Adjusting Pickup height on SE McCarty 594 question.

[Jerrydpi]

To set the pickup height for the SE McCarty 594, the site recommends the following initial starting point:


With the high and low E strings depressed at the last fret, measurement is taken from the bottom of the string, to the top center of the pickup bobbin or cover.

Treble Pickup

2.5/32” [1.9mm] on the treble side.

3.5/32” [2.8mm] on the bass side.

Bass Pickup

3.5/32” [2.8 mm] on the treble side.

4.5/32” [3.6 mm] on the bass side.


My question is do the pickup covers need to be parallel with the body (which means they are slating downward from the left to right), or parallel to the bottom of the string (which means they will be slanting downwards from right to left)?

 

[Bogner]

Hypothetically Your Answer Is In The Metrics You Posted.The Pickups Will Sit How They Sit In The Guitar.Bridge height, Saddle height, Action Height (String Height) Neck Angle, Etc All Effect things. Just Keep It Simple And Measure The Heights And Use Your Ears To See If You Like It And Trust Yourself In What You Are Hearing.

In Reality, That May Not Be The Best Sound For You At Those Heights Listed. You Can Start There And Adjust Accordingly From That Spot To See What Works best For You And Your Rig. Adjust Them At The Amp Volume You Will Be Playing At Primarily So You Have A Good Foundation And Take Notes If You Make Any Adjustments So You Can Track Them. Ear Fatigue Will Set In So Make Sure You Live With Your Adjustments A Bit Before You Go Chasing More Adjustments. It May Take A Few Tries To Find The Sweet Spot For You But It Is Worth The Time And Effort Once You Get There.

Good Luck!

And If You Need Any Help Myself And Many Others Can Help You Along The Way!

 

[Jerrydpi]

Hypothetically Your Answer Is In The Metrics You Posted.The Pickups Will Sit How They Sit In The Guitar.Bridge height, Saddle height, Action Height (String Height) Neck Angle, Etc All Effect things. Just Keep It Simple And Measure The Heights And Use Your Ears To See If You Like It And Trust Yourself In What You Are Hearing.

In Reality, That May Not Be The Best Sound For You At Those Heights Listed. You Can Start There And Adjust Accordingly From That Spot To See What Works best For You And Your Rig. Adjust Them At The Amp Volume You Will Be Playing At Primarily So You Have A Good Foundation And Take Notes If You Make Any Adjustments So You Can Track Them. Ear Fatigue Will Set In So Make Sure You Live With Your Adjustments A Bit Before You Go Chasing More Adjustments. It May Take A Few Tries To Find The Sweet Spot For You But It Is Worth The Time And Effort Once You Get There.

Good Luck!

And If You Need Any Help Myself And Many Others Can Help You Along The Way!

But the pickups can easily be tilted one way or the other

So for the initial adjustment...................................................................................................................

Should the pickup be tilted to be parallel with the body (which means they are slating downward from the left to right), or should they be tilted to be parallel to the bottom of the strings (which means they will be slanting downwards from right to left)?

And now that I think about it, at what above angle should the pickups ALWAYS be at?

 

[SinSir]

The pickups should be set where they sound best to your ears through your rig for your playing style.

We've all been there in the beginning.. way over thinking when there is no blanket wrong or right answer.

My initial starting point is always flush with the pickup ring. Up and down from there 1/4, 1/2, and full turns until sounds best. Check again in a day or so with fresh ears.

 

[Prs Mods too]

How can the pickups be easily tilted either way? I'd think that wherever the springs hold them is where they'll be.

 

[Jerrydpi]

The pickups should be set where they sound best to your ears through your rig for your playing style.

We've all been there in the beginning.. way over thinking when there is no blanket wrong or right answer.

To all, please forgive my harping on this angle thing

On a Les Paul, on a Strat, you can't easily change the angle of the tilt on their pickups, only how high or low they can be raised/lowered on the low E and high E string.

On the SE McCarty 594, and please note I'm talking about when it's sitting on your lap, and you are looking down at the sides of the pickups, you can easily tilt them towards the neck, or towards the bridge.

I HOPE I'm conveying what I'm trying to ask

 

[SinSir]

You can tilt with pressure.. but do they stay? The springs bring them back to their natural position.

 

[Jerrydpi]

How can the pickups be easily tilted either way? I'd think that wherever the springs hold them is where they'll be.

Perhaps this is the answer, and that is that they naturally sit perpendicular to the body (slanting downward from left to right under the strings).

 

[Jerrydpi]

You can tilt with pressure.. but do they stay? The springs bring them back to their natural position.

You have answered my question as well SinSir, and that is that they are supposed to slant downward from left to right under the strings.

Thanks to all!

 

[Bogner]

To all, please forgive my harping on this angle thing

On a Les Paul, on a Strat, you can't easily change the angle of the tilt on their pickups, only how high or low they can be raised/lowered on the low E and high E string.

On the SE McCarty 594, and please note I'm talking about when it's sitting on your lap, and you are looking down at the sides of the pickups, you can easily tilt them towards the neck, or towards the bridge.

I HOPE I'm conveying what I'm trying to ask

All Of My Guitars (Many Brands Have Some Movement In Pickups When You Press Down On Them. No Matter Which Way I Press Them They Adjust Back To Their Resting Place Of Height And Angle Due To The Springs Tension, Etc. The Only Way I Can Imagine A Pickup Being Angled A Different Way And Staying Is To Fix Something Under It In A Certain Way (Think Foam) And That Could Fix The Pickup At A Different Angle But That Causes Other Issues.

I Wouldn't Worry About The Angle, I Would Focus On The Height Of Them To Sound The Way You Like Them To Sound.

 

[Bogner]

You can tilt with pressure.. but do they stay? The springs bring them back to their natural position.

Correct!

 

[Bogner]

Perhaps this is the answer, and that is that they naturally sit perpendicular to the body (slanting downward from left to right under the strings).

They Will Follow (To Some Degree) The Neck Angle Of Your Guitar. Imagine A Line (Like A String Above The Pickups) Running Across The Tops of The Pickups Parallel To The Actual Guitar Strings. Those "Lines" Will Likely Be Similar (If That Makes Sense).

 

[Jerrydpi]

They Will Follow (To Some Degree) The Neck Angle Of Your Guitar. Imagine A Line (Like A String Above The Pickups) Running Across The Tops of The Pickups Parallel To The Actual Guitar Strings. Those "Lines" Will Likely Be Similar (If That Makes Sense).

Now that you mention it, they DO basically follow the angle of the neck.

Sorry to all for making a mountain out of a mole hill

 

[Bogner]

Now that you mention it, they DO basically follow the angle of the neck.

Sorry to all for making a mountain out of a mole hill

No Worries...

If Your Action Was Really Out Of Whack It Could Throw That "Parallel Line" Off A Bit In Relation To Your Neck Angle. Bottom Line, Adjust To Your Ears Liking And Play The Heck Out Of It And Enjoy it.

 

[Prs Mods too]

I understand your reason for asking because I had a custom 24 one time and the pickups weren't parallel to the strings but I could easily push on them with my finger so they would be. They always went back to the original position as soon as I lifted my finger off.

At first it bothered me but it sounded fine so I didn't worry about it. Still weird though.