Tell me about pickup height and how you set yours

[guitarman3001]

First, does anyone know the gibson recommended height for BB pros?

Aside from that, how do you normally adjust your pickup height? Do you actually measure it or do you just go by ear? If you measure it, what do you use? Do you actually use a ruler or do you use something like a nickel or quarter or something like that?

I recently lowered the action on my LP with BB pros and found that afterward I was getting some strange oscillation on the high E and B strings when playing on the higher frets so I lowered the pickup and it fixed it.

Right now I have the bridge pickup set so that when pressing on the last fret, I can just fit a nickel between either E string and the pole piece under it. The neck pickup is set with barely just a hair more room. Does that sound about right?

[AaeCee]

All by ear, but I first look for problematic issues like you did for your B & E. Lowering them was the right move, as you were probably suffering from magnetic pull issues. Generally I find the neck pickup is adjusted higher than the bridge (relative to the strings), but it's not a rule and is adjusted in accordance with the individual set's response.

[abakerdabra]

AaeCee, Generally speaking what do you listen for when adjusting them by ear? I assume it helps to know what the pickups are supposed to sound like to begin with, also having taken into consideration which amp you are playing tough and what they sound like clean, dirty, and at different volume levels... Is this correct?

[Gear Addict]

For a Gibson, I personally like to drop the pick-ups close to level with the trim rings as a starting point and then slowly raise the bridge pick-up, using my ears to determine the height. Then I raise the neck pick-up until the volume is balanced to the bridge. This is usually a good starting point and then minor tweaks from there.

[AaeCee]

AaeCee, Generally speaking what do you listen for when adjusting them by ear? I assume it helps to know what the pickups are supposed to sound like to begin with, also having taken into consideration which amp you are playing tough and what they sound like clean, dirty, and at different volume levels... Is this correct?That's exactly right. I have a bunch of guitars and have owned many more, and I have my share of amps as well, so I kinda know how various combinations should sound and what the range of expectations are, and gauge from there. I also make a visual inspection as well, as I generally know how they should appear relative to the strings, but there are some variations there so I let my ears guide the final adjustments.

[Jed B]

From Erlewines' Guitar Repair Guide.........3/32" on both the bass and treble side (neck) and 1/16" both sides on the bridge. Press down on the last fret and measure from the top of the pole piece to the bottom of the string.

[Fireball XL5]

I like to measure and set pickup height using a 6" rule. Here's what works for me on my PAF style vintage output humbuckers:

I begin by adjusting the outer poles under both E strings flush with the pickup/cover and the remaing poles slightly higher so that they follow the upward rise of the strings. When all is done, the poles on both the bridge & neck pickup are set radiused to the fingerboard curve and aligned in a zig zag pattern like this / \ / \ / \ ala 50's Gibson.

Last, I set the overall pickup height so that both the bridge and neck pickup are 2/32" or sometimes 3/32" distance when measured from the top of the pole to the bottom of the string on both E strings when fretted at the last fret.

[epluribus]

See IMHO here. (http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=228615)

--Ray

[Balok]

1/4" for the bridge..sweeter tones further down

[Jef Bardsley]

See IMHO here. (http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=228615)

--Ray
Great post, Ray.

The worst advice I've ever heard is to use a clean setting on your amp so you can hear what you're doing. :huh If you play in a band, adjust your pickups at rehearsal for heaven's sake. No one else is going to care what it sounds like at home.

FWIW:
On my Les Paul, I set the bridge pickup as close as possible (Duncan JB with A2 magnet), then set the neck pickup to where it sounds best. As each pickup is optimised for tone rather than output, I don't use both at once or switch between them.

On my Samick, I adjust the Pearly Gates in the bridge to where it sounds the best, then adjust the neck pickup so the 'middle position' sounds good. That guitar has an old Ibanez in the neck, and it sounds fine at any height. It turns out that this produces a much louder bridge than neck output, so again, switching between pickups in the middle of a song is problematic.

My ASAT is the one guitar where I adjust the pickups for equal output, and that's because they're RWRP, and I use a balance control rather than a selector switch. Again, though, I tend to like the pickups as high as possible. I have plastic spacer strips under the pickup cover that recess the pole pieces so they don't clack when I palm mute.

