Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: badgermark on February 24, 2008, 02:55:50 PM
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My Holydiver equipped telecaster is acting funny. When on the bridge pickup the sustain is a bit wonky. Imagine with some gain the sound should be AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa, smooth and gradual. But the HD sounds a bit more like AAAAAaaaaaaAAAAAaaaaaaAAAAAAaaaaa, almost like there is a slow tremolo effect going on.
I've even started to notice it with a clean tone, which is odd. My other guitar doesn't suffer from this, although it has low output country boy pickups in it. Tried it with a number of pedals, all the same result.
Been adjusting pickup height a lot recently, and got it at a height that gives the best tone, without it being all ghost-note like. Just have a few songs I play in my band with big, held dirty chords, and this really gets on my tits.
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Are you adjusting your pickups with the guitar plugged in?
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No, I play, unplug then adjust.
Course I adjust with my ears. It's not super close to the strings, I guess it's around 3-4mm away from the strings when depressed at the 21st fret.
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I once screwed up a pickup by adjusting it over and over again while being plugged in. Like you said, make sure you are unplugged.
Other than that, having the pickups raised too high can cause some pretty crazy harmonic problems.
If it isn't one of those two things, I wouldn't really know what else to tell you.
Maybe some of the others can chime in.
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I was being sarcastic. Why would you unplug a guitar to adjust the pickup height? The only way to get it right is by hearing it surely.
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I had the same issue and it was a string slightly buzzing at the frets. Just a thought.
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You should always unplug your guitar when adjusting pickup height. If you are adjusting while plugged in, then you have probably screwed not only with your intonation but also with the tonality of your pickups. Thanks for the sarcasm. :shock:
Unplug, then adjust.
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How would having a guitar cable plugged in make ANY difference? I don't mean to be an ass, and sorry if it comes across like it, but I can't see how you can screw up intonation (the tuning of the strings along the fretboard) and tonality? That makes no sense to me at all.
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How does changing pickup heights alter intonation? this thread has completely confused me :?
edit: beaten to it!
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And I have no idea how changing the height of a pickup can damage the pickup itself... Hell I better not stand up - My head might explode?
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Don't take my word for it.
http://mediawebsource.com/guitar/pickupadjust.htm
Or you can check out about any other pickup website that explains the process of pickup adjustment. Notice the disclaimer that says *always unplug guitar from amp before making any adjustments to guitar electronics*.
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Fair enough if I was swapping out a pot or re-wiring some electronics, but adjusting the pickup height is a non-electrical adjustment in my eyes. Plus it would be very tedious. Sorry man but I disagree on this one with you.
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I assume that is a generic disclaimer referring to working on the internal electronics of the guitar, ie soldering connections etc..
I can't think of a single reason why changing the pickup height while plugged in would do damage to either the guitar or the pickup. Certainly no way you'd screw up the intonation.
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If you're soldering and rewiring - then ofcourse remove the power (which comes passively from the lead) - But changing pickup height is nothing electrical - Its turning a screw. And its not at all connected to the circuitry.
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I had a Seymour Duncan SH-1 about 5 years ago that I couldn't get adjusted right. I went through the process of raising it and lowering it a thousand times while plugged in over the course of a few days. Eventually, I got what sounded like a permanent out of phase tone. Some strings rang brighter than others and whatnot.
I took my guitar in and told them something was wrong with it. The guy plugged the guitar in and as soon as he hit a note he told me what was wrong. I had been adjusting while plugged in.
Due to that experience and the fact that just about every guitar website says to unplug before adjusting, I drew my conclusion.
Like you said, you adjusted it several times while plugged in and now you are getting a funny tone.
Just a thought.
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Well seems to be better now. Was sitting around 7mm from the strings (I know! I didn't realise how far away it was) Whapped it up to about 3mm now and it sounds better. Much clearer and thicker now. Sustain is a bit more natural too. All done while plugged into my amp too.
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Having the pickup low is not going to cause any harmonic problem. What will give you bad harmonics is having the pickup to close. So, that doesn't really make any sense to me and I am not sure how that would have solved your problem.
Also, overadjustment of your pickup can without a doubt create false harmonics from raising and lowering, which in fact disturbs the magnetic field between the strings and your pickups when plugged in.
Nonetheless, glad it worked out for you. Do what you think is best.
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I had a Seymour Duncan SH-1 about 5 years ago that I couldn't get adjusted right. I went through the process of raising it and lowering it a thousand times while plugged in over the course of a few days. Eventually, I got what sounded like a permanent out of phase tone. Some strings rang brighter than others and whatnot.
I took my guitar in and told them something was wrong with it. The guy plugged the guitar in and as soon as he hit a note he told me what was wrong. I had been adjusting while plugged in.
Due to that experience and the fact that just about every guitar website says to unplug before adjusting, I drew my conclusion.
Like you said, you adjusted it several times while plugged in and now you are getting a funny tone.
Just a thought.
I can't understand that conclusion to be honest - the way I see it the only possible way that adjusting pickup height whilst the guitar is plugged in would screw up the pickups is if they weren't grounded properly
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is it the same kind of noise when you're playing an octave and it's slightly out of tune? It could be just slightly out of tune - might be worth checking the intonation.
Kellar I don't understand :?
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Just a thought, being a Telecaster - have you checked / eliminated the chance of it being the famous telecaster 'sitar' effect ?
