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Post by ourclarioncall on Jul 17, 2020 15:57:14 GMT -5
I’m persuaded that pickup magnets pulling on strings or slowing then down is worth paying attention too.
I noticed when I take the pick guard off the guitar and play it it has a nice free open airy sustainy (thinking up words to describe ) sound . Basically I like it and would like to maintain some of it
SO.... if I lower my pickups low down or really low down until some of the string pull is gone , will it effect the overall tone ? Obviously the volume will be quieter but I can compensate by cranking the amp volume up louder (which is maybe a benefit)
I also think the closer the pickup is to the string it seems to produce a more distorted sound. I noticed that the other day (unless it was my imagination) when messing around with pickup height.
So yeah, In order to minimise string pull would I be sacrificing something else tonally etc ?
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Post by newey on Jul 18, 2020 6:32:05 GMT -5
If your pickups are mounted to the pickguard, I'm not sure how you manage to play it with the guard off, unless you are doing so strictly acoustically. If that is the case, what does the resultant sound have to do with pickup height? SO.... if I lower my pickups low down or really low down until some of the string pull is gone , will it effect the overall tone ? Obviously the volume will be quieter but I can compensate by cranking the amp volume up louder (which is maybe a benefit) Yes, it will affect the overall tone, as well as the volume. But my best guess (in the admitted absence of any actual testing or data) is that the biggest factor in the change in tone is because, by lowering the pickup, one changes the string-sensing "aperture" of the pickup's magnetic field. I suspect that this difference completely "swamps" any potential effects due to reduced string pull, which I would expect to be negligible. My 2¢, anyway. At some point, yes. There is a "sweet spot" which varies depending on the pickup's construction (and upon one's individual tastes). Either too close or too far can be an issue. Adjusting pickup height (and I have said this repeatedly here over the years) is the one adjustment most guitarists seem to neglect. It's easy to do, can make a world of difference, and is way cheaper than swapping out pickups. After all, there is a reason most manufacturers go to the trouble of making their pickup height adjustable.
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Post by ourclarioncall on Jul 18, 2020 6:59:04 GMT -5
neweyYeah, sorry, I mean , when I play the electric guitar acoustically with no pickups on there seems to be “something” that is really nice and pleasant to the ear, probably lack of string pull? The strings are free to ring out and sing unhindered . I’ve heard one pickup esquire players mention the one pickup allowing for better sustain So wondering if there is a way to keep some of this “something” by keeping the pickups really low, but then concerned the pickup will lose some of its benefits and not be able to do its job properly Just to clarify when I said “I also think the closer the pickup is to the string it seems to produce a more distorted sound.” I mean that the closer I put the pickup it sounded as if I had turned up the distortion or gain on the amp. Not that the magnets “distort” or make the strings vibrate or behave in a weird or negative way. But that is also a factor to bear in mind Yeah, totally agree , it’s amazing how just a turn or two of the pickup height can drastically change the treble/mids/bass/ distortion etc coming out of the amp. Folks should try it. I’ve been more aware of how even the material a plectrum is made of can change the tone . It’s quite amazing the variables that exist in the whole “recipe” of our finished sound (strings, pickup height, wiring, pickups, playing style cables etc etc) From some of the mods and things I’ve tried , I thing often they just sound different , but not necessarily better. It’s easy to waste a lot of time and money on upgrades that don’t really live up to our expectations. Better investing in things that are guaranteed to give “better” versus different. Back to pickup height, maybe I will just have a go at dropping the pickups as low as they will go and see what happens when I start raiding them up , maybe il be able to strike a compromise between sound and feel
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Post by ziggystardust723 on Feb 1, 2021 13:06:28 GMT -5
Hello 0urclarioncall,
Excuse to answer latter,
-I'm New on this Forum..
- but Wind pickups since 8y ago.
> About your 'Pickup Height',
- don't forget than the most kind of pickups are made with Alnico5 or the Chippests & the Hottests with Ceramic magnets that make Pulling the Strings
- But if you use 'Vintage pickups', the Magnets were Alnico3, like for 1st Stratos, & they did't Pulled the Strings as the News..
(& Alnico2 Today, are Alnico5 from Yesterday..)
- Bye, Ziggy (France, 19h06)
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