Pickup height basics, please!

[poodlesrule]

I seem to be somewhat ignorant about pickup heights basics.

- start way low, versus way high, or other method?

- what if the balance between bass and treble side response isn't?

I understand this may vary across pickup types. I am curious about P90s, right now.

Bonus; if I get great responses, I will make the forum "Donations" box creep up a bit... it's a win-win!

[marnold]

How about this? It depends.

No really. Generally speaking with humbuckers or active pickups you can get pretty close to the strings. Whether you'll like how that sounds is another matter. Normal single coils can have a stronger pull on the strings. If you get them too close, you get what is often referred to as "Stratitis"--kind of a warbly sound.

On my old Floyd Rose I put the DiMarzio Area 61s close to the strings because the instructions recommended that. They don't have the pull that normal singles do. I didn't like them that close. I just sat there with a screwdriver and made adjustments until I liked what I heard. Height had a huge impact on those pups.

On my DK2M I have the humbuckers set where I like them individually. The bridge JB is very close to the strings. The neck Jazz is backed off quite a bit. The disadvantage of that is when I have both pups together. The bridge tends to dominate quite a bit. I don't mind that, but some people might. The bass side of the JB is slightly higher than the treble side. To my ears, the string-to-string volume sounds more even that way.

[Tig]

I've read a few articles in the past, and just found this guide which covers everything:
http://www.ratcliffe.co.za/articles/pickupheight.shtml
:)

[Spudman]

Humbuckers you can set close to the strings if you like. The sound is more compressed as you dig in and play. As you lower the pickups they become sharper in attack and the notes will ring a little clearer. Notes and chords sound more open by going lower.

Singles coils, as Marnold points out, tug on the strings if they are too close and cause warbling in the notes. Lowering them opens them up, increases sustain and sharpens attack as well as making the notes sound clearer.

P90s are larger single coils so the same thing applies as with other single coils. You can use the adjustable screws (poles), if needed, in the pickups to balance the string output so that the overall pickup sounds balanced.

[deeaa]

I need not care with actives - they just need to be low enough so I don't mangle the surface with a pick, other than that it makes little difference. Way low and the output suffers, of course.

People have already answered very well, IMO, nothing to add, really. I like to get as strong a signal as I can to counter noise and such, so I always started way high, just so it can be played, and then lower till I notice an increase in clarity and definition, just find a suitable strong point where it's not causing problems. Singles and I guess P90's will have to be set a little lower than buckers.

[poodlesrule]

P90s are larger single coils.... You can use the adjustable screws (poles), if needed, in the pickups to balance the string output so that the overall pickup sounds balanced.

Ah, forgot about the individual pole height
How far can you screw them in or out, safely?

Very useful answers, overall.

[Katastrophe]

You know, I've never had to adjust individual pole heights on my guitars... Just overall pickup height. I usually like to start with the pickup low, and work my way up, plucking strings as I go. Amp is set on clean tones. I haven't had to adjust my Strat's pickups. Seems like Fender got 'em right at the factory. The middle pickup, incidentally, is almost flush with the pickguard, and the bridge and neck are somewhere in the middle.

[kiteman]

Ah, forgot about the individual pole height
How far can you screw them in or out, safely?

Very useful answers, overall.

Screwing the poles out introduce more treble.

[Spudman]

Screwing the poles out introduce more treble.


Actually, it balances out magnetic variances in string pull thereby balancing out the different volumes of the strings much in the way Fender does with staggered pole height on Strat pickups.

[poodlesrule]

I just learned by experience(!) that the poles are screwed in a soft plastic on some P90s... and the threaded part can easily bunged, if you look at it the wrong way.

Now I need to retrieve that pole from the pole "well".

[jtees4]

The only real basics are. Turn screw to the right to raise, screw to the left to lower. Try, listen, and repeat until you hear something you like.

[otaypanky]

I just learned by experience(!) that the poles are screwed in a soft plastic on some P90s... and the threaded part can easily bunged, if you look at it the wrong way.

Now I need to retrieve that pole from the pole "well"..

'sounds like the bobbin is stripped.
If you remove the pickup you should be able to push gently from the bottom and get it even with the others, then a bit of silicone applied at the bottom may hold it.

I don't mean to hijack the thread but instead give a tip of the hat to the folks at Seymour Duncan ---
I had that happen on a Duncan P-90 once and I certainly wasn't horsing it, geez, I barely turned the pole piece. It was in a PRS McCarty and I contacted PRS to find out what kind of pup it was because at the time I didn't know it was a Duncan. PRS folks told me what it was and next I called Duncan to see if they had a recommendation or to ask if I could buy a replacement. I was floored when the SD customer service guy insisted he send me a new p/u at no charge. I asked if he heard me when I had told him I bought the guitar used and that it was several years old? He said he didn't care ~~~ he was sending me one.
WoW! What remarkable support!

[poodlesrule]

.

'sounds like the bobbin is stripped.
If you remove the pickup you should be able to push gently from the bottom and get it even with the others, then a bit of silicone applied at the bottom may hold it.

Yes. I did push it back up and out, then very gently screwed it back in a bit.

This pick up may be relegated to a travel beater guitar, as I have spare set of P90s.

Good to note the SD goodwill.