How to Set Humbucker Pickup Height

[@iosumetal]

I love this video, so quiet, so easy, so calm.. you can even listen to the birds there at the background.

[@strangebrutoo]

My method is to first set the bridge pickup the way i like it to sound (or you can use his setting). Then temporarily set the neck pickup to be a similar volume. The neck pickup will usually be louder than the bridge pickup if both are set at the same height because, at the neck position, the string moves thru a greater distance than at the bridge area when plucked (greater distance = louder). NOW comes the more interesting part. Why have a middle toggle switch position for both pickups if it doesn't sound different than one or the other pickups ??? Usually you will find that the middle pos will sound more like the neck PU because the neck pos is usually louder as previously explained. Therefore the next step is to fine tune the neck pickup height such that when switching to the middle position it sounds different from either the bridge or neck sound. If the neck PU is too high, then switching to middle position will NOT sound much different than the neck PU, and visa versa, if the neck PU is too low, then the mid pos won't sound much different than the bridge PU. I keep adjusting until the mid pos has a unique sound.. When set correctly, it will usually have more of a quack or honk or chime sound to it than either PU alone. One final word, I check for this sound on the EAD strings and adjust the top PU height screw and then check on the GBE strings and adjust the bottom height screw. When all done, you should have 3 unique tones when switching the toggle switch.

[@joedavis8481]

Makes sense ... thanks 🎸🤟🍻

[@BlueprintsForHeadaches]

U a straight scientist with this I love it

[@drzitbag06]

you don't need a ruler. a 2.5 allen key will work for measuring action and pickup height.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Wouldn't use a steel tool on polepieces.

[@glennjones1533]

Thanks Paul. Nice vid. A tip to make life a little easier. If you stack 3 credit cards together it's just about 3/32".

[@perrya3423]

I just did exactly this (and pole piece adjustment) on my 335 and I can't believe the way it improved the tones when I switch the pickup selector. All these years I've been losing all that tone variation. Thanks. Polished it up a bit too, that gave it a "cleaner" tone. I recommend getting some magnifying goggles, good light and a metal ruler like in the video. Happy playing all.

[@begonnne]

Thanks for this video, Paul. I followed your method to reset the pickups on my Epiphone double-neck, along with the pole piece reset video and I am truly surprised and pleased with the results. The sound balance and individual string clarity is well worth all the fiddly measurement etc.

[@maxwmusic8276]

Thanks so much for this explanation, have modded my cheap Epiphone les Paul and now that the pickup height is about right, it sounds great. Next step will be pole pieces

[@istvandejesus]

Hi and may the Lord bless you!!! This setup just made my Les Paul perfectly balanced. Have to say. You guys are masters of your craft. I have the setup that you have on Telecasters and is just perfect also. Thanks.

[@talkychris]

Really helpful. Purchased a new guitar this week, everything was set up very well but it did sound a bit bass heavy. Now playing and sounding pretty much perfect. Cheers.

[@poulbjrnberg378]

Thank you. I just set up my Gibson CS336 like you showed in the two videos on screw height and pickup height and it work perfecly! I will go through my other guitars the same way.

[@andyglamrock]

I always set the high E closer (1.6 mm) because it has less mass than the low E, otherwise it gets too boomy especially on neck position

[@justinhamilton8647]

Thank you very much, mine were like right next to the strings and sounded very muddy, your video was very clear to follow and everything went smoothly

[@daleinstone1453]

I was wondering why my guitar sounded so terrible and thought it was my muting. Turns out my strings were 1/32" away from the humbuckers. My guitar sounds so much better now! Thank you!

[@adamcolbertmusic]

Thanks for this video! I just got an unknown brand (factory blemish, blank headstock, no markings, no serial number) ES-335 copy. After raising the action just enough to eliminate string buzz, the bridge pickup is now significantly weaker than the neck pickup. I just watched your previous video of adjusting the pole pieces, and learned that I would be better off raising the entire pick up to increase the volume instead of trying to achieve that through adjusting the pole pieces (this is why KZbin is so great, because I can learn these things immediately instead of by trial-and-error screwing it up! 😀).

