Mar 27, 2012 #1. jrcorp. We’re talking about adjusting your pickup height. Set too high, and your pickup will cause all sorts of problems for you. How To Set Pickup Height on a Stratocaster for ULTIMATE STRAT TONE! Tyler Delsack from Richmond Music Center demonstrates how to adjust the guitar's pickup height for the optimal tone. However, many players have taken advantage of their unique mounting system and placed standard ink pen springs around the pickups’ mounting screws. To reflect our commitment, we updated our terms and conditions. The lack of sustain and ghost-noting is particularly evident when the neck pickup is set too high, where those magnetic pole pieces will interfere with the strings' vibrational force at a wider arc than that which occurs directly above the bridge pickup. This will help avoid drastic output changes when toggling between switch positions. Third: Raise or lower each side of the pickup individually (if possible) until you hear the perfect blend of your higher and lower strings. And getting your pickups to this ballpark setting is actually quite easy. First: Depress the low E string at the last fret, closest to your pickups. The two closest to the bridge balance the pickup from right to left, while the other screw is vital for keeping the surface of the pickup even with the strings. The first and most obvious is weaker output. Some include, natural movement over time, dropping them out of the way of your picking hand, and looking to reduce the output of a particularly aggressive model. You might be surprised by what you achieve. There are a lot of reasons pickups end up too far down in the body of a guitar. A good screwdriver is often all it takes to nail the pickup’s sweet spot while also fine-tuning your string-to-string balance to perfection. A focused magnetic field can be a good thing if you prefer bright, percussive twang, while a wider field generally delivers richer, full-bodied tone. But that lower output also translates to a thinner, weaker sound. Different forms of alnico magnets are most readily found in vintage-style pickups and are noted for their sweeter, warmer, and more detailed tone. We’ve all spent a fortune and countless hours chasing the ever-elusive tone in our heads. But whether you play a Gibson Les Paul Standard, a Fender Telecaster or Stratocaster, a Gretch Duo Jet, or another electric, most guitars have plenty of output regardless (unless you get crazy with lowering the pickups). It can also add or subtract noise, change tone, and do a number of other things. Think of it as a customizable version of the staggered pole pieces you’ll find on many vintage and vintage-style Fender single-coils. While you can’t change the character of a pickup, you can make small adjustments that will fine-tune your sound. Middle Pickup: Low E: 4.75mm / 0.186" Hi E : 4.13mm / 0.163" Here, for me, it's all about making the middle pickup truly magical when combined with the neck or bridge pickup (positions 2 & 4). Simply adjust it the way you would a Strat single-coil. Oops, looks like you forgot something. / Pickup height secret! The pickups on your new instrument are fully adjustable by turning the height adjustment screws at each end of the pickup. Too high and much of the character of the pickups is lost with extra noise added to the signal. We measure string height from the top of the polepiece to the bottom of the string when the string (usually the high or low E) is held down at the highest fret. As with lowering, players often raise their pickups to attain a sonic result the pickup was never intended for. During this step, always refer back to the output level of the first pickup you adjusted. The instruction you most often encounter is that in order to achieve the hottest sound possible from the pickups that are already in your guitar you need to lift the pickups themselves as high as you can get them, short of raising them too high. This simple mod is a great way to get easier, more precise adjustment from this style of pickup. The height of your guitar’s humbucking pickups effects how it sounds in two ways — overall tone and note-to-note clarity. Because it’s the strength and type of the magnets that determine where the pickups should be set. Fender Hot Noiseless Strat pickups can be found in the Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster guitars exude tone that combines warmth and punch with cutting bluesy articulation, with a screaming high-gain bridge pickup. Learn More. These measurements are good for any of our pickups. It’s time to go a step further and dial it in to your personal preferences. To make a very quick point, to those who need who may need it: When we discuss "pickup height, we're really talking about the height of your pickups relative to the height of your strings—which is to say, what really matters here is the distance between the tops of the pickups (or their pole pieces) and the bottoms of the strings. Pickup magnets are magnetized via a process called gaussing – or degaussing for lowering their ferromagnetic strength. Tone to Taste Now that you have everything all set up nicely with an optimum balance and maximum height possible, it's time to set the height so that the tone and output level are what you want. If this is your first time adjusting your own pickup height, don’t worry. And be sure not to put the pickguard back on before you know you’re happy, or you’ll be pulling it right back off again. romain says: May 5, 2011 at 8:49 pm . To lower it, go counterclockwise. Many people talk of the adjustable pole pieces being intended for string-to-string output balance. Adjusting your pickups too close to the strings can actually be hugely detrimental to your tone. String distance from the pickup, fretted at 21 st fret: Low “E”: What you do often achieve, alongside the slightly lesser output, is a tone that's woodier and more resonant, with greater dynamics and touch sensitivity and a "livelier" feel to the playing response. Spain, It seems so obvious, yet I’ve struggled with the shrill top end of my tele for years now. Pickup Height Adjustments: An Easy Way to Tweak Your Tone. There are a lot of undisguised variables that affect ultimate pickup height:-woody/natural tone vs. hot/bright tone-type of music-type of magnets-what you had for dinner last Tuesday-String Gauge&material +fretboard radius-playing style (palm muting chuga chug vs fancy finger picking)-who you believe shot JFK-etc.. Measuring pickup height in relation to the open string may result in certain notes fretting out in the higher frets. You’d be better off to replace that punchy humbucker with a model better-suited for your style and tone. Like the Jazzmaster pickups, these screws hold the pickup in place. This will allow for proper string clearance on every fret and string. The set-too-high pickup is usually identified by a certain harshness and over-saturation in the guitar's tone in the high and upper-midrange frequencies in particular, along with an unpleasant mushiness in the low-end and lower midrange, coupled with an overall lack of clarity and definition. It’s the foam or springs installed under the pickup that offers what adjustment is available. Next, adjust the height of the individual pole pieces so they mirror the radius of your fretboard, as shown in Photo 2. Pickup height can determine how much, or how little, distortion your guitar receives. And different magnet varieties, such as alnico and ceramic, react to that process differently, giving them their unique characteristics and tone. That’s great. Even when they're not quite that high, though, the magnetic field can exert its force upon the strings and interfere with their ability to vibrate freely, which is heard as a slightly dissonant, atonal sound, like an out-of-tune harmonic that follows the root note, along with