Pickup Placement

How the position of the pickup affects the harmonic content and tone of an electric guitar

Drag the string to pluck, then move the pickup slider to hear how position affects tone.

Position Dependence of the String's Motion

Near the center of the string, the fundamental dominates. Near the edges, higher harmonics account for more of the string's motion.

This is why bridge pickups sound brighter and neck pickups sound warmer. It's not just about proximity to the bridge, it's about which harmonics have significant amplitude at each position.

Why Higher Frequencies Have More Motion Near the Edges

The maximum amplitude of the nth harmonic at position x along the string follows a sine wave pattern:

Mode n shape: sin(nπx/L)

As n increases, so does the number of "ripples" each mode has:

  • Mode 1 (fundamental): One half-wave. Maximum amplitude at the center, tapering to zero at the ends.
  • Mode 2: One full wave. Two antinodes, with a node at the center.
  • Mode n: n half-waves. More ripples = steeper slopes near the edges.

More ripples in a harmonic = more motion near the edge

Near the bridge (x ≈ L), the fundamental sin(πx/L) is nearly flat (approaching zero). In contrast, sin(10πx/L) is still oscillating rapidly. The pickup detects velocity (slope in time), so higher modes contribute more to the velocity near the edges, and therefore to the output signal.

"Shape" of the Output Waveform Changes with Pickup Position

The output waveform changes shape depending on pickup position:

Neck Position

Smooth, rounded waveform dominated by the fundamental. Warm, full tone with less "edge."

Bridge Position

Sharp, jagged waveform with many harmonics. Bright, cutting tone with more "attack."

This is a direct consequence of Fourier analysis: sharp features in a waveform require high-frequency components. The bridge pickup captures these high frequencies, resulting in a more complex, jagged output. The neck pickup, on the other hand, captures more of the low frequency modes the fundamental, producing a smoother waveform.

Summary

  1. Each harmonic has a unique spatial pattern with nodes (zeros) and antinodes (maxima)
  2. Higher harmonics have more "ripples," meaning more motion near the string's ends
  3. A pickup placed near the bridge captures more high-frequency content (brighter tone)
  4. A pickup placed near the neck captures more of the fundamental (warmer tone)
  5. The "jaggedness" output waveform shape directly reflects the harmonic content