pickup height???

[JG806]

Where is a good place to start, in general, for Tele bridge pup? 5mm from the strings? Obviously there are many factors to get to the final right height for the user. Just looking for a recommended starting point. I'll adjust from there and find what I like.

[sjtalon]

1/8" bass 7/64" treble side....... fretting the stings at the last fret

[woodman]

i usually start with the two-nickel thang — slide a nickel under your high E so it sets on the pickup; hold string down at last fret; and lower string til it barely touches the nickel. then do the same thing with two nickels under your low E. this will generally get you in the ballpark. then touch them up by sound through the amp ... in my experience, higher settings will get you more deep bottom end; lower will thin it out, decrease boom and accentuate the twang. home in on the sweet spot as regards *your* guitar and amp. all else is theory. at least that's my theory!

[Tony Reid]

Depends on the magnet type. A3 like to be up close and personal. A5 sound better a bit further away. YMMV

[Amby]

Originally Posted by woodman

i usually start with the two-nickel thang — slide a nickel under your high E so it sets on the pickup; hold string down at last fret; and lower string til it barely touches the nickel. then do the same thing with two nickels under your low E. this will generally get you in the ballpark. then touch them up by sound through the amp ... in my experience, higher settings will get you more deep bottom end; lower will thin it out, decrease boom and accentuate the twang. home in on the sweet spot as regards *your* guitar and amp. all else is theory. at least that's my theory!

+1

[surfoverb]

Originally Posted by Tony Reid

Depends on the magnet type. A3 like to be up close and personal. A5 sound better a bit further away. YMMV

+1

I just do 1 nickel on both sides then lower the bass a tad and/or raise the treble some. This is cheaper than the 2 nickel method.

For an even cheaper method use a virtual nickel, a virtual nickel measures about 2mm.

[garymaddox]

Ok... let me make sure I understand this process:

Put a nickel on the neck pup and fret at the first fret (F) then raise or lower the pickup on the treble side. Correct?

I do appreciate Surfoverb's money saving tip! I'd hate to have to take a loan in today's economy...

[surfoverb]

Originally Posted by garymaddox

Ok... let me make sure I understand this process:

Put a nickel on the neck pup and fret at the first fret (F) then raise or lower the pickup on the treble side. Correct?

No. Fret the last fret with the nickel on the bridge pickup. Or just measure 2mm from the top of the pole to the bottom of the string with the last fret fretted (the virtual nickel, a nickel measure 1.95mm).

[GuitarJonz]

Originally Posted by surfoverb

No. Fret the last fret with the nickel on the bridge pickup. Or just measure 2mm from the top of the pole to the bottom of the string with the last fret fretted (the virtual nickel, a nickel measure 1.95mm).

+1, dial in the bridge pup first, then raise/lower the neck pup until you get the tone & output that you like for both neck & middle positions. With standard single coils, I've always found that a slightly less loud neck pickup adjustment gives better twang and spank in the middle switch position. If you adjust both neck and bridge to be perfectly balanced in volume, the middle position sounds too much like the neck alone.

[davidge1]

With the bridge pickup that close to the strings, doesn't that make it impossible to balance the volume of the two pickups? In order to get a balanced volume, I think you would have to get the neck pickup as close to the strings as possible, and the bridge pickup farther away. Or do you guys just live with the fact that one pickup is louder than the other and compensate some other way? I hate using the guitar's volume control, because it also rolls off some highs.

[surfoverb]

Originally Posted by davidge1

With the bridge pickup that close to the strings, doesn't that make it impossible to balance the volume of the two pickups? In order to get a balanced volume, I think you would have to get the neck pickup as close to the strings as possible, and the bridge pickup farther away. Or do you guys just live with the fact that one pickup is louder than the other and compensate some other way? I hate using the guitar's volume control, because it also rolls off some highs.

yeah depending on the output of the neck pickup...I prefer lower wind neck PUPs they sound better to me, I don't try and get them perfectly balanced, I think they sound better when theres more bridge than evenly matched. I do drop the bridge a tad if they are way outta wack. I put the neck as close as I can go, like 1.5mm or so.

[davidge1]

surfoverb, What do you do to compensate for the change in volume when switching between pickups? Do you use the guitar's volume knob, or adjust it on the amp?

[surfoverb]

Originally Posted by davidge1

surfoverb, What do you do to compensate for the change in volume when switching between pickups? Do you use the guitar's volume knob, or adjust it on the amp?

volume knob