pickup height?

[Philippe Elskens]

I only 2 weeks time, I replaced my fenders with G&L's.
I have an ASAT classis (with MFD pickups) and a Legacy (alnico pickups). I know G&L sets up their guitars in the factory, so the pickups are probably already at their ideal height. But I want to ask you guys whether you have experimented with different heights with these pickups? What is your ideal height?

[Craig]

I only 2 weeks time, I replaced my fenders with G&L's.
I have an ASAT classis (with MFD pickups) and a Legacy (alnico pickups). I know G&L sets up their guitars in the factory, so the pickups are probably already at their ideal height. But I want to ask you guys whether you have experimented with different heights with these pickups? What is your ideal height?

Try using Search as there are several posts on this subject.
Here's just one post on this topic which should help: Tech Tip - Pickup Height.

Hope this helps.

[Fumble fingers]

I just try to balance sound volume between all the pick ups , on the MFD's you can go even further by balancing the individual strings

[trem]

I only 2 weeks time, I replaced my fenders with G&L's.
I have an ASAT classis (with MFD pickups) and a Legacy (alnico pickups). I know G&L sets up their guitars in the factory, so the pickups are probably already at their ideal height. But I want to ask you guys whether you have experimented with different heights with these pickups? What is your ideal height?

There's no universal "ideal height" so the factory specs should be taken with a grain of salt, or at least seen as a "do not adjust too much closer than this" recommendation. I believe the factory setup has both the bridge and neck pickups at the same height for the high E, and this leaves a balancing problem with volume between pickup settings, which doesn't bode well for live playing (at least in my situation).

I have all my pickups set very low and the volumes balanced between the three. If I need to boost for a solo, on any pickup config, that's what my AC and RC booster pedals are for. My bass pole piece for each pickup is about 1/16" lower than the high E of that respective pickup.

If you're a tonewood believer, then their philosophy is higher pickups = more pickup tone and lower pickups = more guitar tone. I'm not going to get into any of that, but high pickups drive the amp harder, and that's great if you want some chainsaw X2N tone for playing saturated metal where tone definition and dynamics is of secondary importance. On a strat, though, you most likely want dynamics and articulation that is best had with low pickups. Bottom line is to experiment and find your ideal height for your specific situation.

[CSVeteran]

There are two main factors influencing optimal pickup height: one is the strength of the magnets, and two is how hot the pickup is wound. Stronger magnets don't require extended pickup height, since they tend to pull at the strings and affect sustain. Modern pickups that are overwound (higher impedances) also don't require extended pickup height, since they have more output.

Conversely, weaker magnets like AlNiCo II can be extended, along with lower impedance pickups. Those types of configurations mean you can place them closer to the strings. As a general rule of thumb, when you are in the neck position and switch to the bridge position, one pickup should hand off to the next without a major "increase" or "dropoff" in sound. In other words, the pickups should be balanced when switching from neck to bridge, or otherwise neck, middle and bridge.

Start out by adjusting the pickup at its lowest position, just above the pickguard, then raise it just below the strings. Once you have an idea of those two extreme positions, you can split the difference somewhere in the middle. From there, you can make slight incremental adjustments until you find the sweet spot, always taking into account how strong the magnets are and how hot the pickup is wound.

From a recording standpoint, overwound pickups and stronger magnets tend to exhibit a harsher and more midrangy tone. Often this tonal spectrum loads up when guitar tracks are stacked up creating a situation where frequencies are competing in the same range.

[NickHorne]

I find that a major factor in setting neck pup height is volume balance up-and-down the fingerboard; too close, and strings get undesirably louder as you play up the neck since they are getting relatively much closer to the pickup. Ideally, I aim to balance out the reduced movement of the shorter length of string with the increased proximity, although it's not possible to absolutely perfect this everywhere on the neck. My Asat Z-3 gets closer to this ideal than anything else I ever used.
The string-height changes at the bridge pup are relatively tiny, and it can just be set wherever it sounds / balances best. Its magnetic pull has less effect at the short length of string coming off the bridge, so can be adjusted closer before any ill effects on vibration.