Need Help with P-90 pup heights

[jonnymangia]

I'm having trouble adjusting the P90 heights on my LP R6. I noticed there are two screws in the pickup, towards the middle, so I'm under the impression those control the pup heights. I'm screwing them up and then down and the pups don't move at all. WHat am I doing wrong?

 

[Amateur]

Re: Need Help with P-90 pup heights

I don't know about the Gibson LP R6, but my 67 SG has soap bar P90s and they have two screws on each side of the pickup for height adjustment with two screws on the pickup to attach the cover to the backplate because you can't solder any metal to the plastic cover.

 

[greco]

Re: Need Help with P-90 pup heights

I'm guessing thst you are using the correct screws, but that the pickup might be somehow "stuck" and the screw holes have possibly become "threaded" in the wood...this is a long shot guess. Can you move the pickup downwards by pushing gently on it?

Is the upward pressure on the pickup being accomplished by a short piece of rubber tubing that the screw passes through...or did someone come up with some other type of system under the pickup that is just not working?

Is this the same guitar as in your avatar ?

Dave

 

[jonnymangia]

Re: Need Help with P-90 pup heights

I'm guessing thst you are using the correct screws, but that the pickup might be somehow "stuck" and the screw holes have possibly become "threaded" in the wood...this is a long shot guess. Can you move the pickup downwards by pushing gently on it?

Is the upward pressure on the pickup being accomplished by a short piece of rubber tubing that the screw passes through...or did someone come up with some other type of system under the pickup that is just not working?

Is this the same guitar as in your avatar ?

Dave

Yes it is the same gtr as in my avatar. Here are closer pics of it.

 

[greco]

Re: Need Help with P-90 pup heights

Great looking guitar !!

Any success/progress with adjusting the pickup height(s) ?

 

[austin]

Re: Need Help with P-90 pup heights

If the pickups have been mounted on top of foam (as opposed to springs), it's possible that they've been at the same height so long that the foam as compressed. However, if this is the case, you should still be able to unscrew the height screws and then manually pull the pickup up. If this works, you might need to replace the foam with actual springs to allow for easier height adjustment. Hope this helps.

-Austin

 

[jonnymangia]

Re: Need Help with P-90 pup heights

Guys from the LP Forum told me this guitar does not allow for pickup heights to be adjusted. They said people remove the screws then shimmy the pups up with either springs or popsicle sticks(!). They also advised to raise the pole piece which seem to be more sensitive in P90's than buckers.

 

[ES350]

Re: Need Help with P-90 pup heights

Of course you can adjust them---take them out, put a couple chunks of foam underneath, and screw them back in. The stock springs don't provide enough pressure to raise them up beyond a certain height and sometimes you have problems when the pu is tilted as one edge catches---not a lot of room in that rout.

 

[greendy123]

Re: Need Help with P-90 pup heights

To raise the height on mine I just stuck bits of cotton balls in there for support underneath the p90s.

 

[ashbass]

Re: Need Help with P-90 pup heights

I have an R4 and use little shims cut from an old credit card and thinner ones cut from the black plastic piece inside an Ibanez TubeScreamer. I think the point of using shims instead of putting a spring or similar under the pup is to keep the pickup as tightly coupled to the body as possible so that the magic tone of the guitar is better perceived by the pickup. My shims are plastic so even there some of the 'magic tone' is robbed away, but popsicle sticks (wood!) were too thick for the height I needed.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Need Help with P-90 pup heights

Just go with springs if you make frequent height adjustments. Shims don't allow you to adjust on the fly.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Need Help with P-90 pup heights

got springs in my studio w/ 90's.