Pickup Height

[shbek]

Hi, I got a standard strat march of this year. The first thing I did was change the pickguard from white to a 3-ply pearloid red. Everything was fine at that point. Then about a month later I decided to change the pickup covers:
Before-
>
After-


After I changed the pickup covers I have not been able to get the neck nor the middle pickups to sound the same as before with distortion on. Before they sounded perfect, now they sound like I have the pickups too close the the strings. I have spend hours adjusting their height and they sound the same whatever I do. Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this? Thanks in advance.

[photoweborama]

I put my pickups at 8/64th of an inch to start with. I find that hight works with most pickups. I put the bridge at 6 or 7/64th. I then play with the middle pickup to get the most quack in the inbetween positions.

a lot of people drop them down almost to the pickguard, but I find mesuring better because the space between the pickguaard will change from guitar to guitar, and if its been shimmed, it will change again.

[FenderBoy]

First:
The changes you made look absolutely GREAT.

Now...this may sound a bit silly to ask, but did you by ANY chance put the two pups in question in backwards when you changed the covers?
Or did you nick the tiny grounding wire on those pups when you took off or put on the new covers?
I don't think height alone would account for the type of sound change you're noticing...but I've been wrong before.

[blair]

I think I've got to go along with FenderBoy on this one. If you've played with the pup heights to no avail, then it's gotta be an electrical prob. Most pups are rather responsive to height changes.

Good luck with the four letter words getting it straightened out, bin thar, dun dat too!

hammer on.........Blair

[Richard Hayes]

FenderBoy, Blair, and me. That makes three.

BTW, also what FenderBoy said about the look.

[shbek]

Thats a good theory. I was very careful when I changed it however, I really have nothing better to do today so I think I'll check that out.

Thanks for the compliments on the changes. When I bought it I loved the sound, and body color but hated the pickguard and pickups....now everything looks great but sounds bad (excluding the bridge pickup which still sounds freaking awesome.

[JTV]

Ooh that's nice. Is that a chrome red?

I have a Hot Rod Red 2000 Am Strat that I put a black scratch plate and pup covers on.
It looked ok, but I've gone back to white.
I really concidered the red pearloid too, just was'nt sure if it'd clash with the HotRod Red......

[shbek]

Nah, its midnight wine which, I believe, is a standard strat color. Whereas chrome red is alot brighter and an american color.
I don't think that red pearloid would clash with hot rod red but I wouldn't do it unless you REALLY like red.Have you ever considered black pearloid? I've seen some pictures of a red guitar with black pearloid and it almost made me run down to my guitar store. Sooooo nice

EDIT- I'm not used to the smilies here....

[shbek]

I'm not sure what I did, but I fixed it....

[chuckocaster]

hey, as long as it works. lookin good!

[StratmanBlues]

Nice job on the changes.
I have a midnight wine standard but with rosewood.
I have my pups lowered waaayyyyyyyyy down and the thing sounds great.
Now that I have my Sunburst with rosewood I'm wishing my standard was maple.

Once again nice job, I'm diggin' it!


Tommy

[walshb]

I'm not sure what I did, but I fixed it....

Another guy who fixes things without knowing how or why! Glad I'm not the only one, I do this all the time! Congrats, and great looking strat also! I'm gonna show those pics to my friend who has one about that color.

[FenderBoy]

Another guy who fixes things without knowing how or why! Glad I'm not the only one, I do this all the time!

Yeah...me too.
I always start out thinking I'm gonna screw something up so I'm double happy when what I've done works.

[shbek]

Another guy who fixes things without knowing how or why! Glad I'm not the only one, I do this all the time! Congrats, and great looking strat also! I'm gonna show those pics to my friend who has one about that color.

Girl actually. XD So the fact that I fixed anything instead of wrecking it is incredible j/k

[FenderBoy]

Girl, huh?

Glad to see another female in this forum. Too many boring old geezers like me around here.

Unless, of course, you're over 45...then you're a boring old gezzerette.

[shbek]

over...45? there is such a thing? XD j/k

[chaz498]

Careful shbek average age here is 42.6 (or thereabouts if I remember correctly). You're in "Geezerville"!

[Cheapstrat]

Girl actually. XD So the fact that I fixed anything instead of wrecking it is incredible j/k

:rofl ...and with a great sense of humor too. I have a midnight wine standard with a rosewood fiingerboard...I ended up with white pearloid for the pickguard and white lace sensor pickups (yeah, i've tried several sets in it before returning to the lace sensors). I have a vintage white strat also that is basically stock..it got a brownish red tortoise shell pickguard and vintage white covers and knobs (along with a vintage refinish on the neck)...both of mine look so much better - to me anyway. Welcome!!!

[Cheapstrat]

Hi, I got a standard strat march of this year. The first thing I did was change the pickguard from white to a 3-ply pearloid red. Everything was fine at that point. Then about a month later I decided to change the pickup covers:
Before-
>
After-

:) Really like yours alot! Here are pictures of mine...difficult to get a good pic of the tortoise shell guard...I'll work on that. The white strat got a neck refinish and new decal...it took some time, but I like the results alot. The Midnight Wine is a MIM Standard Strat, the white is a 1996 MIM Squire...I took my wine strat to the music store and compared them side by side...same neck, body and I bought it for $119 in mint condition...besides the neck refinish, it has new bridge saddles, the old pickups from my wine strat, new pots, switch...I have about $200 into it due to having spare parts already.

