full hollow archtop - how often do you use the bridge pickup?

[JakeAcci]

Just curious, for those of you who play full hollow archtops as opposed to semi, how often are you using the bridge pickup?

I make the distinction because seems people use semis for a greater variety of tones, but except for rockabilly or something I'm wondering how often that bridge pickup gets use on a full hollow .

Not a very important question I know, just curious...

[kris]

I use only neck pick up because I have only one pick up...

[wintermoon]

I'll use it on funk/R&B tunes but blend w/neck pickup.
it takes some of the boominess out when playing rhythm.

[docbop]

Archtops neck PUP I'd say 90% of the time I might add the bridge PUP if wanting to play some Funk and don't want to switch guitars. In fact prefer archtops with only a neck pickup, the bridge PUP is just another thing that can create rattles.

[citizenk74]

All the time. I adjust both pups on my ES-175 for maximum quack and use both volume and tone knobs to achieve the exact tone and texture for the tune and room. I realize mine is a minority position, but it works for me.

[jzucker]

a lot. Maybe 40% of the time.

[lammie200]

I really like to blend the two. Granted I weigh the neck pickup more heavily, but I can get a little more definition by pulling in the bridge pick up ever so slightly.

[TH]

I use only neck pick up because I have only one pick up...

I don't have a pickup on my fully acoustic. On that one I don't use either. And I don't use either equally, both 100% (or 0%) of the time.
David

[omphalopsychos]

[jazz.fred]

Short answer: Almost never.

[lammie200]

This makes me feel better about building a Tele partscaster with only a "normal" pick up. It's all I really wanted anyway.

[pingu]

Short answer: Almost never.

Me too ... but a singer called 'blue suede shoes' the other day
and I added in the bridge pu

PS I found the tune quite challenging !
trying to remember the rock n roll licks etc
You can't really use jazz type sub's to create movement and interest ...

It was in F too !

[Stringswinger]

Never.

[vinnyv1k]

Never.

+1

[feet]

in the middle position- a fair amount. like 35-40% of the time?

bridge pickup alone- hardly ever. just to make sure it still works. it's mainly an effect or a filter. for doing stuff with feedback or gain or a bunch of delay or whatever. but for playing? not really. maybe a little more on the casino than the byrdland or gretsch. they all sound pretty badass on the bridge, come to think of it. i just don't really do it.

[Danny W.]

I use it most of the time as a mute--roll the volume all the way down and use the toggle to kill any stray sounds while flipping charts.

Sometimes I mix it in for dixieland or rock tunes.

Danny W.

[Donnie]

I sold a few things, My Harmony Archtone Tenor, min 30's Kalamazoo ladder brace tenor and matching mandolin from about the same year, to purchase a 1950 Gibson LT-5 Arch Top Tenor. It's the only guitar I play in the Quintet I've recently joined. It looks amazing and I put a K&K double pickup without adhesive, that sits directly under each leg of the bridge and I use nickel strings, still playing it through my Fishman Loudbox-Mini. It looks like it's hardly been played, so it's really worth selling those three others to get it.

[ThatRhythmMan]

+1 more on the never.

In my more metal days, my silverburst LPC was on the bridge all the time. I’ll use the bridge on a solid or semi if I’m using some gain, but on a fully hollow guitar never.

Well, I take that back a little bit. I may very rarely use the bridge on my Casino, but I don’t play the Casino that often. That still makes it less than 1% of the time, so might as well be never.

[Danny W.]

My big band sometimes backs up a variety show of some kind. On these gigs, both the talent and the material are of variable quality, the repertoire is not out of our gig book, and I frequently find myself needing both pickups or the bridge PU alone.

Here's a typical example, from 2013. I'm playing a two PU Gibson L-5CES Signature through an Acoustic Image combo--can't remember if it was a Corus or Ten2.

Danny W.

[BigMikeinNJ]

I'll use it on funk/R&B tunes but blend w/neck pickup.
it takes some of the boominess out when playing rhythm.

I do this regardless what style I'm playing, I like to blend in just a taste of brightness and snap. Not a lot, just a taste.

Big

[entresz]

The archtop I do the most gigging with only has a single floating CC pickup- so no bridge pickup. Don't miss it at all on that guitar. The beauty of single coil pickups is that they are so responsive to picking location that a wide range of tones can be had just by playing closer to the bridge. In my experience this effect is less pronounced with humbuckers.

I only have one archtop with twin pickups- my Greco ES-175 copy. The bridge pickup rarely gets used, it just doesn't sound all that good. I think the 'thunky' sound that makes the neck position so good has a negative effect on the bridge pickup sound. The bridge pickups on my solid body instruments sound so much better. The 'middle' position sound isn't used either - for some reason I really dislike that sound.

[gcb]

This weekend played my blue L5 Studio (2 hbs) many hours through my Fender 94 100w valve Twin Amp. Mostly with bridge pickup volume at 9.5, tone 3, neck pickup volume 9.5, tone 7, amp volume at 4, and gain, bass and treble at 1-3. That's the way (aha aha) I like it...always use bridge pickup...adds magic to the sound...

[gcb]

Sorry for the duplicated message...

[2bornot2bop]

There is a 2nd pickup? I'm from the never ever camp.

[guido5]

Archtops should only have one pickup.