how to adjust telecaster bridge pickup height

But if yours is direct-mounted, you’ll have to remove the guitar’s pickguard to access its adjustment screws. 1 shows how to mount the latex tubing on the Tele’s three bridge pickup screws (on the right) and neck pickup screws (left). On the vast majority of humbuckers, you’ll find a screw located at either side of the pickup. However, as is the case on most Telecaster-style guitars, there are no height adju... DIY Strat (and other guitar & audio projects), How to set up a Gibson Les Paul style guitar, Setting up or adjusting a Fender Stratocaster tremolo, Fender Stratocaster pickup height adjustment and specifications, Making a simple DIY mini guitar amplifier, How to set up a Fender Telecaster-style guitar, How to wire up a Stomp Box / Effects Pedal, Building a quick Brian-May-style treble booster on Veroboard, Adjusting the neck pickup height on a Fender Telecaster style guitar. Okie dokie gang, this is kinda part three in this series which started with How To Adjust (Set) Pickup Height on a Stratocaster for ULTIMATE STRAT TONE! Hello everyone. I can't get it under 2 mm on the low side and 1,5 mm on the other (strings fretted). Strat pickups are adjusted a lot like humbuckers. The screws won't go any further. If the fretboard is really pushing down on your pickguard then I guess there is no option other than to loosen the neck screws, although really this shouldn't be happening (in my humble opinion of course). Tele neck pickups come in two varieties. Unscrew the pickguard and remove it. Experiment with the height until the desired sound and feel is achieved.Note: For locking tremolo systems, the individual string height is preset. Includes bridge pickup, fittings, box and wiring diagram. The best way to find the best spot for pickups is to: Set the desired distance at the bridge and balance the neck and/or middle pickups to volume; Fret the low E at the first fret; Measure the distance between the bottom of the string to the top of the bridge pickup's pole piece (within 1/64th of an inch). I wish i could at least get to the fender manual settings (2,4/2,0). Though there are thousands of pickups that buck the trends, the general rule is that ceramic magnets are used in higher output designs and feature a modern, tighter tonality. But if you do, dropping the pickup away from the string is all it takes to remedy the situation. Really pokey 12.98k pickup, and hasn’t left the box! If your adjustment doesn’t improve your guitar’s tone, you may want to return to this original pickup height. Condition is "New". So don’t be afraid to dig right in. What guitar/pickup is that? Brand new guitars’ pickups, though often set to factory spec, aren’t dialed in to the way you play. Set too low, and your pickup is inefficient and weak. Adjusting pickup height is one of the easiest ways to effortlessly improve your tone. Try lowering the bass side of the neck and middle. If this is your first time adjusting your own pickup height, don’t worry. The assertive sibling to Fralin’s Split Blade model, this … First, check tuning. It had a few issues (more on that in a future post), but all in all it’s a dec... Today I’m going to show you how to set up a Fender Telecaster-style guitar. But if the issues of lowering a pickup are frustrating, the ones that accompany raising one too high are downright unacceptable. Nashville Telecaster Pickups: What You Need to Know, The Best Guitar Pickups for Metal: Classic Metal, 3 Popular Treble Bleed Mods: What You Need to Know. However, many players have taken advantage of their unique mounting system and placed standard ink pen springs around the pickups’ mounting screws. Seymour Duncan ST59-1 Little '59 Lead (Bridge) for Telecaster. Do this by adjusting the height of the saddle on the bridge (on this guitar, a 1.5 mm Allen key is required, though your guitar may require something else). Then this is done by screwing the outermost screw in or out. Okie dokie gang, this is kinda part three in this series which started with How To Adjust (Set) Pickup Height on a Stratocaster for ULTIMATE STRAT TONE! Using a 6\" (150 mm) ruler, measure the distance between bottom of strings and top of the 17th fret. I found it because i am having trouble on lowering my neck pickup. While you can’t easily adjust the whole pickup’s height, you can adjust the individual pole pieces under each string. This could be the culprit. For those who have experienced it, you know what we’re talking about. Tonerider Alnico II Blues Telecaster Pickup set. Third: Raise or lower each side of the pickup individually (if possible) until you hear the perfect blend of your higher and lower strings. Play for a few minutes, paying careful attention to the balance between lows, highs, and how hard our pickup is hitting your amp. Quick View Compare Add to Cart Add to Wish List. Humbucker/P-90 adjustable polepiece pickups-- Neck pickup: 5/64'' treble side and 3/32'' bass side - Bridge pickup: 2/32'' treble and bass side However, it is still possible and can be done with the tools you already have. A Fender Jaguar’s pickups are adjusted very similarly to a Jazzmaster. If you want to get adventurous, there are spacers available that sit between the pickup and the body of the guitar, allowing them to sit a bit higher. Why do we bring this up? Learning how to set your pickup’s height