Can I lower my bridge pickup any further?

[LMac83]

Hi guys,

Is there anything I can do to my Tele in order to lower the bridge pickup further?

I've gone as low as it can go, but I'm still hot happy with the bridge-neck balance and I don't wanna raise the neck pickup any more!

Cheers,
LMac

[Ricky D.]

Have you bottomed out in the cavity, or have you just gone to the end of the adjustment screws? The answer points to the solution.

Longer screws would be easy.

If you need to deepen the cavity, be careful with your measurements, don't want to punch through the back.

[LMac83]

I haven't checked inside yet, so I'm not 100% sure. So if it's just the screws, longer ones will do the trick?

[SatelliteOrders]

There's also the other alternative: replacing the neck pickup.

[strumminsix]

Originally Posted by SatelliteOrders

There's also the other alternative: replacing the neck pickup.

However, he sorta implies he is happy with the neck pickup.

[tpaul]

Sure, you can either get longer screws to lower the bridge pickup, or if you've hit bottom on the pickup cavity, you can raise the strings.

Raising the strings is often a good solution because it increases the break angle over the saddles as well, and if you're using the old style ashtray bridge, it gets the strings farther from the lip of the bridge plate.

You will have to shim the neck to keep the action from getting very high on the upper frets, but this is easy to do, and it's totally reversable if you don't like the result.

[Ricky D.]

Originally Posted by LMac83

I haven't checked inside yet, so I'm not 100% sure. So if it's just the screws, longer ones will do the trick?

What happens when you lower the pickup as far as you can?

If the pickup falls off the bottom of the screws, longer ones will help. You would need the longer screws, and probably some rubber surgical tubing to put on each screw as a spacer to hold the head of the screw against the bridge plate.

If the screw heads just rise up from the plate when you attempt to lower the pickup, the pickup is most likely sitting on the floor of the cavity. Lowering the pickup farther would require routing a deeper cavity. At this point, if it was mine, I would be considering replacing the neck pickup with a higher output unit, or the whole set with one that's matched a little better.

[SatelliteOrders]

Originally Posted by strumminsix

However, he sorta implies he is happy with the neck pickup.

He doesn't specifically state he's unhappy with it. I like the neck tone on my guitar, too, but the neck pickup is notoriously underpowered on Telecasters, plus when you raise the magnet too close, you can dampen the volume some, so neck pickup manipulation only gets you so far.

And "only so far" is exactly the problem with dropping the bridge pickup. The route has a bottom, the screws are this long. So, either you're hunting for a wimpy bridge PU or you're hunting for a hotter neck pickup like a Twisted Tele or a neck PAF like Keef, or you begin to live in peace with your chosen instrument.

[Ronkirn]

you shouldn't just arbitrarily lower the pickup. Pups usually have a "sweet spot" where you get all it's got to give.... lowering the pup can reduce the appearent output, but at what cost?

I would try to find a pup that matches the Bridge pup a bit better. This is also why I do not usually recommend mixing brands of pickups unless you know what yer dooin....

Ron Kirn

[mellecaster]

I will confess that I have really never been that concerned about Pickup matching (Output wise) on a Tele....due to the fact than quite unlike about 90% of Tele owners, the combined middle position is my least favorite. I mainly use the Neck or the Bridge, and actually prefer a little mismatch in output...makes for a more Versatile Instrument to me ?....but YMMV...and it probably should.

[boris bubbanov]

I agree with Ron; I will put my bridge pup lower than some folks will, but I will not knowingly impair the quality of my bridge pickup sound on a Tele. It is Priority #1.

I have mixed up different pickups ( with a separate ground lead ) and in series and in parallel, you get some surprising and not all that bad results. Sometimes parallel sounds almost as loud as series and other times series will knock the house down. The trouble is, you wander around out there and there's no road map. You can eat up a ton of time.

I agree with Mellecaster; mismatching can be cool, if you like series and parallel applications.

I do like having 3 or 4 out of 4 good positions on a Tele but if the bridge pickup alone sounds bleah, I will do something to make it right. It will not stay that way.

