Ever noticed when you have checked out a guitar in a music shop or maybe just testing out a friends guitar that when you then plug another guitar into the exact same amp without fixing the settings that the level of output can change dramatically?
The thing to remember is everybody's equipment is different, there is no hard and fast rule to pickup height just because all pickups have various levels of output. Fundamentally you are endeavoring to achieve an ideal signal to noise proportion. Signal-to-noise ratio (abbreviated as S/N) basically means how much output you can accomplish before things start getting loud. Think about it in comparison to your car stereo, how loud can you crank the volume before things start to split up? Pickups work the same way in relation to distance from the actual strings. The magnets in the pickups will pick up unwanted noise if you push things too far.
There is no real set way to go about adjusting your pickup height, fundamentally you are testing and making corrections until you are ecstatic but there are a few things to keep in mind.
- Ensure you are testing at a reasonable volume. (Testing at a low volume is purposeless as you'll have no real idea how noisy the guitar is at high levels)
- Test all pickups and set your tone controls where you would typically have them set for each.
- Play in a comfortable position that is natural to you.
- Take things too far, what I mean by this is do not simply stop when you believe that you have nailed it. Keep adjusting until you have pushed it too far then cut back a bit. This lets you get as near to the best performance height of your guitar kits pickups as possible.
Adjusting your pickup height is a good way to get the best out of your guitar kit but like anything to do with a guitar set-up you actually need to think about the bigger picture. Often when you adjust 1 piece of a guitar you effect on another, so getting the proper balance across your instrument is what can give you a great tonal quality to your instrument.
The thing to remember is everybody's equipment is different, there is no hard and fast rule to pickup height just because all pickups have various levels of output. Fundamentally you are endeavoring to achieve an ideal signal to noise proportion. Signal-to-noise ratio (abbreviated as S/N) basically means how much output you can accomplish before things start getting loud. Think about it in comparison to your car stereo, how loud can you crank the volume before things start to split up? Pickups work the same way in relation to distance from the actual strings. The magnets in the pickups will pick up unwanted noise if you push things too far.
There is no real set way to go about adjusting your pickup height, fundamentally you are testing and making corrections until you are ecstatic but there are a few things to keep in mind.
- Ensure you are testing at a reasonable volume. (Testing at a low volume is purposeless as you'll have no real idea how noisy the guitar is at high levels)
- Test all pickups and set your tone controls where you would typically have them set for each.
- Play in a comfortable position that is natural to you.
- Take things too far, what I mean by this is do not simply stop when you believe that you have nailed it. Keep adjusting until you have pushed it too far then cut back a bit. This lets you get as near to the best performance height of your guitar kits pickups as possible.
Adjusting your pickup height is a good way to get the best out of your guitar kit but like anything to do with a guitar set-up you actually need to think about the bigger picture. Often when you adjust 1 piece of a guitar you effect on another, so getting the proper balance across your instrument is what can give you a great tonal quality to your instrument.
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