DGT Owners - pickup adjustment tips ?

[DogPhishHead]

Trying to dial in my "new to me" DGT. I've been using ears, screw driver and started with the PRS spec on pup heights. Still can't find that open and "bouncy" middle position tone on full humbucker setting. Then again, I've been tweaking my Mesa Express tone and graphic EQ controls as well - so it's been mixed results.

Anyone find a certain "sweet spot" in pup height on the DGT ? Due to the current setup, the neck pickup is resting well below the pickup ring on the bass side and just about level to the ring on the treble side - afraid of going lower.

I've been using the PRS Setup guide as I tweak the guitar - the prior owner(s) had the tremolo bridge anchor screws up fairly high and was yielding some higher, very taunt action. Lowered those, carefully, about an 1/8" turn and got the action down. The guitar with 11's still feels very stiff and not as loose as my Zach Myers with tens (I know - big difference in scale length, fret size and string gauge) I'll give the whole setup another once over this weekend and if I can get it right, I'll take the guitar to N Stuff Music and let there luthier do his magic on it.

 

[JoJo]

I'm afraid, you will have to work not only with the pickup height of the DGT pickups, but also quite a lot with the volume and tone pots.

Try to set the volumes back (around 7-8ish) and also take back the tone pot (just a bit, say 8-9) for your "normal" tone.
With all pots fully up (which used to be my standard position, too), the DGT with the stock pickups will make most sensible people's ears bleed, as the resulting tone can be quite aggressive.

My - quite drastic - solution was to make a switch to Bare Knuckle Abraxas pickups and a complete re-wiring...

 

[shallbe]

I like my pickups on my DGT high and close to the strings. Makes for a loud guitar, but the middle position is very bouncy. I like loud guitars anyway.

I also like my trem bridge high off the body. I raised mine for more float but brought down the bridge saddles.

My guitar is FAR from stiff, and I play with 11's. Easiest guitar with 11's I have. It sounds like you need to tweak the relief of the neck with the truss rod.

 

[xjbebop]

Fwiw, I run mine with 10s....feels better to me and plays and sounds great.
Do what you need to make YOU happy...

 

[Boogie]

A DGT without 11s is...lost.

 

[DogPhishHead]

A DGT without 11s is...lost.

Guess I'm lost now. Put on some DR .010s tonight, did another setup and boy does this DGT play nice now. Pups set to PRS spec and I changed out the first preamp tube in my Mesa from a TAD to a Tung Sol Gold 12AX7 and I'm damn happy with the tones now.

 

[Fatherjones.com]

Resurrecting this thread. I set mine up with 9.5s!

Ha! Take that.

 

[Monahan]

Ernie Ball "Pure Nickel" 8s brought my DGT to life.
Packaging should more accurately describe them as, "Pure Joy" instead

 

[El Fenix]

A DGT without 11s is...lost.

David now uses 10.5s

 

[RonHal]

Back to the subject of this thread. I used my wife's knitting needles as a feeler gauge. They come in all sizes from 1.5mm to 5mm. Hold the sixth string down at the last fret and do the same for the first string. The gap I use is 3.5mm on bass and 2.0mm on treble. Now the fun begins, this is your starting point. Fine tune by ear. Poster JoJo's advice helps. Oh ya, the needles are plastic.

 

[BGood]

This is how I set my pickups, P90 and humbuckers much alike.

I set the bridge pickup (pole) height to about 1/8" or ±3mm distance from the bottom of the unfretted strings. If it sounds good, I leave it there. Too hot ? Go ½ turn of each screw at a time to lower it where I want it. Test clean AND with dirt/OD. Once I have that one at the sweet spot, I go to the neck pup.

ANY neck pickup will sound boomy if adjusted too high.

Neck tone has to be different from middle position. Many people have the neck pup adjusted so it gives the same tonality as middle position. Not good. Neck pup has to be adjusted so middle position gets a quacky or almost acoustic tone. You'll know what I mean when you get there. So, I raise the neck pup until it starts to sound boomy. Notes will seem to be overwhelmed with too much bass. Now I lower it a full screw turn and compare it to middle. If it sounds the same, the neck pup is still too high. I go on until I hear three different balanced tones out of the two pup. I tell you, my two humbucker equipped guitars have their neck pickup buried lower than their plastic rings and they sound clear and musical.

That is a fun thing to do. Take your time and you will find the sweet spot for each pickup.

 

[Simon Says]

This is how I set my pickups, P90 and humbuckers much alike.

I set the bridge pickup (pole) height to about 1/8" or ±3mm distance from the bottom of the unfretted strings. If it sounds good, I leave it there. Too hot ? Go ½ turn of each screw at a time to lower it where I want it. Test clean AND with dirt/OD. Once I have that one at the sweet spot, I go to the neck pup.

ANY neck pickup will sound boomy if adjusted too high.

Neck tone has to be different from middle position. Many people have the neck pup adjusted so it gives the same tonality as middle position. Not good. Neck pup has to be adjusted so middle position gets a quacky or almost acoustic tone. You'll know what I mean when you get there. So, I raise the neck pup until it starts to sound boomy. Notes will seem to be overwhelmed with too much bass. Now I lower it a full screw turn and compare it to middle. If it sounds the same, the neck pup is still too high. I go on until I hear three different balanced tones out of the two pup. I tell you, my two humbucker equipped guitars have their neck pickup buried lower than their plastic rings and they sound clear and musical.

That is a fun thing to do. Take your time and you will find the sweet spot for each pickup.

Good advice here

 

[László]

I left my pickup heights stock. I use the PRS Signature .011s that come on the DGTs. The guitar sounds perfect to me.

Never mess with perfect!
--- The Laz Book O' Tone, p.1, Rule 1

Disclaimer:

What's perfect for Laz might not be perfect for you.

 

[LaxActium]

I got my Wood Library DGT test and initially it didn’t sound as good as my SE DGT. Noticed that the neck pickup was flush with the trim piece. Raised it according to the specs in the site and did the same for the bridge pickup and now it sounds great!