[@RadioshopPickups]

Thanks for your comment, Adam! Glad it was of help to you. Paul

[@joeyc8546]

Excellent tutorial. Followed what you said and it has balanced the pickups nicely and given it a much more pleasant sound than i have heard from it ever before. Now it feels nicer to play not having to figure out what is should sound like. Thank you!

[@OnlinecarshowNet1]

One trick too is to set the neck at 3/32 then adjust bridge to match volume

[@GrimYak]

Pickup Height is like choosing wine. Get the one that you like, in this case the one that sounds good for you. A review of pickup heights from great guitar players showed that they were all over the place. There is no right or wrong height, just a matter of sound you want to make or like

[@nickf9392]

Not sure if I commented on this before, but also make sure the humbucker top surface is parallel to the plane of the strings, this makes a huge improvement in sound, SG's are particularly prone to this issue.

[@margarethouse404]

It makes a * Difference * . Improvement or not is subjective , depending on what you like/ are seeking .

[@michaelray5023]

This is why I am a cowbell player. I don’t have to make 3/32nd adjustments & spend hours looking at a ruler to see how wrong I am. “There’s no Fate, but what we make...”

[@kibapoohead4633]

Triangle myself.

[@alienlovesecrets9379]

Flute

[@bloozem]

"MORE COWBELL"!!!!!

[@michaelray5023]

alienlovesecrets JAZZ FLUTE!

[@michaelray5023]

bloozem Rock Music would not have made an impact if it weren’t for the COWBELL! 🤙🏽

[@erinsmith7219]

Excellent video, as I was actually wondering how to set the height of my strings from the HB pickups, many thanks!

[@darrellerker6673]

AQA11Q+A

[@spiccolirocks3580]

@@darrellerker6673 ???????

[@sglee4708]

I came across your channel and I subscribed because you helped me so much I had no idea height of a pickup can change tone so much I was about to change pickups thanks to you I'm so happy with my sound of my bridge pickup now again thank you so much

[@RadioshopPickups]

Thank you Lee!

[@fransvenrooy4760]

I own a SG with 2 humbucker elements and I will surely use your advice to set them up with 2.4 millimeter from the underside of the strings. This can't go wrong. Thanx for your advice.

[@spekenbonen72]

Best way to set P.U.'s is by using an oscilloscope. Different type of P.U.'s require different heights. A set distance would be ok of all P.U.'s were equal. But they are not.

[@HeyJoeyYea]

Why would you put the ruler on an angle on the end of the neck and not flat on the pickup? How can you measure an angled lined

[@cc771]

Great video my man. After watching your video for the best measurements for humbucker pickups. All I can say is WOW. These are the best measurements for the best balanced and tone sound for these pickups. I did this to all my humbucker guitars. Thanks again.

[@MetalBaller83]

Thank you so much for making this video. It was a tremendous help! 🤘🏻

[@toobspark]

Cool.. I think. But why are you going to the trouble of pressing the string onto the top fret? Couldn't you just add a little distance, (calculated to spec of course) to the clearance height and save some finger work?

[@TheSmashingDoc1]

duuuude, just check it with a 2.4mm drill

[@tonysguitarchannel4763]

Thanks a lot!!! This (and the especially the pole-piece adjustment video) gets my ES-339 to new life… amazingly well descripted…and so easy as well

[@HMJohnsonGuitar]

I respect your expertise and found this video interesting, but I think the whole purpose for adjustable pickups is for string balance. You get more output form nickel plated steel than you would from pure nickel strings also if you have different types of humbuckers with too much output difference.

[@Zwidawurzn]

Nice video! Thanks for including metric measures aswell!

[@robinleebraun7739]

I have a bent wooden tool, one eighth of an inch thick. I hold the strings on top and bottom down on the last fret and adjust. That’s close enough.

