Talk to be about the effects of pickup height

[Jay Corwin]

Long story short - I'm getting heavily back into playing bass guitar (in a rock band) after focusing primarily on upright bass for about 13 years. While I used to do all of my own setup work in the past, due to hand, wrist, and elbow issues - I'm not much for fussing with it myself much anymore. So I have a setup guy now. He does a great job, but I'm feeling like the pickups are set a little to high. I am willing to adjust them as needed.

So I play standard P-basses, with a pick now. I play all over the place from the bridge back up towards the neck depending on what I'm trying to accomplish. When I get up closer to the neck it just feels like the pickups are too hot, and maybe even effecting the playability. Can that actually mess with the string deflection and or clang?

School me, but be gentle - it's been a while since I've played in a loud rock band.

 

[Aloe]

well, you have to know the setup guy for some time for him to set up instruments to your liking. just bring them down until you'll like it. sometimes even a tiny bit of rotation can change things. you always can bring them up again.

another possibility is that you really dig into strings hard, so using a lighter touch is a second option.

 

[jeff62]

Can it mess with string deflection? Yes. You'll know because something will sound off with your notes (typically when you are higher up the fret board as the strings will then be even closer to the pickup which allows the magnet to deflect the string) -- sometimes described as a warbling of the note. If you are not hearing that then your "high" pickups are just fine and then it's entirely up to you whether you want to lower them because you feel like they are too hot for your own taste. Lowering and raising them is just a turn of a screwdriver. You can't hurt anything. And you'll get more effect by playing with the gain and volume knobs on your amp than you will raising or lowering pickups.

 

[Jogobass]

All I know is it depends on the pickup. Mine is right against the string almost. But it was designed like that. I'm sure someone with the know how about the P bass pickup can chime in.

 

[MotorCityMinion]

IMO, start really low. On the Split p pickup, set the angle of the pick ups to match the radius of the fret board. Play up & down the fret board & listen to the volume of each string. Move the height at the end closest to the string that needs adjusting to suit your needs. Fingers, pick or slap and where you pluck the string makes a difference so set it for the style you'll use the most. Different basses for different plucking styles is not unheard of.

Can it mess with string deflection? Yes. You'll know because something will sound off with your notes (typically when you are higher up the fret board as the strings will then be even closer to the pickup which allows the magnet to deflect the string) -- sometimes described as a warbling of the note.

This as well. Some folks describe it as a chorus type of sound.

 

[2saddleslab]

I once had what I thought was an issue w/ a buzzing cabinet. Tried to tighten everything but it still buzzed. Turns out the pickup on my '68 Tele bass was too close to the strings. Small adjustments can make a big difference.

 

[Basvarken]

A pickup that is too close to the string can cause so-called warbling. Which is often most noticeable with the E-string; your tuner cannot decide what note you're hitting.

 

[Killens84]

I’d love to get @Turnaround ’s advice on this one.

 

[Ostie]

Lower them down a little and see if you like it. You can always raise them up again. That’s the great thing about reversible mods. Even electronics mods are reversible, if you want to go to the trouble.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

I set precision bass pickups to 3/32” from the bottom of the string to the top of the magnet with the string fretted on the last fret. I am a fender licensed gold tech.

 

[richardroquette]

Pickup to string spacing is easy to adjust. Play around with it a see what happens. There are suggested spacings. You should have a little ruler to measure the spacing so you can keep track of your changes. Lighter strings can be a bit closer to the pickups (the pickup is not parallel to the top of the body.)

 

[darwin-bass]

Post 10 for the win. You don’t have to guess. There are specs from Fender to get you to a known good starting point. Then adjust only if you wish to solve an issue you are hearing.

 

[Goatrope]

Post 10 for the win. You don’t have to guess. There are specs from Fender to get you to a known good starting point. Then adjust only if you wish to solve an issue you are hearing.

Well, kinda. The post didn't mention which string, so the OP is going to have to guess one or all the same. Fender specs are pretty clear, as you wrote.

I think it's really a try, and see how it sounds/ feels adjustment.

That being said, my starting point is 1/8" on the E string and 3/32" on the G. Then I see if I can push lower without the string touching the pole pieces, and without causing that little warble effect mentioned earlier.

 

[codycon96]

I'm primarily a P-Bass player with really heavy pick attack, and I just drop the pickup until the pickup cover is essentially level with the pick guard. I've found that using things like compressors and various drive pedals (Big Muff's and various distortions) really bring it all home and make it a cohesive experience. Typically when I switch to fingers, my strike is still kind of intense and the compressor fixes all of that. I think it really depends on what you're playing and what works best for you!

 

[smurfco]

My usual go-to is to stack two nickels on the pole piece (with the string unfretted) and adjust so that the bottom of the string is just barely touching the top of the stack of nickels. Sometimes I need to adjust up or down a little depending on the pickup but that has always gotten me into the ballpark and more often than not doesn't require any further adjustment afterwards.

 

[Eric Mull]

I set precision bass pickups to 3/32” from the bottom of the string to the top of the magnet with the string fretted on the last fret. I am a fender licensed gold tech.

Do you set the treble side at a different height or 3/32 for bass and treble side?

 

[Swerve]

From the Fender bass setup guide:

PICKUPS​

Setting pickups too high can cause a number of unusual occurrences. Depress strings at last fret. Using a 6" (150 mm) ruler, measure the distance from the bottom of the first and fourth strings to top of the pole piece. A good rule of thumb is that the distance should be greatest at the fourth-string neck pickup position and closest at the first-string bridge pickup position. Follow the measurement guidelines from the chart below as starting points. The distance will vary according to the amount of magnetic pull from the pickup.

Note: Larger string gauges need wider vibrational allowances. If you have a five-string bass or are using heavier-gauge strings, your measurements must be increased accordingly.

	Bass Side	Treble Side
Vintage style	8/64" (3.2 mm)	6/64" (2.4 mm)
Noiseless™ Series	8/64" (3.2 mm)	6/64" (2.4 mm)
Standard "J" or "P"	7/64" (2.8 mm)	5/64" (2 mm)
Special Design Humbuckers	7/64" (2.8 mm)	5/64" (2 mm)

I typically set my pickups to these specs and then adjust as needed.

Here is the full guide: How do I set up my bass guitar properly? · Customer Self-Service

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

Do you set the treble side at a different height or 3/32 for bass and treble side?

I usually set it the same (given the rest of the instrument is set up to my specs) but I am not opposed to going up/down a 64th of an inch to get the right volume even-ness.

 

[groooooove]

this is often overlooked.

often, pickups are too far from the string. there are some pickups that will clip/sound horrible if put very close. in general, 97% of instruments will sound their best with the magnets as close as they can be to the string without interfering physically, or if you have exposed magnets, making contact noises (this depends on how hard you play.)

 

[Derek Kay]

IMO, start really low. On the Split p pickup, set the angle of the pick ups to match the radius of the fret board. Play up & down the fret board & listen to the volume of each string. Move the height at the end closest to the string that needs adjusting to suit your needs. Fingers, pick or slap and where you pluck the string makes a difference so set it for the style you'll use the most. Different basses for different plucking styles is not unheard of.

This as well. Some folks describe it as a chorus type of sound.

Agree absolutely

A lower PU height will take the edge off, and produce a more even fundamental.
That's the bread and butter for a pro.