Middle pickup

The pickup mounted between the neck and bridge positions, heard in a spot where the string's harmonic content falls between the other two.

Its position gives a balanced, slightly nasal voice with a strong, woody midrange that is neither as warm as the neck nor as cutting as the bridge. On a three-pickup guitar it is valued mainly for its combinations: paired with the bridge it produces the quacking in-between sound, and paired with the neck it gives a rounder version of the neck voice. Many players who dislike it alone use it constantly in those two positions.

Example: a middle and bridge single-coil combination on a three-pickup guitar gives the hollow, funky in-between tone heard on countless recordings.

Middle pickup

See also