Pickup height and it's effect on intonation

Doctor J

Just setting up a guitar today and experimented with this. Set the pickups low (far away from the strings) and set up the action and intonation as I want them. Gradually raised the pickups in stages and definitely a noticeable pull on the strings. The closer the pickup to the string, the greater the note was flat at the 12th fret and above, having already set the intonation correctly. I imagine it's also a sustain killer.

I suppose the temptation is to set the pickups as close to the string as possible for highest gain output but you do kill tone and sustain. The trick is to find the balance

feylya

Or put in EMG's

Doctor J

That'll never happen Fey, I like good tone and I consider Zakk Wylde to have dreadful tone. Let us close this chapter of our lives, leave the unpleasantness behind

feylya

Yup, ZW hasn't got the best tone. Dave Gilmour's tone ain't too bad though


Oh, not to mention Nickelback!!! Seriously, don't mention them!

Doctor J

In fairness, if you can't get a decent tone with Strat # 0001 and this rig then you've got the shinning or something

Has anyone ever seen him actually use the sig strat with the EMG's? He was using the black vintage one with the Kahler route (and vintage single coils) at the Live8 gig.

feylya

Doctor J wrote:

In fairness, if you can't get a decent tone with Strat # 0001 and this rig then you've got the shinning or something

Doc, most people wouldn't be able to turn that rig on, never mind play through it!!!

And I've only ever seen them at Live 8. First time I ever actually listened to them too :eek:

Giblet

This is something I mess with all the time. The more you increase the height of a pickup, the more attack and gain you get. The pull is insignificant unless you're actually about 1/8 of an inch beneath the string. On my all of my guitars I have the neck pickup really close to the string.

SirLemonhead

I keep mine fairly low, but then again i'm using high output pickups.

Johnny Storm

Here's an interesting article on this very topic - who knew that adjusting your pick-ups could lead you into (dramatic pause, doom-laden Rod Stirling voice) The Magnetic Hell-Zone ? article

sei046

My strat had unbelievably crap intonation for ages until i lowerd the pickups. it was insane! on my fernandes i use an 81.......oooh ye... enough gain as it is

fish-head

Thats interesting. Never woulda guessed that.

Quattroste

And I've only ever seen them at Live 8. First time I ever actually listened to them too

:eek: :mad: :rolleyes: Go listen to more NOW! trust me!