Pickup Height?

theonemanband

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Hi,

Just put a slightly lighter string set on my new(ish) Newark St. Starfire 12 string, and have done a set up accordingly.

One question regarding neck (LB-1) pickup height. The pickup is installed following the contour of the body meaning that the pickup pole screws lean down towards the neck, and the pickup is not parallel to the strings. Where should the pickup height measurement be taken, at the pole piece screws or at the leading edge of the pickup?

Is it possible and would it be advantageous to get the neck pickup to sit parallel to the strings as the neck pickup does?

Cheers.......Brian
 

Nuuska

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Hello

How about experimenting to find out what is best to your ears ?

Personally i would for some unknown reason align pup with strings - but testing and observing might reveal something you like better.
 

GAD

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There is no way to angle those pickups that I'm aware of short of bending the legs with pliers, which I've done.

Honestly, I find measuring pickup distances to be a waste of time. I just adjust them until they sound good. As for the angle, I can all but guarantee that it's more of a cosmetic issue more than anything else. Still, I've done it because I don't like the look, so I totally get it.
 

theonemanband

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Thank you for you replies, I concur with all the comments.

I have “re-modelled” (bent) the neck pickup brackets which effectively makes the pickup now sit parallel to the strings.
This for me is aesthetically more pleasing and the pickup height is now constant across the whole pickup surface, before adjustment is made to the pole pieces individually.

Cheers......Brian.
 

Quantum Strummer

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I'm also a big fan of the "use your ears" approach. There's usually a sweetspot with a dual-pickup guitar where both pickups sound really good, are reasonably well balanced volume-wise and the "both on" sound is quite distinct from the individual sounds.

-Dave-
 

Guildedagain

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Did it for 30 years by ear, then tried a more "scientific" approach, and quickly reverted back...

If I remember right on a Tele, "the" electric guitar, you get the bridge right, and then adjust the neck to your taste, but mostly for balance.

Not to go out in left field, but speaking of sweet spots where both p'ups sound really good, anybody here tried the old Broadcaster circuit with blend?

It's amazing.
 

Quantum Strummer

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I had a c. 1987 "52 reissue" Tele for a short time (before I found my oldie) that I wired up with the blend circuit. Really liked it. Bridge with just a little neck dialed in…lovely. I also used a .022 cap on the neck pickup for less mud in the forward position. My oldie's output jack continues being temperamental, and it was rewired "normal" long ago anyway, so I'm thinking about cleaning up its guts and putting the blend circuit in. Won't be period correct, but so what?! ;)

-Dave-
 

theonemanband

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Again, thank you all for your informed responses and for the links to to reading material provided.

As mentioned in a previous post, I am new to electric guitars but I am absolutely certain I made the right choice here. I cannot find enough superlatives to describe how delighted I am with my superb Starfire 12string!

That said, I have made one or two “tweaks” in order to hone the guitar for my style and the neck pickup angle WAS bothering me.

I came away from last nights gig thinking to myself “that guitar sounded awesome tonight”, covering all the bases and genres that I play but, honestly & truthfully, it wasn’t until I arrived home that I realised I had forgotten all about the neck pickup tweak I had made earlier this week.........so maybe it has made a difference.

I am now also tending to use the guitar with selector switch set to middle position (both pickups) and the bridge tone pot set full on. This seems to give me a good base from which to dial in all of my most useful tones, plus using either single pickup selected as required.

I LOVE my Starfire 12!!

Thanks again for all the great advice.........Brian
 
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Quantum Strummer

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Here's something I do with most dual pickup guitars featuring individual volume & tone pots when I want a dark-ish sound but with decent articulation: selector switch in the middle position; neck pickup vol & tone full up; bridge tone all the way down and its volume rolled down a notch or so. With many guitars, all my four-knob Guild electrics included, you'll get an abrupt increase in clarity while rolling down the bridge volume…that's where I set it. With archtops in particular this gives you a non-muddy tone suitable for jazzier stuff. 12-string jazz guitar…why not?! :)

Edit: forgot to mention that the above technique doesn't work with guitars using "'50s wiring"…the guitar's tone won't change much as you roll down the bridge pickup's volume knob. With such guitars roll up the bridge tone knob a notch from zero. This gets you pretty much the same sound.

Also, with some guitars you may notice a bit of static noise while adjusting the volume (or tone) knob right at the point where the tone brightens. Not sure what's going on with that, but I've had it happen with multiple guitars from multiple brands.

-Dave-
 
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