DIY pickup instalation Q

[Nebulous]

Hey guys

I've been thinking of replacing the humbucker and single coil (bridge and neck respactively) in my old Jap made Jackson PS 2 (H-S-S). I feel pretty confident with the electronics, but i have no idea what the deal with the pickup-string height is about. Is it a simple, black and white procedure, or would i be better off taking the guitar to someone else to do it in 1/10th of the time it might take me, being my first attempt?

Cheers for any tips/ hints/ info/ website reference in advance.

Daniel

 

[JeffTD]

The pickups height in relation to the strings is purely a personal preference.

Adjust it to where it sounds best to you, and viola!

 

[JBroll]

It's really not that hard - being entirely subjective, the 'good' position isn't really definite, but if you take a look over at http://projectguitar.com/tut/aph.htm Brian Calvert has it all laid out pretty well as far as customizing; basically, you want to have them close enough for optimal tone and output but not so close that they kill intonation and sustain. More details on the pickups (to establish power and magnetic strength) would help out too, but if you can get it all from the Project Guitar website (which can only save you money, if I hadn't found it I wouldn't have nearly as much fun stuff to toy with) then there's your answer.

Jeff

 

[Nitronium Blood]

Hey guys

I've been thinking of replacing the humbucker and single coil (bridge and neck respactively) in my old Jap made Jackson PS 2 (H-S-S). I feel pretty confident with the electronics, but i have no idea what the deal with the pickup-string height is about. Is it a simple, black and white procedure, or would i be better off taking the guitar to someone else to do it in 1/10th of the time it might take me, being my first attempt?

Cheers for any tips/ hints/ info/ website reference in advance.

Daniel

As close to the strings, without the pickup getting in the way of string vibration.

 

[JBroll]

As close to the strings, without the pickup getting in the way of string vibration.

Not always true - passives with high output like X2N or Super Distortion pickups need to be farther because the power of the field (sound like a scifi geek... 'the power of the field') will move the optimal range; if you've ever spent a lot of time with an X2N you may have found that putting it relatively far gives a much clearer and more versatile sound than having it right up next to the strings, and the same in my experience goes for Super Distortions and JB 7s (at the very least), with many more that I haven't tried surely having some effect from this as well. But if you want it that way, that's your call; there are just so many ways to do this that the only way around it is to spend some quality time with a cranked amp and a screwdriver...

Jeff

 

[Nebulous]

Awsome cheers guys.
I might look into changing my pickups, though later than i thought, i just bought a new amp and cab, and ended up spending more than i intended: i went to buy a 2*12 Framus CS, and took home a Framus Dragon 4*12

Daniel

 

[Nitronium Blood]

Not always true - passives with high output like X2N or Super Distortion pickups need to be farther because the power of the field (sound like a scifi geek... 'the power of the field') will move the optimal range

Que?

 

[cobhc]

Que?

+1

 

[Razorjack]

If we are talking active pickups you want them as close to the string as possible without physically hindering the string movement. Like Nitro said.

 

[JBroll]

If we are talking active pickups you want them as close to the string as possible without physically hindering the string movement. Like Nitro said.

This is true - I was referring to passive pickups earlier, where the magnetic field is going to affect not just the output but the sustain and intonation (when too close). Actives have very low string pull, as they're built just like very weak passives with a powerful preamp built in, but passives can be too weak if far away or they can nuke your tone if too close.

Jeff