[@peterohalloran1557]

Thanks for this. Does the micro adjustments have a dramatic effect on volume or tone. I ask as the threads are very fine. I am going to do this setup on my 335 tomorrow. Great tutorial

[@quigley4440]

I use the Allen keys - they are marked for thickness and are very accurate. Easy to use.

[@glenndavis479]

That's bloody clever.

[@rbnhd1976]

Excellent work Quigley.

[@BlueprintsForHeadaches]

U the real mvp

[@clarkmillis1929]

Gibson recommends pickup heights different on high and low E strings. They are only guide lines, not hard and fast rules.

[@highwayroadrunner206]

Thank you for these great tip's! Greetings from Greenville, North Carolina..USA

[@chester_hobbs]

Great video! Short and to the point. Watched pole piece height adjustment video first. Now my Heritage H-150 sounds great. Thanks!

[@vampirongosangronzon3165]

I bought my first Gibson Tribute and the Bridge pick up is incline forward. The front is almost at the same high of the plastic cover and the end, closer to the bridge, is like 1/8 over the plastic. Is this some kind of special setting or could be a guitar Center employee experiment?

[@matthewjdouglas6471]

I thought that tightening the screw clockwise the pick up would drop lower and undoing the screw would raise the pickup? I'm confused. Good job I watched the video before I tried to adjust them. 😂

[@joellapaz6724]

Sir, may I ask a question, I’m a beginner and I’ve been playing acoustic guitar for more than one year now. I want to play an electric guitar. Please help me decide on what kind guitar I will buy, here are the list: 1) Yamaha Pacifica 012 HSS pickup, USD207. 2) Yamaha EG112GPII, HSH pickup, USD260 - with free GA15 amplifier 15w, Gig bag, strap, etc. 3) Severo Les Paul model electric guitar USD163.

[@ConstantineM]

Maybe it's user error, but I adjusted my Dimarzio CrunchLab and Liquifire to the 2.4 mm, and it was TOO hot. Input of my Line 6 Helix was RED, telling me that input was clipping.

[@patricknelson1471]

wow i lowered my jacksons pickup a little and guitar sounds a lot sweeter

[@williamwinn948]

picked up the Stewmac Pickup hight gauge there pretty cool.

[@bigchocolate8547]

Great video my man but do you also have a measurement for emg pickups?

[@dynamn]

Hello John great video very helpful! My American Ultra Tele in SSH setup with added metal hambucker on the neck:ceramic 15.8kΩ. roughly what height for each pickup shall I start with please?

[@danielvitalis1858]

Hi! Great vídeo ! With Humbuckers set on the body of the guitar,like Wolfgang EVH for exemple do yo u also need to do that ? Tks !

[@StratsRUs]

You make very helpful and true videos.Thank you

[@blessedheavyelements8544]

Just found your channel. Subscribed. Best Regards and Best Wishes!

[@robertcaffrey6097]

Thanks for this helpfull and easy to follow tutorial.

[@marcuswilson3485]

The finishing on that guitar looks really well done. Probably better than a lot of Gibson ones!

[@thehotpointdave]

Brill video. So clear to understand.. thank you for posting

[@prisonerofrnr]

Thanks for posting. Nice to hear a welsh accent too.

[@donlessnau3983]

I have T386. Fantastic. Eastman makes superior guitars for the price point. I own 2.

[@iancurrie8844]

Their PRS nor Gibson recommend having the same measurement on the treble and bass side. (high E and low E)

[@seagers_studio]

Excellent advice - thanks! I have a Guild Polara that has two pickup height adjustment screws on the low e side - and one height adjustment screw on the high e side. Any idea why there's a second screw adjustment on the low e side? Is the idea to get the pickup parallel to the string, or to create an angle? Thought I'd ask whether you've seen this before, and how to approach it

[@salvodipiazza88]

Nice video! How do you know when the pickup is too close the strings? I know that if pickups are too close they start to attract the strings and ruin the guitar intonation Does the 2.4mm distance avoid that? Is it the right distance for all humbucker pickups? thank you

