pup height

[tot_Ou_tard]

I have a Godin SD a 24 3/4" scale HSS guitar.

I've been messing around with the pup heights. I've heard reccomendations of like 4/64"-8/64" as a good distance of a single coil to the strings.

Well the adjustment on mine won't let it anywhere near that close & the action is set pretty low.


Who the heck would want a middle pup that close to the strings?? It would totally get in the way of my pick or fingers.

They are pretty dang punchy up as high as they can go.

Are those numbers BS or are they for Alnico magnets or what?

 

[just strum]

Ok, here is a rookie question, how do you adjust them?

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Ok, here is a rookie question, how do you adjust them?

There are screws on either side of the pups. Get a small watchmaker's type screwdriver & give them a spin & the pup will adjust on that side. Often the treble side is made to be closer to the strings.

 

[just strum]

There are screws on either side of the pups. Get a small watchmaker's type screwdriver & give them a spin & the pup will adjust on that side. Often the treble side is made to be closer to the strings.

And what it the objective - is it a tone adjustment? a volume adjustment?

Is there any danger of adjusting too much and the screw falls out or even worse, the pup?

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

And what it the objective - is it a tone adjustment? a volume adjustment?

Is there any danger of adjusting too much and the screw falls out or even worse, the pup?

Volume & tone adjustment.

Looky here:

http://www.bothner.co.za/articles/pickupheight.shtml

& yes, the screws on the bridge humbucker of my Godin SD have a tendency to come loose.

 

[street music]

I just checked the guide in my Guitar Player Setup Guide and found the recommended settings , Neck pickup 3/32" on treble side and Bass side too.
Bridge pickup 1/16" on each side.
The settings on Strats recommend 3/32" on treble and 1/8" on bass side.
It sure can change the volume and tone too from what I have found. You know it's too close when you get a G or B that just won't seem to stop.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

I just checked the guide in my Guitar Player Setup Guide and found the recommended settings , Neck pickup 3/32" on treble side and Bass side too.
Bridge pickup 1/16" on each side.
The settings on Strats recommend 3/32" on treble and 1/8" on bass side.
It sure can change the volume and tone too from what I have found. You know it's too close when you get a G or B that just won't seem to stop.

Well my pups just ain't getting that close...so be it. It sounds dang good anyhoo.

 

[Bloozcat]

If I'm not mistaken, the SD has one volume, and one tone. Is that correct?

I can't relate directly to that set-up, but when it comes to Strats, I have my middle pickup set very close to the pickguard. I do have the tone control removed from that pickup and moved to the bridge pickup, though. With this set-up, the middle pickup alone is more useful that any setting with the tone pot still attached. The pickup is raw, punchy, nasaly, and great for rock/blues rythyms and leads. In the notch positions, it quacks like a horny duck on ******. Much better quack than with the stock wiring set-up.

So, yeah, it is about tone...

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

If I'm not mistaken, the SD has one volume, and one tone. Is that correct?

I can't relate directly to that set-up, but when it comes to Strats, I have my middle pickup set very close to the pickguard. I do have the tone control removed from that pickup and moved to the bridge pickup, though. With this set-up, the middle pickup alone is more useful that any setting with the tone pot still attached. The pickup is raw, punchy, nasaly, and great for rock/blues rythyms and leads. In the notch positions, it quacks like a horny duck on ******. Much better quack than with the stock wiring set-up.

So, yeah, it is about tone...

One volume, one tone,


...one beer...let's drink to the King of the Blues.

John Lee!

Blooz, the middle pup doesn't get in your way that close to the strings?

Then again, I play alot with my fingers.

How does wiring the tone to the bridge affect quack?

Do you roll the bridge tone back a bit?

 

[warren0728]

One volume, one tone,


...one beer...let's drink to the King of the Blues.

John Lee!

that song still gets regular play on my ipod and "home system" which is my mac and harmon kardon soundsticks and a harddrive full of mp3's! :dude:

ww

 

[duhvoodooman]

Blooz, the middle pup doesn't get in your way that close to the strings?

Tot, he said "very close to the pickguard"--that means farther away from the strings.

Hmm, I may have to try that out myself--sounds interesting, BC!

One thing to look out for if you get the pickup too close to the strings (esp. with fairly hot single coils) is that you may start picking up "wolf tones", discordant spurious tones caused by the string vibration being interfered with by the magnetic field of the pickup. Hard to describe, but you'll know 'em when you hear 'em, and they aren't good! Strat-style guitars are particularly prone to them. I have to be careful with the heights of the Texas Special pickups in my Strat Plus for exactly this reason....

 

[marnold]

Those measurements are beginning points. I found with my Area 61s that a) they are VERY sensitive to height adjustments and b) they sounded better to me far lower than suggested. I don't know the exact measurements. Judge with your ears, not your eyes. You don't want to get true single coils too close to the strings or you'll get the dreaded "Stratitis" warbling. You'll hear it.

As far as the pickups coming off, the screws on my Floyd's pickups are so long that the pickups would have to be over a 1/4" below the pickguard before they'd be in danger of coming off.

 

[Bloozcat]

DVM,

It really has done wonders for the middle pickup. With no tone control on it, it has no load at all, so it really needs to be set away from the strings quite a bit to get the right tone.

The tone that I get from the middle pickup alone now, is sort of like a bridge/middle, but with a lot more body, and some really nice snarl when pushed. Of course, it's louder too, as are the three seperate pickup positions normally. It adds another really nice SRV-ish tone that I could never get with a middle pickup before as well. I've done it on each of my Strats, the Kinman AVN Blues equiped included. The Kinman's really benefitted from this mod. It opened up the tone quite a bit, away from a darker tone.

Try it, you might like it. And....it doesn't cost a thing to do (unlike most of our mods... )

 

[street music]

Very good guys the recommended setup clearances are starting points and then you adjust from there for the sound and clearances that suit each player. I tried on a strat and couldn't leave them that close. On my Godin with P90s it is easier to get them close.

 

[duhvoodooman]

It adds another really nice SRV-ish tone that I could never get with a middle pickup before as well.

Yer baitin' me here, BC! You know that all you need to do is to drop an "SRV" reference in there, and I'll be firing up the soldering iron as soon as I get home!!

Seriously, that sounds like something worthwhile to try on my new-to-me MIK Squier Strat. As you said, it's free, and it's certainly easy, as well as reversible, if I decide I don't like it.... :AOK:

 

[Bloozcat]

Yer baitin' me here, BC! You know that all you need to do is to drop an "SRV" reference in there, and I'll be firing up the soldering iron as soon as I get home!!

Seriously, that sounds like something worthwhile to try on my new-to-me MIK Squier Strat. As you said, it's free, and it's certainly easy, as well as reversible, if I decide I don't like it.... :AOK:

I love the smell of solder in the morning. It smells like....solder in the morning, what else?

You're just a few (SRV) burns away from (SRV) tonal bliss (SRV), DVM...

 

[warren0728]

I love the smell of solder in the morning. It smells like....solder in the morning, what else?

victory....if done right :AOK:

ww

 

[marnold]

victory....if done right :AOK:

ww

And third-degree burns if it isn't

 

[Bloozcat]

victory....if done right :AOK:

ww

Ahh...too obvious. I couldn't say it....

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Tot, he said "very close to the pickguard"--that means farther away from the strings.
....

Ooops, just another in a long line of misreadings on my part.

 

[tjcurtin1]

One caveat I've read about pickups too close to the strings is that the magnetic field actually can hinder (dampen) the vibration of the strings...