Do pole pieces have to be equal distance?

[papersoul]

Hey all!

Do pole pieces have to be equal distance from the strings? So if I measure out the E string poles on my pRS Cu22's pickups and they are each 2/32" from the strings......should I radius the other poles so that all pole pieces are 2/32" from the strings as well?

THANKS!

[Kam]

Not at all. The whole purpose of having screw polepieces is so that you can tweak them to get the balance of the strings just right. Most guys will set their's to match the radius of the strings and then tweak them from there so that all the strings can be equally heard. It can make a dramatic difference to your sound; especially when playing chords under gain.

PROTIP: Just so you know, raising the polepieces up towards the strings but lowering the whole pickup will make it sound brighter, just as doing the reverse will darken your sound a little. It can be handy for making a neck 'bucker less dark, muddy, boomy and improving the clarity of the pup altogether.

Just keep tweakin' until you get a sound that makes you happy.

[Funkfingers]

With equal polepiece to string distance, the greater excursion of the heavier gauge strings would induce more current than the lighter gauges.

[papersoul]

I know I don't have to have them equal distance but my point us this.
To start as some guys do and radius the poles to match the freeboard,
One would have to raise each inside pickup till it was the same distance
As the outer poles, which in this case for me is 2/32".
This is if I want the poles to match the radius and to all have the same volume and punch. But the poles would be up high in the middle.

[Mark Le Comte]

So, is your question really 'what process should I follow to adjust the height of a pickup and the polepieces'?

[papersoul]

Hi, yes I guess that is part of the question and when someone says they radius to the fretboard, do they make each pole equal to the same distance from the pickup? In my case that would raise the middle piles pretty high!

So, is your question really 'what process should I follow to adjust the height of a pickup and the polepieces'?

[shawnlanefan]

from what i understand about the wound strings, the winding is non-magnetic, only the inner core its wrapped around is. of the wrapped strings, the D is even thinner than the E string (the inner core of the D i mean). so if u only raised up one pole piece, it should be the pole under the D string. personally i set the heighth of the pickup first and then get the pole pieces where i want them, D pole first. ya kinda want to get the volumes of all the strings equal. play full chords and listen to it, go with what sounds best to you.

[LtKojak]

I match the polepieces radius with my guitars' and I cut the screws flat with the baseplate. It helps to focus the magnetic field to the place where the strings are.

I haven't make an A/B test to hear if there's any difference, I just like it like that, it's part of my setup.

But then I'm the guy who had our own member Zhangliqun, maker of Zhangbucker p'ups to custom-made a strat p'up set with three different polepiece spread just to have it perfectly aligned with the strings. Neck: 49mm, Middle: 50mm, Bridge: 53mm.

Perfectionist or OCD? Only time will tell...

HTH,

[GuitarDoc]

I match the polepieces radius with my guitars' and I cut the screws flat with the baseplate. It helps to focus the magnetic field to the place where the strings are.

I haven't make an A/B test to hear if there's any difference, I just like it like that, it's part of my setup.

But then I'm the guy who had our own member Zhangliqun, maker of Zhangbucker p'ups to custom-made a strat p'up set with three different polepiece spread just to have it perfectly aligned with the strings. Neck: 49mm, Middle: 50mm, Bridge: 53mm.

Perfectionist or OCD? Only time will tell...

HTH,

Maybe a little of both, but definitely OCD!! If you do a lot of string bending, I'm not so sure the spacing is going to make much difference. But it IS nice to do everything you can to make the guitar as perfect as possible.

Still lovin' those Zhangbuckers?

I guess I, too, obsess over pickup height and angle, polepiece heights, types and lengths of screws, and magnets. So maybe I'm a bit OCD as well.

I love all you perfectionists. You help all of us learn from your experiences. Keep it up.

[LtKojak]

Still lovin' those Zhangbuckers?

With the bottom of my heart...

[papersoul]

So do you radius the poles equal distance from the strings? Can someone explain how they radius to the fretboard???????????????????????????????

[Sludgenutz]

So, is your question really 'what process should I follow to adjust the height of a pickup and the polepieces'?

I'm kinda thinking that might be the real question, with due respect to the OP.

[SrDeMaFp]

So do you radius the poles equal distance from the strings? Can someone explain how they radius to the fretboard???????????????????????????????

Yes. Then I'll raise the whole pickup either up or down to get to that "sweet spot".

[GuitarDoc]

So do you radius the poles equal distance from the strings? Can someone explain how they radius to the fretboard???????????????????????????????

The fretboard and the strings have the same radius (approximately).

So you can radius the poles to the fretboard or to the strings, same thing. But easier to see what you're doing when you compare heights to the strings. Anyway, the strings are the more important component of sound than the frets.

[Aceman]

It's nice if the string radius = the fretboard radius, but it doesn't have to.

Go with the string radius

#1 set equal (and approapriate distance) for string radius
#2 make global adjust via pickup height on bass or treble side
#3 adjust individual poles to string for eveness, more treble, tame g string, or whatever.