Pick-up distance from strings and tone characteristics

[Sheepdog1969]

Is there an optimal distance between strings and pick-ups that optimizes tone quality and/or acoustic output for electric guitars ? Do different pic-ups, on differing guitars, demand different string to pick-up spacing to achieve optimum audio clarity? (Assume the base line for said distance, on all guitar configurations, is simply based on optimum sound gathering capabilities of the pick-ups, which would result in the purest, non-distorted, accurate tonal output capable of the guitar and it's string set.)  As an audio guy at heart, I have been trained to FIRST, collect sound in it's cleanest, purist form, as originally produced from it's source. Only then, can said pure "sound" be manipulated to create a desired variation, via electronic/digital manipulation, unique amplification characteristics, and/or other ambient differences specifically exploited to modify sound. Simply put, how close should I adjust my pick-ups to my strings? Thought?  

[ksdaddy]

Is there an optimal distance between strings and pick-ups that optimizes tone quality and/or acoustic output for electric guitars ?

No. Too subjective.

Do different pic-ups, on differing guitars, demand different string to pick-up spacing to achieve optimum audio clarity?

Yes. But also subjective.

As an audio guy at heart, I have been trained to FIRST, collect sound in it's cleanest, purist form, as originally produced from it's source. Only then, can said pure "sound" be manipulated to create a desired variation, via electronic/digital manipulation, unique amplification characteristics, and/or other ambient differences specifically exploited to modify sound.

Les Paul liked low impedance pickups for that same reason.

Simply put, how close should I adjust my pick-ups to my strings?

100% impossible to answer. You will eventually try a different brand or gauge of string, use different amplifiers, a different PICK, your taste in music may shift, your mood will shift... all of these things will affect your previously determined 'perfect setup".

 

 

 

[saturn]

I never used to think much about pickup height. At some point years ago I noticed my HB on my Les Paul was pretty close to the strings. I had read somewhere that the magnets can pull slightly on the strings and effect sustain. I backed the P/U off a little bit and it did make a difference. I now make sure to not let them get too high. 

[Dub-T-123]

4 hours ago, Farnsbarns said:

Totally agree. Personally I tend to like humbuckers very low compared to Gibson "spec". On my R8 the neck pup is just lower than flush with the ring (tall/vintage style rings). 

I was going to say the same thing (in a less intelligent way). My R9 has the pickups below the rings but the rings are taller than modern ones

[Pinch]

Equal volume like Ghost said. Distance varies depending on guitar/pickups, but generally speaking you get the wood tone if you lower them. 

[Rabs]

9 hours ago, ksdaddy said:

 

100% impossible to answer. You will eventually try a different brand or gauge of string, use different amplifiers, a different PICK, your taste in music may shift, your mood will shift... all of these things will affect your previously determined 'perfect setup".

 

 

 

I often think this is one of the biggest contributors to GAS and the obsessiveness some of us seem to have with getting the "right" tone.. 

Im sure we have all had it happen when we are loving the sound of our guitar one day and a few days later you can come back to the same set up and it doesn't sound right anymore.

I think this is why I have never really been in to pedals that much. For me they are fun to play around with but apart from reverb and distortion (usually in amp) and the odd bit of wah I think they just confuse me by overwhelming me with too much choice.. Id rather keep it simple.

I remember when I was looking around for a small amp recently and was checking out the modelling amps and some of the hybrid ones.. And even when just testing it out I found it way too much, you can spend so long trying to find the right sound you play less in the end 😄 ... So I just went with a simple small tube amp in the end which I instantly felt more at home with.

Edited November 5, 2022 by Rabs

[SteveFord]

https://www.gibson.com/en-US/GibsonTV/gibsons-guide-to-guitar-setup-and-maintenance/how-to-adjust-the-height-of-your-guitar-pickups

[badbluesplayer]

https://www.fralinpickups.com/2019/02/17/how-to-properly-set-pickup-height/

[merciful-evans]

I used to adjust them quite high. I find I prefer them lower now. Its not a big difference though.

[IanHenry]

This is a useful guide:

 

[Sheepdog1969]

On 11/8/2022 at 5:29 AM, IanHenry said:

This is a useful guide:

 

Thanks so much for this info. Using the detailed info in the video, I have adjusted the pickups in all my guitars, and was able to create output characteristics for each of them that definitely improved their tonal characteristics, (based on what and how I play). I was shocked by how much tone difference there was with only a few millimeters of adjustment. Learning how to fine tune, per string, the height adjustment with the slotted/screw in poles on humbuckers, was the coup de gras.

My '98 G&L hb/hss Legacy, with Seymour Duncan's at the bridge, had always been pretty hot and crisp (particularly in the bridge pickup only setting in double coil mode), producing great "chunk" and solid harmonics when paired with distortion/OD thru my Marshall. Yet, it never came close to my '87 Gibson SG Special with "dirty fingers". That has all changed now. After adjusting the G&L pickup heights, it is now on par with my SG, in bridge pickup distorted/OD "metal mode". Such a simple and fun process, that delivers near instant tonal/output characteristic mods, should really be talked about more in guitar circles. IMO.

Despite there not being an "optimal"/specific string to pickup distance for all guitars, at least I learned how tone is generally effected by differing string to pickup distances.  Thanks again!

[Valeriy]

I'll add a little, I think, pickups with strong magnets (ceramic) and with a wide magnetic field (humbuckers) are better to try to put away from the strings, and especially if this is the neck position where the vibration amplitudes can be large.  
 In the 3-pickup guitars the middle pickup can be tricky, too high (close to the strings) it can ruin the sound of a neck pickup adjusted. 
 In general, for 3-pickup guitars, I would suggest doing the tuning as follows. It's best to start distanse tuning with your favorite pickup (which you play with most) while the other 2 pickups are as far away from the strings as possible. Then you can tune the next pickup, and after tuning make sure that this does not affect the sound of the previous one. Here, as I said, the middle pickup can be insidious.