Quote:
Originally Posted by Offshore Angler
I would respectfully challenge that statement. The proper way most experienced people set pickup height is by ear. You lower them to the deck and bring them up to the sweet spot. Given the diverse differences in windings, guass, pole stagger and general construction, using a dimension does nothing to guarantee the pickup will sound its best. The final adjustment will also depend on the the amp used and the player's style.
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Fender specifications as per the Mr. Gearhead site are 1/8" and 3/32" bass and treble respectively as measured from the top of the pole piece to the bottom of the string with the string held down at the last fret. You will find similar corroboration in Dan Erlewine's book, Guitar Player Repair Guide. This is how luthier's and techs do it. This is how the manufacturer recommends it be done. These folks, of course, are some of the most experienced people.
Can this technique be refined? Certainly. This advice is given as a benchmark. From this point fine tuning can be done. It may be that a particular set of pickups with a particular gauge of strings used at a particular setup may require either raising or lowering the pickups to obtain the desired tone. Reality is that for most people this spec will be just fine.
Starting from a benchmark allows the tech to establish a base line from which to work on every guitar that crosses their bench. We start from the middle and work outward in the right direction because that is close to where most people want to be. The experienced person can benefit from the time savings as starting from "the deck" is not even in the ball park for anything but the most powerful magnets.
