Re: Strat-itis Silver Sky?

[JSTN]

So... got a silver sky. absolutely love it. it's a really quality built instrument. I can't believe it's resonance, even just plucking the B and or E string yields vibration throughout the body into the neck.

My only complaint is; (keep in mind, it may be user error)... setting the pickups to the recommended heights (5/64 treble and 6/64th bass) yields in Strat-itis. perhaps it's not actually Strat-itis because the middle pickup is RW but by definition* it definitely sounds like it. I've definitely noticed the problem relieve itself by moving the pickups down. the problem most definitely gets worse when I bring the pickups closer to the strings.
I have 5 other Strats and never actually had strat-itis only heard about it... so perhaps as said before this is user error or a misdiagnosis. I've also intonated correctly as well.

*Definition;
“Strat-itis” is often caused when the height of the pickup is adjusted close to the strings and dissonant overtones are heard as you play further up the frets. It is really noticeable as you play on the bass strings way up the fingerboard.

just wondering if anyone else has had this problem?

 

[dkilpatrick]

I haven’t experienced this with the silver sky.
Maybe lower the pickups?

 

[JSTN]

I haven’t experienced this with the silver sky.
Maybe lower the pickups?

I did... but they are at about 9/64 and 10/64s now, the problem isn't all that noticeable with them here.
I'm measuring them with a stewmac string height tool so it's unlikely my measurement is off.

unless the page on the PRS website where it says this;
*Pickup Height Adjustment
The pickups on your new instrument are fully adjustable by turning the height adjustment screws at each end of the pickup. With the high and low E strings (E and G strings for the Electric Bass) depressed at the last fret the measurement should about 2.5/32 (5/64”) on the treble side and about 3/32” on the bass side of both pickups. You may season to taste if you wish.
*from the PRS Website

perhaps this only applies to the humbuckers not the single coils?

 

[jdto]

You may season to taste if you wish.

This part tells the story. Season to taste and you’re good to go.

 

[AP515]

I don't know what is Straty about that. Take any guitar and tap up the fretboard and you will hear it unplugged. The harder you tap each string, the louder you will hear it. I've never heard a Strat send that through the amp, but I don't raise the pickups super high either.

 

[shallbe]

That is typical of any Strat type with single coils. The magnetic field is strong with each pickup.

That means the bigger strings will get the most magnetic pull, pulling them warbly and out of tune.

The neck pickup is the biggest culprit, since the string moves easiest and widest there. The bridge pickup has the least effect. And the effect is limited to the bass side.

Lower the bass side of each pickup a bit, starting with the neck until it is acceptable. Very typical. Most Strat players have the bass side lower for each pickup.

 

[JSTN]

That is typical of any Strat type with single coils. The magnetic field is strong with each pickup.

That means the bigger strings will get the most magnetic pull, pulling them warbly and out of tune.

The neck pickup is the biggest culprit, since the string moves easiest and widest there. The bridge pickup has the least effect. And the effect is limited to the bass side.

Lower the bass side of each pickup a bit, starting with the neck until it is acceptable. Very typical. Most Strat players have the bass side lower for each pickup.

ok this makes sense. I play on the neck pickup like 80% of the time so I favor it and I wouldn't be surprised if it's a bit closer to the strings than others.
these pickups are super clear which is a good thing... so maybe I'm noticing it more so than other SSS guitars. I don't notice it all the time only when OD is on and I'm playing above the 12th fret on the bottom 3 strings. it sounds like asymmetrical modulation.

 

[JSTN]

This part tells the story. Season to taste and you’re good to go.

obviously I know to adjust to taste, having to adjust them so low is just alarming.

 

[JSTN]

I don't know what is Straty about that. Take any guitar and tap up the fretboard and you will hear it unplugged. The harder you tap each string, the louder you will hear it. I've never heard a Strat send that through the amp, but I don't raise the pickups super high either.

its definitely heard through the amp. it sounds like modulation or a vibrato or chorus. it goes in and out of tune.
and yes it's intonated properly.