correctly is probably the most overlooked step in purchasing a set of pickups. We’ve found 3/32 of an inch (2.381mm) is a good place to start. My preferrence is to have the bridge pickup quite close to the strings and the neck lower down, with the treble string pole pieces up … So give each of your instruments’ pickup adjustment the time it deserves, and you’ll be well rewarded. Standard Telecasters are not as simple as the previous two. Many thanks again, Eric. Poke a screw through the pickguard holes and pop on a length of rubber tubing (or a spring if … Hi Stu, I have raised the neck pickup about 2 mm and it sound great and the same volume as the bridge pickup. Well, you can take the pickguard off and adjust it while in your hands or buy longer screws for the pickups. They seem to be at their limit, specially at the upper E. Have you seen that happen? £25.30. But it’s still a matter of turning a few screws. How to raise and lower your pickups depends on the design of the pickup. And as always, visit the Knowledge Base to find info on anything you need. But it isn’t an exact science. If this doesn't work (maybe because the strings are getting in the way) then you may have to remove the strings completely. So we figured we should dissect the subject a bit. Adjust bridge saddles to the height according to the chart, then re-tune. Setting up an electric guitar is not rocket science, but it is something that a lot of guitarists shy away from. Free postage. When taking out the neck pickup, be careful not to lose the springs and screws inside that hold the neck pickup in place. You will of course have to lift the pickguard up slightly at the bridge itself no order to let you move it in that direction. This simple mod is a great way to get easier, more precise adjustment from this style of pickup. First: Select the pickup setting where you will be spending most of your time. Since originally they came with 21 frets, and pickguards were cut accordingly, 22-fret necks generally come with the 22nd fret "overhanging", which is to say it hovers over the pickguard rather than the pickguard being cut around it. There are a lot of reasons pickups end up too far down in the body of a guitar. Whether you purchased a used guitar with an unknown past or are replacing pickups in one you already own, you’ll need to make a decision on pickup height at some point. Copyright © 2020 Seymour Duncan. The hardest – and most vital – part is learning to trust your own ears and playing style. The height of the overall pickup influences the sound best - and then adjust the pole pieces in the pickup for your preferred balance. But that lower output also translates to a thinner, weaker sound. A low pickup can also create an unacceptable tonal mismatch as you select between different pickup positions. You’d be better off to replace that punchy humbucker with a model better-suited for your style and tone. For the most part, all you need is a screwdriver, pocket ruler, and a good playing environment. During this step, always refer back to the output level of the first pickup you adjusted. A Tele bridge pickup is suspended by three adjustment screws from a metal bridge plate. Seymour Duncan. P90s come in two common forms, soapbars and dog-ears, each requiring different techniques to adjust. The neck pickup with the rounded cover? These are used to change the height of the pickup in … Luckily, P90s – as well as humbucking pickups – have a trick up their sleeves. Quick View Compare Choose Options Add to Wish List. For those who haven’t, keep those pickups in check and let’s hope you never do. Different forms of alnico magnets are most readily found in vintage-style pickups and are noted for their sweeter, warmer, and more detailed tone. And believe it or not, vibration and generally handling can cause pickups to move over time An improperly adjusted pickup will have a massive, negative impact on your guitar’s tone, performance, and tuning stability. First, check tuning. Adjusting these popular pickups isn’t as straightforward. Nice post. Do you know how low that pickup can get? While there may seem to be a lot to remember, the actual adjustment process is a piece of cake. For humbuckers that are mounted directly into the body, the process is similar, but clockwise lowers the pickup and counterclockwise raises it. The neck pickup is usually attached to the pickguard by 2 height adjustment screws and the bridge pickup is attached to the bridge plate with 3. Adjust bridge saddles to the height according to the chart, then re-tune. https://diystrat.blogspot.com/2011/09/adjusting-neck-pickup-on-fender.html Not comfortable with working on your guitar? TIP: Be careful with Strats especially, the pickups set too close can pull the strings and create a multitude of problems (3 pickups = 3 magnets on one string!) Like Eric my tele has a 22 fret neck. What is the exact tool to do it? Fourth: Repeat the process on each of the guitar’s pickups. Thanks for the advice and really the confidence to do the work. I undid the neck screws, did the job and put everything back and the tele sounds great now. I replaced the supports to give a bit more height for the pickup. >