[@jaychen2000metal]

I like the low e lower than the high e. Seems to make my bass less boomy

[@potassiumchloride2542]

if your high e sound terrible then probably wrong heigh or second bad intonation or possible using wrong string guage

[@robbyrobby7721]

It’s crazy how this effects sound

[@mangleman9112]

Why is the bass side pickup screw sub flush of the metal case they are normally flush or perhaps slightly proud of the metal case. never seen that in 35 years of playing. 3/32" gap will create magnetic 'suck' of the string reducing the output due to not allowing the string to fully move when strummed... there is an optimim gap to produce the sound you want. between too close with too much magnetic 'suck' and too far where the string is not in the true magnetic field of the pickup. Also if you have PAF low output humbuckers as opposed to ceramic magnet high output pickups the pickup gap will be subjective once again. This is a trial and error setting using your ears as your guide... Trust me, you'll know when the gap is right for your playing style or genere, your guitar will sound 'spot-on' then... A bit of a pointless video I think...

[@gregs3173]

If you don't have a ruler, you can use a US nickel which is almost exactly 5/64 of an inch or 1.95 mm.

[@bertonedes]

Do you recomand a poolpieces high regulations, beside pickup hight regulations?

[@DarkSim77]

You need to set your action/string height first..that's crazy high.

[@topbreak38]

They might have it set up for slide playing. I'd like to have a dedicated slide guitar but, you know, money . . .

[@DarkSim77]

@@HondaWanderer Makes a difference when playing a guitar..

[@DarkSim77]

@@HondaWanderer I've never heard or seen anyone setting the pup height BEFORE getting the action/string height set right first..you set the pup height in relation to WHERE THE STRING HEIGHT IS. Not where you "think" the string height will be. Depending on the type of guitar string heights can vary quite a bit.

[@DarkSim77]

And yes it does make a difference when fretted..raise or lower the bridge and that does change the the string height even when fretted..

[@ianchappell2907]

Is the neck pickup surround the wrong way around? Thin end should be closest to the neck surely?

[@mangleman9112]

buy yourself a set of feeler gauges from a tool store. You can't measure any distance accurately fannying around with a ruler! particularly 3/32" dream on...

[@JoeGunGames]

How do you think I should adjust this if I have set my action realy high and only plan to play with a slide?

[@fransvenrooy4760]

I started raising the humbucker on the neckside but wow, should this be sow high?? Neckside seems to be good. I will write down the old hight for to be sure I can go back because I'm so curious about how it's going to work out. 😅

[@jordancrago5129]

Would this be the same for active humbuckers and mini humbuckers? I have a Gibson Firebird and Jackson

[@DMSProduktions]

Damn but that string action is painfully HIGH!!! Looks like at least 5mm!

[@RadioshopPickups]

Ha, I get that a lot! Please remember though that the fingerboard is raised significantly over the body. The action is generally set around 2/32" treble side and a shade under 5/64" on the bass side. A fairly average height setting for strings 👍 Paul

[@DMSProduktions]

@@RadioshopPickups Ok cheers! \m/ Rock on!

[@hasanazimov4332]

what brand of ruler are you using in this video?

[@devinallensen6493]

What do you do when you have a wolfy (muddy) neck pickup on a les Paul

[@musicproductionvideos5019]

I am confused when you say set both pickups to 3/32... and then you speak about how one pickup needs to be lower because it's louder. Thanks

[@simon_patterson]

Thank you. Very practical advice.

[@RadioshopPickups]

Thank you Simon!

[@cameraz99]

What do you do it your pickups are angled down on one side? My neck pickup is tilted forward (and is lower than the fretboard) and not parallel with the strings. Can this be fixed?

[@keithturbin6768]

I LOVE IT. a UK man using a REAL ruler to measure with.

