How important is pickup height to tone?

  If the pickup is set to the correct height, the magnet will create an ideal magnetic field, optimizing the efficiency and quality of cutting the magnetic flux lines when the strings vibrate, allowing the guitar to output the tone you like.

If the pickup is set too high, the magnetic force will affect the vibration of the strings, making the sound strange and even out of tune when played. If it is set too low, the distance between the magnetic field and the strings is not in the optimal range, and the tone will be poor. will become very weak.

Since there are various structures and types of pickups, here we mainly discuss the pickups with the most classic structure (taking Alnico core as an example). Different strings generate different amounts of energy, and the intensity in their pitch frequency ranges will also be different. The uneven height of the magnetic core is precisely to optimize and balance the overall output of the six strings. As for the humbucker, we can see that one of the rows has height-adjustable screws. This type of pickup can individually adjust the height of the magnetic column corresponding to each string. We have already adjusted this step during production. Optimally, the average guitarist does not need to adjust it during use. What we discuss and adjust in this article is the height of the entire pickup position.

How is the height of the pickup measured?

Regarding the measurement of the overall height of the pickup, we first press the string on the last fret, and then measure the vertical distance from the bottom edge of the 1st and 6th strings to the top of the corresponding pickup core.

The pickup height is not 100% correct for all guitarists. Due to the condition of each guitar, each guitarist's playing habits, playing content, and peripherals such as speakers are different. For example, some guitarists pick the strings harder. Large, some guitarists use thicker strings, and even when the same guitarist uses the same guitar to record different tracks, the height of the pickup can be set more specifically. Therefore, the pickup height is set according to the specific situation. The recommended way is to slowly adjust it while playing. You can try various heights from high to low until you find the position that your ears like best.

Here we recommend some reference heights relative to the "middle position", which allows you to have more room for adjustment upwards or downwards

It should be noted that different pickups and condition height settings are different. When Ternlet guitars are shipped from the factory, they will be comprehensively adjusted according to the pickup model, tone and functional status of each guitar. This is a "recommendation" we provide to users. "Tone State", I believe it is ideal for most users. If individuals have different preferences and needs, they can be readjusted according to their own needs. The following points will bring more help to your adjustments:

1. The one-string magnetic core is slightly higher than the six-string magnetic core. The specific height difference is not absolute. It varies slightly according to the characteristics and design of the pickup. It is OK to float within the range of about 0.5~1.5mm.
2. Pickups in different positions have different height requirements. From the neck to the bridge position, the vibration amplitude of the strings becomes smaller and smaller, so generally the height of the bridge pickup is higher than that of the middle and neck positions.
3. The height is within a relatively reasonable range. The lower the pickup, the clearer and sweeter the tone will be. The higher the pickup, the more powerful the sound will be, and the listening experience will be more "forward".
4. Raise or lower the height of the pickup by adjusting the screws on both sides of the pickup.
5. Please note that for pickups that do not have a pickguard or a pickup frame and are directly attached to the wood of the piano body through self-tapping screws, the direction of turning the screw when adjusting the height is opposite to that of a pickup with a pickguard.

Several common incorrect settings

1. The pickup is too high

If the pickup is too high, it will affect the vibration of the strings, making the guitar unstable during pronunciation. In severe cases, it may even cause the strings to hit the magnetic core of the pickup when vibrating, causing additional noise.

2. The pickup is too low

If the pickup is too low, the strings will not be within the optimal magnetic field generated by the magnet, making it difficult to obtain a full tone.

3. The magnetic core of the first string is lower than that of the sixth string.

The overall balance of the tone will be broken, the tone in the treble string area will become thinner, and the bass string area will appear relatively blurry.