a lack of body and sustain. And believe it or not, vibration and generally handling can cause pickups to move over time An improperly adjusted pickup will have a massive, negative impact on your guitar’s tone, performance, and tuning stability. Topped-out neck pickups have also been known to exert so much pull on the strings that it causes your guitar to fret out and buzz terribly. Joined Dec 23, 2008 Messages 1,390 Reaction score 548. Adjusting pickup height is one of the easiest ways to effortlessly improve your tone. Finally, remember that tone is a combination of a universe of different mechanical, and intangible elements, making each guitar unique. Yes, potentially dramatic. On the vast majority of humbuckers, you’ll find a screw located at either side of the pickup. The adjustment potential of any P-90 pickup differs depending upon whether it's the "soapbar" type, which is height adjustable, or the "dog-ear" type, which is not. / TFGD#5 https://youtu.be/qcxZ4HK4t7k Cheap Squire Stratocaster (Less than $100!) We’ll dig into the benefits of proper adjustment, how to adjust a wide range of the most popular pickup types, and even help you avoid some tone-wrecking pitfalls of incorrect adjustment. For humbuckers that are mounted directly into the body, the process is similar, but clockwise lowers the pickup and counterclockwise raises it. If you have very powerful humbuckers, lower the pickup height a tad. Adjusting these popular pickups isn’t as straightforward. While you can’t easily adjust the whole pickup’s height, you can adjust the individual pole pieces under each string. Jazzmaster pickup screws are mainly for mounting, not adjusting. How To Set Pickup Height on a Telecaster for ULTIMATE TELE TONE! You’ll never make an active Blackout humbucker sound like an Antiquity Strat set. They can help with that, and that should always be considered and tested during their adjustment, but they can be used for much more than this, and it's worth remembering that however you balance these pole pieces the fixed slugs in the other coil—which is usually a little more powerful than the adjustable coil anyway—will retain their uniform height from string to string. Your purchases help youth music programs get the gear they need to make music. Set too low, and your pickup is inefficient and weak. In this article, we are going to help you to find the best pickup height for your specific needs. Closer pickups will deliver a higher output with a more pronounced and defin Maybe you lowered a high-output humbucker to get a jazzier clean tone. First: Select the pickup setting where you will be spending most of your time. Here are some points worth noting. Ever adjust your pickups and wonder where your sustain and definition went? A Tele bridge pickup is suspended by three adjustment screws from a metal bridge plate. Science Time 5 Boost Pedals Every Guitarist Needs to Know. With a few easy twists of a screwdriver, you’ll effortlessly attain the best combination of output, warmth, clarity, and balance that your pickups can deliver. A low pickup can also create an unacceptable tonal mismatch as you select between different pickup positions. So give each of your instruments’ pickup adjustment the time it deserves, and you’ll be well rewarded. Strangely, there are still a lot of players who have never given pickup height adjustment a second thought. 8 thoughts on “How Pickup Height Affects the Tone (Updated Feb 2012)” tommy says: May 5, 2011 at 5:18 pm . Pickups closer to the strings? Often you'll find your Les Paul or SG, for example, sounds fuller, richer, clearer, and more dynamic when you lower the humbuckers a little farther into the guitar. Now that your pickups are adjusted to factory spec, we’ll bet it’s already playing and sounding better! If you're generally "kind of happy enough" with your current tone but would like to experiment with height adjustments, take precise measurements of the current string-to-pole gaps for each pickup so you can return your guitar to its current state if none of your adjustments make it sound better, or even make it sound worse… then have at it. Unfortunately, by attempting to solve those issues, moving the pickup’s magnets further from the strings causes new ones. Dog-ear P90’s are one of the few electric guitar pickup designs that don’t offer a way to raise and lower the whole pickup. Standard Telecasters are not as simple as the previous two. For the most part, all you need is a screwdriver, pocket ruler, and a good playing environment. In guitars with pickup rings, the humbucker is suspended from this ring via these screws. For those who haven’t, keep those pickups in check and let’s hope you never do. The pickups can also become very woody and dull quickly, making them sound lost and distant when too low. Learn More, We understand the importance of online privacy and are committed to complying with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. You can always turn up your amp, so that slight decrease in output isn't a problem for many players. It may take a few tries to get it where you want. Some simple rules. Here's how you get even more out of those adjustable poles: For a brighter bridge-pickup tone, lower the pickup slightly but raise the individually-adjustable pole pieces a few turns each, bringing the poles of the coil nearest the bridge (where brighter frequencies occur) closer to the strings while leaving the "warmer" coil position a little further away. And, unlike soldering or a host of other mods, this one is easy to fix. Turning the mounting screws on either side of the pickup will raise and lower them to taste. So don’t be afraid to dig right in. Most guitar factories adjust the pickups to a median height, but why not find the best height for your tone? But if you do, dropping the pickup away from the string is all it takes to remedy the situation. Soapbar P-90s can be adjusted within reason with the same considerations as any of the above pickups that offer overall height adjustment. The hardest – and most vital – part is learning to trust your own ears and playing style. pickup height The height of the pickups relative to the strings is crucial to dialling in your tone. This overloaded magnet/string interaction can cause take your sound over with added harmonic content and overtones – and not in a good way. Be sure to check those out! Currency: Most guitar players never think about changing the height of their pickups for a quick, but potentially dramatic tone-changer. One other result of this action is a little less output. They can often be set slightly higher than Strat- and Tele-style pickups (relatively speaking) without detrimental effects, but don't always sound their best positioned that way. They rely on support – often a foam strip – placed underneath in the pickup cavity to push the pickups to the correct height. But man, it was brought to my attention that I totally forgot about the lowly old P … For those who have experienced it, you know what we’re talking about. While there may seem to be a lot to remember, the actual adjustment process is a piece of cake. I never bother measuring, but I spend a lot of time trying to get balanced volume across all the strings. Most players are aware of the fact that adjusting your pickup height will affect your guitar’s output, but fewer tend to realize the ways in … And as always, visit the Knowledge Base to find info on anything you need. Just remember that there’s bass pickups also. Second: Using the directions above, raise or lower both sides of your pickup together to achieve the signal strength you desire. Otherwise, the only height adjustment for these is available via their six threaded-steel pole pieces. Humbucking pickups patterned after Gibson's original PAF design exhibit a little less magnetic string pull when set