Another pickup height thread....

[guitarman3001]

First, does anyone know the gibson recommended height for BB pros?

 

Aside from that, how do you normally adjust your pickup height? Do you actually measure it or do you just go by ear? If you measure it, what do you use? Do you actually use a ruler or do you use something like a nickel or quarter or something like that?

 

I recently lowered the action on my LP with BB pros and found that afterward I was getting some strange oscillation on the high E and B strings when playing on the higher frets so I lowered the pickup and it fixed it.

 

Right now I have the bridge pickup set so that when pressing on the last fret, I can just fit a nickel between either E string and the pole piece under it. The neck pickup is set with barely just a hair more room. Does that sound about right?

[BoneNut]

 

First, does anyone know the gibson recommended height for BB pros? Aside from that, how do you normally adjust your pickup height? Do you actually measure it or do you just go by ear? If you measure it, what do you use? Do you actually use a ruler or do you use something like a nickel or quarter or something like that? I recently lowered the action on my LP with BB pros and found that afterward I was getting some strange oscillation on the high E and B strings when playing on the higher frets so I lowered the pickup and it fixed it. Right now I have the bridge pickup set so that when pressing on the last fret, I can just fit a nickel between either E string and the pole piece under it. The neck pickup is set with barely just a hair more room. Does that sound about right ?

 

 

 

Yes. That's a good starting height. From there just go down or up to you find the sound you're looking for. Be aware that even a half of turn of the screws height screws will make a noticeable difference in sound.

 

I like to start with the bridge pup and fine tune until I get that sound.

After that, I'll match the neck pup to have about the same volume as the bridge pup.

 

Most times on mine, I'll leave the treble side a little lower than the bass side but that's just me. Once that's done, I'll strum a barre A on the fifth fret and check for all strings to be balanced. If they aren't, I'll use the individual pole pieces to balance everything out.

[guitarman3001]

 

Yes. That's a good starting height. From there just go down or up to you find the sound you're looking for. Be aware that even a half of turn of the screws height screws will make a noticeable difference in sound. I like to start with the bridge pup and fine tune until I get that sound. After that, I'll match the neck pup to have about the same volume as the bridge pup. Most times on mine, I'll leave the treble side a little lower than the bass side but that's just me. Once that's done, I'll strum a barre A on the fifth fret and check for all strings to be balanced. If they aren't, I'll use the individual pole pieces to balance everything out.

 

 

so you set yours so the treble side of the pickup is actually farther from the strings than the bass side? I would have thought the opposite would be the best way to do it since the lower strings vibrate more strongly and as a result are louder, so to balance them, the pickups should be farther from the strings on the bass side.

[BoneNut]

so you set yours so the treble side of the pickup is actually farther from the strings than the bass side? I would have thought the opposite would be the best way to do it since the lower strings vibrate more strongly and as a result are louder, so to balance them, the pickups should be farther from the strings on the bass side.

 

The thing is that when I strum, I tend to hit the treble strings harder than the low strings, so I setup the pups lower under the high E. I guess if I had a perfect strum, I'd keep the pups an even height.

 

Like I said, that's what works for me but just like everything else on the guitar, we all have our preference.

 

[Vintage55]

 

so you set yours so the treble side of the pickup is actually farther from the strings than the bass side? I would have thought the opposite would be the best way to do it since the lower strings vibrate more strongly and as a result are louder, so to balance them, the pickups should be farther from the strings on the bass side.

 

 

 

I have to agree with BoneNut, at least with most of my guitars. On a few guitars I've lowered the high E side to balance the volume, as the higher strings are typically louder on my guitars.

[guitarman3001]

hrmm...interesting. Sometimes what I think should work one way is actually completely wrong. I'd always thought the opposite. I'll have to try it setting it up that way.

[BoneNut]

I don't think there is a wrong or right.

 

I guess a setup is the best when it adapts the guitar to the player.

[Vintage55]

Just like anything else involved in setting up your guitar, the fine tuning ends up being personal preference.

[guitarman3001]

Yep, I know a lot of it is personal preference but to be honest, my hearing isn't all that acute or fine tuned (no matter how much I try to fool myself into thinking it is) and most of the time I can't hear differences in things like minor changes to pickup height unless I have a problem like with the oscillation. I can sit here turning the screws and raising and lowering the pickups for 3 hours and eventually I'll just give up because I get to the point where I can't tell if I'm hearing any difference or not. Actually I usually start out already not being able to hear a difference.

 

That's why I was curious to find out the gibson factory recommended height for the BB pros and what I can use to measure them. At least that'll give me a starting point and I can always go back to it.

[Angry Tele]

I use a ruler...BTW a nickel is 1.95mm (call it 2) and a dime is 1.35mm

 

Do it by ear, start high

 

Just google gibsons specs and start there

 

Its good to use a ruler so you can write the number down for reference.