Wayne this is a post I had put in another thread about how I approach setting pickups heights. Your current specs are very close to how my Geddy is currently set. What pickups are in your bass? MIM, MIA, SJB1, ? What is your spacing, 60's 70's?
Read this and see if it helps you. You may only need a small adjustment (1/64") on only one of your pickups.
Here's how I approach pickups with regards to setup, and a few thoughts on the process.
Pickup adjustment is the last step in the total setup process. If the bass setup is not finalized then adjusting the pickups is pointless. Any adustment you make will alter the pickup to string relationship.
Everybody has there bass setup a little differently, even my own basses vary slightly with regards to relief, and action. It is not accurate to say adjust pickups to spec "X" while depressing the string at the last fret. While I can tell you to set your neck pickup to 1/8" with the string depressed at the last fret, my action height may be different than yours. When the string is then released we will have different measurements in the final product. Even small tolerances will affect overall tone. 1/64" is a lot of space in the right circumstance.
It would be better to give measurements based on holding the bass in playing position with the strings open. This is something I've just recently been working on, and realizing when discussing setups with people.
I do start with the string depressed at the last fret, and then set both pickups flat at 1/8" bass and treble side. Then play the bass listening to both pickups on, and seperate. Do I like what I hear? I wish it was that easy. Now we start adjusting, based on how we want to move the bass tone. My amp is generally fairly flat for this, I want to hear the pickups and how they are changing tonally.
As a general statement, the closer a pickup is the brighter the tone, as you adjust it down you move through the midrange, and then into the bass range.
I like to work with the neck pickup first. My particular action gives me about 12/64" with the bass in playing position after setting the pickup to 1/8" with the string depressed at the last fret. I don't often, read ever, play on the last fret.
Depending on the pickup this gives a decent bass tone, but generally lacks mids, but maybe not. Start bringing the pickup up 1\64" at a time. Play the bass, and note what your hearing, pickup solo'd and with the bridge. Continue this till you have what you think is the neck tone your looking for. To much bass, move closer for better mids. To much mids move away for more bass. This sets your overall bottom tone
The bridge measures out at 9/64" at this point, after setting it with the same process as the initial neck pickup. Your basically going to do the same thing for the bridge as you did for the neck.
How does the bridge pickup volume sound, weak, strong, just right, to middy, to bright? Adjust the pickup as before till your getting the top end you think you want.
Now play the bass with both pickups on full. What do you think? Roll the volumes off about 5-10% single and together, how about now, better, worse. Where do you want to move the tone.
You may chase your tail for awhile at this point to find the right balance between a little movement one way, or the other, on either pickup.
For instance: too twangy. Do you move the bridge down and lose top end clarity or move the bass up for better mids to tame the top end? Do you have enough bass if you move the neck up to tame top end? You have to play with it to find the balance. It is a bit of work, but it is worth it to find the tone.
Anyways, in a nutshell thats how I approach it.
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