Tele bridge pickup - "normal" height?

[Rich_S]

I just noticed today that the bridge pickup in my Nashville seems really high - I guess I never bothered to check the height after I swapped in the Duncan stack a few months ago.

This may explain why the guitar seems less twangy than your normal Tele, and the big disparity in volume between my bridge and middle pickups.

I realize every case is different, and I'll need to tweak it to taste, but what's the starting point? What's the "normal" pickup height for a Tele bridge? And, to where is that measured? Top of bobbin, top of poles? What about staggered poles with the raised G/D?

Thanks.

 

[Sanford]

Re: Tele bridge pickup - "normal" height?

I don't usually go by the numbers on pickup heights, I just start with the bobbins level with the pickguard or guitar top and go up from there if needed.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Tele bridge pickup - "normal" height?

i dont know what normal height is. lower will twang harder but not be as thick

 

[Curly]

Re: Tele bridge pickup - "normal" height?

I usually start with Fender specs, 3/32" treble side; 4/32" bass side:

PICKUPS
Set too high, pickups can cause myriad inexplicable phenomena. Depress all the strings at the last fret. Using a 6" (150 mm) ruler, measure the distance from the bottom of the first and sixth strings to the top of the pole piece. A good rule of thumb is that the distance should be greatest at the sixth-string neck pickup position, and closest at the first-string bridge pickup position. Follow the measurement guidelines in the chart below as starting points. The distance will vary according to the amount of magnetic pull from the pickup.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Tele bridge pickup - "normal" height?

My Fender Hot Rod '52 Telecaster treble pickup is set at 7/64" treble, 9/64" bass side.

Allow for the fact that the Hot Rod T pickup is hotter than standard and with slightly raised equal height polepieces. Your pickup may well be different.

Like Curly posted above, start from the Fender suggested settings and tweek from there.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Tele bridge pickup - "normal" height?

I put them at three dimes (0.15").

That's lower than I put humbuckers, P90 and Strat pickups that generally go 2 dimes in the bridge.

I'm surprised this is Fender spec, I feel like a Tele bridge pickup is kicking me in the face at 0.10" height.