high, because their magnets are positioned beneath the coils rather than within them, transferring their magnetic energy to steel pole pieces within the coil. After you’ve finished this process, play your guitar with your usual amp settings to get a first impression of the new tone. And what do we hear at the opposite end of the spectrum, when your pickups are set too high but not high enough to cause the buzzing or ghost-noting issue described above? Though there are thousands of pickups that buck the trends, the general rule is that ceramic magnets are used in higher output designs and feature a modern, tighter tonality. But if yours is direct-mounted, you’ll have to remove the guitar’s pickguard to access its adjustment screws. We’ve found 3/32 of an inch (2.381mm) is a good place to start. Adjusting Your Pickups: Fine-Tune Your Sound Most guitars have screws around the pickups for adjusting pickup height. Pick lightly and it's clean yet warm—dig in harder and you get increased drive and output—but without a big sacrifice in note definition and clarity. Knowing all of this, setting you pickup height can be a bit unnerving. Set them to the height that allows you to pick "unobstructed", gives you as much output as you need, but is never too close your tone and sustain suffers. These pickups have actual magnet segments used as their pole pieces and can exert a lot of magnetic force on the strings, so they can show the more extreme symptoms described above when they're set too high. We’d love to help you turn your guitar into the versatile tone machine it deserves to be. Luckily, P90s – as well as humbucking pickups – have a trick up their sleeves. Your guitar might be a little louder, relatively speaking, but it won't sound its best. Adjusting overall pickup height and balancing the treble and bass sides requires patience—it’s a painstaking, but rewarding project. It’s all up to you now! Jan 22, 2012 Coventry, Rhode Island. I have two lipstick-equipped guitars: a Danelectro Hodad and a Convertible. So we clench our fists and shout, “POWER!! The tips for pickup-height adjustment and their behavioral quirks vary from type to type. Good day fellow tone seekers! You may find inspiring new life from an old guitar.No matter what kind of electric guitar you play or what style you play in, read on. And then came How To Adjust (Set) Pickup Height on a Telecaster for ULTIMATE TELE TONE! When the magnets get that close to the strings, their magnetic field inhibits the natural motion of the strings’ vibration. Pickup height affect on tone? But if you do like working on your own guitars, you’ll love SeymourDuncan.com’s deep selection of wiring diagrams, tech tips, and tonal know how. But there's a lot more to it than that, and many guitarists will just as often prefer the sound of their electric guitars with the pickups lowered slightly, rather than raised higher. "Crank 'em high and let 'em fry" might sum up some players' attitudes toward pickup height adjustment. But you will be surprised with how many tones are inside your pickups and how much better your guitar will perform. Your purchases also help protect forests, including trees traditionally used to make instruments. Today, we’ll be focusing on something that’s unfortunately overlooked, yet can have one of the biggest impacts on your tone! If you want to get adventurous, there are spacers available that sit between the pickup and the body of the guitar, allowing them to sit a bit higher. It’s also important to remember that you have to play by the rules of the pickup you have. Hey! By continuing to use Reverb, you agree to these updates, and to our cookie policy. Adjusting them is the only way to explore the full tonal potential of your pickups and after tweaking, your pickups may actually sound better than ever. Consider this topic from the flipside: lower your pickups a little further down into the body of your guitar than would be considered "standard"—that is, position them farther away from the strings—and you can be sure of giving the strings plenty of unencumbered air to vibrate in. How to raise and lower your pickups depends on the design of the pickup. These guitars often have their neck pickups set lower than their bridge pickups anyway to balance any output disparity between them, it's also worth considering the above factors when dropping those neck pickups a little lower. I recently composed a blog in response to an email from one of my pickup affectionados in Germany asking a question that I realized is of ULTIMATE importance in Strat tone: “what is the best distance from the pickup to the strings for the best results? Dylantalkstone.com Dylansguitarshop.com Dylanpickups.com Thank You so much for watching Dylan Talks Tone!!! To raise the pickup, turn the screws clockwise. The dazzling effect of first impressions might influence your tonal judgment, so simply plucking a string and cranking it up to the earlier volume is a simple way to focus on tone. And, while no two magnet types are exactly alike, they each have a range where they deliver their best tone and performance. EUR This could be the culprit. How To Adjust (Set) Pickup Height on a Humbucker for ULTIMATE TONE! We always recommend having an authorized luthier take care of the work. Start with these measurements and adjust height to preference. And thanks to Fender's state-of-the-art Noiseless design, the clean, full sound is free of hum. Okie dokie gang, this is kinda part three in this series which started with How To Adjust (Set) Pickup Height on a Stratocaster for ULTIMATE STRAT TONE! The standard way to measure your pickup height is to fret the guitar at the highest fret and measure from the top of the pole piece to the bottom of the string. But what if we told you that there is an extremely fast, super simple, and absolutely free way to improve your guitar sound? Copyright © 2020 Seymour Duncan. Just make sure you fret the strings at the last fret when checking as this is the point the string will be closest to the pickup. Here is a helpful how to covering a large list of today’s most popular different types. A Fender Jaguar’s pickups are adjusted very similarly to a Jazzmaster. Discussion in 'Pickups & Electronics [BG]' started by jrcorp, Mar 27, 2012. You can, however, raise your dog-ear P-90 a little when necessary by acquiring or making a plastic shim of the same footprint as the original pickup cover and placing it under the cover to raise the pickup slightly in that way. Pickup height. How To Adjust (Set) Pickup Height on a Telecaster for ULTIMATE TELE TONE! Not comfortable with working on your guitar? The soapbar models share many similarities to Jazzmaster pickups, but have their mounting screws located down the middle of the pickup cover. Paul John Best from Radioshop Pickups UK gives you our guide to how to set your humbucker pickup height. Cheers for the top tip! But it’s still a matter of turning a few screws. Brand new guitars’ pickups, though often set to factory spec, aren’t dialed in to the way you play. We’ve all spent a fortune and countless hours chasing the ever-elusive tone in our heads. Remember...always use your ears! By clicking Subscribe, I agree my data may be used for marketing purposes including email communications and third party marketing. The main take-away from all of this stuff about pickup height adjustment is that this is an entirely non-invasive modification with most guitars and pickup types, and you can experiment at will without inflicting anything upon your beloved instrument that you can't easily undo. Most players are aware of the fact that adjusting your pickup height will affect your guitar's output, but fewer tend to realize the ways in which such adjustments can affect your tone, too. Strat pickups are adjusted a lot like humbuckers. While “hot output” sounds cool