Split pick up height 'angle' on a P

[revd]

I've got an AVRI 63 Precision. The split pick ups are very angled rather than straight. What I mean is the at the low E the pick up height is very low and under the D, it is quite high. The reverse on the lower half of the pup, under the A it's high, under the G it's low. So looking at it from the bridge, it makes a triangle rather looking flat like, say, a humbucker on a guitar does.

Is this right?

 

[Killing Floor]

Depends on your fingerboard. But generally the middle strings sit higher above the plane of the body. Are the poles really that much further from the string?

 

[Slater]

Is this right?

If you’re happy with the tone and the volume level from string to string is fairly equal, it’s right. Otherwise, feel free to make adjustments to get your desired results.

 

[revd]

Depends on your fingerboard. But generally the middle strings sit higher above the plane of the body. Are the poles really that much further from the string?

I guess the angle of the pups kinda matches the fingerboard.

I'm quite the newb so when I watch Dave's World of Fun Stuff I notice that all the split pup Ps he works on seem to have differently angled pups to mine.

It sounds fine in terms of different string volume so I guess I'll leave it until some point in the future when I can be bothered to get somebody to look at the entire set up.

 

[lz4005]

It sounds fine in terms of different string volume so I guess I'll leave it until some point in the future when I can be bothered to get somebody to look at the entire set up.

Close your eyes, trust your ears. If it sounds right it is right.

 

[Samatza]

I angle them to get consistent volume across all strings and that’s it. Depending on fretboard radius and your preferred string height this angle may be different to another bass, just adjust for even volume and you’ll be OK.

 

[wysiwyg248]

The theory says pickup poles should resemble the curvature of the fretboard to have equal input from all strings. In addition, and considering strings vibrate with different amplitude, the poles should be farther away in the low E for ex. than in the high G. Comparing string volume by ear will probably give you a pretty good idea if your pickups need adjustment or nor.
I'd say to check this every time to put new strings, specially if you will be switching gages which may require a setup adjustment to avoid fret buzz, etc.

 

[jbrew73]

First be sure the string height(action) is correct. Adjust the pickup to string distance to “spec”. There are many online guides to help with this. Now play the bass and tweak the height so you have good string to string balance.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Close your eyes, trust your ears. If it sounds right it is right.

Yep!

Another way to put this is: don't listen with your eyes.

 

[Scott Lynch]

Close your eyes, trust your ears. If it sounds right it is right.

Yep! The poles on my P bass definitely are not matched to the radius of the fretboard - they are quite a bit flatter. I don’t know why this is, though I suppose it could be influenced by the strings I am using (TI Flats). I rather extensively spent time finding what worked, listening, and even double checking with an input level meter in Logic, to arrive at this conclusion.

 

[g-dude]

You can get a set of gauges off of Amazon or StewMac for not much money.

If you do the measurements and set things properly, it’ll look odd. I mean, at a gut level you’d imagine them to look fairly even, but don’t let common sense fool you.

 

[jlo95]

Is this right?

Yes

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

That is one of the best things about split Ps pickups.
Changing string to pickup clearance for each string lets you have balanced output from one string to the next.
Be aware that even if it is set perfectly now, you may need minor tweeks when you change strings.

 

[JTE]

Your AV '63 neck has a very curved 7.25" fingerboard radius. The poles on the pickups should be close to the same distance from the STRINGS, do don't freak on the distance from the body.

Other basses have flatter fingerboards so the PUPs may be more level.

 

[Chrisk-K]

If you don’t like it, grab a screwdriver and change the angles.

 

[revd]

Thanks for all the discussion!

I'm newish to bass guitar but have been producing music for nearly 30 years. 'Use your ears' is of course true.

And yet.

With mixing, for example, my ears can't hear all the low end crap I need to filter out of analogue synth basses and my tiny studio doesn't help. So I also like to use the necessary (visual) tools to help and of course the theory to understand why.

Your AV '63 neck has a very curved 7.25" fingerboard radius. The poles on the pickups should be close to the same distance from the STRINGS, do don't freak on the distance from the body.

Other basses have flatter fingerboards so the PUPs may be more level.

Aha, that makes sense. I was wondering why not all Ps but the different radii helps explain.

 

[wysiwyg248]

Maybe this picture help?

 

[JMarkD]

There is an alternate idea that it is better to set the split P bass pick up even across or slightly higher for the outer strings. The idea is that the magnetic field created by all eight magnets is stronger in the middle than on the outer sides. The A and D strings are in a stronger area than the two outer strings are. I was skeptical until I set my AVRI 63 pick up in this manner. String balance and output were improved. But by all means use your ears and set it to your liking. Note that the J bass pick magnets are straight across and as long as the set up isn't super radical, there are no string balance issues, at least in my experience. Don't be afraid to experiment.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Note that the J bass pick magnets are straight across and as long as the set up isn't super radical, there are no string balance issues, at least in my experience. Don't be afraid to experiment.

Every Jazz Bass I've owned Quite a few, along with a G&L JB-2) had hotter S and D string compared to the E and D strings. Drove me nuts (no more for me, thanks).

 

[JMarkD]

Not sure what strings you mean. In my experience I never noticed that issue. I would angle the D & G side of the J bass pick up a bit closer to the strings. But the level magnets never bothered me. Obviously the conventional wisdom is to angle the P bass pick-up to the fret board, but some knowledgeable folks on here have suggested otherwise and when I tried it I found that to be the case. Not trying to argue with you just pointing out an alternative approach to setting P bass pick ups that worked for me. Of course, I'm half deaf so what do I know.