So, some pickups have screw-driver slots in the top of the 6 or 12 little posts that face upwards, directly underneath the strings. Some are just for show and don't do anything. Others actually do something. For example, my Gretsch has these. I lowered the pickups and raised the posts and found it to be more clear than before. My recent purchase, the Epiphone P-93, has these screws as well. Someone posted their favorite little system on a review I recently read. I tried it and found it to be a very good change.
I've seen people on the Gretsch forums alternate, raise only the lower half or only the upper half and have seen some really interesting 'patterns", for lack of a better word.
Have any of you done any sort of adjustments on yours? Any particular methods or systems you like best?
The one I tried and liked on my p-93 was simple. The steps are below.
#1: Lowered all posts flat or level with the pickup top.
#2: Lower the low e an additional entire turn.
#3: Raise the High E, G and A each 1 full turn.
#4: Raise the B a 1/2 turn.
#5: Raise the D 1-1/2 turns. (one and a half)
It helped to open up the tone on that guitar quite a bit. It was a real improvement.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
I did that (lower pups, raise screws) with the GFS Memphis pups I had in my semi-hollow PRS-SE. Got the Gretschy vibe I wanted at the time, and there was a notable increase in clarity.
I also repaired an old Les Paul for a friend; he had the bridge mini-humbucker set up that way, but it was just wrong! Thin and shrill. He did it because he couldn't get the pup close enough to the strings. Turned out he just needed a foam spacer under the pup to raise it up. In that case, screws flush with the pup was much better. 8)
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
I tried that PRS-SE semi when I was Gretsch hunting. What an awesome guitar.
I didn't know that some LPs had that adjustment to them. Both of mine are Epis and they also both have chrome covers with what I have always assumed was fake screws. That makes sense, though, to at least try to raise the pickups that way if they are too low. Too much being too thin sounds predictable now that I think about it a bit.
I bought my PRS SE used and the poles were up a bit. I think that was the biggest reason for more clarity than the LPs I have. I raised them a bit more and remember not liking it and lowered them back. I don't recall why I didn't like it. I then recently tried the P-93 method out on it. It's still set like that, but I may put it back. It was already clear enough. I also didn't lower them all the way. Just to where I thought they might be if the pickups were raised. It was starting to get tight, so no sense in raising pickups and getting the posts even lower. I didn't want to risk damage.
I'm leaving the Gretsch alone. I like it just where it is and have for some time. It's got a lot more clarity than the p-93 still has. The p-93, on the other hand, is a really strong, deep Jazzy vibe. I think I would shatter windows due to vibration if I put flat wounds on it. :lol:
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
