Please post your Legacy pickup height

[jackstraw]

Hello all, I picked up a used Legacy with CLF-100 pickups. Very nice guitar, but I'm not getting the classic Strat tones that I expected. I've searched a bit for pickup height guidance and found this:

http://guitarsbyleo.com/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=3372

It says:
"I would suggest using 1/16" for the 1st string and 3/32" for the sixth string. NOTE: Measure while fretting at fret 22 or 21."

I've tried that -- and I think it sounds a bit better. But, it's literally the max upper limit of how high the pickups be raised. And, honestly they look weirdly high to me.

Also, I found the G&L setup guide which recommends 1/32" for first string and 1/16" for the sixth string.

I realize this should be adjusted by ear to taste with my setup, but I was wondering what is working well for others. Also, I'm wondering what the pickup height on new Legacys is.

So, if you don't mind, please measure your pickup height (first and sixth string with the highest fret fretted) and post. Thanks.

[john o]

Sounds way too close which will give you harsh edgy tones. I had a trib legacy with clf100s and I cranked them down to no closer than 1/4 inch from the strings, sounded great, better than my strats, so I sold them.

[Danley]

I'd say a lot of Strat pickups sound best and at the most twangy/Stratty for me, around 1/8" from the string give or take - with the bass side lower than the treble (measured fretting the last fret.) Hotter pickups benefit from going almost pickguard-low, up to about 1/4" . You should also pay attention to which pickup you're adjusting - neck pickups (even on calibrated sets) often 'need' to be farther from the string than bridge pickups in order to balance volume - and to prevent string pull issues. I'd also recommend rolling down the bass control on the PTB, to potentially get closer to a nasal Strat sound.

At closer to 1/16" I would expect severe issues related to string pull and 'wolf tones' on most alnico pickups, thicker strings and neck/middle pickups contributing greater amounts of weirdness to that effect. Sounds way too close and I can't imagine it would sound great to most ears.

[tomanche]

Nearly all my G&L pickups are set 1/32" above the pickup for the 1st string and 2/32" (= 1/16") above the pickup for the 6th string, when fretting the string at the 22nd fret. This is the spec from the G&L setup manual in the 80s. I've been quite satisfied with the performance here, and haven't experienced wolf tones or excessive magnetic pull on the strings. My understanding is that MFD pickups have the bar magnet at the bottom, such that its magnetic field has little to no direct effect on the strings. Instead, it's the pole pieces (which become magnetized by their contact with the bar magnet) that create a magnetic field for the strings. This is the genius of Leo's MFD design. This is different than traditional Strat, Tele, etc. pickups, where the pole pieces ARE magnets. YMMV.

[john o]

i think the CLF100's on the legacy are alnico, not mfd.

[jackstraw]

i think the CLF100's on the legacy are alnico, not mfd.

This is correct. Maybe the pickup height guidance that I read in the setups is related to MFDs. I didn't notice that MFD was mentioned.

[Danley]

Right. MFDs can and should be closer to the strings in my experience; but if we’re talking about a Legacy with the stock alnico pole pickups, then the height setting would be very different between say an S500 and a Legacy.

[tomanche]

Thanks for pointing out that Legacy pickups are traditional style. I totally forgot.

[umma_gumma]

I have my Legacy and GF pickups pretty much maxed out, as high as they will go, for the bridge pup

then they drop a bit for the middle, and a bit more for the neck

curious thing about G&L's: because the neck sits higher in the body, and the bridge design is also higher, you can't actually get the pickups as close to the strings as you can on a strat; the strings are much higher off the deck on a G&L than a strat

this can be quite dramatic, if you are comparing a strat directly with the G&L. most strats will be louder, because of the string proximity

I find you need to crank the G&L pickup height up, to get a matching output to a strat

once you get to the point where they balance out, my G&L sounds as strat-like as any strat I've ever played. I fact, I prefer the G&L's

but most G&L setups I see, the pickups are quite low in comparison. they don't look low, until you compare the gap to the strings, rather than looking at how much pickup is sitting above the body

[Nick]

I have known techs who cut the springs in half (or even remove them) to get more height on a Legacy bridge pickup.

[Danley]

I have my Legacy and GF pickups pretty much maxed out, as high as they will go, for the bridge pup

then they drop a bit for the middle, and a bit more for the neck

curious thing about G&L's: because the neck sits higher in the body, and the bridge design is also higher, you can't actually get the pickups as close to the strings as you can on a strat; the strings are much higher off the deck on a G&L than a strat

this can be quite dramatic, if you are comparing a strat directly with the G&L. most strats will be louder, because of the string proximity

I find you need to crank the G&L pickup height up, to get a matching output to a strat

once you get to the point where they balance out, my G&L sounds as strat-like as any strat I've ever played. I fact, I prefer the G&L's

but most G&L setups I see, the pickups are quite low in comparison. they don't look low, until you compare the gap to the strings, rather than looking at how much pickup is sitting above the body

That is actually a good thing to point out; there are differences in anatomy between a G&L and a Strat. That said while I don't have a Legacy to compare, I imagine I keep my Strat pickups low enough to begin with there wouldn't be a challenge matching the setting on a G&L (my SC3 with S500-style pickups does have them set pretty close to the strings.)

Fender Mustangs can have the same 'issue' due to the pickup covers, pickguard mounting and bridge design; in fact that difference can cause a quite marked drop in output depending on the setup of the bridge.

[umma_gumma]

I have known techs who cut the springs in half (or even remove them) to get more height on a Legacy bridge pickup.

hey that is a good idea!