I lean towards quirky noises ala Beck and Gibbons, I don't play cowboy chords, and I'd be mortified if someone told me I nailed someone else's tone. :) Obviously, YMMV a lot.

[rabbuhl]

The Gibson site recommends between 1/16 and 3/32 as a starting point.
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/Tone%20Tips_%20Pickup%20Heights/

I use an allen wrench to measure the distance because that is the easiest way.

[rmconner80]

I adjust the bridge first to get the right tone, then the neck to match the output level of the bridge.

I tend to go for the closest I can get the pickup to the strings, but with no string pull. This usually doesn't end with the pickups very close to the strings however - I'm really sensitive to string pull... I can hear the sustain and 'deadness' creep in way before the string oscilation occurs. I've wasted many a half hour chasing the "zone" where it's close but not too close.

Note that all individual guitars and pickups will need some tweaking, but the below forms the starting point for ME on any guitar...

For a Tele bridge pickup, I tend to go with the "nickel" height I read about on here: fret the treble e at the last fret and then lay a nickel on the pickup under the e string, and raise till the nickel just touches the bottom of the string. Then do the same thing on the bass E but use approximately two nickels worth of thickness. I used to run the pickups flat across all strings, but now run the treble side higher than bass side on all the pickups - it really sounds right to even out the strings as the bass strings are always fuller and don't need as much output. Took me a long time to figure that one out.

For humbuckers, I run the outer strings adustable poles pretty much tight into the bobbin, then raise the other adjustable poles slightly to match the string radius in the middle strings. If you run these poles higher (across the board) you get a somewhat "unmatched" coil tone from the humbucker which is a bit more biting but also a bit thinner to my ears which gets "pingy" on a maple top Les Paul. I was doing this for a long time but have since gone back to the fuller type sound with the adjustable poles down close to the bobbin, raised only to match the radius a bit.

[5881]

How about on P-90's?

[epluribus]

Great post, Ray.

The worst advice I've ever heard is to use a clean setting on your amp so you can hear what you're doing. :huh If you play in a band, adjust your pickups at rehearsal for heaven's sake. No one else is going to care what it sounds like at home.

FWIW:
On my Les Paul, I set the bridge pickup as close as possible (Duncan JB with A2 magnet), then set the neck pickup to where it sounds best. As each pickup is optimised for tone rather than output, I don't use both at once or switch between them.

On my Samick, I adjust the Pearly Gates in the bridge to where it sounds the best, then adjust the neck pickup so the 'middle position' sounds good. That guitar has an old Ibanez in the neck, and it sounds fine at any height. It turns out that this produces a much louder bridge than neck output, so again, switching between pickups in the middle of a song is problematic.

My ASAT is the one guitar where I adjust the pickups for equal output, and that's because they're RWRP, and I use a balance control rather than a selector switch. Again, though, I tend to like the pickups as high as possible. I have plastic spacer strips under the pickup cover that recess the pole pieces so they don't clack when I palm mute.

I lean towards quirky noises ala Beck and Gibbons, I don't play cowboy chords, and I'd be mortified if someone told me I nailed someone else's tone. :) Obviously, YMMV a lot.

Mine are set similarly. First learned this technique on an Aria Pro II Ironman. The bridge is set as high and hot as I can stand and still have some good dynamic response--great for cutting leads. The neck is set much lower with lots more body tone and tons of dynamics for rhythm playing with big chords. But the key to the setup was then balancing the two pups so they sounded cool together. The neck is nowhere near the bridge in output, but just rounds out and sweetens the tone for a sort of third-guitar kind of sound. Interestingly, there's no need for a boost pedal with this setup, and minimal volume knob tweaking required.

Incidentally, I don't follow the neck radius with polepieces either. (Most folks do.) You'll be shocked how different the pole heights are if you tune 'em by ear, and particularly for whether you play cowboy chords, big jazz chords, little triads and double-stops, or single notes. F'rinstance, when I play across big chord shapes ala Jimi, I like the emphasis on the B and D strings, and a little taming on the high E, just owing to my pick technique and where I like to voice my dischordants. Anyhoo, depending on the material and the style, the setups are a whole different critter, each one.

If you haven't yet, try tuning your polepieces by ear sometime. Great fun!

--Ray