1976fenderhead Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 I have a Fender American Jazz Deluxe and always just set up pickup height to what Fender says in their setup guide, but those values are what they recommend as the 'starting point'... Where should I go from there? What should I be looking for hearing as I raise or lower them and when will I know I'm at the sweet spot? How far up and down from the starting point is it worth going? I've always neglected this bit of setup to be honest, but was reading about this yesterday and it seems it can make dramatic changes to tone? I don't think I ever noticed that when I adjusted them before... Any help/guide/tips appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 I think the answer is to just experiment. If you get them too high you will notice some strange sounds and possibly strings hitting the pole pieces, Too low you will lose volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1976fenderhead Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 [quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1336029358' post='1639590'] I think the answer is to just experiment. If you get them too high you will notice some strange sounds and possibly strings hitting the pole pieces, Too low you will lose volume. [/quote] What do you mean by strange sounds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 (edited) [quote name='1976fenderhead' timestamp='1336029413' post='1639592'] What do you mean by strange sounds? [/quote] If you set the pickups too high the magentic pull will disturb the free vibration of the strings. When this happens notes don't sound pure and will start to waver a bit. You'll know when it happens, iIt just doesn't sound quite right! As long as you keep the pickup height below this threshold you can play around and find the settings that sound best to you. Further away - more open and mellow; closer - more tight and focused. G side usually set slightly closer than E side to get even string balance. Bridge pup generally set slightlly higher than neck to balance output. Not always the case as some bridge pups are wound hotter to compensate. Have a play, any changes you make can easily be reversed! Edited May 4, 2012 by ikay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Ikay explained it so much better than me. Good man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1976fenderhead Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 When I bought the bass I actualy used a set of feeler gauges to measure and record the factory setup so i could go back to it if I wanted. I then set it up as recommended on the Fender site the 1st time I put new strings. Yesterday I went to check that and saw that orginally, the bass side was about 1mm higher (closer to strings) than they recommend. I put it back up like that yesterday and it's actually sounding more focused, punchy and compressed. I may experiment more after the weekend gigs... It's quite time consuming though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Yes time consuming but worthwhile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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