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P Bass Pickup Height - G Side Higher Than the Rest?

fourstringdrums

fourstringdrums

Decidedly Indecisive
Supporting Member
Oct 20, 2002
9,722
12,480
45
Massachusetts
#1
On my P-bass I'm noticing that in order to have equal string balance I have to have the G side of the split coil higher than the rest. The E/A side is slanted down, with the E lower, following the height of the strings. But the D/G is slanted up with the G higher than the D. The string is almost touching the pickup it's so high. Even still I feel like the D is still a little bit too loud compared to the G.

Could this just be a bad string or could something be wrong with the pickup? Or should I not care what it looks like? It's just the first time I've seen the pickups angled / / instead of / \
 
#2
It's usual to have this to a certain extent. But if you suspect the magnets at the G string are faulty, then you can measure the height of both sides of the D/G coil, then remove, turn 180 degrees, and re-install to the same height. If you still have a quiet G with the bobbin turned around, then I'd suspect the strings, or something else...
 
#5
Did you flip the entire pickup, or just that one segment? Also, make sure none of the solder points where the leads solder to the coils on the pickup itself touch the shielding.
 
#6
Are you sure it's not a dead spot on the neck? These can often masquerade as an electronically "weak" G. It's pretty normal to have unequal heights on each side of a P pickup, but something is amiss if you find yourself drastically overcompensating one side with little noticeable improvement.
 
#7
petrus61 said:
Are you sure it's not a dead spot on the neck? These can often masquerade as an electronically "weak" G. It's pretty normal to have unequal heights on each side of a P pickup, but something is amiss if you find yourself drastically overcompensating one side with little noticeable improvement.
Click to expand...

I do have a slight dead spot on the 6th fret, but the weakness was overall, not just that one fret. Even the open G seemed a bit weaker. But like I said I flipped the pickup around and it seems to have gotten better so it may have been that after my tech did a shielding job he put the pickup in the wrong way vs. how it was when I got the bass. Because I don't really recall having the issue before he shielded it.
 
#8
please don't blame your tech. there is no right and wrong way for p bass pickups. both coils should be identical. and they can sense either pair of strings, in either orientation.

but sometimes magnets can vary a little in pickups like these. that's why I suggested changing things around. and as others have mentioned, sometimes there are other factors involved.
 
#9
RobbieK said:
please don't blame your tech. there is no right and wrong way for p bass pickups. both coils should be identical. and they can sense either pair of strings, in either orientation.

but sometimes magnets can vary a little in pickups like these. that's why I suggested changing things around. and as others have mentioned, sometimes there are other factors involved.
Click to expand...

Oh no, he's great. I'd never blame him. I just meant that he could have put it in reverse from how it originally was and if there was a magnet variation, the weaker magnet got put on the outside.
 

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