P90 height adjustment

[djg]

so i got this burny LP special with P90s and they sit quite low. what do you guys use to adjust the height? are rubber washers a good idea?

[Stefan Eff]

I guess you can use anything, traditionally a wooden shim. I‘ve raised the Franz Neckpickup on my Guild Aristocrat slightly with some small washers.
It‘s always a good idea to raise the pickup instead of the polepieces. Don‘t raise them too high.

[docsteve]

Don‘t know. I just refurbished a 335 copy with P90s and put them as low as possible, using the pole pieces to adjust string balance. So I seem to have the opposite problem.

What‘s the benefit in raising them?


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[Stefan Eff]

What‘s the benefit in raising them?


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If they’re too low they sound liveless, quiet and more or less muddy, raised too high they‘re indifferent, harsh and they possibly generate unwanted artificial tones (aka „Wolftones“).
It‘s all about the sweet spot every pickup has.

Turn the polepieces only for subtle balancing, that’s correct.

[Hammertone]

I use dense foam - easy to get, easy to cut to fit, usually free.

[neatomic]

on p-90's the magnets are below the bobbin...on the bottom of the pickup...the polepieces are just screws...the most difference in sound comes from moving the whole pickup up or down...keeping the pole screws fairly low to the pickup and using them just for very fine tuning between strings...but you don't want the screws sticking out far from the pup...

foam can go in the pickup route...or you can use some surgical tubing on the 2 mounting screws themselves




cheers

[Stefan Eff]

To stay correct- I was talking about the height adjustment on Franz pickups which are screwed into the wood, e.g. like Filtertrons. Sorry.

Foam works but may crumble over time, also maybe not nitro safe.

[djg]

thanks guys, it#s appreciated.

[TOMMO]

Have you checked already how they are fitted to the body? Screws directly into the wood? Why not use springs for example like on other pickups?

[djg]

Have you checked already how they are fitted to the body? Screws directly into the wood? Why not use springs for example like on other pickups?

yea, screws into wood. springs is a good idea. thank you.

man, 600k inhabitants in my town and not a single music store anymore. I'd happily boost the local economy by never buying anything from thomann et al. ever again. but even the municipal musicschool would rather get their stuff elsewhere than support local businesses.

[TOMMO]

man, 600k inhabitants in my town and not a single music store anymore.

That's pathetic - Dortmund if I'm not mistaken?

[garybaldy]

I have P90s in an SG style guitar. The bridge pickup could do with raising but the base of the pickup would be slightly higher than the guitar top. It sort of needs a deeper cover.
PS it had deeper stacked P90s originally but I changed them for standard ones.