Yep what the others said, once you do it you’ll be kicking yourself for waiting.
I found this video super helpful:
Not gonna lie, I actually like the growly sound I’ve heard Fenders make when they are properly set up but have super low actions and almost have fret buzz. It lets you know that that guitar means business.
4 Likes
Forgive me if I’ve missed something obvious in the shared guides, but what sort of gap should I be aiming for from pickup to string? Is there a linear relationship to string-to-fret height?
I’ve found a few references but they tend to be general guidelines rather than based on any particular type of pickup, bass or action.
This has come about because my Peavey Millennium was sounding lacklustre so I started making some adjustments to the action - with a little input from a Peavey guy I’ve stumbled upon online - but then I realised my pickups were were down in their pocket, and when I slacken off the screws the pickups rise but don’t hold their position (I suspect the foam behind them is knackered).
2 Likes
That’s a good question, @PeteP
You mean the pickups are loose?
AFAIK, each manufacturer has a “recommended” gap between string and pickup. If you adjust (i.e. lower) the action to the height you like, you might also have to lower the pickups to maintain that recommended gap. Your pickup distance could be changed evenly, or if one side (E or G string) seems louder than the other, you could adjust one side or the other accordingly.
But . . . (like everything else) it seems there is no simple answer . . . adjust the action and pickup height to what feels and sounds best to you.
HTH and if I said anything wrong, someone please correct me . . . 
Cheers, Joe
4 Likes
@Jazzbass19 has got it right, adjust the action and pickup height to what feels and sounds best to you .
Setting pickup height is a matter of personal taste and is effected by a lot of factors… the pickup, (type of pickup, strength of magnets, number of windings), the strings (gauge, winding type, materials used), the radius of your fretboard, how you play (fingers, pick, slap, hard, soft)…
Some things to keep in mind:
-
Pickup closer to strings: More volume, more treble, less sustain (more noticeable on neck than bridge pickups).
-
Pickup farther from strings: Less volume, less treble, more sustain.
-
When setting pickup height on instruments with more than one pickup, you usually want the volume of the pickups to match (but again this is personal preference). Start with the bridge pickup. Set the height fairly close (2-3mm) and adjust up or down until you have the tone you like (it should be pretty treble-y, it’s a bridge pickup), the strings aren’t hitting the pickup when you play hard and the volume difference between each string isn’t too great.
-
For neck pickups, start with them about twice as far away as the bridge pickup you just set up. Raise or lower the neck pickup until you match the volume of the bridge pickup. If the strings don’t hit the pickup when you play hard and you are satisfied with the sustain and tone (which should be bass-y and quite distinct from the bridge pickup tone) then you are done.
-
Be prepared to make compromises, you might have to go back and forth adjusting the pickups several times to get an acceptable balance between volume, tone and playability.
-
P-bass pickups: These are designed to match the radius of your fretboard and make it easy to adjust the volume/tone of each string to match the others. Many guitar techs don’t know this (because there isn’t an equivalent pickup for guitar) and rarely will you see a new bass in a store with a p-bass pickup properly set up, they are usually flat.
If your foam has broken down and no longer holds up your pickups, consider adding springs to the shafts of the pickup screws. I assume foam was used, in part, to reduce microphonic feedback but probably mainly to cut costs. Springs will last pretty much forever though.
8 Likes
Thanks guys.
Interesting about the P bass pickups: I’d been wondering about the split setup.
3 Likes
Thanks for all that Korrigan, I didn’t know that bit about the angled design for P pickups! Gonna have to explore some tweaking on a few basses…
UPDATE: just fixed pickup positions for my new Fender Mustang. The angling trick really helped on the P pickup @Korrigan! I realized I was getting too little volume from the A string, which I solved by bumping that side of the pickup a bit more (after having lowered the E string side to balance to the bridge pickup volume).
5 Likes
Ditto what Josh said, @Korrigan . . . all this time, I didn’t realize that either.
We are all very fortunate to have you with us on these Forums! 
4 Likes
Aww shucks… just doing my job folks. 