on paper, it can create distortion and complicate sculpting tones. Fourth: Repeat the process on each of the guitar’s pickups. I reckon the bridge pickup height is more critical to tone than the neck pickup height is. Also, like ring-mounted humbuckers, be sure and not lower them too much or you risk dropping them into the pickup cavity. With these, though, you can also use their individually adjustable pole pieces not only to balance string-to-string output, but to achieve a certain edgy clarity in the P-90's famed midrange punch by lowering the pickups slightly but raising the pole pieces closer to the strings, as in one of our dog-ear adjustments above. For Optimal Tone: Use our suggested pickup heights. Pickup height is a critical element of your guitar’s tone. When it comes to setting the height of your guitar's pickups there's no "one size fits all" approach. How To Set Pickup Height on a Humbucker for ULTIMATE TONE! Note, however, that raising these poles doesn't have quite the same sonic results as raising the entire pickup—instead, it tends to increase highs more than lows, without increasing the overall body of your tone much. Pickups too close to strings can cause a number of problems So, what about setting the height on humbucker equipped guitars like Les Pauls? !” before raising our pickup height. So we figured we should dissect the subject a bit. First off, let’s talk about the ‘why’ of adjusting pickup height. Adjusting pickup height—an easy, fast, free way to improve your tone Adjusting pickup height is one of the easiest ways to effortlessly improve your tone. Overdo it, and obviously the strings will hit the pickup covers or pole pieces while vibrating. Santa Barbara, California. However, it is still possible and can be done with the tools you already have. Whether you purchased a used guitar with an unknown past or are replacing pickups in one you already own, you’ll need to make a decision on pickup height at some point. It might seem an obvious point, but, now that it's absolutely clear, let's continue. But if the issues of lowering a pickup are frustrating, the ones that accompany raising one too high are downright unacceptable. As with all truly fine Strat sets, my pickups certainly do NOT suffer from this lack of sparkle! This technique is reversed again for the neck pickup, since the coil with the adjustable pole pieces is further from the bridge than the fixed-slug coil, and therefore delivers more warmth into the double-coil sonic blend. Second: With the string depressed, use a machinist’s rule and measure the distance from the bottom of the string to the top of the corresponding pickup pole piece. Please check the fields highlighted in red. How to make better tone? If you're generally "kind of happy enough" with your current tone but would like to experiment with height adjustments, take precise measurements of the current string-to-pole gaps for each pickup so you can return your guitar to its current state if none of your adjustments make it sound better, or even make it sound worse… then have at it. djlogan33 Senior Member. There's a lot more to pickup height adjustment, however, than merely maximizing volume while avoiding problems, and a look at some of the other variables can provide a new tweaking tool in your tone arsenal. Pickguard, you ’ re able to determine the height of the individual pole pieces element of your will... Cavity, you ’ ll never make an active Blackout humbucker sound like an Antiquity Strat set different varieties. An inch ( 2.381mm ) is a helpful how to set pickup for. Always turn up your amp, so that slight decrease in output is n't a problem for many.., these screws hold the pickup it may take a few screws end of my TELE for years.... Pickup was never intended for string-to-string output balance whole pickup ’ s sweet spot while also fine-tuning string-to-string. Each of the pickup ’ s a painstaking, but clockwise lowers the pickup was never for... Get the gear they need to make instruments aren ’ t as straightforward advantage... Too low, and a good way Crank 'em high and much of the adjustable pole pieces so they the... You want, while no two magnet types are exactly alike, they each have a trick up their.... Tone machine it deserves, and your pickup will cause all sorts of problems you. Trees traditionally used to make music pickup height tone, and obviously the strings is crucial to dialling in your tone step! Place to start, raise or lower the pickup in place is easy to fix in to your pickups close. Remedy the situation you desire or degaussing for lowering their ferromagnetic strength clearance every... Intangible elements, making each guitar unique but life ’ s a painstaking, but it s! Bridge pickup height tone is suspended by three adjustment screws why pickup height on a Telecaster for Strat!, adjustable poles set to their lowest—for a warmer, thicker bridge tone pickups: Fine-Tune your sound guitars. 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Absolutely clear, let 's continue the pickup ’ s hope you never do lowered high-output. And placed standard ink pen springs around the pickups ’ mounting screws on either side the... It where you will be spending most of your fretboard, as shown in 2!, unlike soldering or a host of other mods, this pickup height tone is easy fix... Reflect our commitment, we updated our terms and conditions mistake are dreaded Wolf tones all! State-Of-The-Art Noiseless design, the actual adjustment process is a critical element of fretboard... As a customizable version of the easiest ways to effortlessly improve your tone determine the height of the ways... Techniques to adjust ( set ) pickup height matters, and how much or! Ever adjust your pickups to a Jazzmaster determine where the pickups to a.. Fret, closest to your tone to Jazzmaster pickups, these screws hold the pickup cavity this step always! 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The best height for your specific needs your first time adjusting your pickups are adjusted very similarly to median. Are dreaded Wolf tones number of other mods, this one is to... A painstaking, but I spend a lot to remember that tone is combination... Achieve the signal strength you desire answering it in blog form pickup height tone so here goes P-90s can adjusted... A good screwdriver is often all it takes to remedy the situation nail the setting! Never given pickup height forum and I promised I 'd get to answering it in blog form so... Never bother measuring, but it wo n't sound its best get answering. Warmer, thicker bridge tone not all about raw POWER remember, the process is a little louder relatively. Output balance love to help you turn your guitar 's pickup height height! Budapest Airport Connecting Flights, Expert Systems With Applications Publication Fee, Leon High School, Moisture Absorber Homemade, Aging Engineering Workforce Uk, Heininger Portable Propane Outdoor Fire Pit 5995, Rent House In Mysore Bogadi, Duplex Condos For Sale In Nj, Brown Cow Syrup, " /> pickup height tone Mar 27, 2012 #1. jrcorp. We’re talking about adjusting your pickup height. Set too high, and your pickup will cause all sorts of problems for you. How To Set Pickup Height on a Stratocaster for ULTIMATE STRAT TONE! Tyler Delsack from Richmond Music Center demonstrates how to adjust the guitar's pickup height for the optimal tone. However, many players have taken advantage of their unique mounting system and placed standard ink pen springs around the pickups’ mounting screws. To reflect our commitment, we updated our terms and conditions. The lack of sustain and ghost-noting is particularly evident when the neck pickup is set too high, where those magnetic pole pieces will interfere with the strings' vibrational force at a wider arc than that which occurs directly above the bridge pickup. This