How do you set up your pole screws/pickup height and why?

[Quencho092]

Right now I have

Neck Ant 2 Deluxe mini- Screws in a staggered formation facing the neck (sounds more even with the wound g ala strat stagger), about 2 mm away from the treble strings when fretting in the 12+ region

Seth lover N Bridge- about 1.5mm away from strings, with screws facing bridge and I screwed them in to recess that coil a bit and emphasize the fuller sound of the slug. I like having the slug closer to the strings relative to the screw poles for a fuller bridge sound, but since they guide the pattern of the mag field I feel that I'd get a better sound by reversing the pickup to get a mellower bridge sound.

I found that the seth comes alive in bridge when it's really hugging the strings, screwing the poles in deeper than the pickup cover dampens the highs and improves the body when it;s really hugging the strings.

How do you guys tweak your pole heights/pup heights and why? what do you like about your setup and how does it cater to what you play?

 

[Mad Raxz]

Re: How do you set up your pole screws/pickup height and why?

I feel that raising the screws adds presence rather than highs so I only raise em if I feel that the pup lacks bite. I have been doing it a lot lately, just using my ears, no particular measurement in mind. First find a nice pick up height then move the screws to match the radius of the strings and move from there.
Probably damaged my ears after years of rock n roll which would explain why I keep making my guitars brighter and brighter.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: How do you set up your pole screws/pickup height and why?

I adjust pickup height to set the tone, and the polepieces to balance the volume between pickups, and the volume between strings.

My screws end up quite a bit higher for the wound strings...or quite a bit lower for the plain strings, depending on what way you look at it. With a wound G, they basically look like the magnet stagger on an old Strat pickup. With a plain G, the G screw is by far the lowest screw of all, often decked against the bobbin, as low as it can go.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: How do you set up your pole screws/pickup height and why?

I just raise the bridge till the pickup starts to get muddy
then back off till its as loud and clear as can be
then raise the neck to match volumes with it

I dont mess with the pole pieces cause my fretboard and trem
are really flat any ways

if the weren't

I would raise the inner poles to match the volume of the E strings

 

[blueman335]

Re: How do you set up your pole screws/pickup height and why?

Dan Erlewine expalins this, I think in his book on setting up electrics. It's based on the fact that plain strings are louder than wound ones, and thick strinsg are louder than thin ones. This means that the D is the softest and the G the loudest. I think it goes (high to low): D, high E, A, B, G, low E.

I modify that and raise the high E thru G, have the low E flush with the cover, and the A in between those two heights. I do this because I like to solo a lot and want aggressive-sounding high strings.