Metropoulos Forum

Anyone heard or know how much Jimi used the Bridge stock pickup on his Stratocaster?
Much of his tone is necktone.
I know Blackmore used the stock bridge pickup quite a bit.

Just go listen to his music, it's all over the place man, Jimi pretty much used everything with the exception of the middle.

If he did use the middle, it was almost never, I'd go blackmore and lower my middle pickup if I didn't use my in between positions.

Some examples of the kickass Jimi bridge tone:

Voodoo Child(SL)
Manic Depression
Purple Haze
Spanish Castle Magic
All Along The Watchtower

Drifting wrote:Just go listen to his music, it's all over the place man, Jimi pretty much used everything with the exception of the middle.

If he did use the middle, it was almost never, I'd go blackmore and lower my middle pickup if I didn't use my in between positions.

Some examples of the kickass Jimi bridge tone:

Voodoo Child(SL)
Manic Depression
Purple Haze
Spanish Castle Magic
All Along The Watchtower

Actually, to my ears some of the late 69' thru 70' stuff (mostly rough studio jams, and stuff like Valleys of Neptune and Gypsy Blood) feature a middle pickup. If you dial in the amp right, you can get some really cool hollow sounds out of the middle position.

Travis

watch the DVD's of his live performances he used them all a lot

ohmygodtheykilledkenny wrote:

Drifting wrote:Just go listen to his music, it's all over the place man, Jimi pretty much used everything with the exception of the middle.

If he did use the middle, it was almost never, I'd go blackmore and lower my middle pickup if I didn't use my in between positions.

Some examples of the kickass Jimi bridge tone:

Voodoo Child(SL)
Manic Depression
Purple Haze
Spanish Castle Magic
All Along The Watchtower

Actually, to my ears some of the late 69' thru 70' stuff (mostly rough studio jams, and stuff like Valleys of Neptune and Gypsy Blood) feature a middle pickup. If you dial in the amp right, you can get some really cool hollow sounds out of the middle position.

Travis

You're right, alot of the posthumous stuff is middle pickup, I don't know why I overlooked that.

Dolly Dagger, among some of the songs on Rays of the New Rising Sun.

I've started using the middle pickup a lot because I figure it's there, so why not use it. It's a different sound and feel than the other two, which helps me bring out a different feel in the way I write and play.

Travis

Jimi used them all, but seemed to favour the middle for rythmn work. Way too many tones in a Strat not to use em all.

T.

He hardly ever used the middle PU

I read some where that he took the spring off the switch so it did not click and he could put it anywhere easily. Dont know if its true though

Drifting wrote:

ohmygodtheykilledkenny wrote:

Drifting wrote:Just go listen to his music, it's all over the place man, Jimi pretty much used everything with the exception of the middle.

If he did use the middle, it was almost never, I'd go blackmore and lower my middle pickup if I didn't use my in between positions.

Some examples of the kickass Jimi bridge tone:

Voodoo Child(SL)
Manic Depression
Purple Haze
Spanish Castle Magic
All Along The Watchtower

Actually, to my ears some of the late 69' thru 70' stuff (mostly rough studio jams, and stuff like Valleys of Neptune and Gypsy Blood) feature a middle pickup. If you dial in the amp right, you can get some really cool hollow sounds out of the middle position.

Travis

You're right, alot of the posthumous stuff is middle pickup, I don't know why I overlooked that.

Dolly Dagger, among some of the songs on Rays of the New Rising Sun.

Dolly dagger isn't even a Strat

To me, the middle pup is like a sound hole of an acoustic so, I tend to play that position (on a Strat) for cleaner tones.
I don't know how Ritchie got into this since he's back & forth on the neck & bridge. (like YJM).
Jimi was not habitually switching but, did target those tones when he desired.
No offense and all due respect but, this initial question is more out of the VH topics...

Tonemaster wrote:Jimi used them all, but seemed to favour the middle for rythmn work. Way too many tones in a Strat not to use em all.
T.

absofuckinglutely !

Tone-Freak wrote:I read some where that he took the spring off the switch so it did not click and he could put it anywhere easily. Dont know if its true though

Oldschool guys used to slightly bend/twist the blade so that it binded in the 2/4 bell positions before the 5 way was designed.
Removing the spring tends to slip out of the desired position while playing unless this was done...

BTW for you Tele players, Fender came out with a 4 way some time ago which is excellent. Like the Strat the Tele players have a little more versatility too.
So... dime those Fender Twin's JBL loaded ofcourse and play some hellacious chicken pickin' double stops !

montecarlo95 wrote:Dolly dagger isn't even a Strat

Guess I'm mistaken, sounds thin like it could be the middle PU, but he was also using different amplifiers at that point.

What was it then, a V?

Drifting wrote:

montecarlo95 wrote:Dolly dagger isn't even a Strat

Guess I'm mistaken, sounds thin like it could be the middle PU, but he was also using different amplifiers at that point.

What was it then, a V?

The V.
In regards to his using the middle PU, watch the countless videos and see how often he uses the middle PU, which amounts to never

With an upside down strat your arm rolls off the middle pickup tone conrol while you are playing which may be why he didn't use the middle pickup