On 3 saddle bridges a string can ride a bit too close to the protruding height adjusting screw of one saddle and thereby damp the string whilst sometimes giving a small almost sitar like vibration. I find that my B string can do that sometimes after a lot of note bending towards the G string. This can seem to occur between adjusting pickup heights because we play the guitar between adjustments to the pickup thereby disturbing other physical factors as we do so.
The problem does disappear naturally over time as the strings wear a groove in the brass saddles away from the adjusting screw.
like I said, just a thought...
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is it the same kind of noise when you're playing an octave and it's slightly out of tune? It could be just slightly out of tune - might be worth checking the intonation.
Kellar I don't understand :?
Not sure what's not to understand. Here's the website again, it tells you what you shouldn't do. I have seen several others with similar disclaimers. Most notable is that it is NOT a general disclaimer. It specifically states information related to the issue. Of course, one shouldn't take just one website as the gospel. So google it, it's not hard to find.
http://mediawebsource.com/guitar/pickupadjust.htm
I am only telling you what I have read, in my own personal experience. I mean, it's not like I made this stuff up. This information is fairly easy to find.
With that said, I have read information that says it is ok to adjust while plugged in. But, these were all threads in guitar forums.
If it's not true, then I ask myself why such a disclaimer is posted on nearly every website that posts pickup information?
As I am not an electrician and can tell you very little about magnetic fields, I am not going to pretend I can explain to you how it can damage a pickup. I am just going off of what I have read.
If I am misinformed, than that is quite alright with me. :D
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I hate to be a pedant, but I'm not sure I'd pay too much attention to a site that can't spell "overdo"
edit: just read a bit futher down the page, and this quote is quite simply wrong
for the most part if you tighten the screws you'll lower the pickup and if you loosen the screws you'll raise the pickup
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I always adjust my pickups with the guitar plugged in and I've never broken a pickup :?
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:idea: Anyone want to start a poll?
Unplugging a guitar to adjust pickup height is
(a) necessary
(b) unnecessary
Ben, someone, please put this thread out of its misery! :?
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I always adjust my pickups with the guitar plugged in and I've never broken a pickup :?
+1
is this bollocks?
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From the site:
"One word of caution is not to overdue the pickup adjustment. Sometimes if you over adjust pickup height or poles pieces this can affect the intonation and tonality of your guitar. Basically, you will know if you over adjust due to the sound of your guitar for the most part. You would hear an out of phase type sound."
By over adjust I think they mean adjusting the pickup too high or too low. With the pickup too high you can effect the pitch of the strings with too much pull. I think that's what they mean by affecting the intonation. I think you're reading too much into it as moving a magnet very slowly up and down with rests inbetween to test out the sound would most likely do no damage to anything in my view.
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That's an excellent point Lazy, as the article is badly worded.
Nonetheless, I don't understand the disclaimer regarding guitar electronics when we are talking about a simple height adjustment.
Finally some decent input instead of "WHAT!! Are you out of your mind!!" :lol:
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That's an excellent point Lazy, as the article is badly worded.
Nonetheless, I don't understand the disclaimer regarding guitar electronics when we are talking about a simple height adjustment.
Finally some decent input instead of "WHAT!! Are you out of your mind!!" :lol:
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Maybe it's dangerous cuz most screwdrivers are magnetic? I don't know just a thought
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:idea: Anyone want to start a poll?
Unplugging a guitar to adjust pickup height is
(a) necessary
(b) unnecessary
Ben, someone, please put this thread out of its misery! :?
Bravooo! :?
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I wrote Tim and asked him. Here was his prompt and very informative reply:
Hi Kellar,
raising or lowering a humbucker using the two height adjustment screws
either side of the pickup will cause no damage whatsoever if the guitar
is plugged in.
The articles you mention have a disclaimer relating to the electrics,
ie messing with the connections inside the guitar.............this could
cause a pop to come out of the amp and potentially damge a speaker.
Also the article doesn't just talk about humbuckers..........remember
Strats and Teles have fixed poles which are actually the magnets
themselves and shouldn't be touched at all.I suspect the disclaimer is
to stop any claim being made against the site, ie I adjusted my pickups
and now they don't work-it's your fault(more likely truth-I slipped
with my screw driver!).
The bottom line though is no, you cannot harm the pickup by simply using
the height adjustment whilst plugged in. Obviously using common sense is
always best.
kindest regards
Tim
I stand corrected. No need to continue on with this thread. :D
The GuitarCenter guy was obviously full of shite! :shock:
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Sorry Kellar, I didn't mean to sound aggressive or dismissive. Your point was valid though, if a little misguided. And I make a rule never to listen to guitar shop employees anyway.
Whoever mentioned the sitar thing, nice idea, except I have a modern fender bridge, 6 adjustable saddles. It's a bit better now somehow, and the pickups are at a sensible height. Now I know what a HD SHOULD sound like...
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Sorry Kellar, I didn't mean to sound aggressive or dismissive. Your point was valid though, if a little misguided. And I make a rule never to listen to guitar shop employees anyway.
No problem badger, that's what this forum is for. :wink:
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Odd sounds could also be caused by loose components?
What about if the hookup wire was so tight that when you adjusted the pickup it pulled on the solder joints? Hmmm, lol to that one.
Do BKP have a similar disclaimer?
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Hmm there is oodles of pickup wire, and i trust the soldering (I done it myself...)
Ill try recording a clip over the weekend. Doubt it's the pickup's fault though, still annoying me.