HB height or closeness to the strings Your experience and preferences.

[Korina& Mahogany]

So whether we’re talking Alnico twos thru fives. A couple of other specs… So let’s start off with a approximately a 7.4 K neck and approximately an 8.5 K bridge pickup; and then let’s go with
a Seymour Duncan unit of measurement of say Seth lover or Aunti Magnet Gauss of 20 or a 59 with a Measurement of 45 …:which is basically their, Duncan’s numbers that I have been been provided with… either 20 or a 45. How close do you put them to your strings …. just below Wolf-tones and intonation issues? What does that leave you with the sound that you want… clear .. thick … bright .. fuzzy etc.? Cork sniffing dog eared eloquence pity descriptions welcome.

 

[metropolis]

I adjust by ear and based on the preference of tone I'm going for - a bright neck sound and that means I'm dictated by the neck pickup first. I'll adjust the height of that pickup to maximise the tone I want (usually extract the maximum brightness), which is typically backing it off about as far away from the strings as is possible within the pickup ring. Then, I'll adjust the bridge to give me the right balance in volume based on its output which varies a little by guitar, but with historic pickup rings is usually sitting just above flush (my neck angles are reasonably consistent across 3x LPs) In your example of pickups that will probably be fairly straightforward, but in a guitar I have with T-Tops the bridge is very close to the strings to get the right output. I put less emphasis on the bridge height because I'm less picky about the tone here, it's never too dark and I always have the tone control to help tame it.

What I did notice at the Gibson Garage in London was just how close to the strings all the bridge pickups seemed to be - like really really close. I don't know if that's how they came over from the factory or if there was an in-store tech who had that preference (and honestly there were setup issues on several Custom Shops I played) but it was surprising and not how I set mine up.

 

[renderit]

I usually start with the poles pretty close to the top of the pickup and adjust up to the strings until I start to get some 'grit' to the sound.

It just adds to the fulness of the tone.

Then I start raising the pole screws up to get some clarity.

Then I rock the pickup down and poles up or the poles down and pickup up to get a feel for where I like it.

Then I go for more even tone across the strings with the poles.

Pickup down-poles up on many with strong magnets gives you very clear tones.

Underwound pickups often are clear enough with the poles down further.

 

[Any Name You Wish]

I discovered something interesting on this very subject yesterday. That is when I checked for the sound/tone after adjusting a pickup, I noticed a significant difference depending on what fret I am playing on the strings. From an open string, and then moving up the neck playing each string individually I found out why I often go in circles trying to get the best settings for my taste. That's a big "Doh!" From now on I check all strings at many different frets, and then do a full major chord at many frets, and at different volume settings. I give my ears a rest after about 30 minutes. If a string is too quiet or loud relative to the rest, I move the pole screw. I try to avoid the big loud boomy tone and go for woody definition. Typically not far from factory specs, maybe 1/64th one way or the other.

Finally, I don't put a premium on having the pickups perfectly balanced volume-wise. I go for the best sound/tone, and I find that the neck PU usually ends up a little bit quieter than the bridge. I don't mind having to move the volume knob 1/2 tick when changing the PU selector. Playing live and drunk I sometimes forget to do this

 

[spidey]

I adjusted the height of the Custombuckers in my R9 to those recommended on the Gibson TV vid about adjusting pickup height, here -

(sorry I can't remember the heights they suggested!!!)

They sound great to me.

 

[Korina& Mahogany]

Thanks for all the response and so far if I get a chance and there’s anything I can add or ask to any of the post so far I will do it as soon as I get a moment or two keep them coming like I said to the cork sniffing dog ear eloquent or just plain brass tacks experiences and preferences are great

 

[Classicplayer]

I discovered something interesting on this very subject yesterday. That is when I checked for the sound/tone after adjusting a pickup, I noticed a significant difference depending on what fret I am playing on the strings. From an open string, and then moving up the neck playing each string individually I found out why I often go in circles trying to get the best settings for my taste. That's a big "Doh!" From now on I check all strings at many different frets, and then do a full major chord at many frets, and at different volume settings. I give my ears a rest after about 30 minutes. If a string is too quiet or loud relative to the rest, I move the pole screw. I try to avoid the big loud boomy tone and go for woody definition. Typically not far from factory specs, maybe 1/64th one way or the other.

Finally, I don't put a premium on having the pickups perfectly balanced volume-wise. I go for the best sound/tone, and I find that the neck PU usually ends up a little bit quieter than the bridge. I don't mind having to move the volume knob 1/2 tick when changing the PU selector. Playing live and drunk I sometimes forget to do this

Similar experience here. The middle position, especially. Both my Les Pauls exhibit quite a difference in playing middle position chords higher up the neck than at the 3rd. fred. The lows seems to have more volume than the unwound strings i.e. 10th fret area. I attribute it to my neck pickups being slightly louder vs. the bridge when played separately. So, I end up making quick neck pup volume knob tweaks on the fly. I've seen Page do similar when switching from middle to neck (usually) and less often when he selects the bridge alone. More than once I've seen him wrestle with the selector switch to be sure it's actually activating both pickups.

One recent “discovery” (for me) was to lower the neck 6th. string side a touch for less lows from the low e-string and raise the A-string pole screw a hair so that both strings exhibit more clarity but when player together still have enough lows. This has served to brighten the middle position up around the 10th. fret area. Now, I find I'm playing more in the middle position than before and enjoying it.

Classicplayer

 

[Any Name You Wish]

Same here with the low E and A string pole height adjustments to bring them a little closer in volume for the middle and neck-only positions. Actually have to do the same with the high E and B (B string being too loud).

 

[Korina& Mahogany]

Thank you to everybody who responded and I was looking at something on YouTube and It was saying like the spec is anywhere from like 2 to 3 mm I think that’s just way too freaking high again there’s been times where I’ve Gotten quite a bit closer than 2 mm on the generally accepted method on how to set the string / pick up height as long as there aren’t Wolftones and of course I’m not sustaining any notes at the 22/22 fret for two3 seconds to produce those Hollyn notes and as long as it doesn’t affect intonation overall which not being John McLaughlin I’m not gonna be able to tell anyway.

 

[SG Std]

Thank you to everybody who responded and I was looking at something on YouTube and It was saying like the spec is anywhere from like 2 to 3 mm I think that’s just way too freaking high again there’s been times where I’ve Gotten quite a bit closer than 2 mm on the generally accepted method on how to set the string / pick up height as long as there aren’t Wolftones and of course I’m not sustaining any notes at the 22/22 fret for two3 seconds to produce those Hollyn notes and as long as it doesn’t affect intonation overall which not being John McLaughlin I’m not gonna be able to tell anyway.

fwiw [because i'm just a hack & therefore relegated to a lifetime of 'bedroom playing' only, but]...occasionally a good friend has let me 'have at it' in his garage where I'm able to wail away thru my cranked up JCM 800.
One time there I wasn't happy with how the pickups were interacting w/ the amp at the proper 'Marshall volumes' so I started adjusting the height of both pickups--and couldn't believe how a small adjustment of lowering each pickup made such a huge [and great] difference in tone & sustain.
It was like I could feel the 'force & tension & harmony' between the pickup magnet & the strings 'lock-in' to each other. I just kept playing a 3-string open G chord while I lowered each pickup [& then barreing on some frets--as an A chord--up & down the fretboard to double check the tones]--and it was like, by lowering both pickups, they suddenly became harmonically connected to either pickup on every fret. Definitely a 'mountain top moment' for me. [The guitar was/is a `71 SG w/ original stock T Tops].