Gibson Pickup Height PSA

astrozombie

astrozombie

KatyPerryologist
Does your Gibson Les Paul sound like a cheap flute?

Does your neck pickup sound like one of those Yamaha keyboards you could get at Costco in the 2000s?

Hi, I’m astrozombie and for the past 15 years or so, I’ve played the electric guitar. Without knowing it, that terrible quality I couldn’t describe about my sound his from me for years. I had no idea what the issue was.

I started using the pickups further away from the strings and solved everything. The chime is back. I had no idea I had been using such a compressed sound for so long.

Give it a shot!

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Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

I used to mount them as high as they could go; I've taken to starting my pickups very low, and slowly edging them up if there is a need. Humbuckers tend to stay a bit lower, as in a few mm higher than the pickguard. Some pickups like to be higher; Lace Sensors or Jazzmaster bridge pickups for example.
 
Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

Silence Kid said:
I used to mount them as high as they could go; I've taken to starting my pickups very low, and slowly edging them up if there is a need. Humbuckers tend to stay a bit lower, as in a few mm higher than the pickguard. Some pickups like to be higher; Lace Sensors or Jazzmaster bridge pickups for example.
Click to expand...

I like to set it at around 1/16 of an inch and then, while listening to the guitar, lower then until the compression becomes minimal and the dynamics are back.


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Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

I guess it depends on the guitar, pickups, player, string size, etc...in other words, everything.
 
Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

Dude! That LP is really great looking! Zebras, flame, color, so cool.

People should take notice of p/up height from guitars that they know and like the sound of. Your ear will be the best guide but i always wondered why so many player ran their neck height almost even with the top of the ring. They just sound good that way.
 
Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

I've always used the 'ear' method, too. But many don't trust their ears, especially beginning players, or can't tell if one sound is 'better' than another. I guess that explains the dozens of 'What height should my pickups be?' questions on this and many other forums. Usually, it takes me a few passes- my ears get tired quickly, so in 20 minutes everything starts sounding the same to me, so I take a break and go at it again in a few hours. There is usually one height (I've never measured mine) where it sounds noticeably better, but you have to be in the right frame of mind to hear it. Otherwise, just stick with a standard height (like measure your stock pickup height before you take it out) and enjoy it until you feel up to experimenting.
 
Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

I am often surprised to see guitars with pickups raised to within a few mm's of the strings.

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Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

It would be helpful to beginners if we can specify the distance using the open string, or fretted at 22.
 
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Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

Bridge pickups in my guitars range from as low as it can go (80s duncan designed kramer) to within 3/16 of the string (PJmarx 212) and I usually have the rest of the pickups nearly flush with the pickup rings..........or however low the screw length will allow.
 
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Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

I'm the other way around. I usually like my pickups as high as they can go without my heavy picking making clicky/clanky noises with the strings hitting the polepieces. I am pretty heavy handed, so that usually ends up being lower than you'd think. But I like the big, fat, heavy punchy tone of humbuckers close to the strings.
 
Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

Rex_Rocker said:
I'm the other way around. I usually like my pickups as high as they can go without my heavy picking making clicky/clanky noises with the strings hitting the polepieces. I am pretty heavy handed, so that usually ends up being lower than you'd think. But I like the big, fat, heavy punchy tone of humbuckers close to the strings.
Click to expand...
All of the bridge pickups that I use are high output. I have found that the heaviest tone that I get from them is when I have them significantly lower than what I have seen others use for a similar application.

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Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

The neck and middle Texas Specials in my Strat are almost flush with the guard, and the bridge is way higher. I started the G&L’s pickups at similar heights, but they sound good raised quite a bit. The PAFs in my ‘62 SG are close to flush with the rings.
 
Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

Demanic said:
All of the bridge pickups that I use are high output. I have found that the heaviest tone that I get from them is when I have them significantly lower than what I have seen others use for a similar application.

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Click to expand...
Each to his own. :)
 
Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

I usually go with the neck pickup even with or slightly above the mounting ring, the adjust the bridge pickup until the volume is the same.
 
Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

Mincer said:
I guess it depends on the guitar, pickups, player, string size, etc...in other words, everything.
Click to expand...

Correct as usual from you Mr. Mincer.

Myself I like to run the neck pickup at around 1/8” from the strings at the last fret and the bridge pickup at around 5/64”




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Gibson Pickup Height PSA

Thundermtn said:
Dude! That LP is really great looking! Zebras, flame, color, so cool.

People should take notice of p/up height from guitars that they know and like the sound of. Your ear will be the best guide but i always wondered why so many player ran their neck height almost even with the top of the ring. They just sound good that way.
Click to expand...

Thanks! She is truly a monumental instrument. I can’t say enough good things about this guitar. I don’t think it makes me better than anyone else but at the same time I am fiercely proud of this guitar. It really is a kickass example. I got really really lucky. It’s a 2016. I also have an explorer from the same year. They really knocked it out of the park in 2016. Buy 2016 without fear.


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Edit:

I had to keep lowering the neck pickup because it kept sounding compressed and boomy and not as distinct as I wanted it to. Eventually it took on an almost single coil like texture, much closer to a fender sound than that super thick stock Gibson humbucker sound we’ve come to know from all those experiments at guitar stores. It just so happened to end up almost below the ring. I to have noticed this to be a trend.

So I set that first and then adjusted the bridge until it had that same dynamic quality and stopped sounding so wooly and compressed.

I hate the wrong kind of midrange.
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Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

JB_From_Hell said:
The neck and middle Texas Specials in my Strat are almost flush with the guard, and the bridge is way higher. I started the G&L’s pickups at similar heights, but they sound good raised quite a bit. The PAFs in my ‘62 SG are close to flush with the rings.
Click to expand...

I’ve wondered what the fenders I used to have could have sounded like if I was so inclined to tinker with this in particular.


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Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

To me, those pickups do not look low; they look "about normal." The bridge pickup actually looks higher than most.
 
Re: Gibson Pickup Height PSA

FWIW, here is a pic of the current setup on my '04 Standard. In the past, using different amps and playing slightly different music, I have run these pickups (the stock Burstbucker V's) even lower, like in the second pic.

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