4 Likes
@Korrigan That was excellent information. I didn’t know alot of that. The thing that really surprised me was pickup height affecting sustain.
I had to go lookup why it works that way. From what I found the electromagnetic field creates drag on the string and the closer the string to the pickup the more drag which decreases sustain. Man, that’s cool!
6 Likes
Lowered my action again.
Today is a good day.
5 Likes
Ha! I was listening to Josh witter on… sorry, I mean… pronounce his wisdom in a video lesson, and I was tinkering with my bass when I realised the D string had a slightly higher action than the G. I got drawn into a very unscientific examination of all the strings - I basically tapped the string at the 12th fret and got a “feel” for it. I adjusted the A and D based on this and instantly felt a difference. I can only put that down to either a) developing a greater feel for the instrument, or b) deluding myself that I have developed a greater feel for the instrument.
Every few days I have another little tinker with one aspect or another and am starting to hear little improvements: so much so, in fact, that I’ve all but shelved the idea of chasing down a Squier Vintage Modern Jazz bass, choosing to live with my Peavey a little longer. Although there is a Peavey Cirrus (BPX though) going for a few hundred quid just a few miles away…
5 Likes
Yeah I constantly tweak mine. Right now I have the truss rod adjusted probably just slightly flatter than spec (but still a tiny amount concave), and the action at slightly less than 2mm clearance for the E-string at the 12th fret. Feels great.
I don’t usually measure but I was curious this time. My method is “lower the strings until they buzz, then raise 1/4 turn.” Hasn’t let me down yet
4 Likes
I’ve noticed a slight buzz on the E, sometimes open and sometimes fretted, but not all frets and not consistently, so I have something to tweak while @JoshFossgreen is doing his thing in the background.
I kid about not paying attention to the vid, it’s just that I’ve started from the beginning - a very good place to start - but am a bit ahead of this stuff, but am enjoying the stripping back process.
3 Likes
OK, so I took on my first own setup (including string change) on my P-copy. And I used the opportunity to treat the fretboard with a thin coating/helping of linseed oil.
However, when it came to the truss rod, I couldn’t find an Allen key that would fit and/or get purchase in there… On closer inspection (see attached photo), I don’t think it is a hexagonal hole at all!?! If indeed not, what tool to take???
In the end, I lowered the action very slightly by making adjustments on the bridge, so now it is a little bit lower than what it was, tough not much.
I used fairly standard roundwounds (Ernie Ball Slinkys), but, man, new strings are awesome!!! I fell in love all over again with the P bass - that punch it throws - sweet! (And to think I was about to sell it… “luckily” people didn’t make offers I felt were reasonable!)
Related question (about truss rod access): on a Jazz bass, the access is from the body (i.e., where the neck meets the body); however, it seems one has to remove the scratch protection first in order to access the truss rod screw - can that be right?? That seems so… unnecessarily cumbersome! Anyone has any experience with setting up a Jazz??
EDIT: forgot the photo…
1 Like
in fact it’s not a JB or PB thing, it all depends on the model you have. some PB and JB (and Stratocaster, Telecaster …) have the truss-rod access on the headstock, other near the body (which I hate).
and you’re right, on a lot of models (like for example my P copy) you need to remove the pickguard to access the truss-rod. on some models you even need to unscrew the neck ! how stupid is this ? 
4 Likes
On a scale from 1 to 10, that’s gotta be an 11 
2 Likes
Man, it looks like it was once a hexagonal hole, but maybe got corroded?? If you have a wrench set, or a ratchet / socket set, you may be able to find something small that fits over it and can make the slight clockwise / counterclockwise turn. Try both the US and metric sizes if you have them, one will be better, no telling which!
I bet the truss rod itself is fine.
3 Likes
Yeah, I am also afraid it looks like that… but, how can that be? I don’t think I wore it out by fiddling around with the wrong tool… I was quite careful/cautious with the truss rod movements.
Anyway, I think I will leave it as is for the time being, and perhaps take it by my “bass guy” at some time…
1 Like