Are Six Pickup Poles Sufficient?

steadystate

steadystate

Fractal Fanatic
I've always disliked the drop-off in amplitude and change in tone when I bend a string between pole pieces on a pickup. For some reason, this problem has started to annoy me even more lately, to the point where I'm ready to go with a blade or a Carvin 22-pole design.

Does this bother anyone else? When I start thinking about it while I play, the issue becomes more and more noticeable. It has reached the point where I can't ignore it anymore.

EDIT: I should add that I am referring to the neck pickup using clean(ish) tones.
 
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Yea, I used to think it was because I couldn't bend well. Then I found a much better excuse - it's the f'n pole pieces!! ;-)

(I could still improve my bending - especially when bending into vibrato...)
 
I don't notice a drop off on any of my guitars or any real difference between blade type and non blade type when it comes to signal drop off in bends. Even a clean amp compresses things up to where there shouldn't be an appreciable drop off. If you are focusing on microscopic volume changes when you are playing and it's taking you out of the moment, you need to invest more time in letting go and flowing with the song. That will ultimately end up being more rewarding for your audience.
 
I doubt when you bend a string on the fretboard, it moves the string THAT far away from the pole piece at that pickup...
 
I wouldn't know as I have Carvin 22 pole pickups!

Seriously though depending on what note your fretting the neck pups I could see where this could be noticeable but the bridge pup not so much.

Jeff must not think so either as his new line of Lithium pups have a 6 pole design.
 
Do you get the same amplitude and tone changes when you play unplugged?
 
I haven't notice tone or amplitude change on a bend due to pickup poles as much as I have due to fretboard curvature.
 
H13 said:
I doubt when you bend a string on the fretboard, it moves the string THAT far away from the pole piece at that pickup...
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The string can move to the centerline between pole pieces on a high bend.

I should add that I am mainly talking about the neck pickup. You'd need one hell of a bend to hear it on a bridge pickup. I also use 24-fret guitars, where the neck pickup literally touches the end of the fretboard.
 
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Musikron said:
It’s in your head. The electromagnetic field is much more diffuse than you’re imagining.
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Not in my head. The volume drop is plainly noticeable on every pickup with six pole pieces I have ever used. My imagination does not enter the subject. I am sure I could quantify the loss, but the specific numbers are not important to me.
 
Sixstring said:
I wouldn't know as I have Carvin 22 pole pickups!

Seriously though depending on what note your fretting the neck pups I could see where this could be noticeable but the bridge pup not so much.

Jeff must not think so either as his new line of Lithium pups have a 6 pole design.
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My take on that is that Jeff isn't so much into clean/uncompressed high bending on a neck pickup.
 
Rich G. said:
I haven't notice tone or amplitude change on a bend due to pickup poles as much as I have due to fretboard curvature.
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This is why I can't see how any pickup without adjustable pole pieces could work for me. Even with a 20" radius, my optimum pole heights can vary quite a bit.
 
steadystate said:
Nope.
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Then...blades 'n' stuff. :)

Specific to your question of whether anyone else is bothered by it, I'm not, and that's including some clean-as-a-whistle, bone-dry tones. For me, anything approaching performance volume reinforces the valleys enough that I'm okay with it.
 
Rex said:
Then...blades 'n' stuff. :)

Specific to your question of whether anyone else is bothered by it, I'm not, and that's including some clean-as-a-whistle, bone-dry tones. For me, anything approaching performance volume reinforces the valleys enough that I'm okay with it.
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I think few people are often bending high on the neck pickup with a clean uncompressed tone. It's not common for me either. But when it happens, it annoys me, now more than ever. I think I'll try a Carvin C22J-1. I'm a PAF guy. If anyone knows of a blade PAF type neck pickup, give me a shout.
 
I’m not saying you don’t experience output fluctuations, only that it is not the magnetic field of the pickups doing it. You’ll notice a loss in volume acoustically or with a blade pickup. Your sapping energy from the string when you bend, that’s what you are hearing.
 
Musikron said:
I’m not saying you don’t experience output fluctuations, only that it is not the magnetic field of the pickups doing it. You’ll notice a loss in volume acoustically or with a blade pickup. Your sapping energy from the string when you bend, that’s what you are hearing.
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Oh? Then how does that explain the return of output when the string reaches the next pole piece upon further bending?

And how does that explain how adjusting the height of each pole piece radically affects the output level of its corresponding string without affecting the level of the other strings?

And how does that explain how I just pulled out my old Carvin DN612 with 22-pole pickups, and don't experience this problem? I like the sound of these neck pickups. I need to take them out, see what model they are, and buy some for my other guitars. Problem solved, though I'm still open to suggestions for blade PAF-style pickups.
 
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