How to set Humbucker Polepiece Height - Uncovered Humbucker

In this video, Radioshop Pickups' Paul Best shows you where we set the polepiece height on uncovered humbuckers and how to dial in a radius across the polepiece height for a great sound. We'd love it if you'd hit Subscribe on our channel to see more videos including guides on how to solder, pickup height setting on Strat, Tele, Humbucking guitars and of course our other video on polepiece height for covered humbuckers. Thanks for watching!
You can see more on our handwound humbuckers at www.radioshopp...

[@robertstan2349]

the strings don't generate the same amount of energy from one to the other so setting the pole pieces to the same height seems rather silly to me

[@lumberlikwidator8863]

Good man! So many people tend to overthink things.

[@klauscottonswab2322]

It's a vernier caliper!😉

[@lumberlikwidator8863]

The purpose of adjustable pole pieces was originally to balance the overall output between strings of different diameter, and to balance the output between the plain and the wound strings. Generally speaking, a plain string will sound louder than a wound string of the same diameter. A thin string will not be as loud as a thicker one. A string wound with pure nickel wrap will not be as loud as a string wound with stainless or nickel-plated steel. Some people mistakenly believe that pickups only sense the core wire of a wound string. This is demonstrably untrue, or you could put bronze wound strings on an electric guitar and get as much volume as is possible with nickel or steel wound strings. In a set of strings with an unwound third, the G string will almost always be the loudest string. The wound fourth string will usually be the weakest string. A lot of guitarists using high gain and a lot of effects may not notice the difference, and they may not bother to set their pole piece heights. But someone playing clean may hear a lot of difference in output from one string to the next, and an adjustment will improve the overall sound quality. If you’d like to balance your strings output here is a good way to start. Lower your pickups so the covers or the tops of the coil bobbins are about 1/4 inch (approximately 6mm) below the strings when they are fretted at the highest fret. Raise the pole pieces under the strings that sound weaker than the rest. When I do this I always end up with the screws under the high e and the D strings set the highest. The plain G and the low E will be set the lowest, and the B and A strings will fall somewhere in between. After the string outputs have been balanced, then the overall pickup height can be set. If you’re after a sound with a lot of clarity and good string definition, keep the pickups down low. If more output and a thicker sound is what you want, then put the pickups closer to the strings, being careful not to bring them too close, which can hamper intonation, sustain and muddy the sound. If you want your bridge pickup to be dominant, set it closer to the strings than your neck pickup. If you bring the pickups way too close to the strings the strings could actually make contact with the pole pieces, which would be very bad indeed. There is no need for expensive tools or for measuring things to the nearest tenth of a millimeter. That is ridiculous overkill for a job that only requires the proper size screwdrivers, your ears, and a bit of common sense.

[@bernardm3066]

In single coils the difference for me is very noticeable on the G. I always try to push it down a bit if the pole piece is in a plastic sleeve. The weird thing is that Fender while they ship pickups with variable height pole pieces, they always have the G pole piece set really high, according to the vintage spec, in all their range of pickups modern or vintage but most guitarists use unwound G strings nowadays.

[@lumberlikwidator8863]

@@bernardm3066 Yeah, the tallest magnet is under the loudest string. That’s all messed up.

[@tobaccyjuice]

Thanks, this is all in all.

[@sidewaysrain7609]

Actually... The string will oscillate when the pole piece is too close to it. you adjust individual pole heights until the string stops oscillating through the amplifier. To articulate this, when a string is out of pitch it Oscillates until pulled into pitch. It's just that simple! It doesn't need to be made more complicated

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

i pin the actual pickup completely down on both sides and utilize the pole pieces including the removal of some stored somewhere in case I sell it all for balancing volume as equal as possible debunking the stupid myth that they don’t do shit maybe the ones that don’t actually change in height like if stripped or stuck are useless but I find that some pickups are microphonic without all of them in

[@luisbarrera5740]

What would be the actual pole piece height for covered humbuckers?