Any questions, please feel free to message me. Jazzmaster pickup screws are mainly for mounting, not adjusting. And different magnet varieties, such as alnico and ceramic, react to that process differently, giving them their unique characteristics and tone. It was a friend's 44th birthday a while back, so I decided to make a quick pedal for him. By adjusting the amount of foam in the cavity, you’re able to determine the height of the pickup. If you position this at the same height as the original pickup, chances are your guitar will be significantly louder at the bridge position than at other pickup settings. But if you do like working on your own guitars, you’ll love SeymourDuncan.com’s deep selection of wiring diagrams, tech tips, and tonal know how. Ever adjust your pickups and wonder where your sustain and definition went? Thanks for a great and straightforward writeup. Players with a light touch can get away with lower action; others need higher action to avoid rattles. Using a 6\" (150 mm) ruler, measure the distance between bottom of strings and top of the 17th fret. I understand that there are no hard and fast rules for the height but most pickup manufacturers recommend a starting point of 1/16 of an inch from the bottom of the string to the pole piece while holding down the string on the 22nd fret. Pickup height is a critical element of your guitar’s tone. Think of it as a customizable version of the staggered pole pieces you’ll find on many vintage and vintage-style Fender single-coils. Otherwise you'd need a differently shaped pickguard and, more importantly, a differently cut neck pocket on the guitar body. £64.00. Hey Eric, that's great. And then came How To Adjust (Set) Pickup Height on a Telecaster for ULTIMATE TELE TONE! Dispatched with Royal Mail 1st Class. Today we’re going to do a setup on a Les-Paul-style guitar. Tonerider. On my 1978 Telecaster, I cannot find any visible screws to adjust the neck pickup height but the bridge pickup offers no less than three screws (see image below). They rely on support – often a foam strip – placed underneath in the pickup cavity to push the pickups to the correct height. Check and adjust the saddle height Firstly check and, if necessary, adjust the low (thick) E string height. The two closest to the bridge balance the pickup from right to left, while the other screw is vital for keeping the surface of the pickup even with the strings. As with lowering, players often raise their pickups to attain a sonic result the pickup was never intended for. It's a clever solution, but of course it means that you can't lift the pickguard out so easily. We’d love to help you turn your guitar into the versatile tone machine it deserves to be. This overloaded magnet/string interaction can cause take your sound over with added harmonic content and overtones – and not in a good way. When the magnets get that close to the strings, their magnetic field inhibits the natural motion of the strings’ vibration. Strangely, there are still a lot of players who have never given pickup height adjustment a second thought. Wilkinson WVOB Alnico V Bridge Pickup for Telecaster Broadcaster Guitar. We’ll dig into the benefits of proper adjustment, how to adjust a wide range of the most popular pickup types, and even help you avoid some tone-wrecking pitfalls of incorrect adjustment. One tips for lowering single pickups is that, sometimes, the screw comes off the pickup cover and pickup base. But you will be surprised with how many tones are inside your pickups and how much better your guitar will perform. Once I have the spacing correctly set, I file a small … The only way I can get to the pickup screws will be by loosening the neck screws. Once those are set up where I want them (checking for string buzz up and down the neck) I hold the radius gauge on the strings just in front of the saddles and adjust them till each string sits flush with it. Now that your pickups are adjusted to factory spec, we’ll bet it’s already playing and sounding better! Lindy Fralin Split Steel Poled Tele Bridge. Filing the string grooves with a nut-slotting file. Same bridge-first order applies to most other guitars and to basses. So, for instance, with a Les Paul, set the bridge pickup height and then set the neck. You may find inspiring new life from an old guitar.No matter what kind of electric guitar you play or what style you play in, read on. I bought the set to replace the neck pickup in a tele deluxe, so this bridge pickup is unused. Because it’s the strength and type of the magnets that determine where the pickups should be set. The soapbar models share many similarities to Jazzmaster pickups, but have their mounting screws located down the middle of the pickup cover. Experiment with the height until the desired sound and feel is achieved. Santa Barbara, California. We are only going to do a basic setup, which is enough most of t... Today we're going to talk about how to wire up a stompbox. Lindy Fralin, of Lindy Fralin Pickups, shows how he sets pickup heights. 185 sold. Sorry about all those questions and about my english, but i'd be really glad if i could get some help on that. Simply adjust it the way you would a Strat single-coil. True, if you do this wrong,... Today we’re going to have a very quick look at pickup setup for a Fender Stratocaster-style guitar. We always recommend having an authorized luthier take care of the work. But every pickup and guitar manufacturer has their own specifications. It’s time to go a step further and dial it in to your personal preferences.