Pickup position for upright(ish) sound

[kristo]

I’m interested in peoples experience with getting an upright like sound. I have a hollowbody archtop bass that I’m going to fit with a Hofner humbucker but I’m undecided on where exactly to fit it. I’m going to fit a volume and tone control too. My instinct is to put it right at the neck, but I was interested in if I’m missing anything. I guess there might be a sweet spot which might not actually be right against the neck…… cheers. 

[Beedster]

PUPs close to the neck can sound muddy and indistinct and nothing at all like a DB. IME it’s as much about where along the string you play as where along the string you locate the PUP, possibly more so. There’s gotta be a sweet spot for the PUP anyway, then it’s all about technique and strings. Play like you’re playing DB on strings that are as close as possible in the way they react to DB strings? 

[Cato]

Slight tangent but I have a Bass VI with three single coils including one close up to the fingerboard, I've never had a bass with a pickup in that position before.

 

One of the things that suprised me about the bass was that neck pickup has almost no punch to it at all, as described by @Beedster above it's actually quite boomy, in a sort quote mild and mellow way with little definition, kind of nearly all bass with very little of the midrange that actually gets you a 'punchy', more percussive sound.

 

it's great in combination with either or both of the other pickups but on it's oen I'm not sure how usable it would be in a band situation.

Edited October 5, 2023 by Cato

[jd56hawk]

Instead of a piezo?

[kristo]

Thanks for the replies. I’m using TI flats, which I’m hoping will give some definition and less mud. 
 

The piezo fitted isn’t great and feedbacks too easily to make the bass giggable. 

[Rayman]

TI flats on my Epiphone Newport shorty, mudbucker (neck) up full and I get very close indeed to an upright tone, the closest I’ve ever got with any electric bass.

I never managed it with a hollow body.

[pete.young]

If you want to sound like an upright - get an upright.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

1 hour ago, pete.young said:

If you want to sound like an upright - get an upright.

Helpful!

[Paolo85]

In my opinion,somewhere near the P position. Then you tame it with tapewounds, tone rolled off, a mute, and playing near the neck. I was very happy with the results on a P.

For DB you need punch and clarity.

I have limited experience of pickups closer to the neck bit yes, so far my impression is thet you lose something 

 

[Beedster]

5 hours ago, Paolo85 said:

In my opinion,somewhere near the P position. Then you tame it with tapewounds, tone rolled off, a mute, and playing near the neck. I was very happy with the results on a P.

For DB you need punch and clarity.

I have limited experience of pickups closer to the neck bit yes, so far my impression is thet you lose something 

 

That’s pretty much it 👍

[Boodang]

Mostly I’d say technique is the key. I play over the fretboard, around the 17th fret. As for eq, leave some definition (mids) in there. Also, and I use this with an EUB, a TC Electronic Bodyrez helps with the sound. Designed to put the body back into piezo guitars, actually works great on bass. 

[Skybone]

IMO, a pickup in the neck position helps, but also if you move your playing position towards the end of the neck really helps to achieve a nice "plummy" sound.

[kristo]

10 hours ago, pete.young said:

If you want to sound like an upright - get an upright.

I do have one, the problem is getting it in the car for gigs with my wife's drum kit and the PA. I suppose the other big problem is I suck at playing it. 

[kristo]

I tend to play at the end of the fretboard already, and the helpful advice here is suggesting not right against the neck, so out of the two options below I think the one on the left. Cheers.

[Boodang]

9 minutes ago, kristo said:

I tend to play at the end of the fretboard already, and the helpful advice here is suggesting not right against the neck, so out of the two options below I think the one on the left. Cheers.

At the end or over the fretboard? 

[kristo]

At the end currently, about where the pickup on the right is. 

[Beedster]

PUP placement is surely more mathematically/acoustically determined to oprimise, harmonics etc while the DB-esque feel is, agreed, best achieved playing over the board, the further up the better, to get that looser and more languid attack

[Clarky]

The best approximation I have had to a DB sonically was with Rob Allen basses which have a piezo pickup in the bridge and La Bella black nylon strings. Maybe a quality piezo is what you need, rather than a regular electric pickup?

[kristo]

14 hours ago, Clarky said:

The best approximation I have had to a DB sonically was with Rob Allen basses which have a piezo pickup in the bridge and La Bella black nylon strings. Maybe a quality piezo is what you need, rather than a regular electric pickup?

I hadn’t even considered another piezo, and didn’t know you could get better versions. I did think about a K & K Pure Archtop pickup but thought the feedback might be too much still. 

[ikay]

Plugging the f-holes would also help to reduce feedback. Something like this - https://reverb.com/item/34668208-f-hole-foam-inserts-reduce-feedback-on-your-late-model-guild-x-175

[Clarky]

9 hours ago, kristo said:

I hadn’t even considered another piezo, and didn’t know you could get better versions. I did think about a K & K Pure Archtop pickup but thought the feedback might be too much still. 

I was thinking the K&K Pure Archtop and with foam f hole inserts it could be the answer? However, I do realise it would be riskier than a regular electric pickup and you may end up with some expensive parts to move on if feedback remains an issue

[kristo]

That was my worry, the parts and luthier costs to fit put me off and why I landed at the Hofner pickup. 

[Geek99]

On 06/10/2023 at 00:06, Paolo85 said:

In my opinion,somewhere near the P position. Then you tame it with tapewounds, tone rolled off, a mute, and playing near the neck. I was very happy with the results on a P.

For DB you need punch and clarity.

I have limited experience of pickups closer to the neck bit yes, so far my impression is thet you lose something 

 

This 

p bass, flats, roll the tone off a bit 

[Boodang]

7 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

This 

p bass, flats, roll the tone off a bit 

...and, I know I've already mentioned it but it's a cracking bit of kit, a Bodyrez pedal to polish off the tone.

[Geek99]

We are the human version of a hive mind.