![]() The adjustment potential of any P-90 pickup differs depending upon whether it's the "soapbar" type, which is height adjustable, or the "dog-ear" type, which is not. This technique is reversed again for the neck pickup, since the coil with the adjustable pole pieces is further from the bridge than the fixed-slug coil, and therefore delivers more warmth into the double-coil sonic blend. Reverse this-pickup raised, adjustable poles set to their lowest-for a warmer, thicker bridge tone. Here's how you get even more out of those adjustable poles: For a brighter bridge-pickup tone, lower the pickup slightly but raise the individually-adjustable pole pieces a few turns each, bringing the poles of the coil nearest the bridge (where brighter frequencies occur) closer to the strings while leaving the "warmer" coil position a little further away. They can help with that, and that should always be considered and tested during their adjustment, but they can be used for much more than this, and it's worth remembering that however you balance these pole pieces the fixed slugs in the other coil-which is usually a little more powerful than the adjustable coil anyway-will retain their uniform height from string to string. Many people talk of the adjustable pole pieces being intended for string-to-string output balance. Often you'll find your Les Paul or SG, for example, sounds fuller, richer, clearer, and more dynamic when you lower the humbuckers a little farther into the guitar. They can often be set slightly higher than Strat- and Tele-style pickups (relatively speaking) without detrimental effects, but don't always sound their best positioned that way. Humbucking pickups patterned after Gibson's original PAF design exhibit a little less magnetic string pull when set high, because their magnets are positioned beneath the coils rather than within them, transferring their magnetic energy to steel pole pieces within the coil. Pick lightly and it's clean yet warm-dig in harder and you get increased drive and output-but without a big sacrifice in note definition and clarity. What you do often achieve, alongside the slightly lesser output, is a tone that's woodier and more resonant, with greater dynamics and touch sensitivity and a "livelier" feel to the playing response. You can always turn up your amp, so that slight decrease in output isn't a problem for many players. One other result of this action is a little less output.īut whether you play a Gibson Les Paul Standard, a Fender Telecaster or Stratocaster, a Gretch Duo Jet, or another electric, most guitars have plenty of output regardless (unless you get crazy with lowering the pickups). How Low Can You Go?Ĭonsider this topic from the flipside: lower your pickups a little further down into the body of your guitar than would be considered "standard"-that is, position them farther away from the strings-and you can be sure of giving the strings plenty of unencumbered air to vibrate in. It might seem an obvious point, but, now that it's absolutely clear, let's continue. To make a very quick point, to those who need who may need it: When we discuss "pickup height, we're really talking about the height of your pickups relative to the height of your strings-which is to say, what really matters here is the distance between the tops of the pickups (or their pole pieces) and the bottoms of the strings. ![]() There's a lot more to pickup height adjustment, however, than merely maximizing volume while avoiding problems, and a look at some of the other variables can provide a new tweaking tool in your tone arsenal. ![]() Even when they're not quite that high, though, the magnetic field can exert its force upon the strings and interfere with their ability to vibrate freely, which is heard as a slightly dissonant, atonal sound, like an out-of-tune harmonic that follows the root note, along with a lack of body and sustain. Overdo it, and obviously the strings will hit the pickup covers or pole pieces while vibrating.
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