Who out there has played with their polepiece heights?

[officerNordberg]

I just got my first G&L, well a Tribute and it sounds fantastic as is. I was just wondering who has adjusted their pole piece heights and to what end? I know I could just mess with it myself and see, but I was curious to hear about others' experiences.

[Ken Baker]

Gee... Do the guitar guys not play with their pole pieces?

I do, I do! It's a bass, but the idea is the same.



The pic above is from when the bass was brand spanking new, so it hasn't been adjusted yet. These pickups get set a bit lower than those on other basses.

I start by setting overall pickup height in the usual way. This allows me to get the tone and overall volume I want. Once I've got the body of the pickup where I want it, I fine tune individual strings using the pole piece adjusters. It really doesn't take much height difference to make a discernible difference in the sound, so small adjustments are the order of the day.

Also: Many of the MFD pickups have wax potting that appears to seal the pole piece adjusters in place. The fact is that it does this very effectively. So on a new instrument, turn the adjuster IN about a half turn before trying to turn it out. Make sure that the allen wrench is well-engaged in the pole piece, as the wax can impair insertion.

Ken...

[asphalt-abate]

Ken is correct, a small adjustment of the pole piece makes a difference. Also, the wax issue is true as well. I wish I would have turned mine in before out. I ended up with small pieces of wax on my pickup. The poles pieces are not very long so be careful that you do not loose a pole piece.

In my experience, raising the piece sharpens the tone. It becomes more focused but at the cost of becoming just bit more piercing as well. It will definately brighten up your tone. I like a little bit of this effect. I have raised the pieces under the D through high E strings to reflect the fret board curvature (7-1/2") on my ASAT. The guitar now sounds more "Telecaster" like. I"m pretty happy with the tone from my ASAT but then again, I like bright guitars and amps. Others here swear that dropping mfd's as low as they will go is the best way to set the pickup so I doubt that they are raising their pole pieces. And judging by the lack of reponse I'd guess few here raise their pole pieces. I can't provide you with any feedback on dropping the pole pieces. I've never tried it.

I know that I'm not being very descriptive but the answer is yes it makes a difference. Try it, it's easy to reverse.

Tom

[elduave]

Just recently made an adjustment to my L2K. It works. Go for it and again, great advice in this thread. You folks are good!

[spideyjg]

It is mandatory for me. Big discussion here

http://badassbassplayers.com/forum/view ... ing#p33130

and here....

http://badassbassplayers.com/forum/view ... ing#p92317

Jim