[@DSTheEngineer86]

Hey Paul, Thanks for all the instructional videos about pickups! The real question for me is how do you get a humbucker to sound as close to a PAF on a real "burst"? IMO, this sound is characterized as very woody, very very "airy", on both clean and overdriven sounds, and on top of that very thick and creamy on overdriven sounds, especially on the neck pickup. To put things in context, I have a 2018 Gibson Custom Shop 58' Les Paul Standard with Custombuckers (AlNiCo 3's), and I think it doesn't quite nail the "burst" sound, but it might... What do you think? Thanks a lot!

[@markn4526]

In 2018 Gibson was using wax- potted Custombuckers. In 2019 they changed to using unpotted pickups reminiscent of the original PAF's which would supposedly put the Custombucker pickups closer to vintage specs. Unpotted pickups are microphonic and pick up more of the sounds of the pick against the strings, the string winding and noises from the guitar body including the tone (woodiness) of the wood and might sound more airy too. I have a 2018 R8 as well as a 2020 R9 and a 2020 R0. I actually prefer the tone of the R8 with the potted pickups, but that could be due to many factors besides the pickups. But unpotted pickups will generally put you closer to a "PAF tone", however at the risk of microphonic feedback which is one of the reasons I prefer my 2018 R8. Remember too that an actual 1958 Les Paul has been around for 60 years longer than your 2018 R8 Wood changes with age...and so do pickups. Just a note on PAF pickups...they vary dramatically from each other. When people say to me that the prefer the PAF sound...I ask which one because every pickup was unique. They used different types of magnet, bobbins, pole pieces, slugs, covers and wire throughout the PAF pickup era. Not to mention they were all wound by hand so even the number of windings and the pattern of the windings varied.

[@evanstheframe]

Bit confused, setting up my Gibson 339 and watched your vid on setting polepiece screw heights and you show setting screws flush then adjust for radius on middle 4 screws, yet in this vid for height of humbucker your screws are recessed so height would be different?

[@JAF2991]

I'm confused reading your comment, it's all over the place like you're hyped up with adderall.

[@StevenJonWest]

0:51 - wolf tones - what are they? Can anyone link to a video that demo's them, as I can't find any examples. I have noticed if my pickups are too close, I can get this kind of metallic washboard type sound when I tap the strings - is this wolf tones? I have adjusted my pickups as instructed by Paul in this video, and my guitar is sounding pretty great now - thanks!

[@JohnSmith-wd9rc]

Check the Stew Mac you tube video, where he sets up the Stratocaster pickups. He demonstrates the "wolf tones" for a few seconds, they sound really awful.

[@tuckercameron7536]

everytime you measure you put the ruler on the fretboards causing a slight angle. that makes for less accurate measurement.

[@TheForce_Productions]

+1, I thought the same.

[@biffelliotforpresident]

I couldn't figure why he was so determined to do that

[@YNGWIE998]

Also, the pick up pole piece where he was measuring from, is recessed my about 1mm. Therefore, he was essentially measuring from the pick up cover, not the pole piece!

[@nickjimenez6138]

Noticed both these things as well. Should we fire him?

[@fabiopunk1661]

@@YNGWIE998 right!

[@donlessnau3983]

Great vid. Question though. In the beginning you said the bridge PUP needed to be a little closer than the neck PUP because of less string vibration. Yet, you set them both at .093"? Why not set the bridge a bit higher like you said?

[@RadioshopPickups]

Hi Don, thanks for your question. I use the string held down at the last fret to do the measurement for both pickups so because of the angle of the string, this does lead to the bridge being set quite a bit higher, although it's not visually that apparent in the video probably! Hope that helps - Paul @ Radioshop

[@Mauitaoist]

With all these hot modern new pickups I set them much lower than that, much lower a sound way better 3/32 to close

[@BlueprintsForHeadaches]

Fr

[@aiden_macleod]

My pickups are tightened as far as they can be and there's still 3/4" space between the pickup and the string. Any solutions? Different springs or height screws? Deeper cavity? Anything? Pretty sure it's the pickups because the old ones had no problems.

