Californiaman Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 I'm noticing that there's a big difference between the height of my bridge pickup and that of the neck pickup on my Sorrento. The neck pickup is significantly lower than that of the bridge. Shouldn't they be closer to the same distance away from the strings? It looks like 1/4 inch in the neck vs. 1/8 for the bridge. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 The best position for them is the one that sounds good... :) I don't think theres any hard and fast rules on height..... If they sound good then leave it be... If you want to play, mark or measure the pickup height and lay the guitar down plugged in and strum the guitar adjusting the height and stop when you like what you hear.. usually if they get too close they can be a bit bright and harsh and if you go to low they can get muddy... But that's all pretty subjective anyway (as is everything :))... Also if you do get to close to the strings the magnets can actually pull on the strings a bit which will deaden the sustain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 Yeah, I hear what your saying, Rabbs. Thanks. I guess it's trial and error and no set height when it gets right down to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Shouldn't they be closer to the same distance away from the strings? No, they should not be. The strings vibrate more freely away from the bridge which results in that dang neck pickup being LOUD!. Use your ears not a ruler - but I usually set my neck pickups as low as I think they can go. I also tend to set the bass side of it lower than the treble side to lessen the bottom end a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 Thanks 'pup. Judging by what you're saying, mine's fine. But I will give it a good, intense listening to as you and Rabs have suggested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Thanks 'pup. Judging by what you're saying, mine's fine. But I will give it a good, intense listening to as you and Rabs have suggested. Also remember (not that ive done it) you can move the pole pieces up and down if an individual string doesn't sound quite right... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHTom Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Rabs and Surfpup pretty well nailed it. From my own experience........in particular setting up a recent strat purchase..........the key is play with them and see what you like. What I did on my strat was get them all set close to the same, then started messing. I count turns of the screwdriver........up one turn.......listen, up two turns, listen.........up three......etc. It made for a nice learning experience about how they effect your sound, sustain, tone, etc and also opens up what the guitar is capable of. I figure since its just adjusting a screw, If I count the turns, I can always put it back exactly where I started, so there's no way to damage anything, etc........ Dive in.......its pretty interesting to see/hear it first hand to better understand how it all works. NHTom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 In pickups that I can adjust, I tend to adjust the bridge pickup to get the sound I like, then adjust the neck pup to put out the same approximate volume. But that's me. I usually set them relatively low, because I like a woodier sound. They say the lower the pup height, the more your hear the guitar; the higher the height, the more your hear the pickups. Makes sense. If the P-90 is adjustable, I tend to set it a little higher because I like the way they sound like that. I have some Lindy Fralin P-94s in a Dot, and he under-wound them for me, so I set them a little lower to try to approach a Grant Green sound, and I think I was successful. They articulate well, so mud is not a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 The lower it goes, the better it is. That worked for me with all my guitars. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schaadrack Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 I'm noticing that there's a big difference between the height of my bridge pickup and that of the neck pickup on my Sorrento. The neck pickup is significantly lower than that of the bridge. Shouldn't they be closer to the same distance away from the strings? It looks like 1/4 inch in the neck vs. 1/8 for the bridge. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schaadrack Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 California, I was told by older players and builders of pick ups, that, lowering pickups is fine, use your own judgement. But, they should never be closer than the width of one nickle on the high "E" or two nickle on the low "E" bass side as this will cause false harmonics and, may make the guitar sound out of tune. Has something to do with the 'waves' each string produces ( I became lost in the hi tech language). Seymore Duncan has an interesting video on Youtube about pickup height which, was my main source. Remember the "one nickle" "two nickle" method is a starting point....then use your ears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErickC Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Gibson factory specs (from the string, 3/64" on the treble side of the treble pickup, 4/32" on the treble side of the rhythm pickup, 3/32" on the bass side of both, strings fretted at the 22nd fret), with the bass side of the treble pickup lowered a bit, have never, ever, ever let me down. Some of the things that people believe about pickups become pretty hilarious once you understand how pickups actually work. Threads like these make me miss Capmaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schaadrack Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Gibson factory specs (from the string, 3/64" on the treble side of the treble pickup, 4/32" on the treble side of the rhythm pickup, 3/32" on the bass side of both, strings fretted at the 22nd fret), with the bass side of the treble pickup lowered a bit, have never, ever, ever let me down. Some of the things that people believe about pickups become pretty hilarious once you understand how pickups actually work. Threads like these make me miss Capmaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schaadrack Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Good response Erick. Can't go wrong with professional specs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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