Modern Eagle V factory pickup heights?

[Gary Bloom]

Just got a new MEV and am curious what the recommended or factory pickup heights are, I've been trying to balance the 3 pickups and not quite there yet. The middle single coil seems to be the one that the outer humbuckers need to match to in order to get their split volumes to match the middle.

I am using my ear through a clean valve amp and the amp compresses a little so it's hard to be exact.

I am currently set at a measurement of 4mm for the neck, 3mm for the middle (single coil) and 3mm for the bridge. This is measured from centre of pickup to underside of unfretted string. This puts the neck humbucker just below the mounting ring at the outer edges and just slightly above in the middle of the pickup ring.

I think I may be hearing a slight hint of wolf tones on the 5th & 6th string when fretted at the top couple of frets, perhaps form the middle single coil magnets? not that I would ever play those notes!

What measurements have you found work for you to get the right balance?

 

[Stephen J.]

Bought mine used. I made slight adjustments by ear. I don’t play at high volumes, so it might not need to be as precise as someone who does.

 

[dogrocketp]

I’ve never gotten what I wanted by setting it to a certain height. Lindy Fralin believes you set the neck pickup to the sound you want, and then set the other two pickups. That’s always worked for me.

 

[Gary Bloom]

I’ve never gotten what I wanted by setting it to a certain height. Lindy Fralin believes you set the neck pickup to the sound you want, and then set the other two pickups. That’s always worked for me.

Has that always worked for you with a Modern Eagle V with it's screwed to the body middle pickup and its limited range of adjustment?

Do you even own a MEV?

 

[Stephen J.]

Has that always worked for you with a Modern Eagle V with it's screwed to the body middle pickup and its limited range of adjustment?

Do you even own a MEV?

I left my middle pickup where it was and adjusted the humbuckers (in single coil mode) to match it.
I tend to play it with the single coil sounds as the primary tones and put it in humbucker mode to add a little boost and depth.

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

Has that always worked for you with a Modern Eagle V with it's screwed to the body middle pickup and its limited range of adjustment?

Do you even own a MEV?

Tone it back there buddy. Getting aggressive with people who are offering to help is a bad look.

 

[Gary Bloom]

Tone it back there buddy. Getting aggressive with people who are offering to help is a bad look.

Agreed, please accept my apologies.

 

[Glide-bpm]

I set mine by ear and both the humbuckers ended up fairly low. Took a bit of the harsher highs out of it.

 

[Gary Bloom]

I left my middle pickup where it was and adjusted the humbuckers (in single coil mode) to match it.
I tend to play it with the single coil sounds as the primary tones and put it in humbucker mode to add a little boost and depth.

That's where I've ended up. Although I prefer the humbucker tones I have set the middle pickup as high as it can go without getting "wolf-tones" on the higher frets on the wound strings, that seems to be 3mm treble side and 4mm bass side (unfretted, measured from the bottom of string to top of pickup)

So, to get the 2 humbuckers just about in balance with this middle pickup setting when they are split I am settling at 4mm treble/bass side for the neck pickup and 3mm bass/treble side on the bridge pickup (unfretted, measured from underside of string to top of pickup).

This is just about even across all 3 in single coil mode and the 2 humbuckers just about balance with each other in humbucker mode.

I think that's just about as close as I'm going to get.

 

[greyhatninja]

Would anyone mind posting a photo of where your Modern Eagle V pickups are visually from a side profile? I'm most curious how close your bridge humbucker is to the strings on the bass and treble strings.

 

[Glide-bpm]

That's where I've ended up. Although I prefer the humbucker tones I have set the middle pickup as high as it can go without getting "wolf-tones" on the higher frets on the wound strings, that seems to be 3mm treble side and 4mm bass side (unfretted, measured from the bottom of string to top of pickup)

So, to get the 2 humbuckers just about in balance with this middle pickup setting when they are split I am settling at 4mm treble/bass side for the neck pickup and 3mm bass/treble side on the bridge pickup (unfretted, measured from underside of string to top of pickup).

This is just about even across all 3 in single coil mode and the 2 humbuckers just about balance with each other in humbucker mode.

I think that's just about as close as I'm going to get.

Mine also have the outer edges of the pickups below the pickup ring and the middle of the pickups above the pickup ring about equidistantly.

 

[Rider1260]

I am still new to my MEV
I want to get the single coil lower but without opening it up I'm guessing it's hitting the wires and bottomed out.
So the neck on mine is below the ring more so on the base side with the E,B,G pole piece screws raised.
The bridge is pretty flat but raised over the ring just past the bobbin.
All the single coil sounds are better to my ear at 8-9 on the Volume , to be honest I think this guitar in general sounds best with the Vol rolled back and also reacts really well to Vol and tone knob tweaking

 

[vhalen50]

After a few weeks with my MEV I too have the neck pickup pretty low. The middle and bridge I think are around stock height. The neck is the only one I’ve been moving around. Experimenting with pole piece heights, didn’t realize they were wax potted to the top until I started adjusting those too.