[@topbreak38]

A little-known trick is to raise the individual pole pieces. Take a slot-head screwdriver and raise each pole-piece on the pickup. By doing this, you can also balance out your sound by keeping one string from overpowering the others.

[@Marcus10079]

hey do you have a tip ou how to make the bridge pickup straight.... not sure what happens with my les paul bridge pickup, but it does not stay straigh, the side towards the neck is lover than the another side. have no idea how to fix it. :(

[@EurekaRecycler]

Hi Paul, Im building an electric from scratch , What is the common design length/ spacing specs between the End Piece, The String Bridge and the pick up? Thank you

[@davedavis7589]

great informative vid - Thanks for posting ...

[@adrianeflores8332]

did you guys did this in standard tuning?

[@lickstoburn]

Nice lesson mate, my les paul was total out of adjustament. Now sonds nice. Thaks 4 the video.

[@beatleme2]

Must stagger the screws on the humbucker pickup for radius les paul guitars I've watched also, as shown at 1:59

[@abdulbasyirmohddahalan3374]

Confused are you referring to inch or cm.seem using inch.tq.

[@ctwarmuth]

Would the same go for Fender Wide Range Humbuckers?

[@bmfilmnut]

I'm confused by this. You mentioned that the neck pickup should be slightly lower, which makes sense, but then practically in the same breath you say to set them at the same height (?).A suggestion: You need a better way to measure pole piece height when the are below the surface. Why not have them all at surface height or higher as the starting point.Then lower the entire pickup if some pole pieces need to be lower and raise pole pieces individually if the need to be higher? I'm sure I'm missing something.

[@leejohnson6516]

Because the string hardly moves when you fingers it on the first fret for the bridge pup.

[@antonwilding9744]

Thanks alot , my 7 string sounds brootal now and also the pinch harmonics working way better \m/

[@Za7a7aZ]

Would be nice if an ocilloscoop were used..just to see what the signal is doing at a perfect setting

[@spekenbonen72]

Exactly. Different types of P.U.'s require their own height. That goes for different types of humbuckers as well (not just the main types, like lipstick, P90's, HB's but Ceramic vs Alnico etc.)

[@sebastiandobbelin3069]

Thanks a lot! Very good and informative video!

[@USMC_BABE38]

some how my neck pick ups got to high on my Sg and now i can't even play my new gutair

[@rustyaxelrod]

Proper order of the tasks on set up is important. Maybe he should have mentioned action (string height), intonation, and neck relief (truss Rod) adjustments should all be checked/adjusted before the pick up height is adjusted. 3/32 is an ok starting point but strings, pickup, playing style, and subjective sound should be used to “tweak” it to that sweet spot that sounds right to the players ear. It’s not really as difficult or as rigid of a specification as many seem to think. Specs are often quite different from one manufacturer/model to another. If you do it as suggested in this video it is a good and safe starting point and a good video if you’ve never done this before. 👍

[@sundancer667]

Right, the order by logical reasoning should be: 1st neck relief, 2nd string action, 3rd intonation and only then pickup height adjustment.

[@richardbrown3365]

Watching the video, I was curious. Would it be acceptable to lay a 3/32 drill bit across the poles and adjust the screw until the drill bit hits the bottom of the string?. Thought that might be easier than trying to read the ruler

[@DC2Marcus]

Feeler gauges work as well. That's what I prefer to use

[@sambeer9265]

Flathead, or ... cross head? Is that a British thing, like chips vs fries? Cuz I've never heard that. This is a real question. I need answers.

[@davidmacleod9313]

Wow that action is high! Especially the treble side! Must be for slide?

[@AntonP99]

My pickups are slightly tiled to the left side. Any tips on how to fix it?

[@Dscoetc]

Check if you don't have wires in the way, pushing the pickup up at one point.

[@mattiasorre1718]

Sorry mate, cant work out how youre measuring the neck pup with a slanted ruler so off to check a vid I can understand