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Encinitastubes · October 25th, 2009, 12:15 AM

Still plugging away on my new used Nocaster. The guitar's output is signifantly weaker than my ASAT Classic with Don Mare Super Sports and the high E string is softer than the rest of the strings. I noticed that the pickups seemed very low, at least a quarter inch below the strings. Is this normal? Also, the neck pickup is screwed directly into the wood such that it does not really adjust. Is this normal as well? Thanks!!

Lance · October 25th, 2009, 08:57 AM

I usually adjust my bridge to be one nickle thickness from the strings. If the pickup are very hot, I'll back them down slightly after playing. Tele bridge pickups tend to pretty high.

For the neck, you'll need to back off those screws to raise them. It's not very elegant. In the past, I've needed to stick a little piece of spring or a bit of surgical tubing in there to keep it from slipping down against the body. That depends on whether the threads on the neck pickup are loose or not. Mostly, it's a pain as you need to remove the pickguard to get to the screws.

jefrs · October 25th, 2009, 09:13 AM

Wind them up till they hit the strings, then back down until the bridge stops being an icepick and you find its sweet spot, adjust the neck by ear and then fiddle about with their heights to balance them. Takes about twenty years.

Encinitastubes · October 25th, 2009, 11:51 AM

Thanks; I better start ASAP.

BigDaddyLH · October 25th, 2009, 12:34 PM

I'll be checking back on this thread in 2029 to see how you're doing!

jefrs · October 25th, 2009, 02:20 PM

Yes, I think my hobby should be called 'adjusting guitars instead of playing them'. I've moved the pickups heights on two perfectly good guitars today and probably put them to exactly the same place they started. Considering that I started messing around with pickups when I were about 14yo... that's a long time.

jedi · October 25th, 2009, 04:48 PM

In my experience, the lower the better if you can work with it. Certainly there is a point where you could put them too low which to me 1/4" away is. But for the most part a little further away than Fender spec will give you better tone and response. YMMV.

Wayne Alexander · October 25th, 2009, 05:13 PM

I presume you know this, but all the measurements suggested above are based on the distance between the polepieces and the strings with the strings fretted at the top (21st) fret, not the distance to the strings when they aren't being fretted.

Encinitastubes · October 26th, 2009, 12:56 AM

Did not know this; can't presume I know anything. Thanks!

jefrs · October 26th, 2009, 01:14 PM

Well you can't have them so high that they hit a vibrating string, or clank on the bridge pu when you palm, and you can't have them so low that they fall silent. Most folks prefer them somewhere between those two extremes.

The Fender Owners Manual wot came with the guitar tells us how to do this and it makes a reasonable starting point: use yer lug-holes.

I bring the bridge up to max height and then lower it to whatever I decide its sweet spot is. Then I do the same with the neck, except being more powerful (due to greater string excursion there) I lower it to wherever I decide matches the bridge. Or, if the neck sweet spot is lower than that, I'll maybe lower the bridge to match the neck. And in a few months I'll change the strings, or change my mind, and do it all again.

Easyrom · October 26th, 2009, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jefrs

Well you can't have them so high that they hit a vibrating string, or clank on the bridge pu when you palm, and you can't have them so low that they fall silent. Most folks prefer them somewhere between those two extremes.

The Fender Owners Manual wot came with the guitar tells us how to do this and it makes a reasonable starting point: use yer lug-holes.

I bring the bridge up to max height and then lower it to whatever I decide its sweet spot is. Then I do the same with the neck, except being more powerful (due to greater string excursion there) I lower it to wherever I decide matches the bridge. Or, if the neck sweet spot is lower than that, I'll maybe lower the bridge to match the neck. And in a few months I'll change the strings, or change my mind, and do it all again.

Same technic here

mfernan647 · October 26th, 2009, 11:24 PM

Jason Lollar of Lollar Pickups shows you how simple pickup adusting on your guitar is. With just a screwdriver and a little time, you can get your guitar pickups set up for optimum playability.