Really like the maple fingerboard on yours too...maybe my midnight wine will get a new neck! ...really nice guitar! Enjoy

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/midnig...bum?.dir=/d844

[shbek]

Heh that sounds awesome! *goes off to look at pictures*

[shbek]

Careful shbek average age here is 42.6 (or thereabouts if I remember correctly). You're in "Geezerville"!

I got...slapped....
*runs away crying*
j/k

[Cheapstrat]

I got...slapped....
*runs away crying*
j/k

First time anyone got slapped for looking at my guitars...you ok?

[shbek]

First time anyone got slapped for looking at my guitars...you ok?

ouch...I'm fine I just have this hand mark on me....

[Cheapstrat]

ouch...I'm fine I just have this hand mark on me....

I understand...I have this dent in my forehead from hitting myself when i wire something wrong or mess up a coat of finish...my decal on the white strat took two tries...hit myself a few times when i was doing that one. :rolleyes:

[shbek]

Thats definetly understandable I caused alot of pain to my self when trying to get the pups adjusted correctly. Then I'll also admit to verbally abusing the dogs for running up and wiping their noses on my guitar...I swear its their favorite hobby


edit: I keep forgeting that the smilies are strange here....

[Cheapstrat]

Thats definetly understandable I caused alot of pain to my self when trying to get the pups adjusted correctly. Then I'll also admit to verbally abusing the dogs for running up and wiping their noses on my guitar...I swear its their favorite hobby


edit: I keep forgeting that the smilies are strange here....

Here: Two dogs, one cat=noseprints on the finish...

I'm constantly adjusting the pups on both my guitars...even had the Lace Sensors too high because I thought it would be fine because they have less magnetic pull on the strings...wrong...I'm finding that lowering them more than I thought they should be gets a better tone, more sustain...the ceramic MIM Standard pickups have more gain than many of the American Strat pups, which I tend to like in the white strat. Just my opinion, but unless you don't use any effects and primarily want a "vintage" tone (whatever that is) the stock pickups are fine. On my white strat, which has the same pickups as yours, I set them using a few nickels...I set them three nickels on the bass side-low E string and two nickels on the treble side. If you're happy with yours, leave them. I mess with my guitars way too much...especially since finding this site. :rolleyes:

I set up the Midnight Wine with the Lace Sensor set because I wanted more gain when I wanted it, but could still get a "strat like" tone when playing clean but with no hum. Sometimes it's hard deciding which to play...the necks are identical and both very "lively" when played unamplified...I'm keeping both though

[Highway Chile]

Just for survey purposes, here is my .02. I have a stock American Series Strat. I have the bass side on all three pups set at 1/8 from the bass E string. I have the treble side on all three pups set at 3/32 from the treble E string.

[StratmanBlues]

Ok let me get this straight. The last two posts gave examples of their pup height and they have the low E side higher than the high E.
Any Strats I've ever seen were the opposite.

Tommy



:blbros

[Highway Chile]

People occasionally get confused by measurements because they think that the measurements measure the height of the pickup from the pickguard. In my opinion, that is NEVER a good way to adjust anything on a guitar because it completely ignores the string height setting. Measurements should always concern the distance from the bottom of the string (fretted at the 21 or 22 fret) and the top of the magnet.

After you set the bass side to 1/8 from the bass E string and the treble side to 3/32 from the treble E strings looking at the pickups, the bass side should be lower (i.e. closer to the pickguard) because of the greater distance between the pole and the string.

Start there, and then adjust to taste. I use 10s and I find that the sound of the stock delta tone pups in my American Series improves when the pickups are fairly low. Of course, this does affect the signal to noise ratio and it will require you to crank your non-master volume tube amp a bit more for that creamy distortion sound.

[Cheapstrat]

Ok let me get this straight. The last two posts gave examples of their pup height and they have the low E side higher than the high E.
Any Strats I've ever seen were the opposite.

Tommy



:blbros

Mine are lower on the bass side...hmmm...i re-read my post and think I had it right?

[StratmanBlues]

People occasionally get confused by measurements because they think that the measurements measure the height of the pickup from the pickguard.
<snip>
Measurements should always concern the distance from the bottom of the string (fretted at the 21 or 22 fret) and the top of the magnet.

Yes, OK that makes perfect sense, thanks. You're correct, I was thinking of the height off the pick guard. A typical "newbie" mistake No matter though....if I kept my mouth shut I wouldn't have learned anything!!



Tommy


:blbros

[StratmanBlues]

I set them three nickels on the bass side-low E string and two nickels on the treble side.

Read again

Unless, like "Highway, explained you're measuring from the string.

I'ts most likely my mistake in understanding and not your post. I was assuming you were talking about the height off the pick guard.

You obviously mean from string to pup.........I stand corrected



Tommy

[Cheapstrat]

Read again

Unless, like "Highway, explained you're measuring from the string.

I'ts most likely my mistake in understanding and not your post. I was assuming you were talking about the height off the pick guard.

You obviously mean from string to pup.........I stand corrected



Tommy

Oh no you don't!..I would be the here....not taking that away from me. :rolleyes:

[pc]

I'm late to this discussion, and I think it's pretty well sewn up. I just wanted to echo that I think that color scheme looks fantastic.