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Yes, there will be a tiny interaction, and the sound will be altered a very tiny bit, but TBH, I don't think you could hear the difference if you don't look at the bass (blind tests, folks, perform more blind tests, you're judging too much by what you see instead of what you hear).
I say go for it. This looks like an awesome and very interesting set-up.
I say go for it. This looks like an awesome and very interesting set-up.
I also posted a similar question on reddit and this was the response. There was another person that had tried this setup and said that some tones cancelled out each other.
The reddit answer is related to circuit theory topics, not magnetic field interaction between the two pickup magnets - and I think your question in this thread was concerned with the latter, but please do correct me if I'm wrong.
The issue of impedance mismatch and pickup loading will be a much bigger problem than magnetic field interaction IMO.
The original question is interesting and valid. Unfortunately the pickup impedance mismatch will be a huge issue.
The original question is interesting and valid. Unfortunately the pickup impedance mismatch will be a huge issue.
Not if he decides to use a selector switch instead of trying to blend them.
ctmullins
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Magnetic interference will not be a problem.
The impedance mismatch could be a problem. One way to address it is a buffered blend. This will require a battery.
Another option is to wire the MFD in series - this should bring the impedance to the same neighborhood as the P, but will make the tone thicker and more mid-focused. Easy to try and easy to change!
Magnetic interference will not be a problem.
The impedance mismatch could be a problem. One way to address it is a buffered blend. This will require a battery.
Another option is to wire the MFD in series - this should bring the impedance to the same neighborhood as the P, but will make the tone thicker and more mid-focused. Easy to try and easy to change!
That’s ma bass, used it at rehearsal tonight. Sounds great and the pickups are very balanced as far as output (I’ll try to do a video to show). Have a few other basses with the P and MM pickup stacked together that sound even better than this one. This is my favorite pickup layout out because:
-I’m sure ‘ol Leo spent many many many hours experimenting with the ultimate pickup placement in the Precision bass and the Sting Ray. I love both those iconic tones, so why mess with it?
-like most players I rest my thumb on the pickup. Where you pluck makes a drastic difference in tone. When the P and MM pickups are in the right place not only does it feel familiar, but the tone is familiar.
-the P and the Stingray are my favorite sounds. When playing live it’s great to cover both by flipping a switch, not changing instruments.
-I’m sure ‘ol Leo spent many many many hours experimenting with the ultimate pickup placement in the Precision bass and the Sting Ray. I love both those iconic tones, so why mess with it?
-like most players I rest my thumb on the pickup. Where you pluck makes a drastic difference in tone. When the P and MM pickups are in the right place not only does it feel familiar, but the tone is familiar.
-the P and the Stingray are my favorite sounds. When playing live it’s great to cover both by flipping a switch, not changing instruments.
No you are correct, I asked about magnetic interference as it was the only one I could think of.
No, but it could cause magnetic interpherance.
I'll see myself out.
I'll see myself out.
Don’t over analyze. It’s been done before a thousand times and it will sound great. I have it with a blend and a vortex didn’t open in the space time continuum.
If you put a P next to an H, there will be nothing to PHear.
The magnetic fields will change shape based on the fields around them. This affects the sensing area slightly.
Both the Precision pickup and the MM humbucker already have coils around magnets with different polarities. Whatever effect there may be, they're already doing to themselves. And people have been enjoying the results for a few decades now.
Don't worry about it.
Agreed. Same with a proper buffer.
Assumed the OP was looking for a two pot volume control which was probably inaccurate.
I think there are several (small) issues with the P/MM configuration. Mismatch in impedance & output when both are blended is probably the biggest. If you're content with never blending the pickups, put in a selector switch and away you go. Load the P pickup with a 250k shunt resistor before the switch. Oh wait, if the MM pickup has a preamp that isn't flat and you run the P pickup through it, you'll get colored sound. So either learn where the preamp setting is for flat-ish response, rewire the bass so the P goes through it's own Vol/Tone controls, then to the switch, then to the output jack.
I think the next biggest problem is, ironically, the looks. I think they just look strange and I'm probably not alone.
Magnetic interaction? Probably real but I'm guessing the effect is a non-problem.
I think the next biggest problem is, ironically, the looks. I think they just look strange and I'm probably not alone.
Magnetic interaction? Probably real but I'm guessing the effect is a non-problem.
In my experience, pickups really close together sound a little darker.
The pickup coils don't care about DC magnetic fields formed by the nearby pickup magnets. DC fields don't produce currents in coils. The only thing that matters are the time-varying ("AC") magnetic fields within the coil. These are caused by the motion of the magnetized strings near the pickup coils. Having more or different magnets around the string changes how it is magnetized (magnitude and direction of field along the length of the string). So having an additional pickup nearby will change the magnetization of the string and therefore the signal in the pickup, but it is an extremely complicated and dynamic system. The only way to figure out if it is a noticeable impact would be to do an A/B comparison with and without the added pickup. My guess is that will be barely noticeable or not at all but would have to do the experiment to be sure.
The issue of impedance mismatch is significant. Back in the 70's I added 1 and later 2 Gibson mudbuckers to my Hagstrom. They are 30K resistance. They do not combine nicely with the 10K stock pups. I replaced the bridge mudbucker with a MM style pup with 10K resistance and it has the same issue. I have some isolation resistors in there, but they only help a bit.