October 25th, 2009, 12:15 AM	#1 (permalink)
Encinitastubes Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Encinitas, California Age: 42 Posts: 173	Pickup Height Still plugging away on my new used Nocaster. The guitar's output is signifantly weaker than my ASAT Classic with Don Mare Super Sports and the high E string is softer than the rest of the strings. I noticed that the pickups seemed very low, at least a quarter inch below the strings. Is this normal? Also, the neck pickup is screwed directly into the wood such that it does not really adjust. Is this normal as well? Thanks!!

October 25th, 2009, 08:57 AM	#2 (permalink)
Lance Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 2,335	I usually adjust my bridge to be one nickle thickness from the strings. If the pickup are very hot, I'll back them down slightly after playing. Tele bridge pickups tend to pretty high. For the neck, you'll need to back off those screws to raise them. It's not very elegant. In the past, I've needed to stick a little piece of spring or a bit of surgical tubing in there to keep it from slipping down against the body. That depends on whether the threads on the neck pickup are loose or not. Mostly, it's a pain as you need to remove the pickguard to get to the screws. __________________ Lance "not very good...but I make up for it by playing loud"

October 25th, 2009, 09:13 AM	#3 (permalink)
jefrs Friend of Leo's Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Newbury, England Age: 54 Posts: 2,136	Wind them up till they hit the strings, then back down until the bridge stops being an icepick and you find its sweet spot, adjust the neck by ear and then fiddle about with their heights to balance them. Takes about twenty years. __________________ There's two kinds of people, those that hear the music and those that don't.

October 25th, 2009, 12:34 PM	#5 (permalink)
BigDaddyLH Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Kelowna, BC, Canada Age: 48 Posts: 1,094	I'll be checking back on this thread in 2029 to see how you're doing! __________________ Transient are all component things, strive on with diligence.

October 25th, 2009, 02:20 PM	#6 (permalink)
jefrs Friend of Leo's Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Newbury, England Age: 54 Posts: 2,136	Yes, I think my hobby should be called 'adjusting guitars instead of playing them'. I've moved the pickups heights on two perfectly good guitars today and probably put them to exactly the same place they started. Considering that I started messing around with pickups when I were about 14yo... that's a long time. __________________ There's two kinds of people, those that hear the music and those that don't. Last edited by jefrs; October 25th, 2009 at 02:21 PM. Reason: ungrammatical malapropism ;-)

October 25th, 2009, 11:51 AM	#4 (permalink)
Encinitastubes Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Encinitas, California Age: 42 Posts: 173	Thanks; I better start ASAP.

October 25th, 2009, 04:48 PM	#7 (permalink)
jedi Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: on the bridge pickup Posts: 239	In my experience, the lower the better if you can work with it. Certainly there is a point where you could put them too low which to me 1/4" away is. But for the most part a little further away than Fender spec will give you better tone and response. YMMV.

October 25th, 2009, 05:13 PM	#8 (permalink)
Wayne Alexander Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA Posts: 1,349	I presume you know this, but all the measurements suggested above are based on the distance between the polepieces and the strings with the strings fretted at the top (21st) fret, not the distance to the strings when they aren't being fretted.

October 26th, 2009, 12:56 AM	#9 (permalink)
Encinitastubes Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Encinitas, California Age: 42 Posts: 173	Did not know this; can't presume I know anything. Thanks!

October 26th, 2009, 01:14 PM	#10 (permalink)
jefrs Friend of Leo's Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Newbury, England Age: 54 Posts: 2,136	Well you can't have them so high that they hit a vibrating string, or clank on the bridge pu when you palm, and you can't have them so low that they fall silent. Most folks prefer them somewhere between those two extremes. The Fender Owners Manual wot came with the guitar tells us how to do this and it makes a reasonable starting point: use yer lug-holes. I bring the bridge up to max height and then lower it to whatever I decide its sweet spot is. Then I do the same with the neck, except being more powerful (due to greater string excursion there) I lower it to wherever I decide matches the bridge. Or, if the neck sweet spot is lower than that, I'll maybe lower the bridge to match the neck. And in a few months I'll change the strings, or change my mind, and do it all again. __________________ There's two kinds of people, those that hear the music and those that don't.

October 26th, 2009, 11:24 PM	#12 (permalink)
mfernan647 TDPRI Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: South Florida Posts: 25	Jason Lollar of Lollar Pickups shows you how simple pickup adusting on your guitar is. With just a screwdriver and a little time, you can get your guitar pickups set up for optimum playability.

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