I’ve spent many an hour with a screwdriver trying to get the perfect pickup height on my burst. Watching the Throbak video was the best source of info in terms of guidance. I went to a guitar shop and played some Gibson 58 reissues which were stunning. They sounded much better than burst, which sounded weedy in comparison. Turns out the pickups were too low on the burst. It’s funny to think of those millimetres having such a difference.
I’m getting a much more compressed tone now which is nice under the fingers too. It rocks.
Has anyone else had a similar experience?
Comments
Had the same issue with a bridge humbucker that I found too bright on the high E string and seriously considered buying an expensive one. I lowered the treble side and bingo - problem solved.
I honestly think a lot of people don't realise how vital pickup height is (espectially on non-ceramics), and they blame the actual pickups, the brand, the number of windings, the magnets, whether it's potted or not etc etc etc when they sound bad. And people criticise pickups on youtube or whatever without even considering the pickup height first. It's why I can't trust pickup reviews anymore. It's one of those things that I have to physically try and tweak for myself. There's no such things as a standard "optimum" height either. It's all in the players ears.
Now I keep a screwdriver close at hand wherever my guitars are
just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
My trading feedback: https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/210335/yorkie
I don't publish 'recommended pickup heights because folks tend to slavishly set that ... and ignore the fact it may be totally wrong for their setup and tastes.
My own way of adjusting is to bring pickups literally in too close to the strings, then start to gradually back off, till I'm happy with the tonal/output balance. Other folks start the other way ... it makes no odds, but it's the very first thing to do with a new guitar after setting the action, and you won't get the best out of original or replacement pickups unless you put a bit of work into dialling them in.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Once dialled in to my taste, I measured the height to the unfretted underside of the strings and they within a gnats of 4mm neck and 2mm bridge, as per the Throback recommended starting point for PAFs
these days I set the pickups basically to the bottom of the screw, then adjust it higher until I like it. It’s such an easy adjustment to make that does make a massive difference.
From my experience before my "lightbulb" moment, I'd googled and youtube'd so many things when researching which pickups to buy for my mod project and not once did I come across articles or videos about tips on pickup height. Granted this was more than 10 years ago- so maybe that played a part. But had I known about this back then I probably would have bought different pickups, or not bothered upgrading them at all!
I made the guy a coffee and took the guitar into the workshop ... the pickups were disappearing into the pickup rings ... WAY too low ... I adjusted them for him and he was gobsmacked at the difference. Apparently some mate of his at a local blues jam told him the pickups should be that low for a proper PAF tone ... hummm
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
I watched a "ceramic vs alnico" video and some comments there said alnicos are weaker than ceramics therefore should be high up close to the strings to maximise them. But no context in their advice whatsoever. How many pickups are in the guitar? Too many pickups close to the strings might be too much magnetic pull, I thought. What kind of alnico pickups are they? They might be higher output and don't need to be so close to the strings. So on and so forth. So there are probably loads of people out there now who've inadvertently dampened the vibrations on their strings too much because of those little nuggets of advice.
A f**king good start!
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Bandcamp
Spotify, Apple et al
I think it’s because we’ve been conditioned to buy things rather than learn to use them. You see it particularly on US forums: “What can I buy that will make me sound like xyz”. The answer is of course “nothing”. Instead learn to play like xyz with what you’ve got.
The search for quick profit has taken us away from building a relationship with a supplier. I used to use CTS pots because they were reliable, and gave a smooth transition. The latest ones I bought didn’t do either.
I have them quite high at the mo, the pole pieces around 2mm from the strings but the pickups are weak with what I assume is less magnetic pull (?). They are Mojo low wind PAFs with an Alnico 4 in the neck and 2 in the bridge.