Pickup Heights - Is it all that?

[Malak the Mad]

If my most recent tinkering experience has any say in the matter, then yes, it matters. I was hooking up a J/MM set of Delano pickups and, rather than breaking out a ruler, I just let them sit a little closer to the strings than I usually do. Once I had the truss rod and string height set to what felt and sounded fine, I started plucking away with one hand to see what sound I was getting. Then, I pushed the pickup a little bit deeper into the body with the other hand to hear what a lower height sounded like. When I found something that was a good mix of thump, growl and clarity, I adjusted the pickup screws according and then called it a day.

If there was any "scientific method" at work, it wasn't because of any numerical value. Instead, I decided to go by what looked and sounded decently playable as a setup experiment. The only tools I used were the appropriate allen keys, a screwdriver, a tuner and my eyes & ears.

 

[antfarm]

It's also hard to specify as it depends on the strings you are using.

 

[TeeSee]

Relative PU height matters: Most importantly for even output from string to string.
It also affect tone, but that's more "nuance" and not nearly as critical as even output.

Having a known starting point is helpful;
I'll typically start with 6/64 on the E - 5/64 on G. (maybe 7/64 & 6/64 on hotter output Pickups)

Play through the notes on different strings - use your ears to adjust until you are satisfied.

This of course is done after your setup is completed.
I check this each time I change strings (especially if I'm changing the kind of string).

(FWIW I ditched my little rulers several years ago. I just use brass feeler gauges made from inexpensive brass stock from amazon.)

Brass makes a lot of sense as they won't stick to the pickup. Thanks for this tip mate, as I say it's a question that's been bugging me, I'm going to use your method after I've ordered some feeler gauges form Amazon, as mine are steel.

 

[TeeSee]

It matters. Raise them and volume increases, but at the cost of a) reducing string oscillation amplitude, and b) when raised way too high can introduce choked notes as the strings are pulled closer to the body & fretboard.

I'd be happier to have them lower and lose a bit of volume rather than higher at the expense of oscillation.

 

[TeeSee]

If my most recent tinkering experience has any say in the matter, then yes, it matters. I was hooking up a J/MM set of Delano pickups and, rather than breaking out a ruler, I just let them sit a little closer to the strings than I usually do. Once I had the truss rod and string height set to what felt and sounded fine, I started plucking away with one hand to see what sound I was getting. Then, I pushed the pickup a little bit deeper into the body with the other hand to hear what a lower height sounded like. When I found something that was a good mix of thump, growl and clarity, I adjusted the pickup screws according and then called it a day.

If there was any "scientific method" at work, it wasn't because of any numerical value. Instead, I decided to go by what looked and sounded decently playable as a setup experiment. The only tools I used were the appropriate allen keys, a screwdriver, a tuner and my eyes & ears.

+1 for a picture of the crazy prof that used to be ubiquitous on UK TV, who's name temporarily eludes me. He had loads of enthusiastic energy for an old geezer, and made learning fun. There will be a bonus point for anyone who comes up with his name to refresh my ageing brain. I'm pretty sure there was an M in it

 

[TeeSee]

Thanks all, you've cleared up something that had been bugging me for a while - as said in the OP, there's very little info out there about this subject.
I've appreciated each and every one of your replies and have learned something I knew nothing about 2 days ago.

 

[dune]

Pickup height changes are almost always easily reversible (as are TR, action height and even neck tilt) so no worries. This may be what @JimmyM meant by "overthinking" (which I was in agreement with but saw an opportunity for hilarity I just couldn't refuse). One option is just get a screwdriver and start adjusting. I really like EMG active pickups. Their weaker magnetic fields allow them to be raised as close as one can get them short of contacting the strings, without concern about the chorusy/sitar oscillation thing.

I had a wake-call the first time I set up a Stingray. I initially set that big ol' MM 'bucker at Fender height and that just didn't work at all.

 

[fhm555]

not nearly as bad as the synthesizer crowd ... where you find people arguing about wooden cheeks, knob size, keybed, internal vs external power supply, color etc etc

FWIW I've done some adjustments of pickup height in the past, but neither of my current basses allow such adjustment; their pickups sit directly in the body. Any changes to timbre are therefore done electronically, and that works fine

Yep, something I’ve discovered in my self education of bass setup is body color does actually matter. Not only does color matter, but the challenges presented by painted headstocks and/or necks, can require an oscilloscope to achieve optimal pickup height. And don’t even get me started on the challenges of oil based rubbed finishes, but the most daunting are repainted basses where the original finish was simply scuffed up and new paint applied. Depending on color difference and the sonic resonance quotient of the new paint, the bass may well need to be laid on a Ouija board if you ever want to find your pickup height sweet spot.

 

[Malak the Mad]

+1 for a picture of the crazy prof that used to be ubiquitous on UK TV, who's name temporarily eludes me. He had loads of enthusiastic energy for an old geezer, and made learning fun. There will be a bonus point for anyone who comes up with his name to refresh my ageing brain. I'm pretty sure there was an M in it

One of the coolest names ever...Magnus Pyke!

 

[BadMonk]

It matters to me, but I don't get warped over 1/32nd of an inch, much less a 64th. Apparently, my hearing is as bad as my eyesight.

 

[TeeSee]

One of the coolest names ever...Magnus Pyke!

+2 That's the fella!! If you're ever in the UK toward the Welsh Borders the first pint is on me

 

[Malak the Mad]

+2 That's the fella!! If you're ever in the UK toward the Welsh Borders the first pint is on me

No worries, there. I'm a teetotaler, so my drinks are cheap. Just never offer to buy me dinner. I've earned my nickname, "The Furnace Who Walks", countless times over.

Oh, in regards to your avatar, you might like the theories old friends of mine came up with as to why the Martians were attacking Earth;

• Theory One: "This is what happens when you give disintegrator guns to a bunch of six-year-olds!"
• Theory Two: "It's just a game of 'Red vs. Green'!"