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BGM61 December 2010 Barefaced Bass But this goes to 11... But this goes to 11… welcome to the world of bass rigs. about the author ast time we veered off the frequency (pitch), plus a collection (point of maximum movement) path of amplification and of percussive non-harmonic at the 12th fret. So a pickup at c. alexander went back to looking at overtones (string noise, fret rattle the 12th fret would pick up the claBer what happens when you and buzz, finger/pick-on-string 1st harmonic (aka ‘fundamental’) Alex first picked up a bass Lpluck a string. As most of us play sounds etc). The more that each very loudly. The 2nd harmonic has when studying engineering at basses with traditional magnetic component of the sound causes a node at the nut, 12th fret and university, and his quest for sonic pickups, we shall have a look at the string to move within the bridge, and antinodes at the 5th perfection led him to found how they turn these vibrations into aperture of the pickup, the more of fret and 24th fret, so our 12th-fret Barefaced Audio, while also a signal that we can amplify. that component you hear. pickup won’t really hear the 2nd leading The Reluctant, an alt-ska/ A single-coil pickup has a narrow Right, let’s look at the open strings harmonic. The 3rd harmonic has a funk outfit. aperture which picks up the and imagine that our pickup is node at the nut, 7th fret, 19th fret movement of the string directly at the 12th fret (I know it can’t be and bridge, and antinodes at the above it. As we saw in last month’s there because that’s the middle ~3rd, 12th and ~30th fret, so our in association with diagram, the movement of the of the neck but humour me …). 12th-fret pickup will hear that 3rd string is made up of a series of If we pluck an open string, the harmonic loud and clear. And so harmonics, each of which has 1st harmonic has nodes (points the process continues … a shorter wavelength than the of minimum movement) at the one before, and thus higher nut and bridge and an antinode This column is brought to you in association with Barefaced Ltd who manufacture high-output speaker cabs for the gigging bassist. An archive of previous articles plus a glossary of terms can be found at www.barefacedbass.com This means that the position of our harmonic has an antinode at the at the bridge pickup the string is pickup has a huge effect upon the 12th fret, so the ‘neck’ pickup hears moving the other way. This means tone we hear – simplistically, the it loud, the ‘bridge’ pickup not so that when the neck pickup is closer to the bridge it is, the more loud. The 2nd harmonic has a node generating a positive voltage, the it picks up the higher harmonics, at the 12th fret, so the neck pickup bridge pickup will be generating and the less the lower harmonics doesn’t really hear it, while the a negative voltage and vice versa, as we move further from their bridge pickup hears the antinode which means that the voltages nearest antinodes. But what about at the 24th fret loud. partially cancel and you hear much with two pickups? If you use either The 3rd harmonic has an less 3rd harmonic. pickup on its own it behaves antinode at the 12th fret and an This series of some harmonics exactly like a single-pickup bass antinode at the ~30th fret, so reinforcing and some cancelling would with a pickup in the same we might assume that because continues all the way up to where position. When you start mixing both pickups hear that harmonic the bass ceases to produce sound the two it gets complicated! pretty loud it’ll come out of the (which can be remarkably high So let’s now imagine we have a bass equally loud. However, we with fresh roundwound strings). two-pickup bass with one pickup have a different issue to deal with, Clearly we don’t want to waste at the 12th fret and one at the 24th as at the neck pickup the string our lives trying to work out what fret. When we pluck a string, the 1st is moving in one direction while the overall effect of this is, but in 78 Bass Guitar MaGazine Barefaced Bass But this goes to 11... The position of our pickup has a huge effect upon the tone we hear general, if you have a pair of also shows why you needn’t we’re directly changing the similar pickups, the further obsess over the finest details harmonic balance – true apart they are, the more the of pickup position – it matters, ‘digital’ tone controls. If you sound will be scooped out but the idea of a ‘sweet spot’ can’t make your bridge pickup in the mid range when they was created by a (talented) sound supermellow and fat, are both at full. This is why marketing department; if it’s or your neck pickup sound one of the most popular jazz a sweet spot when you play strident, honky and aggressive, bass sounds involves having an open string it certainly isn’t then you’re not trying hard the bridge pickup all the when you’re at the 12th fret! enough! Repeat the same way up and the neck pickup Before you get too hung experiment with both pickups backed off very slightly – this up on the effects of pickup up equally and you’ll notice gives a sound with a scooped position, pan all the way to that although you can get mid range that’s tilted more your neck pickup, then listen even more variation in tone by towards the upper mid-range to how the sound changes as changing where you pluck, the growl. If you backed off the you shift your plucking hand mid-range scoop due to the bridge pickup slightly it would from up over the 12th fret to dual pickup phase cancellation tilt the mid-range scoop to right back by the bridge. Then is always there. So next time give you more lower mid- pan to the bridge pickup and you’re lost in the mix on a gig, range body. Reducing the repeat. By changing how and turn one of your pickups down volume of one of the pickups where we pluck the string and reclaim some mids! reduces the cancellation of certain overtones and thus brings back some mid range – yes, turning something down can make you louder! What is easily forgotten is that the relationship between the harmonics and the pickup positions changes as you fret notes – the higher you go up the neck the shorter the string becomes, so the lower harmonics tend to come through more. This Bass Guitar MaGazine 79.
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