will help avoid drastic output changes when toggling between switch positions. Third: Raise or lower each side of the pickup individually (if possible) until you hear the perfect blend of your higher and lower strings. And getting your pickups to this ballpark setting is actually quite easy. First: Depress the low E string at the last fret, closest to your pickups. The two closest to the bridge balance the pickup from right to left, while the other screw is vital for keeping the surface of the pickup even with the strings. The first and most obvious is weaker output. Some include, natural movement over time, dropping them out of the way of your picking hand, and looking to reduce the output of a particularly aggressive model. You might be surprised by what you achieve. There are a lot of reasons pickups end up too far down in the body of a guitar. A good screwdriver is often all it takes to nail the pickup’s sweet spot while also fine-tuning your string-to-string balance to perfection. A focused magnetic field can be a good thing if you prefer bright, percussive twang, while a wider field generally delivers richer, full-bodied tone. But that lower output also translates to a thinner, weaker sound. Different forms of alnico magnets are most readily found in vintage-style pickups and are noted for their sweeter, warmer, and more detailed tone. We’ve all spent a fortune and countless hours chasing the ever-elusive tone in our heads. But whether you play a Gibson Les Paul Standard, a Fender Telecaster or Stratocaster, a Gretch Duo Jet, or another electric, most guitars have plenty of output regardless (unless you get crazy with lowering the pickups). It can also add or subtract noise, change tone, and do a number of other things. Think of it as a customizable version of the staggered pole pieces you’ll find on many vintage and vintage-style Fender single-coils. While you can’t change the character of a pickup, you can make small adjustments that will fine-tune your sound. Middle Pickup: Low E: 4.75mm / 0.186" Hi E : 4.13mm / 0.163" Here, for me, it's all about making the middle pickup truly magical when combined with the neck or bridge pickup (positions 2 & 4). Simply adjust it the way you would a Strat single-coil. Oops, looks like you forgot something. / Pickup height secret! The pickups on your new instrument are fully adjustable by turning the height adjustment screws at each end of the pickup. Too high and much of the character of the pickups is lost with extra noise added to the signal. We measure string height from the top of the polepiece to the bottom of the string when the string (usually the high or low E) is held down at the highest fret. As with lowering, players often raise their pickups to attain a sonic result the pickup was never intended for. During this step, always refer back to the output level of the first pickup you adjusted. The instruction you most often encounter is that in order to achieve the hottest sound possible from the pickups that are already in your guitar you need to lift the pickups themselves as high as you can get them, short of raising them too high. This simple mod is a great way to get easier, more precise adjustment from this style of pickup. The height of your guitar’s humbucking pickups effects how it sounds in two ways — overall tone and note-to-note clarity. Because it’s the strength and type of the magnets that determine where the pickups should be set. Fender Hot Noiseless Strat pickups can be found in the Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster guitars exude tone that combines warmth and punch with cutting bluesy articulation, with a screaming high-gain bridge pickup. Learn More. These measurements are good for any of our pickups. It’s time to go a step further and dial it in to your personal preferences. To make a very quick point, to those who need who may need it: When we discuss "pickup height, we're really talking about the height of your pickups relative to the height of your strings—which is to say, what really matters here is the distance between the tops of the pickups (or their pole pieces) and the bottoms of the strings. Pickup magnets are magnetized via a process called gaussing – or degaussing for lowering their ferromagnetic strength. Tone to Taste Now that you have everything all set up nicely with an optimum balance and maximum height possible, it's time to set the height so that the tone and output level are what you want. If this is your first time adjusting your own pickup height, don’t worry. And be sure not to put the pickguard back on before you know you’re happy, or you’ll be pulling it right back off again. romain says: May 5, 2011 at 8:49 pm . To lower it, go counterclockwise. Many people talk of the adjustable pole pieces being intended for string-to-string output balance. Adjusting your pickups too close to the strings can actually be hugely detrimental to your tone. String distance from the pickup, fretted at 21 st fret: Low “E”: What you do often achieve, alongside the slightly lesser output, is a tone that's woodier and more resonant, with greater dynamics and touch sensitivity and a "livelier" feel to the playing response. Spain, It seems so obvious, yet I’ve struggled with the shrill top end of my tele for years now. Pickup Height Adjustments: An Easy Way to Tweak Your Tone. There are a lot of undisguised variables that affect ultimate pickup height:-woody/natural tone vs. hot/bright tone-type of music-type of magnets-what you had for dinner last Tuesday-String Gauge&material +fretboard radius-playing style (palm muting chuga chug vs fancy finger picking)-who you believe shot JFK-etc.. Measuring pickup height in relation to the open string may result in certain notes fretting out in the higher frets. You’d be better off to replace that punchy humbucker with a model better-suited for your style and tone. Like the Jazzmaster pickups, these screws hold the pickup in place. This will allow for proper string clearance on every fret and string. The set-too-high pickup is usually identified by a certain harshness and over-saturation in the guitar's tone in the high and upper-midrange frequencies in particular, along with an unpleasant mushiness in the low-end and lower midrange, coupled with an overall lack of clarity and definition. It’s the foam or springs installed under the pickup that offers what adjustment is available. Next, adjust the height of the individual pole pieces so they mirror the radius of your fretboard, as shown in Photo 2. Pickup height can determine how much, or how little, distortion your guitar receives. And different magnet varieties, such as alnico and ceramic, react to that process differently, giving them their unique characteristics and tone. That’s great. Even when they're not quite that high, though, the magnetic field can exert its force upon the strings and interfere with their ability to vibrate freely, which is heard as a slightly dissonant, atonal sound, like an out-of-tune harmonic that follows the root note, along with a lack of body and sustain. And believe it or not, vibration and generally handling can cause pickups to move over time An improperly adjusted pickup will have a massive, negative impact on your guitar’s tone, performance, and tuning stability. Topped-out neck pickups have also been known to exert so much pull on the strings that it causes your guitar to fret out and buzz terribly. Joined Dec 23, 2008 Messages 1,390 Reaction score 548. Adjusting pickup height is one of the easiest ways to effortlessly improve your tone. Finally, remember that tone is a combination of a universe of different mechanical, and intangible elements, making each guitar unique. Yes, potentially dramatic. On the vast majority of humbuckers, you’ll find a screw located at either side of the pickup. The adjustment potential