Pickup angle vs string angle?

[Artie]

I have a friends Gibson SG for some minor work, (pot & switch cleaning), and he may offer it for sale. I, of course, can't help but think about it.

My question is about the pickup angle. They're mounted normally, which makes them on the same plane with the pickguard. Since this has a tilt-back neck, they're at an odd angle with the strings. Does anyone care about this? Do you try to match the pickup angle with the strings?

P.S. I have some errands to run, so may not reply to your replies 'til later today. Thanks all. Just curious.

 

[beaubrummels]

Yeah, SGs, if they don't have rings, make a kind of stair-step angle to the strings. I just make sure when fretted the strings don't contact the leading edge of the pickup cover or bobbins.

These days, on my humbucker SG, I always use rings to help angle them more along the strings. (I don't screw the rings to the pickguard, I just use them like a washer between the pickup mounting screws and the pickguard.). On a P90 SG there's isn't much you can do, you have to live with it.

 

[freefrog]

I was about to evoke the same trick than Beaubrummels: I use unscrewed rings too. ;-)

Sometimes I also "shim" the pickups to correct their angle under the strings. Sometimes not. Depends on the balance noticed between frequencies...

 

[Mr. B]

I just stick some foam under the low side of the pickup. Not perfect, but better than stock.

 

[GuitarStv]

I actually think humbuckers sound better when angled with the bobbin closer to the neck closer to the strings.

 

[Wound_Up]

I have a friends Gibson SG for some minor work, (pot & switch cleaning), and he may offer it for sale. I, of course, can't help but think about it.

My question is about the pickup angle. They're mounted normally, which makes them on the same plane with the pickguard. Since this has a tilt-back neck, they're at an odd angle with the strings. Does anyone care about this? Do you try to match the pickup angle with the strings?

P.S. I have some errands to run, so may not reply to your replies 'til later today. Thanks all. Just curious.

I have an LP-style gold top with P90s that looks like this. It doesn't bother me and I have no idea if it affects how the guitar sounds. Since they're screwed to the inside of the pickup routes, theyre at the same angle as the floor of those routes and that doesn't match up with the angled neck. Oh well. It doesn't bother me one bit.

 

[Chistopher]

I once played a show where every member of the audience walked out once they found out my pickups were angeled.

 

[dave74]

I set the bridge pickup to be very close to parallel with the strings when the strings are fretted at the 24th (or whatever last fret).
This way the bridge side of the pickup is a tiny bit closer when playing open or near the nut.

Neck pickups I set about flat, or parallel with the open strings.

 

[Artie]

Just got home. Thanks for the insight everyone. This SG sounds good. I guess I'll decide how I want those pups to lay after I decide if I buy it.

I really really shouldn't.

 

[beaubrummels]

I have an LP-style gold top with P90s that looks like this. It doesn't bother me and I have no idea if it affects how the guitar sounds. Since they're screwed to the inside of the pickup routes, theyre at the same angle as the floor of those routes and that doesn't match up with the angled neck. Oh well. It doesn't bother me one bit.

On a P90 it won't matter because that's a single coil. On humbuckers, the SG puts the bridge screw coil further from the strings than the slug coil, and the neck screw coil closer to the string than the slug coil. It does make a slight difference in the sound. The bridge will lose some slight brightness and edge, and the neck will be slightly thinner sounding.

 

[Artie]

Like I said, it sounds good. I suppose I should leave it alone.

 

[raystone]

I had the same problem with a neck pickup on a 335 the screw coil was really angled away from the strings and sounded muddy i reversed the pickup ring and it sounded like a 335 again

 

[Gtrjunior]

I just stick some foam under the low side of the pickup. Not perfect, but better than stock.

Exactly what I was going to say

 

[Artie]

I just stick some foam under the low side of the pickup. Not perfect, but better than stock.

So . . . you do prefer the pup to line up with the strings?

 

[Seashore]

The only time it's a problem for me is if I can't get the screw coil on the bridge pickup close enough to the strings without them hitting the other edge, but then I just raise the pole pieces. I have a 498T with severe divots from back when I didn't know any better.

 

[Artie]

Thanks all. This thing sounds great. Now I just gotta decide between another guitar or a divorce. :banghead:

 

[Cdwillis]

I bought a replacement pickguard for my SG Special and put a pickup ring on the bridge because the angle seemed so severe to me. I think it did make a difference. Personally, I think that is where some of the "thinner than a Les Paul" comments come from that people make about SGs. That plus the 70s SGs had those patent pickups and T-tops that aren't nearly as hot as the older PAFs.

I ended up buying a replacement pickguard and attaching the pickup ring to the pickguard itself. I enlarged the original pickup screw holes in the pickguard so that it would allow enough room for screws to sit at the new angle from the pickup ring. Also I had to drill a hole in the body for the pickup ring screw closest to the pots otherwise the mounting screw wouldn't go sit flush with the ring.