Jazz Pickup Height

[rydin4lifebass]

I'm curious..for those of you with Jazz pickups, do you keep them at tell same or different heights? Either way, what is the distance from top of pickup to bottom of string? Also, are your picups the same height from side to side or angled? Probably all personal preference, I'm just curious.

 

[testing1two]

Fender recommends the numbers below. I use them as a starting point and adjust to my taste. The side to side tilt is only to achieve even string volume.

Vintage style: 8/64" (3.6 mm) Bass Side 6/64" (2.4 mm) Treble Side
Noiseless™ Series: 8/64" (3.6 mm) Bass Side 6/64" (2.4 mm) Treble Side
Standard "J" or "P": 7/64" (2.8 mm) Bass Side 5/64" (2 mm) Treble Side
Special Design Humbuckers: 7/64" (2.8 mm) Bass Side 5/64" (2 mm) Treble Side

How do I set up my bass guitar properly?

 

[rydin4lifebass]

Thanks for the info! The local shop usually sets them up with the tilt and neck pickup lower than bridge....probably to the specs you mention

 

[202dy]

Thanks for the info! The local shop usually sets them up with the tilt and neck pickup lower than bridge....probably to the specs you mention

More string mass makes for a stronger signal. Heavy strings, pickups further away. Lighter strings, pickups closer. Adjusting from side to side makes for even string volume.

A string vibrates widest at the mid point between the nut (or fret) and the bridge. Just like above, wider vibration disturbs the magnetic field more and creates a stronger signal. The vibration pattern is narrower (less wide) near the bridge so the signal is weaker. To remedy the weaker signal the bridge pickup is raised closer to the strings than the neck pickup.

The numbers are a starting point. Your ears, coupled with even plucking (picking, slapping, popping, whatever), are the final word.

 

[96tbird]

If I'm measuring instead of eyeballing/earballing, I take the measurement with the string fretted at the last fret, not the open string. Open string ends up with the pickup way too close for my liking.

 

[rydin4lifebass]

Fender recommends the numbers below. I use them as a starting point and adjust to my taste. The side to side tilt is only to achieve even string volume.

Vintage style: 8/64" (3.6 mm) Bass Side 6/64" (2.4 mm) Treble Side
Noiseless™ Series: 8/64" (3.6 mm) Bass Side 6/64" (2.4 mm) Treble Side
Standard "J" or "P": 7/64" (2.8 mm) Bass Side 5/64" (2 mm) Treble Side
Special Design Humbuckers: 7/64" (2.8 mm) Bass Side 5/64" (2 mm) Treble Side

How do I set up my bass guitar properly?

If I'm measuring instead of eyeballing/earballing, I take the measurement with the string fretted at the last fret, not the open string. Open string ends up with the pickup way too close for my liking.

Good point! @testing1two are those measurements with the open string or fretted at the last fret?

 

[testing1two]

Good point! @testing1two are those measurements with the open string or fretted at the last fret?

fretted at the last fret.

 

[_sky_]

So for more growly tone...how should the height be? Or the pickup height doesn´t affect the growl? Thanks!

 

[RattleSnack]

My experience is that pickup set lower sounds a bit cleaner and sterile. Pickups set higher have a little fuller sound and more dynamics.
So, you could start with Fender specs, and adjust according to your playing style. For example, if you like to boost low frequences, you could lower your pickups E string side, and rise G string side.
For more growl, rise your bridge pickup.

 

[bassdude51]

Get your pickups set as close as possible with these 2 exceptions.............no "wolf tones" and the strings don't hit on the pickups when playing. (The G side will always be set higher than the E.)

 

[testing1two]

Get your pickups set as close as possible with these 2 exceptions.............no "wolf tones" and the strings don't hit on the pickups when playing. (The G side will always be set higher than the E.)

I do this with the bridge pickup and then raise the neck pickup until I get the balance I want with both pickups on full since I use that sound the most.

 

[maturanesa]

Neck pup should be placed lower in order to produce the same amount of output as the bridge one. The string oscilates more at that point..

 

[Rnr..........4]

What about string height adjustment? Just level the pickups moderately and adjust string height. Better than having to screw and un screw the pickups.

 

[testing1two]

What about string height adjustment? Just level the pickups moderately and adjust string height. Better than having to screw and un screw the pickups.

String height is a much more touchy adjustment to get right (and IMO more important) so you really want to dial it in before you even think about adjusting the pickups.

Normally the setup adjustment process is as follows:

1. Set neck relief to minimize string buzz in the middle of the neck
2. Set string height at the nut so the bass plays in tune on the lower frets
3. Set string height at the bridge for playing comfort with a minimum of fret buzz, and so the strings follow the radius of the fingerboard
4. Set intonation so the open strings and their fretted octave notes are in tune
5. Adjust pickup heights for strongest tone and best blend between pickups
6. Adjust pickup tilt for best volume balance between strings (typically the treble side of each pickup is a little closer to the strings than the bass side)

String height and pickup height are both huge parts of the feel and sound of the bass so it's worth the extra effort to get them adjusted to your taste or, at the very least, adjusted within normal specs.

 

[Madjon1973]

I have a 2011 mex jazz, its frets were rough as hell when I got it off eBay so I levelled, re-crowned and polished up all the frets and honestly / very proudly I'm super proud of the job I've done, it really plays nice now.

BUT.....!

Even before I did this job I've had problems with strings hitting the pole pieces on the pups.

I have had several other jazz basses of various makes and I have a few other basses where I don't have this issue despite pickup distance from string being similar or same + same strings + same scale lengths.

To set the pups any lower I'd have to take the packing out behind them but they'd look a bit too low especially the neck pickup. Or shim the neck to get a bit more height of strings relative to body but that would somewhat ruin the feel.

I'm not an especially heavy player but with this bass I have to be very careful...one thing I do note is that despite all things being equal with the other basses in the collection particularly scale length, for some reason my usual strings feel far more floppy on this bass which exacerbates the problem, so I feel forced to use a heavier gauge....which helps!

For reference the pickup / string gap is set up exactly as the fender spec....and it sounds great!!!

Anyone else suffered this?

 

[Turnaround]

If the strings ever hit the pickup poles, the pickups are too close to the strings. Move the pickups away from the strings or the strings away from the pickups, whichever works best for you.

 

[bigtone23]

I tend to play with both pickups up full and sometimes just the neck pickup.
A small tweak I do is after getting a good balance with the pickups is then to raise the bass side of the bridge pickup a touch higher and then drop the bass side of the neck pickup a touch. More so with 5 string, a little less with a 4. This helps the lower strings tighten up and punch a little better.

 

[jazzbass_5]

More string mass makes for a stronger signal. Heavy strings, pickups further away. Lighter strings, pickups closer. Adjusting from side to side makes for even string volume.

A string vibrates widest at the mid point between the nut (or fret) and the bridge. Just like above, wider vibration disturbs the magnetic field more and creates a stronger signal. The vibration pattern is narrower (less wide) near the bridge so the signal is weaker. To remedy the weaker signal the bridge pickup is raised closer to the strings than the neck pickup.

The numbers are a starting point. Your ears, coupled with even plucking (picking, slapping, popping, whatever), are the final word.

I've also found that if the neck pickup is too close to the string the magnetic attraction of the pickup actually interferes with string vibration, sounds terrible.