[@viktortulbya2107]

I have used the Pole pieces to fine tune my pickups but I adjust it every string to sound as even as possible so that 1 string is not louder than the other I'm a little confused with why you would adjust pole pieces and make Them level You want a balanced sound

[@onkelpool]

In my opinion not too serious. The saddles on the bridge are adjusted to the radius of the neck, not flat with a ruler.Why even an introduction with a ruler and a caliper, when actually screwed by the eye?

[@RandyFricke]

It's the diameter of the core on wound strings that affect the magnet. Even though the 4th string on set of 9s is .024, the core is more close to a plain .009 gauge like the high E string. The best way to balance the pole pieces from string to string by relying on a wave form. In that way you can clearly see which strings are loud and which strings are weak. Then adjust accordingly. You will be amazed at the clarity.

[@luisbarrera5740]

I don't quite understand. Could you elaborate further please?

[@lumberlikwidator8863]

@@luisbarrera5740 He’s overthinking this, just like the guy who shot this video. If the string sounds weak, raise the pole. If it’s too loud, screw it lower down.

[@mindfield9832]

Having the pole pieces follow the radius only works if your G is a wound string. Otherwise it will be too loud.

[@julianmokhtar]

Ok, so it's about using a screwdriver to adjust the screw polepieces (by the way the slugs are also polepieces). How about a bit of explaining about how those adjustments affect the sound? If they affect it at all. What if the screws are set with the tops flush with the bobbins? He starts off recommending to set them at the same height, then goes on to setting them at a radius but nothing about what difference that makes, if at all. It's "you can donut lijevthis if you like".

[@buzzcrushtrendkill]

After 3 decades of playing, I never attempted adjusting pole pieces (only the entire pickup height). This pole piece adjustment is good to balance the output of the wound strings to the unwound.

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

I think most people don’t care not minding the natural dominance of some strings I tried a tom delonge signature it sounded completely different than a guitar I had with also a real invader because the bridge was higher and the pickups were direct mount making it possible to utilize the poles more while having the actual pickup farther than possible otherwise though the downside is the strings get stuck if you’re a hard player because the bolt heads are so big I could see this being a problem with screw heads too which are usually slot if facing vertical like the strings but you can sometimes get those deep down past the bobbin if you don’t wanna remove them

[@AlistairAnderson-q1w]

I've read & seen a lot on adjusting pole pieces tried it a bit but not sure if it does make a difference what do the knowledgeable out there know & think. Cheerz.

[@bernardm3066]

Imo the purpose of the pole pieces is not to follow the fretboard radius but to balance the output when the pickup is flat, which is affected by the fretboard radius, but mostly from the diameter of each string and if they are wound or not. The correct pattern is something similar to the one fender is doing in their single coils but with the G pole piece much lower as their pattern is the vintage spec with a wound G.

[@petaks01]

The real name for your measuring tool would be caliper as micrometers are a completely different beasts.

[@Dad-Gad]

Well done Peter , I wouldn't have slept tonight if you hadn't pointed out that faux pa .

[@b-regsproductions]

@@Dad-Gad i read this with an English accent and was not disappointed

[@Im2Old4ThisShite]

Anal retentive jerk who needs others to think he's smart, but only proves his assholiness and irrelevance....🙄

[@PJW270159]

A Vernier caliper

[@ILLRICARDO]

can i cut the pole screw that come out from underneath the pickup? i have an ibanez s series guitar and the pole pieces make it difficult to lower the pickup height

[@cosmikrelic4815]

am i understanding this correctly? this guy makes pickups and all the commenters are saying he's doing it wrong. really?

[@billsmith8822]

funny how that works, eh?

