Does bridge type affect guitar tone???

[millsart]

ok so... it seems like the sh-5 has a very scooped voicing... now is this what i should be looking for in a mahagony body? with a trem?

I'd take the trem out of the equation, it affects the tone to some degree but its not going to affect a pickup choice in the same way as tone woods. Seems like you've got enough to try to get your head around as is.

As for if you want scooped mids or a midrump hump, thats totally up to you, theres people who like the sound of both.

The customs really don't match what it says on the website either, I mean they do to some degree, but a C5 for example really isn't near as scooped as the numbers would make it out to sound.

[Boy_Narf]

ok well, now im considering a SH-6 and a SH-2N, ive heard that the SH-4 is alot like the duncan designed PUPS, so i want something a little more agressive... erg, opionions?

(this is the toughest decision i have ever had to make )

[Robert Delahunt]

Bridge type affects tone. See here as well as other places. That, and to be honest I'd recommend trembucker spaced pickup if it matches your bridge.

I can't really say that I have experience with bridges other than the Fender American Standard tremolo / floating because I no longer own any other types. But tremolo tails tend to sound a bit brighter in my opinion than other kinds like Tune-o-matic locking I used to have on my ESP.

[Boy_Narf]

i did the measurements just to see if i would need the trem bucker... and according to my ruler i need the standard spacing so...

[Robert Delahunt]

i did the measurements just to see if i would need the trem bucker... and according to my ruler i need the standard spacing so...

So get standard spacing But good job on the measuring: it's always best to check first.

[Boy_Narf]

well, yea... but the trembucker is slightly misleading... i thought as long as i had a trem i needed the trem spacing but apparently not

[Boy_Narf]

Ok so i have read millions of documents... and a guitar with a mahagony body and neck has a very "wallish" sound, and compresses the mids... so i think that a SH-6, (with its boosted mid's) should fill out my sound particulary well... Plus, The sh-4 might also work but i think im going to avoid the custom... since it has severly scooped mids

[millsart]

Ok so i have read millions of documents... and a guitar with a mahagony body and neck has a very "wallish" sound, and compresses the mids... so i think that a SH-6, (with its boosted mid's) should fill out my sound particulary well... Plus, The sh-4 might also work but i think im going to avoid the custom... since it has severly scooped mids

The custom and custom 5 really aren't all that scooped at all.

Keep in mind that the SH-6 sounds very poor clean as well.

Not a bad pickup though, I really used to enjoy using them for thrashy stuff in a basewood Jackson back in the day, then moved onto EMG's.

I don't know if I'd jump to conclusions with the "wallish" sound either..... You've really got to look at it on a guitar to guitar basis.

With YOUR given guitar, what sonic properties does it have ? Thats what you've got to consider. I've bought and sold tons of pickups that "should" of worked in a given axe maybe 9 times out of 10 but then when I installed them they sounded totally off.

Mahogany especially is a very tough wood to pin down, both in terms of weight as well as sound.

[Boy_Narf]

well... basically, i am unhappy with the lowend clarity of my guitar with the duncan designed pickups. i want something that will sound brighter and have more clarity with distortion. with more of a "crunch" to it.

[Dills]

I have 2 PRS guitars with different bridges and similar pickups. A McCarty with wraparound stoptail bridge with stock pickups and another PRS with a standard prs tremelo bridge, APH2 and seth lover model. I tend to like vintage sounding pickups, and let the amp do the work. The tremelo bridge is alot more metallic sounding not as full in the midrange or bass but alot more snappier, with a nice attack. The wraparound stlye bridge has less tension on the strings, not as much attack but really chunky sounding with more sustain.

I think it's good to to have a few guitars that are a bit different to each other. I really like the bridge on a tele (which ive just sold) since its got a nice attack due to the string through design but is fixed aswell, giving a nice amount of sustain.

[millsart]

well... basically, i am unhappy with the lowend clarity of my guitar with the duncan designed pickups. i want something that will sound brighter and have more clarity with distortion. with more of a "crunch" to it.

The SH-6 has a really big low end though in my Jackson and Charvels was always a bit muddy, one of the reasons I switched to the EMG81's was for more articulation and clarity.

Generally if you want more clarity looking to a mid output pup is going to be more the way to go. Hot ceramics would be a step in the opposite direction if you ask me.

Most anyone who's got a great crunchy tone isn't using ultra hot pups

[Boy_Narf]

hmm, thats good info sir... anyone with a vintage trem tell me what sound characteristics it gives to a guitar?