Adjusting P Bass Pickups

[Quap]

I recently got a 06 Highway P. The pickup came nearly flat, where I have played other Ps when the pickup is raised in the middle. Is there a correct way? Does changing the height of the pickup change the sound?

[SMILEYSIXX]

Angled pups are used to accommodate the fact that a properly set up bass will have action that appears arch-like. The angles help keep the magnets at roughly the same distance from each string. You may notice some Jazz basses have the center two sets of poles raised slightly for this same purpose.

It's a simple adjustment, just mess around with the pickup screws to even them out, but if it sounds fine on your bass, no need to mess with them.

[darkstorm]

Angling the pups so the innner side is a little higher then outer is common to follow fingerboard radius. Or bridge radius. Yes for most both are the same. But occasionally a player will adjust bridge saddle height not exactly to fingerboard radius. This is ussually for little personal preferance thing. Anyway, I'll go tghru the 3 steps I use with dimarzio model P pups.

1. I'll start with the pups about 1/8 inch below the strings with strings not fretted. I'll listen while playing some kind of arp over and over and then adjust pole peices for tone tweak as desired for each string. Higher pole peices ussually result in little more treble and around flush or just below pup houseing top ussually gives little less treble. On the D&G string half I ussually have those pole peices slightly lower then on the E&A string side. If your P pups are reverse postitioned. With the E&A string side closer to the bridge one may decide to reverse this. So its pole peices are little higher then the D&G side. Its all personal tone tweak preferance.

2. Then I'll adjust overall pup height. Again playing some sort of multi string arp over and over as I listen. For pup height I'mm listening for two things. Note focus/detail and volume balance. Pups halves may end up about the same height as each other. But Its common for me to have one half slightly higher then ther other. Again its personal sound preferance. If you use overdrive, listening for note focus in my experience is easier.

3. If bass has neck and bridge set. I do step 1 & 2 with each pup solo'd. Then with both pups on full I'll do two things for tweaking the the sets. A. I'll adjust for best blended voice for main cruising voice with both pups on full. If I want slightly bassier I'll slightly lower bridge set. If wanting slightly treblier, I'll lower neck set a little bit. Then. B. I'll roll pup blend a little toward the bridge pups. I'm looking for that magick tone blend for a more lead like voice but not all trebly like Id get if solo bridge. If that setting (about 1/3 toward bridge side) sound a little sharp. I'll slightly lower the bridge pup sets pole peices. If its not quite as bridge as desired I'll either slightly lower neck pup set or raise bridge pup set a tiny bit.

Then play and enjoy. And recheck for minor tweak the next day or so if desired.

Main point being" Factory and text book stats for pup adjustment should only be regarded as a start point and general mass media average type thing. Dont use that as anything else. Do little tweaks to pup height and pole peices as deisred to make the sound best for you. Books and paper with figures arent listening to your playing. You are.

Whenever possible do these adjustments in the mix. Play along with a drum machine or cd or somesuch. What sounds great solo may not sound so great in the mix. I prefer usieng high qaulity headphones since its easier to hear more details etc then had when just listening thru a amps speakers. I want a more hifi sound monitor for pup adjustments in other words to get best results.

When this is all finished then useing basses active eq preamp and amps tone controls etc wont require as much tweaking adding or subtracting eq settings. And basses voice sound char will more satisfy.