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How to Set Up a Guitar Basics: Pt 3 - Pickup Height

And now for a sometimes overlooked part of a good setup: pickup height. After you've set your guitar's action/string height, you need to set the height of the pickups too. If you haven't already set the action, take a look at my previous post here: How to Set Up a Guitar Basics: Pt 2 - String Height

Changes in the distance between the strings and pickup will affect its sound and possibly the guitar's playability. Adjusting their height is how to get the best performance and sound from your guitar's pickups.

Like string height, you just need to find what works best for you, but there are some guidelines that I use. Keep in mind, however, the affects of pickup height are subtle; it isn't like turning a tone control. Yet that subtle difference can sometimes be the "lacking" in your tone that you can feel but can't put your finger on.

setting pickup height

Adjusting pickup height is done by turning the two screws at the ends of the pickup to move either side up or down. You can find the manufacturer's recommended height, but I don't really use their measurements anymore. I prefer to just make adjustments as needed and use my ears, until I find the sweet spot.

Here's a list of the guidelines I follow when I'm adjusting pickup height:
  • Setting the pickups closer to the strings will produce more output and setting them lower will produce less - Also, having the pickups closer to the strings will tend to give them a bit darker of a sound, while having the distance greater will make them sound brighter.
  • The neck pickup should be lower than the bridge pickup - If the guitar has a middle pickup, it should be set somewhere in between (pun intended). The reason for this is that you want to have a consistent output between each pickup so that there isn't a change in volume when you flip your selector switch. Pickups "pick up" vibration from the strings, so, because the strings vibrate more towards the middle of their length, the neck pickup will naturally sound louder than the bridge pickup.
  • The bass side of the pickups should be slightly lower than the treble side - This keeps the heavier strings from overpowering the others because of their wider vibration.
  • Pickups should not be too close to the strings - Because pickups exert a magnetic pull on the guitar strings, you shouldn't set them too high. If there's too much magnet pull, it can affect the guitar's intonation, making it sound out of tune, and keep the strings (especially the heavy ones) from ringing out clearly.
  •  High output pickups often sound better set low - It may seem like common sense to set high output pickups close to the strings so that no output is lost, but this can actually be detrimental. These pickups often have a lot of bass because of the increased number of coil windings and, setting them too high can make them sound like mud.
  • Adjust in increments, playing the guitar through an amp after each adjustment - Listen carefully. You want to find the spot where the pickups sound best and have a consistent output.
If I'm starting from scratch (such as setting up a guitar that I just put back together or put new pickups in), then I like to start by setting the pickups close to the body and bring them up bit by bit, until I find the sound I like. If I'm just doing a routine setup, then I simply adjust the pickups up or down as I think needed.

So that's how to get the most from your guitar's pickups. Next, I'll wrap up this series with a post on how to intonate your guitar.


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