Tone changes with pickup height?

[arsie]

I have a Squier PJ, with Dimarzio Model P+J on it. Pre-amp is a Hartke Bass Attack into a 100 watt 1x15" noname combo.

I have recently lowered the pickups so that the volume is more in line with my other basses, and I think the tone has changed as well.

I am not sure if I am just imaging it or just my bad ears. The tone seem to be more treble with the pickups lowered. Is it even possible?

No audio clips, I'm not set up to do any recording.

 

[SGD Lutherie]

You should keep the pickups close the strings. The magnetic field strength drops with the square of the distance from the strings, so fairly quickly the pickups will start to lose presence and attack.

 

[MuzikMan]

Changing height does affect tone. It seems like there is a "proximity effect" similar to one you would experience with a mic.

 

[Lecomber]

surely if it's similar to a microphone then moving the strings closer to the pickups would increase the bass frequencies?

 

[Testing_123]

The tone seem to be more treble with the pickups lowered.

That seems odd -- I would expect the tone to mellow a bit, with a milder treble, as the pickups are lowered...

 

[SGD Lutherie]

That seems odd -- I would expect the tone to mellow a bit, with a milder treble, as the pickups are lowered...

It's probably less bass and mids. Our ears are more sensitive to the upper mids (2-5 kHz) so they seem louder when the pickup is lower.

 

[arsie]

You should keep the pickups close the strings. The magnetic field strength drops with the square of the distance from the strings, so fairly quickly the pickups will start to lose presence and attack.

Ah, that I did not know. What would be a good distance from the strings? I have the PJ and an EBMM SR.

So its not just my imagination. Thanks everyone for their insights. Learned something new.

 

[Shoewreck]

What would be a good distance from the strings?

The closest at which magnetic pull doesn't affect string motion. You should also keep strings from touching poles to avoid bad popping noises.