Setting Pickup Height "Perfectly"

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Setting Pickup Height "Perfectly"

Only the Sith deal in absolutes.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Setting Pickup Height "Perfectly"

Good pickups can be like a pair of closely fitted corduroy pants. They occasionally need adjusting, even if they seemed fine a minute ago.

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[dpaterson]

Re: Setting Pickup Height "Perfectly"

Good morning all.

Thanks for the posts. Most inspirational and some very amusing.

eclecticsynergy:

It took me a minute to understand in the OP that he means the string will stop ringing because it has made contact with the stacked feeler gauges. Once I realized that the method made sense as a way of getting to a predetermined spec correctly.

Exactly. Thanks for that. Was just trying to make life a little easier for some is all. Certainly was not attempting to say that my desired pickup height is "perfect" for all and agree that it is indeed SUBJECTIVE.

Regards,

Dale.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Setting Pickup Height "Perfectly"

Good pickups can be like a pair of closely fitted corduroy pants. They occasionally need adjusting, even if they seemed fine a minute ago.

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Wait wait wait,, you wear corduroy?

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Setting Pickup Height "Perfectly"

I don't deal in exacts on guitar stuff because it is a futile chase. I try to start at the same point and adjust from there.

People spend waaaaay to much time getting worked up over dumb **** when they should be focused on making music.

I cant tell you how much more music ive made since I stopped chasing minutia, I don't spend hours upon hours swapping things around and twisting knobs worrying if the telefunken tube was the right choice for V1 maybe I should try the CV4004 in that slot... Now if its good its perfect... much happier that way

 

[Demanic]

Re: Setting Pickup Height "Perfectly"

Wait wait wait,, you wear corduroy?

Not for about 40 years now, but I still recall the experience.

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[beaubrummels]

Re: Setting Pickup Height "Perfectly"

I think the OP method is a fine way to set the height from the strings consistently, to use as a starting point.

 

[Bruce Reed]

Re: Setting Pickup Height "Perfectly"

When I was younger, I set all my pickups, which were ceramics like Distortions or Invaders as close to the strings as possible. Now, I use alnico single coils and PAFs, and set them to where they sound good. Ironically, they're all super far from the strings now.

I find myself in that position now. Always set my pickups as close as they'd get in order to get a "hot as signal" as possible, or so I thought. Now I just want as much tone and sustain as I can get. Time to grab my guitars and actually listen to what they sound like before settling on a height. Great input, folks!

 

[Demanic]

Re: Setting Pickup Height "Perfectly"

Every pickup has a sweet spot. The more powerful the magnet in the pickup, the farther from the strings you can set it and still get plenty of signal.

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[Bodeanicus]

Re: Setting Pickup Height "Perfectly"

Set your amp's tone controls to 12 o'clock, grab the correct screwdriver, and use your ears.

Works for me.

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[Bodeanicus]

Re: Setting Pickup Height "Perfectly"

I am going to assume you didn't intend for this to sound as jerky as it comes across.

There is no "perfection" in music, just what works best for that person.

Which is exactly what he said. There are no hard, written in stone rules for pickup height. Just guidelines for employees of the manufacturer to use on final adjustment before shipping. The height adjustment screws are there for a reason.

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[Chistopher]

Re: Setting Pickup Height "Perfectly"

Set your amp's tone controls to 12 o'clock, grab the correct screwdriver, and use your ears.

Works for me.

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I prefer to set my amp as best as it can get, then adjust the pickup height.