Pickup Height: Where do you like Yours?

[Hadronic Spin]

Me, I like them lower. I dig the clarity and the sustain I get from lowered pickups, I just get more of the tones I really like. With any guitar I obtain, I'll start with where the pickups came height wise. I'll tweak higher then I'll tweak downward; it just happens to sound better as I lower those pickups. I start from the neck pickup first, then balance going towards the bridge.

There is no wrong or right height, but really, one should experiment and not simply rely on factory suggested settings. Pickups sounding too dark, drop 'em. Too thin, raise 'em. Want to tailor each string, raise or lower individual poles (if you can).

It was @DrBeGood on another forum, who enlightened me in the tonal rewards of adjusting one's pickups lower. Thank you sir, for that sage advice.

So, where do your pickups lie in your respective guitars, and why? Well, obviously you like the way they sound where you've adjusted them, but still, your input would be welcome.

Here is where I have adjusted mine:

Fender Player Strat, stock pickups:


Squier SE Strat, GFS Hot Alnico V staggered pickups:


Squier Affinity Strat, GM Premium Wound Alnico V staggered and beveled pickups:


Gretsch G2215 Junior Jet, stock P90 & Broad'Tron pickups:


Mitchel MS450, stock Alnico V humbuckers:


Squier Contemporary Telecaster RH, Alnico V HB & Rail, no pic.

Bottom of fretted string to top of pole: Neck ( low E 4mm--high E 3mm ) Bridge ( low E 2.5mm--high E 2mm )

Regards

Jason

 

[Hadronic Spin]

Oh, and here is Tomo Fujita on lowered pickups, using a Bullet Strat.

Jason

 

[GilmourD]

They do tend to end up a tad lower than most set them but it really depends on the pickup. I'm that guy that hems and haws about things for days at a time. I'll think it's good then I'll grab a screwdriver and turn it so slightly my wife goes "Why did you pick up a screwdriver and only touch the screw with it?". 🤪

 

[miket1117]

@DrBeGood has counselled me a couple of times on the p'up height, particularly regarding the P90s in my Epiphones.

Not something I tend to notice, but one evening my luthier friend was over and we were jamming in my basement. He hadn't see half of my collection so I just started pulling guitars out and letting him have his way with them.... on the American Deluxe Shawbucker Strat, he took one look at the neck pickup and said, "Wow, this thing is way too high. Give me a screwdriver." He immediately lowered it and the middle pickup.

Now that I'm more aware of it, I've got another guitar that has a P90 at the neck that needs to be lowered and by a pretty good amount, too.

 

[Higgins1980]

I guess mine would be considered on the low side. I don’t really measure the height. Just play with a screwdriver in my pocket. Stop. adjust. play some more and stop when I like what I hear.

 

[DrBeGood]

Happy to help you get to that sweet spot guys.

I guess mine would be considered on the low side. I don’t really measure the height. Just play with a screwdriver in my pocket. Stop. adjust. play some more and stop when I like what I hear.

Better start low than high.

 

[Hadronic Spin]

I guess mine would be considered on the low side. I don’t really measure the height. Just play with a screwdriver in my pocket. Stop. adjust. play some more and stop when I like what I hear.

Neither do I, however, I measured the RH's pickup heights because I was too lazy to take a picture, upload it and crop it. I took the other pics a few weeks ago.

Jason

 

[DougMen]

I like mine on the lower side too. When I look at Jimi's and John Mayer's Strats it blows my mind how high they are. I start with the neck and get it where I want, and then the middle goes where it sounds best when used with the neck pickup, and then the bridge goes where it sounds best when used with the middle. My Am Pro is the odd man out, because the neck GM 62z on it just happens to sound and feel better higher than most. I disagree with one comment in the OP, where he says "If they're too dark, lower them", because they actually are brighter when higher and warmer when lower. Don't confuse clarity with brightness. They are clearer when lower, but not brighter.

 

[LOSTVENTURE]

I keep my single coils (Fender) pretty low, but every guitar has it's own sweet spot. My only humbuckes are Gretsch Super HiLoTrons, which are very low output and thus quite sensitive to what elevation I set them at. They are always a little higher than the Fender pickups, but I'm still playing with them.

 

[DougMen]

I keep my single coils (Fender) pretty low, but every guitar has it's own sweet spot. My only humbuckes are Gretsch Super HiLoTrons, which are very low output and thus quite sensitive to what elevation I set them at. They are always a little higher than the Fender pickups, but I'm still playing with them.

Hi Lo Trons aren't HBs, they're single coils similar to a P90 or a Ricky SC.

 

[Hal Nico]

I seem to go against most. I like my pickups pretty high and then balance the volumes of all three but not enough to cause ,"Stratitis" Ice-Pick sound. I've tried all heights and can't get on with them too low.

My 2 cents

Here's what they sound like on my Harley Benton ST-62 Strat through a Bassman Amp sim using my NUX MG300 over a YT backing track,

https://soundcloud.com/paulsheppard%2Fsome-things-are