What height should my pickups be?

Remember, this is just a guideline. What should be the determining factor for your guitar’s pickup height is what sounds preferable to your playing style. Start by setting all of your guitar pickups to 3/32” (0.093”, 2.38mm) on the bass side and 2/32” (1/16”, 0.0625”, 1.98mm) on the treble side.

What should the pickup height be on a Les Paul?

Q: How close to the strings should the pickups on my Gibson Les Paul be? A: Gibson recommends 3/32″ on the bass string side and 1/16″ on the treble string side.

How do I know if my pickups are too high?

Setting your pickup height too high will cause your magnets to push and pull your strings out of tune. Here’s a quick way to tell if this is happening to you: play the Low E string at a high fret (15th fret is a good one to start at). You might hear a “warbling” sound. That sound is your magnet fighting your string.

How does pickup height affect tone?

Guitar pickup height affects tone due to the distance between the pickups and the guitar strings. As the distance gets smaller, the string’s vibration pattern, pitch, and sustain are altered along with an increase in the pickup output. All of these factors ultimately affect the tone of the guitar.

Should humbuckers be level?

There is no special rule that governs how pickups should be adjusted. It’s entirely preference. Bridge pickups tend to be higher than neck pickups because the output of the strings is weaker in that area.

When should I adjust my pickup height?

The purpose of adjusting the pickup height of your guitar is to try and achieve the BEST tone possible. If your pickups are set too low your tone may sound thinner/ have a lower output than desired. If your pickups are too high, they may not be picking up the sound to the best of their ability.

What is a good height for guitar action?

Measuring at the 12th fret (as in the photo), the action height should be 2.6 mm for Steel String Acoustic guitar, 1.8 for electric, 2.0mm for bass and 3mm for a Classical.