Ron. No neck pickup?

[Audio Architect]

G'day Ron. I've read alot of your interviews in the past (but not all) and I don't recall anyone ever asking you why you don't have neck pickups on many/all of your guitars. Do you feel it's a cliche' tone overused and abused in the shred world? Or is it simply that you don't like that tone?
Thanks, Mick.

PS: By the way, it goes without saying, the new Spastic is incredible. I can understand the headache it must have been. Well done!

 

[FerretallicA]

It's a shame this was never answered... Ron?

 

[ronjarz]

Hmmmm... I guess I didn't answer because I don't really know why I never have used a neck pickup. Maybe partly because of Eddie Van Halen's philosophy of having one pickup and one volume knob is all you need, and the pickup getting in the way when picking (it also takes away from the paint job!). Back in my old S.A. Slayer days, I used to have dot markers right after the neck for hitting the right pinch/tap harmonics. And that old cliche "Les Paul front pickup" sound (where you hit the toggle switch to the "up" position) has never been a favorite of mine.

Ron

 

[Audio Architect]

Hey thanks for replying Ron. I'd now be interested to know if you've ever actually owned or even played a guitar with a neck pickup coz it's hard for me to understand anyone ditching the neck pickup after having one. I remember getting my first neck pickup and it was absolutely one of the greatest days of my life. I go weak at the knees at that round bell-like tone. Of course the best neck pickup tone comes from guitars with less than 24 frets (coz you can position the pickup further down the scale) so I can understand it would be especially hard to get a decent sound trying to put in a neck pickup on some of your guitars, the ones with the extra frets up past the 24 mark.
I guess my picking hand sits back toward the bridge a bit coz I never have trouble with the neck pickup getting in the way. There's almost a good inch to spare. Even if it did, the pickup would have to sit pretty high up to be annoying!
By the way, even Eddie (legend) has, on occasion, used the neck pickup.
Ok, I'm becoming annoying now aren't I...
If anyone wants to hear me shred (jeez I hate that word) check out my sites 'music' page. Most of it is film/media music but there's some guitar stuff at the very bottom of the 'Music' page.

http://www.audioarchitect.com.au/download.htm

Thanks again Ron for the reply, and, like you did with contacting Marty Friedman, if you ever need a second guitarist.......
Michael.