Pick up volume difference?!?

[manchild]

I have an ibanez gsr 200 and think that there could be a volume difference between the pickups - although this could just be the change in tone that is making me think that.

the neck pick up sounds slightly louder than the bridge one, and with both pups on it seems to be quieter than using only one at a time.

is there a reason for this or should i get it looked at? only bought it few weeks ago

[Slowgypsy]

It is possible that one P/U is louder than another, and perhaps the biggest, most common reason is that the P/U's are not the same tonal distance from the strings. You can "balance" P/U's by moving them slightly closer or further from the strings via the adjusting screws. Yes, there are limits... too close or too far will result in either a muddy sound or a very quiet thin sound. Experiment for yourself. The P/U you think is quieter... raise it slightly and see if that makes a difference, or lower the louder one. Cheers....

[manchild]

Thanks for the tip

[DavidRavenMoon]

If both pickups are wound the same, which is fairly common, then the neck pickup will always sound louder. The strings put out more low end at that point, and in general have a larger excursion. Often the bridge pickup is wound hotter to balance the two, and also for tonal reasons.

What you should try doing is lowering the neck pickup a little, and raising the bridge pickup as close to the strings as you can get it without it touching when you are fretting the highest fret.

Also angle the pickups farther away under the bass strings.

[DavePlaysBass]

If you fret your lowest string at the last fret and measure the distance from the pole piece to the bottom of the string, this should be pretty consistent on each pickup. You can then do the same for the highest string. The E string side will typically be farther than the G string side. There are numerous spec out there for optimum pickup height. In the setup area there is a Mr Gearhead spec for different Fender style pickups. It will restate what I just said here.

[manchild]

Thanks il look into that