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spacing between strings & pickups

Discussion in 'Basses [BG]' started by henryjurstin13, Nov 22, 2005.

  1. Nov 22, 2005 #1
    henryjurstin13

    henryjurstin13 Supporting Member

    Jun 5, 2005
    NWAR - 72764
    I will be looking for a new bass in the semi-near future & one of my biggest concerns is the the amount of space between the strings & the pickups.

    I absolutely HATE & DISGUST the sound you get when your strings touch the pickups. I used to have this problem with my Fender Strat and the bridge pickup.

    I play rock & roll (use a pick a lot) with jam-influenced music. Not much slapping, popping. My favorite tone is Allen Woody from Gov't Mule.

    What basses would be a good starting point to have the strings higher off of the pickups? 34" scale a must, no short scales. I need some suggestions... thanks.
     
  2. Nov 22, 2005 #2
    ddnidd1

    ddnidd1 Supporting Member

    Mar 31, 2003
    Southern California Coast
    ??????? Pretty much any 34" scale bass will do. Just adjust the pickups, using the pickup screws, down and away from the strings. Same thing with your Strat.
     
  3. Nov 22, 2005 #3
    henryjurstin13

    henryjurstin13 Supporting Member

    Jun 5, 2005
    NWAR - 72764
    I am not just referring to how close the strings are to the pickups, I am referring to how some instruments are VERY likely to get the (string touching pickup) noise, and some instruments are not very likely to this noise. I have played some Music Man basses that are very likely to this, and also some Jazz basses. But, I picked a Dean the other day & noticed how difficult it would be to get the strings to touch the pickups. I currently have a Line 6 Variax and one of the best things about it is just this, I don't have to worry about the strings touching the pickups & giving me that nasty noise. Maybe this helped clear this up a little bit...
     
  4. Nov 22, 2005 #4
    Hollow Man

    Hollow Man Supporting Member

    Apr 28, 2003
    Springfield, VA
    What you might be hearing is fret buzz, or even clacking, depending on the action that your bass has and any warping or bowing in the neck. It could be your pickups too, but that's pretty tough unless they're super close to the strings, or you're picking with a vengeance. Moving the pickups away will help avoid having the strings hit them, but it'll drastically reduce your bass's overall volume, and it'll reduce dynamics too, because everything coming out of your bass will sound very faint. Moving the pickups just a little will make a big difference.
     
  5. Nov 23, 2005 #5
    ddnidd1

    ddnidd1 Supporting Member

    Mar 31, 2003
    Southern California Coast
    If you have to drastically lower the pickups to keep the strings from hitting the pickups the problem is not pickup height but technique.

    Regardless, if the strings hit the pickups, the pickups are simply too high especially if you're not slapping and popping.