Neck pickups are usually placed in the middle of your guitar’s body, around where the neck meets the body. Neck pickups are great for clean tones, where you want to play chords without any single note frequencies.īetter suited to lead playing as it produces higher-pitched sounds on the guitar. Neck pickups are usually closer to the lower end of your guitar, which will mean that they’re near higher-tension strings.īridge pickups are usually placed closer to the middle of your guitar, which means that it’s near lower-tension strings. They can be either active or passive pickups.īridge pickups are usually active, though they may be passive pickups with higher output than others. The construction of a neck pickup will primarily depend on the manufacturer and model. Neck Pickup vs Bridge Pickup Comparison Chart DifferencesĪ neck pickup is best known for smooth, mellow, warm tones devoid of treble frequencies.Ī bridge pickup is best known for bright, sharp tones with a good amount of treble frequencies in them. It’s ideal for lead playing, for when you want to make your guitar sound like it’s screaming at the top of its lungs. On the other hand, Bridge pickups are brighter in tone. This makes it great for clean styles and slower songs where you want your chords to sound like they’re coming through an amplifier rather than sounding like individual notes played on the guitar.
What’s the Main Difference Between Neck and Bridge Pickups?Ī neck pickup is warmer in tone than bridge pickups. Some popular songs that used neck pickups are Hotel California by the Eagles, Where the Streets Have No Name by U2, and Every Breath You Take by The Police. Similar to bridge pickups, you will find neck pickups in either single or double coils. Yet, it can still capture more of those higher and lower harmonics. As its name suggests, a neck pickup sits over closer to your guitar’s neck.