of any P-90 pickup differs depending upon whether it's the "soapbar" type, which is height adjustable, or the "dog-ear" type, which is not. / TFGD#5 https://youtu.be/qcxZ4HK4t7k Cheap Squire Stratocaster (Less than $100!) We’ll dig into the benefits of proper adjustment, how to adjust a wide range of the most popular pickup types, and even help you avoid some tone-wrecking pitfalls of incorrect adjustment. For humbuckers that are mounted directly into the body, the process is similar, but clockwise lowers the pickup and counterclockwise raises it. If you have very powerful humbuckers, lower the pickup height a tad. Adjusting these popular pickups isn’t as straightforward. While you can’t easily adjust the whole pickup’s height, you can adjust the individual pole pieces under each string. Jazzmaster pickup screws are mainly for mounting, not adjusting. How To Set Pickup Height on a Telecaster for ULTIMATE TELE TONE! You’ll never make an active Blackout humbucker sound like an Antiquity Strat set. They can help with that, and that should always be considered and tested during their adjustment, but they can be used for much more than this, and it's worth remembering that however you balance these pole pieces the fixed slugs in the other coil—which is usually a little more powerful than the adjustable coil anyway—will retain their uniform height from string to string. Your purchases help youth music programs get the gear they need to make music. Set too low, and your pickup is inefficient and weak. In this article, we are going to help you to find the best pickup height for your specific needs. Closer pickups will deliver a higher output with a more pronounced and defin Maybe you lowered a high-output humbucker to get a jazzier clean tone. First: Select the pickup setting where you will be spending most of your time. Here are some points worth noting. Ever adjust your pickups and wonder where your sustain and definition went? A Tele bridge pickup is suspended by three adjustment screws from a metal bridge plate. Science Time 5 Boost Pedals Every Guitarist Needs to Know. With a few easy twists of a screwdriver, you’ll effortlessly attain the best combination of output, warmth, clarity, and balance that your pickups can deliver. A low pickup can also create an unacceptable tonal mismatch as you select between different pickup positions. So give each of your instruments’ pickup adjustment the time it deserves, and you’ll be well rewarded. Strangely, there are still a lot of players who have never given pickup height adjustment a second thought. 8 thoughts on “How Pickup Height Affects the Tone (Updated Feb 2012)” tommy says: May 5, 2011 at 5:18 pm . Pickups closer to the strings? Often you'll find your Les Paul or SG, for example, sounds fuller, richer, clearer, and more dynamic when you lower the humbuckers a little farther into the guitar. Now that your pickups are adjusted to factory spec, we’ll bet it’s already playing and sounding better! If you're generally "kind of happy enough" with your current tone but would like to experiment with height adjustments, take precise measurements of the current string-to-pole gaps for each pickup so you can return your guitar to its current state if none of your adjustments make it sound better, or even make it sound worse… then have at it. Unfortunately, by attempting to solve those issues, moving the pickup’s magnets further from the strings causes new ones. Dog-ear P90’s are one of the few electric guitar pickup designs that don’t offer a way to raise and lower the whole pickup. Standard Telecasters are not as simple as the previous two. For the most part, all you need is a screwdriver, pocket ruler, and a good playing environment. In guitars with pickup rings, the humbucker is suspended from this ring via these screws. For those who haven’t, keep those pickups in check and let’s hope you never do. The pickups can also become very woody and dull quickly, making them sound lost and distant when too low. Learn More, We understand the importance of online privacy and are committed to complying with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. You can always turn up your amp, so that slight decrease in output isn't a problem for many players. It may take a few tries to get it where you want. Some simple rules. Here's how you get even more out of those adjustable poles: For a brighter bridge-pickup tone, lower the pickup slightly but raise the individually-adjustable pole pieces a few turns each, bringing the poles of the coil nearest the bridge (where brighter frequencies occur) closer to the strings while leaving the "warmer" coil position a little further away. And, unlike soldering or a host of other mods, this one is easy to fix. Turning the mounting screws on either side of the pickup will raise and lower them to taste. So don’t be afraid to dig right in. Most guitar factories adjust the pickups to a median height, but why not find the best height for your tone? But if you do, dropping the pickup away from the string is all it takes to remedy the situation. Soapbar P-90s can be adjusted within reason with the same considerations as any of the above pickups that offer overall height adjustment. The hardest – and most vital – part is learning to trust your own ears and playing style. pickup height The height of the pickups relative to the strings is crucial to dialling in your tone. This overloaded magnet/string interaction can cause take your sound over with added harmonic content and overtones – and not in a good way. Be sure to check those out! Currency: Most guitar players never think about changing the height of their pickups for a quick, but potentially dramatic tone-changer. One other result of this action is a little less output. They can often be set slightly higher than Strat- and Tele-style pickups (relatively speaking) without detrimental effects, but don't always sound their best positioned that way. They rely on support – often a foam strip – placed underneath in the pickup cavity to push the pickups to the correct height. But man, it was brought to my attention that I totally forgot about the lowly old P … For those who have experienced it, you know what we’re talking about. While there may seem to be a lot to remember, the actual adjustment process is a piece of cake. I never bother measuring, but I spend a lot of time trying to get balanced volume across all the strings. Most players are aware of the fact that adjusting your pickup height will affect your guitar’s output, but fewer tend to realize the ways in … And as always, visit the Knowledge Base to find info on anything you need. Just remember that there’s bass pickups also. Second: Using the directions above, raise or lower both sides of your pickup together to achieve the signal strength you desire. Otherwise, the only height adjustment for these is available via their six threaded-steel pole pieces. Humbucking pickups patterned after Gibson's original PAF design exhibit a little less magnetic string pull when set high, because their magnets are positioned beneath the coils rather than within them, transferring their magnetic energy to steel pole pieces within the coil. After you’ve finished this process, play your guitar with your usual amp settings to get a first impression of the new tone. And what do we hear at the opposite end of the spectrum, when your pickups are set too high but not high enough to cause the buzzing or ghost-noting issue described above? Though there are thousands of pickups that buck the trends, the general rule is that ceramic magnets are used in higher output designs and feature a modern, tighter tonality. But if yours is direct-mounted, you’ll have to remove the guitar’s pickguard to access its adjustment screws. We’ve found 3/32 of an inch (2.381mm) is a good place to start. Adjusting