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

It’s stupid they’d complain I mean subjective because most people don’t wanna mess with them you lose wax each time if they’re potted plus it’s more common for a flatter radius guitar to not have adjustable poles but even with a more curved one you’ll get the natural volume per string though I like each to be the same so I pin the entire pickup down on both sides utilizing pole adjustments otherwise I’d balance the tone utilizing the overall bass and treble height yet with a wound g-string it makes a little more sense to have a pickup that matches the radius if you prefer the look of that I mean some pickups have bobbins like that

[@pleximanic]

This is how I do it. I first adjust the screws using my ears and a screwdriver, then I measure the height of the screws.

[@julianmokhtar]

How do you get your ears to fit the screw slots?

[@pleximanic]

@@julianmokhtar Super Glue.

[@pedroroque4084]

I just adjust the pole pieces by ear, thinking about Yngwie Malmsteen's tip on sound "if it sounds good, it is good" and the clarity and punch is amazing! I'm a rocker and play mostly 80's hair metal and I'm using a cheap ibanez gio modded with fender locking tuners and a seymour duncan hot rodded humbucker set.. simple yet very effective 👌plus I use a practice amp (vox mini 5 rhythm) and a boss me 20 multi effects unit, nothing fancy, but boy does it rock the house or the street or wherever I'm playing 😁 simplicity, a bit of knowledge and tons of practice make wonders! Now keep rocking and be fn' happy!

[@hughnguyen1772]

G strings on my 7-string guitars always seem to have lower volume than other strings doesn’t matter how high I set pole pieces for those G strings. I gave up on adjusting pole pieces and have been using Boss Equalizer GE-7 pedal to for tuning the string volumes.

[@1337wafflezz]

Uhm...is it ok that on my guitar the rod gets magnetized to the pickups? I'm scared of them de-Gaussing but I don't know if an unmagnetized piece of iron can really do damage to them even if it is magnetically attached

[@RadioshopPickups]

Hi there, I wouldn't worry too much - you're going to make some contact and this will have minimal effect really 👍

[@istvandejesus]

Can a radius gauge be use to give the pole pieces it’s proper hight?

[@GJP1169]

That measurement tool is a calipers not a micrometer

[@mickthebandit]

That’s not a micrometer. It’s a VERNIER GAUGE 😊

[@GarryWan666]

Did you guys know the tool he uses to measure the height was actually a born leader????? It is a ruler

[@rogersmith5167]

It is a RULE

[@petkopeet]

Can I change polepiece screws without rewaxing pickup?

[@jzartmann]

What if there is a height difference between the polepiece and slug bobbins? Great video by the way :)

[@DarrenForbes]

If your pole screws are too long can you swap them for lower ones?

[@papamilo2671]

You dont listen sound and then measure the high by the sound?

[@julianmokhtar]

I find there's a greater difference by adjusting the entire pickup closer or further from the strings.

[@sbiegs3885]

well this is a fine tuning

[@gstube1]

Is it the same method used on Dimarzios?

[@Dad-Gad]

Unfortunately , the bridge on a Les Paul is not radiused so matching the pole pieces to the neck is illogical.

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

You mean on Gibsons I didn’t know that but I have an Epiphone it looks like each string is a different height like more to the radius not just because they’re different sizes also the treble pickup is f-spaced I guess that’s so you can’t really replace a probucker with a burstbucker for example

[@shantytownbrown]

I am a new player. I got a used guitar just before the pandemic. It has HSH set up. As I got a little better I realized the tone was quite “flat” for lack of a better term. I took out a ruler and the pickup and polepeices are quite low to the strings. I ordered myself a more accurate ruler and caliper and am going to give this a go!

[@noprob250]

Did it help?

[@shantytownbrown]

@@noprob250 it did. I subsequently sold the guitar and the guy who bought it thought it played well.

[@mattlincoln6845]

Actually gibson says poles pieces should be set to match 12 inc neck radius. Stew Mac makes tools that have proper curve and they lay over top of pole pieces and you riase or lower them to match the curve

[@davidsummerville351]

Thanks

[@andrewhoult4630]

On the pickups B is not working absolutely dead the rest are working but b is completely dead

[@gregbrooke3945]

Andrew, your question intrigued me so I did some checking. You may find that this article answers your question.

