ibanez hasn't got quite such an exaggerated fan as Dingwalls, though, so that's another consideration.

[tauzero]

I've just remembered that I commented on pickup placement in a fan-fret bass - see 

 

[ped]

Presumably if the bridge is fanned too then straight pickups would be the most even choice? I agree that a test body with moveable pickups is the best idea. 
 

 

[tauzero]

14 hours ago, ped said:

Presumably if the bridge is fanned too then straight pickups would be the most even choice? I agree that a test body with moveable pickups is the best idea. 

 

They'd only be most even if they were placed where the frets are perpendicular to the strings. If they were to be equivalent to JJ pickups, they'd have to be slanted so that the ratio of string lengths nut-pickup and pickup-bridge are the same for each string (like the Ibanez EHB). Having the pickups perpendicular to the strings would make the bass strings bassier and the treble strings treblier, like the way that a standard split P pickup works but with a smoother transition across strings. 

[Steve Wulf]

Haven’t replied in a while! Couldn’t find my original post. I was thinking about putting the pickups straight purely for a comfort perspective. I have one of the older dingwalls before they introduced the rounder pickups.
 

I find myself pivoting on the point of the pickup which isn’t the most comfortable. I have EMG 40 style pickups I’m fitting in my current builds. I may try to make a ramp to make it a bit more comfortable. Some pictures of my builds. Still a long way to go.