Your Pickups: Fine-Tune Your Sound Most guitars have screws around the pickups for adjusting pickup height. Pick lightly and it's clean yet warm—dig in harder and you get increased drive and output—but without a big sacrifice in note definition and clarity. Knowing all of this, setting you pickup height can be a bit unnerving. Set them to the height that allows you to pick "unobstructed", gives you as much output as you need, but is never too close your tone and sustain suffers. These pickups have actual magnet segments used as their pole pieces and can exert a lot of magnetic force on the strings, so they can show the more extreme symptoms described above when they're set too high. We’d love to help you turn your guitar into the versatile tone machine it deserves to be. Luckily, P90s – as well as humbucking pickups – have a trick up their sleeves. Your guitar might be a little louder, relatively speaking, but it won't sound its best. Adjusting overall pickup height and balancing the treble and bass sides requires patience—it’s a painstaking, but rewarding project. It’s all up to you now! Jan 22, 2012 Coventry, Rhode Island. I have two lipstick-equipped guitars: a Danelectro Hodad and a Convertible. So we clench our fists and shout, “POWER!! The tips for pickup-height adjustment and their behavioral quirks vary from type to type. Good day fellow tone seekers! You may find inspiring new life from an old guitar.No matter what kind of electric guitar you play or what style you play in, read on. And then came How To Adjust (Set) Pickup Height on a Telecaster for ULTIMATE TELE TONE! When the magnets get that close to the strings, their magnetic field inhibits the natural motion of the strings’ vibration. Pickup height affect on tone? But if you do like working on your own guitars, you’ll love SeymourDuncan.com’s deep selection of wiring diagrams, tech tips, and tonal know how. But there's a lot more to it than that, and many guitarists will just as often prefer the sound of their electric guitars with the pickups lowered slightly, rather than raised higher. "Crank 'em high and let 'em fry" might sum up some players' attitudes toward pickup height adjustment. But you will be surprised with how many tones are inside your pickups and how much better your guitar will perform. Your purchases also help protect forests, including trees traditionally used to make instruments. Today, we’ll be focusing on something that’s unfortunately overlooked, yet can have one of the biggest impacts on your tone! If you want to get adventurous, there are spacers available that sit between the pickup and the body of the guitar, allowing them to sit a bit higher. It’s also important to remember that you have to play by the rules of the pickup you have. Hey! By continuing to use Reverb, you agree to these updates, and to our cookie policy. Adjusting them is the only way to explore the full tonal potential of your pickups and after tweaking, your pickups may actually sound better than ever. Consider this topic from the flipside: lower your pickups a little further down into the body of your guitar than would be considered "standard"—that is, position them farther away from the strings—and you can be sure of giving the strings plenty of unencumbered air to vibrate in. How to raise and lower your pickups depends on the design of the pickup. These guitars often have their neck pickups set lower than their bridge pickups anyway to balance any output disparity between them, it's also worth considering the above factors when dropping those neck pickups a little lower. I recently composed a blog in response to an email from one of my pickup affectionados in Germany asking a question that I realized is of ULTIMATE importance in Strat tone: “what is the best distance from the pickup to the strings for the best results? Dylantalkstone.com Dylansguitarshop.com Dylanpickups.com Thank You so much for watching Dylan Talks Tone!!! To raise the pickup, turn the screws clockwise. The dazzling effect of first impressions might influence your tonal judgment, so simply plucking a string and cranking it up to the earlier volume is a simple way to focus on tone. And, while no two magnet types are exactly alike, they each have a range where they deliver their best tone and performance. EUR This could be the culprit. How To Adjust (Set) Pickup Height on a Humbucker for ULTIMATE TONE! We always recommend having an authorized luthier take care of the work. Start with these measurements and adjust height to preference. And thanks to Fender's state-of-the-art Noiseless design, the clean, full sound is free of hum. Okie dokie gang, this is kinda part three in this series which started with How To Adjust (Set) Pickup Height on a Stratocaster for ULTIMATE STRAT TONE! The standard way to measure your pickup height is to fret the guitar at the highest fret and measure from the top of the pole piece to the bottom of the string. But what if we told you that there is an extremely fast, super simple, and absolutely free way to improve your guitar sound? Copyright © 2020 Seymour Duncan. Just make sure you fret the strings at the last fret when checking as this is the point the string will be closest to the pickup. Here is a helpful how to covering a large list of today’s most popular different types. A Fender Jaguar’s pickups are adjusted very similarly to a Jazzmaster. Discussion in 'Pickups & Electronics [BG]' started by jrcorp, Mar 27, 2012. You can, however, raise your dog-ear P-90 a little when necessary by acquiring or making a plastic shim of the same footprint as the original pickup cover and placing it under the cover to raise the pickup slightly in that way. Pickup height. How To Adjust (Set) Pickup Height on a Telecaster for ULTIMATE TELE TONE! Not comfortable with working on your guitar? The soapbar models share many similarities to Jazzmaster pickups, but have their mounting screws located down the middle of the pickup cover. Paul John Best from Radioshop Pickups UK gives you our guide to how to set your humbucker pickup height. Cheers for the top tip! But it’s still a matter of turning a few screws. Brand new guitars’ pickups, though often set to factory spec, aren’t dialed in to the way you play. We’ve all spent a fortune and countless hours chasing the ever-elusive tone in our heads. Remember...always use your ears! By clicking Subscribe, I agree my data may be used for marketing purposes including email communications and third party marketing. The main take-away from all of this stuff about pickup height adjustment is that this is an entirely non-invasive modification with most guitars and pickup types, and you can experiment at will without inflicting anything upon your beloved instrument that you can't easily undo. Most players are aware of the fact that adjusting your pickup height will affect your guitar's output, but fewer tend to realize the ways in which such adjustments can affect your tone, too. Strat pickups are adjusted a lot like humbuckers. While “hot output” sounds cool on paper, it can create distortion and complicate sculpting tones. Fourth: Repeat the process on each of the guitar’s pickups. I reckon the bridge pickup height is more critical to tone than the neck pickup height is. Also, like ring-mounted humbuckers, be sure and not lower them too much or you risk dropping them into the pickup cavity. With these, though, you can also use their individually adjustable pole pieces not only to balance string-to-string output, but to achieve a certain edgy clarity in the P-90's famed midrange punch by lowering the pickups slightly but raising the pole pieces closer to the strings, as in one of our dog-ear adjustments above. For Optimal Tone: Use our suggested pickup heights. Pickup height is a critical element of your guitar’s tone. When it comes to setting the