es335 '68, top e string not singing...

[nigelchadwick]

Hi,

compared to the rest of the strings, the top e string doesnt cut through quite as strongly as the other strings when plugged in - ie, on bridge pickup. The pickup screw is adjusted further out thant those under the other strings. Has anyone else experienced this issue ? The screw itself looks more worn than the other string screws in the pickup, so not sure if this, plus the fact its screwed further out, is an indication that previous owners might have experienced the same.

[Dynadude]

Set the screw flush with the pickup cover, and lower that side of the pickup until the tone cleans up. It will sound cleaner and brighter, and will sustain longer.

 

Set too high, the pickup will distort the tone of the signal, and actually cause the string vibration to fade faster due to magnetic pull on the strings. Both are tone killers, and can make the top strings sound awful.

[nigelchadwick]

thanks for this advice. presumably the person who is going to set up the guitar for me will know to do this. It looks like the screw has been set well higher than the pickup cover by the previous owner in an attempt to improve the strength and resonance....but from what you are saying the opposite actually will result in improved tone and sustain ?

[80LPC]

I agree with Dynadude, when pickups are too close to strings the sound can become distorted. The worst culprits are conventional Strat type pickups which generate 'wolf tones'.