Why a bridge pickup if you only want a jazz tone?

[Ghostofachance]

My first posting here. I've been playing jazz guitar since 1972, first on a Les Paul copy, then a Tele. I'm looking to move up to a hollow body archtop (and not a moment too soon, some would say!).

Once I get my hollow body, I will be interested in dialing in only that good, airy, classic jazz tone; no interest in the blues, rock or any other style of playing.

So my question is this: does the bridge p/u really add anything to jazz tone? I'm eyeing the Broadway and new (Probucker) Joe Pass, but perhaps a one p/u Eastman would be better?

Unfortunately, playing guitars before I buy is not an option where I live (400 miles from the nearest big city), so I'll be relying heavily on your input.

Thank you in advance and apologies if this topic has been thoroughly hashed out in other threads.

[entresz]

IMO there isn't any benefit, at least as far as straight ahead jazz sounds are concerned. Some people like the fact that the bridge pickup is a bit of extra dampening on the top. I prefer the top not to be dampened in any way, I prefer floating pickups for that reason.

[AlainJazz]

Depends on the sound you're looking for. An L5 with 2 pickups sounds decidedly different than the Wes 1 pickup version.

[rickshapiro]

I do not really miss a bridge pickup on any of my archtops. I do not not even like the look of two pickups. With my ES-175 I do mix a bit of the bridge pickup in but would be fine without it.

[mr quick]

I was about to ask the same. In fact, it almost bothers me that my hollowbody has a bridge PU.
Now, however, I've put 011 flats on my Gibson semi-hollow and it's pretty much an all-in-one guitar. Need both PU's for that one!

[TOMMO]

There is a wide variety of timbres available when both pickups are on and you can mix them to your liking. Since some of the frequencies from both pickups cancel each other out (at least partially) I find the sound in the middle position to be quite "airy" (for lack of a better term). Just my 2 cents, though....

[Nils]

I'd agree with Tommo. I'm basically a neck pickup-kind of guy, but I do have a 2pu Gibby, and having the toggle switch in the mid-position with the bridge pu volume at 2 or thereabouts (while the neck pu is fully open) does add transparency or airiness to the sound of the neck pu. But apart from that, I tend never to use the bridge pu.

[oldane]

For jazz, I never use the bridge PU and only have one on one of my jazz guitars (a Gibson175). On my other jazz guitars I only have the neck PU. A bridge PU with the necessary knobs and toogle switch will be extra sources of buzzes/rattles.

On my Strat, I like to use those two pickup settings for that chicken pikin' quack. The Gibson 175 can also do that with both PUs engaged, but I don't use that guitar for that.

[goldenwave77]

There was a discussion on here at one point which talked about how Jack Wilkins moved progressively, from floating archtop guitars, to 1-pu set-ins, to a 2-pu set in. Forget where it is ....if you search against his name, you can probably pull it up easily enough.

[Nils]

Actually, come to think of it, Nels Cline talks about using both pickups in the following YouTube interview with him and Julian Lage. It's somewhere around 28:45, where Cline begins to talk about his Gibson BK. Check it out, if you're interested. (It may also give you a sense of this "airiness", if you listen to their playing in the clip.)

[Greentone]

The chief advantage, for me, is that the dual-pickup CES guitars sound different--on the neck pickup--than their single-pickup brethren. This isn't so apparent on the ES-175 as it is on the L-5 and Super-400 guitars. THE traditional, iconic jazz tone, in the opinion of many (and I agree), is found in the two pickup L-5CES through a Fender Twin Reverb. I guarantee you that this does not sound the same with a single-pickup L-5. Try it.

The L-5 Wes is stunning sounding. IMO, a Super-400 with a floating DeArmond 1100 sounds even better. The traditional jazz tone, however, is the two pickup L-5CES on the neck pickup.

[Top of the Arch!]

The chief advantage, for me, is that the dual-pickup CES guitars sound different--on the neck pickup--than their single-pickup brethren. This isn't so apparent on the ES-175 as it is on the L-5 and Super-400 guitars. THE traditional, iconic jazz tone, in the opinion of many (and I agree), is found in the two pickup L-5CES through a Fender Twin Reverb. I guarantee you that this does not sound the same with a single-pickup L-5. Try it.

The L-5 Wes is stunning sounding. IMO, a Super-400 with a floating DeArmond 1100 sounds even better. The traditional jazz tone, however, is the two pickup L-5CES on the neck pickup.

+1

[citizenk74]

It's your boat, let it float. The simplicity of a single pickup encourages a distraction-free playing experience; concentration on creating the desired tone through pick (or plucking) attack/touch and placement allows for more attention to note choice/shaping in the moment. If what you want to hear is the sound that is reaching your ears, that's all you need. Which still doesn't stop me from earnestly desiring an ES-5...

[Scotto]

I actually love the single pick up. I like the sound and also the minimalist look. I even like those 330s and Casinos with the single pickup in the middle. Always wondered what two pickups in the neck position would sound like...

[AlainJazz]

The chief advantage, for me, is that the dual-pickup CES guitars sound different--on the neck pickup--than their single-pickup brethren. This isn't so apparent on the ES-175 as it is on the L-5 and Super-400 guitars. THE traditional, iconic jazz tone, in the opinion of many (and I agree), is found in the two pickup L-5CES through a Fender Twin Reverb. I guarantee you that this does not sound the same with a single-pickup L-5. Try it.