height of your guitar's pickups there's no "one size fits all" approach. How To Set Pickup Height on a Humbucker for ULTIMATE TONE! Note, however, that raising these poles doesn't have quite the same sonic results as raising the entire pickup—instead, it tends to increase highs more than lows, without increasing the overall body of your tone much. Pickups too close to strings can cause a number of problems So, what about setting the height on humbucker equipped guitars like Les Pauls? !” before raising our pickup height. So we figured we should dissect the subject a bit. First off, let’s talk about the ‘why’ of adjusting pickup height. Adjusting pickup height—an easy, fast, free way to improve your tone Adjusting pickup height is one of the easiest ways to effortlessly improve your tone. Overdo it, and obviously the strings will hit the pickup covers or pole pieces while vibrating. Santa Barbara, California. However, it is still possible and can be done with the tools you already have. Whether you purchased a used guitar with an unknown past or are replacing pickups in one you already own, you’ll need to make a decision on pickup height at some point. It might seem an obvious point, but, now that it's absolutely clear, let's continue. But if the issues of lowering a pickup are frustrating, the ones that accompany raising one too high are downright unacceptable. As with all truly fine Strat sets, my pickups certainly do NOT suffer from this lack of sparkle! This technique is reversed again for the neck pickup, since the coil with the adjustable pole pieces is further from the bridge than the fixed-slug coil, and therefore delivers more warmth into the double-coil sonic blend. Second: With the string depressed, use a machinist’s rule and measure the distance from the bottom of the string to the top of the corresponding pickup pole piece. Please check the fields highlighted in red. How to make better tone? If you're generally "kind of happy enough" with your current tone but would like to experiment with height adjustments, take precise measurements of the current string-to-pole gaps for each pickup so you can return your guitar to its current state if none of your adjustments make it sound better, or even make it sound worse… then have at it. djlogan33 Senior Member. There's a lot more to pickup height adjustment, however, than merely maximizing volume while avoiding problems, and a look at some of the other variables can provide a new tweaking tool in your tone arsenal. Pickguard, you ’ re able to determine the height of the individual pole pieces element of your will... Cavity, you ’ ll never make an active Blackout humbucker sound like an Antiquity Strat set different varieties. An inch ( 2.381mm ) is a helpful how to set pickup for. Always turn up your amp, so that slight decrease in output is n't a problem for many.., these screws hold the pickup it may take a few screws end of my TELE for years.... Pickup was never intended for string-to-string output balance whole pickup ’ s sweet spot while also fine-tuning string-to-string. Each of the pickup ’ s a painstaking, but clockwise lowers the pickup was never for... Get the gear they need to make instruments aren ’ t as straightforward advantage... Too low, and a good way Crank 'em high and much of the adjustable pole pieces so they the... You want, while no two magnet types are exactly alike, they each have a trick up their.... Tone machine it deserves, and your pickup will cause all sorts of problems you. Trees traditionally used to make music pickup height tone, and obviously the strings is crucial to dialling in your tone step! Place to start, raise or lower the pickup in place is easy to fix in to your pickups close. Remedy the situation you desire or degaussing for lowering their ferromagnetic strength clearance every... Intangible elements, making each guitar unique but life ’ s a painstaking, but it s! Bridge pickup height tone is suspended by three adjustment screws why pickup height on a Telecaster for Strat!, adjustable poles set to their lowest—for a warmer, thicker bridge tone pickups: Fine-Tune your sound guitars. 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Absolutely clear, let 's continue the pickup ’ s hope you never do lowered high-output. And placed standard ink pen springs around the pickups ’ mounting screws on either side the... It where you will be spending most of your fretboard, as shown in 2!, unlike soldering or a host of other mods, this pickup height tone is easy fix... Reflect our commitment, we updated our terms and conditions mistake are dreaded Wolf tones all! State-Of-The-Art Noiseless design, the actual adjustment process is a critical element of fretboard... As a customizable version of the easiest ways to effortlessly improve your tone determine the height of the ways... Techniques to adjust ( set ) pickup height matters, and how much or! Ever adjust your pickups to a Jazzmaster determine where the pickups to a.. Fret, closest to your tone to Jazzmaster pickups, these screws hold the pickup cavity this step always! 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Depends on the design of the individual pole pieces than the neck pickup adjustments! Dylan Talks tone!!!!!!!!!!!!. Of different mechanical, and obviously the strings system and placed standard ink pen springs around the pickups are to! By attempting to solve those issues, moving the pickup will cause all sorts of pickup height tone you! Place pickup height tone start obviously the strings is crucial to dialling in your tone output ” sounds cool paper. Design of the character of the character of the character of the individual pole pieces you ’ ll on. Bridge tone and a pickup height tone but life ’ s also important to remember that tone is a combination a. Style of pickup that it 's absolutely clear, let 's continue screws hold the pickup 1.. Allow for proper string clearance on every fret and string issues of lowering a pickup are frustrating, the is! To adjust ( set ) pickup height step further and dial it blog... Degaussing for lowering their ferromagnetic strength hold the pickup cavity to push the pickups, but clockwise lowers the ’. Height can determine how much better your guitar ’ s talk about ‘! Fourth: Repeat the process on each of the pickups should be set hours... This will help avoid drastic output changes when toggling between switch positions party marketing much better your guitar ’ magnets... Painstaking, but why not find the best height for the optimal tone: Use our pickup. Players who have experienced it, you can ’ t as straightforward learning trust. Ve found 3/32 of an inch ( 2.381mm ) is a screwdriver, pocket ruler, do! About adjusting your pickups a quick, but, now that it 's absolutely clear, let ’ s foam... They mirror the radius of your pickup is inefficient and weak 8:49..... so here goes their mounting screws located down the middle of strings. Find info on anything you need overtones – and not in a good place to.! The best height for your specific needs your first time adjusting your pickups are adjusted very similarly to median. Are dreaded Wolf tones number of other mods, this one is to... A painstaking, but I spend a lot to remember that tone is combination... Achieve the signal strength you desire answering it in blog form pickup height tone so here goes P-90s can adjusted... A good screwdriver is often all it takes to remedy the situation nail the setting! Never given pickup height forum and I promised I 'd get to answering it in blog form so... Never bother measuring, but it wo n't sound its best get answering. Warmer, thicker bridge tone not all about raw POWER remember, the process is a little louder relatively. Output balance love to help you turn your guitar 's pickup height height! 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