Part of the reason I have tolerated these stock Highway One Upgrade Tele neck pickups is, even though I don't "like" them all that much, they have guts and they are not as liable to be all shy where you can't hear them. That is a big plus for them. And if you already own the guitar, they are free.

[tpaul]

I still say, raise the strings and shim the neck.

[Mur]

Remove the springs to get it lower ...I've done it more than once.

[telepath]

It occurs to me that the bridge pup is surely likely to be getting way off its sweet spot once its going flush, or below the bridgeplate?

YMMV I guess, but ..!

To me that bridge 'sweet spot' would be more important than balancing the volume against the neck.

I'd always want to balance the neck against the bridge. but thats a personal preference.
If I couldnt, I'd be looking to replace the neck pup, or, if design dictates it is *safe* to try, I'd look to remove the cover from the neck pup.

The Fatbody Alnico ('uncovered') neck pup I put iin my CV Tele is almost flush with the 'guard.
Still sounds sweet set that low.
I set it that low on purpose to get it balanced with the (stock) bridge.

Though I have specifically introduced a slight - only slight- volume drop while doing so, out of personal preference.
If I raise it just a couple of mm again, its louder than the bridge again!

I now have great tones in all three positions IMHO, and nothing feels / looks too 'weird' ;)

[Telenator]

I think tpaul hit with his suggestions on string height. It is possible that the neck is not shimmed properly causing the saddles to be very low and thereby creating the need to further lower the bridge pickup.

If the saddles are not already in the middle of their operating range, then it might be time to shim the neck and get the whole guitar sorted out.

[Ortho]

I think the notion of "balancing" esp. as it refers to "volume" is a bit of erroneous.

Balance the vital bridge pickup FIRST. As others have said, find ITS sweet spot. I too tend to go "lower" but seriously at what point you lower the pu is your concern tone or volume? In short, get the bridge pickup right FIRST...tonewise.

Adjust the neck pick up. Round enough yet distinct, not into muddy.

In general, I tend to go for a fair degree of string articulation in both pick ups. Eliminating "clang" in the bridge single string and even chords and partial chords and full strums with the tone pot open. Looking for this string separateness makes any volume diffs seem natural, organic.

I find that volume variations...hey you got a volume knob when it's an issue...are mostly a non-issue when tone comes first.

Tone is IT.

I like the fact that the neck and the bridge pu's are different in a Tele. They are supposed to be that way, even in terms of the bridge pickup being hotter.

When people ask how the pickups are in a regular Strat they should really ask "How's the pickup?"

I would also add that I don't like my strings "as low as they can go" but a little higher yet still comfortable.

You lose tone with too low strings, and I think that verges on a fact...

[telefunk]

Originally Posted by LMac83

Hi guys,

Is there anything I can do to my Tele in order to lower the bridge pickup further?

I've gone as low as it can go, but I'm still hot happy with the bridge-neck balance and I don't wanna raise the neck pickup any more!

Cheers,
LMac

You didn't say if the bridge pickup was mounted on the bridgeplate or screwed directly into the wood. If the latter is the case maybe the springs on the screws could be shortened to give you some more adjustment.

[Ortho]

This is starting to sound like a need for a G.E. Smith Sig. Tele...bridge pickup right in the wood...

[JD0x0]

the bridge pickup always has more output than the neck in any guitar, use it to your advantage if the bridge is too loud theres a volume control.

Also the bridge pickup is much brighter which can be perceived as more volume. You could roll the tone back or add a low value resistor to lower the pickups output.

Also check that theres no capacitor wired to the neck pickup, i dont like this on teles as it makes a very muddy low output neck pickup.

[Telenator]

This is funny. Instead of addressing the guy's issue, he's being told he needs to play different. That's really not necessary if the guitar is setup properly in the first place. I too like a good balance in output between my neck and bridge pickups and there's nothing wrong with that.

People need to be comfortable with their gear when they play, not told to man up and tough it out. LOL! C'mon guys. A proper set up is the answer.

[telekafunkle]

Really, not much you can do other than longer screws, POSSIBLY messing up deepening the cavity, lower the bridge, or raising the action..But, a combination of all of this will provide another 2-3 inches lower!