The L-5 Wes is stunning sounding. IMO, a Super-400 with a floating DeArmond 1100 sounds even better. The traditional jazz tone, however, is the two pickup L-5CES on the neck pickup.

I couldn't agree more. I even considered selling my 2 pickup L5 at one point because I never use the bridge pickup on i,t and I love the looks of the single pickup Wes. I only considered it until actually playing a Wes in person. It sounded great, but it is a totally different guitar. The L5CES has the classic iconic dark jazz tone. The Wes is nicer acoustically, but to me, it is missing that certain magic that the 2 pickup version has when amplified.

[Archie]

The only use a bridge pickup has is to dampen the top.

Sometimes and very rarely, selecting the middle position can actually sound even better than the neck position. This is common for Guild archtops in my experience. The result is a slightly less bass with a bit more interest in the mids.
This almost never works on say Gibson Guitars (not that its a good or bad thing) but more than not on Guilds it does. I like it because it gives you another pickup option where you usually only have one, the neck! You often find on Gigs, the middle position can be preferable and give the tone you want, which is usually something with less bass and that cuts through the band a bit better.

So mostly it serves as a much appreciated paper weight, or is can function with the neck to make a great Jazz tone, depending on the model and design.

This was recorded with the Middle position selected (neck and bridge) and it sounds plenty Jazzy, in fact I'd say near perfect. You've all heard it before i'm sure but just so the OP can hear the tone with the bridge pick-up added.

[Groooooove]

some people might put bridge pickups to great use in jazz. others might think it cant hurt to have it available for you.

but, only you can decide if your going to use it. i've been very happy with all of the archtops i've owned, not one of them had a bridge pickup.

[wildschwein]

If you connect the two pickups to a switch which allows you to select how the two pickups are connected when you're in the middle position (series or parallel) you get the option of pulling a really thick, warm tone when both said pickups are selected -- it's fatter and slightly louder than just the neck alone. It's a killer sound for Jazz. I learnt this from the Jimmy Page wiring scheme for Les Pauls.

[Frank67]

Yes, I believe that all guitars with two pickups and Gibson electronics should have the Jimmy Page wiring :-) It is just phenomenally versatile and it does nothing to the cosmetics of the guitar. In particular that parallel series switching in the middle position I find to be a great tone that I would not want to miss (I have it on a Les Paul type guitar and some semi-hollows).

[LtKojak]

An excellent guitar for a Jazz beginner living in the middle of nowhere certaily is the Epiphone JoePass PRO.

Forget about how many p'ups it has; you won't get anything better for that price.

HTH,

[Woody Sound]

The chief advantage, for me, is that the dual-pickup CES guitars sound different--on the neck pickup--than their single-pickup brethren. This isn't so apparent on the ES-175 as it is on the L-5 and Super-400 guitars. THE traditional, iconic jazz tone, in the opinion of many (and I agree), is found in the two pickup L-5CES through a Fender Twin Reverb. I guarantee you that this does not sound the same with a single-pickup L-5. Try it.

The L-5 Wes is stunning sounding. IMO, a Super-400 with a floating DeArmond 1100 sounds even better. The traditional jazz tone, however, is the two pickup L-5CES on the neck pickup.

So Wes did not get that traditional classic tone?

[rpguitar]

I know that's tongue in cheek, but Wes's tone, while undeniably iconic, is totally unique to him and his technique. It's not the more classic, or - to use a less lofty term - generic electric jazz tone that Green refers to.

Again, how much of that is the one pickup guitar vs. a standard CES is questionable; his thumb did most of the speaking.

[Greentone]

If I had Wes' thumb, I could've played on an Arthur Godfrey baritone uke. Wes would have sounded great on a Stella.

[Longways to Go]

middle position with two humbuckers can give some really nice tones. I like to turn the neck all the way up on volume & tone, and the bridge down halfway on both -- lots of cool possibilities in there IMO. So much depends on the particular set of pickups. Bridge can add a bit of interesting color from time to time. I don't use it a lot, but I do like the option.

If it ever comes time to sell, I believe the market is bigger for 2 pickup guitars -- a guitar a non-jazzer is more likely to purchase.

On Stratocaster, neck + middle pickup is my favorite setting by far! Just heavenly. I couldn't live without it.

[Danny W.]

These are my gigging guitars:



Except for two or four pickups, four of them are as alike as the proverbial peas in a pod, so I choose them by function, or sometimes just color.

For indoor gigs with my big band I almost always use one of the two-pickup guitars. We sometimes do charts on which the bridge pickup or a mix is helpful, especially for dances or variety shows. When I don't need the bridge pickup I turn its volume to zero and use the toggle as a mute switch, thereby preventing noises caused by my jacket buttons hitting the strings to be conveyed to the audience while I'm flipping charts. Finally, they are a little less likely to feed back

For outdoor gigs I usually use a single pickup model. Feedback is never an issue, rarely do anything but jazz charts, usually not in a jacket.

For weekly rehearsals I always use the red one-pickup one. Dress or tech rehearsals get the same one I'm using for the show.

The floater-equipped one I mostly just use in the house.

Except for the feedback issue, I can get about the same sound out of any of them when playing jazz on stage. In the house there's a difference, but that's not where it counts.

Danny W.