[@gregbrooke3945]

music.stackexchange.com/questions/23091/guitar-no-sound-from-second-string-but-other-strings-sound-normal forgot to include the link

[@buddylee7171]

This is hands down one of the best / accurate / easy ways to properly adjust the screw heights...works like a charm and matches up with angle on neck / bridge piece. This is how I was taught by close friend who has been an acoustic & electric guitar player since he was a youngster ( now he's retired and free to play anytime ). Great video - keep up the good work.

[@westernrider100]

This video is spot on. You are actually adjusting the pole pieces to the 12" neck radius. When I got my first Gibson [ ES-125 ] this is how I was taught to adjust the pole pieces. For the starting point, adjust the pole pieces so the screw head is almost flush with bobbin top and screw driver slots above the bobbin and accessible. Adjust all six screws to this pattern [ / \ / \ / \ ] then give a 1/2 turn to 2 and 5, then a full turn to 3 and 4. Now give the guitar a sound check.

[@sid35gb]

That pattern /\/\/\ is how the Gibson custom shop guys suggest 👍

[@frogssong]

turn it clockwise or counter?

[@westernrider100]

@@frogssong To lower the pole pieces, turn CW. To raise the pole pieces - turn CCW. Turn pole pieces, so they are level with the top of the bobbin, then raise 2 and 5 a 1/2 turn, and then raise 3 and 4 one turn. From here you need to plug the guitar in, play and maybe readjust the heights of a couple of pole pieces. I might have to adjust the 3rd string down a bit. There are better ways, mine is the starting point for minimum on hand equipment.

[@eveersdome712]

Me I just leave the screws how it was. But quick question does it makes any diff. With the tone or sound?

[@Youtubedragons0]

I'm guessing a little more to do with balancing the volume and slight tonality differences. This is more to really fine tune the sound you want from the guitar I believe. I could be completely wrong tho but that's what I'm thinking in my head lol

[@Chevsilverado]

It’s actually surprising how much of a difference a well adjusted pickup can make.

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

stores that buy can be assholes they like them flat they’re like oh I can’t give you as much money because I have to put the work in changing them back to the way they were but really per string set you can make the tonal and string output balance better utilizing the height of the entire pickup or if any poles are adjustable

[@musikus7092]

Why not flush?

[@biglog6402]

This is silly. The magnetic field from Humbuckers is so great finite adjustments to pole screws make absolutely no difference.

[@shredgd5]

Leslie Pek take a clean amp tone and pick each string with exactly the same strength, or do that two strings at a time. You will notice how the real volume of the strings is not matched, if you leave your polepieces flat. There's a mistake in this video, though: the G string is the loudest so it's polepiece must be the lowest, the D string has the tiniest core so it needs more "help" by raising its polepiece quite a bit. In the end, if you adjust them by ear as I wrote, you will end up with a stagger reminiscent of a single coil pickup, but with a lowered G polepiece. Another cool thing you can do is exaggerate this and hear how raising the polepieces (1 mm already yields a big difference) can clear up the tone of a muddy humbucker!

[@fzdreaddy]

Wrong. 100% wrong.

[@stevencancel4061]

Exactly once you get the pickups in the general area for magnetic field the pole pieces are like tiny microphones you can adjust the volume of them in the context of the cord by raising and lowering the pole piece closer or farther away from the string it's like a microphone it will get louder or quieter so you can have a uniquely balance cord to preference

[@ernestochang1744]

@@shredgd5 or even better... get a wound G string so that now raising the G pole screw makes sense

[@marions.120]

Not true. I have a 1959 Gibson poll adjustment list I use on all my Les Pauls, makes a difference. ✌️🤪🎸🎶🎵🎶🎵