 

[Shawn@PRS]

These are the pickup height specs we use for Silver Sky.
Measured while pressing the string down on the last fret

High E Low E
Neck 2.5/32" (5/64") 4/32" (1/8")
Middle 3.5/32" (7/64") 4/32" (1/8")
Bridge 2/32" 4/32" (1/8")

 

[jdto]

obviously I know to adjust to taste, having to adjust them so low is just alarming.

So low compared to what? It seems like they are only "so low" compared to your expectations. Do they sound good where they are? Go with what you hear, not with what is on a website. The PRS guidelines are a starting point, nothing more. From there, you need to adjust them up or down until they sound good. Other guitars' settings also don't matter to what you hear from an individual guitar.

 

[JSTN]

So low compared to what? It seems like they are only "so low" compared to your expectations. Do they sound good where they are? Go with what you hear, not with what is on a website. The PRS guidelines are a starting point, nothing more. From there, you need to adjust them up or down until they sound good. Other guitars' settings also don't matter to what you hear from an individual guitar.

low compared to the specs on the site... also the message above yours confirmed my suspicions that these pickups are meant to be dialed lower than others and really all other single coil, SSS guitars IME.

 

[JSTN]

These are the pickup height specs we use for Silver Sky.
Measured while pressing the string down on the last fret

High E Low E
Neck 2.5/32" (5/64") 4/32" (1/8")
Middle 3.5/32" (7/64") 4/32" (1/8")
Bridge 2/32" 4/32" (1/8")

thanks this makes sense... dropping down to 1/8" on the bass side makes a lot more sense compared to the specs on the site.
this is why I'm hearing what I am hearing.

I obviously didn't hear this when I received the instrument. I had a custom pickguard made and when I reinstalled the pickups I adjusted them according to the website (3/32 on bass side) and started experiencing this 'problem'.

 

[jdto]

low compared to the specs on the site... also the message above yours confirmed my suspicions that these pickups are meant to be dialed lower than others and really all other single coil, SSS guitars IME.

Soooo...low enough to where they sound good to you?

 

[JSTN]

Soooo...low enough to where they sound good to you?

low enough so they sound good to the website. I'm only interested in what the website thinks of my tone.

when the website tells me to adjust to 3/32 and there is a 'problem', I begin to wonder. is the website wrong or am I crazy? that is when I reach out to the lovely forums because my ears tell me it's wrong.

in this situation I wasn't asking how to make them sound good to me. they didn't sound good to me... I identified a problem and specifically asked about the problem. I also remained open about it being down to user error. considering that I've never had a single coil that needed to be 1/8" away from the bridge in order to counteract the magnetic pull I was alarmed that they needed to be so low(close to the pick-guard). of course they sounded better low, I mentioned that in the OP. I know your trying to confirm that 'you were right' in this situation but you weren't you didn't understand the situation. you picked out text from something I already copy and pasted and re-pasted it to me as if I hadn't read it or understood it. your not right. Shawn was right to point out that the pickup height specs are very different than the general specs used on the website.
yes, one should adjust their guitar to ear, play by ear and not worry about the misc. details. I get that jazz. that jazz had nothing to do with this and again... thanks for pointing out that I don't understand what I read.

 

[jdto]

You didn't like the sound with the recommended settings, so you adjusted them to where you thought they sounded good. I didn't paste it as if you "hadn't read it or understood it", I pasted it as emphasis that you need to go with your ears, not what it says on any website. I understand confirming specs and that if you're not happy with the suggested specs, you can point that out or ask about it. The bottom line is, the phrase "season to taste" is what's important here, not numbers posted online. Seems like you needed someone to point out the numbers that confirmed what your ears already told you, which is what we've seen happen. Trust your ears, they seem to be working for you.

But hey, my not right, or something.

Have a good one, man.

low enough so they sound good to the website. I'm only interested in what the website thinks of my tone.

when the website tells me to adjust to 3/32 and there is a 'problem', I begin to wonder. is the website wrong or am I crazy? that is when I reach out to the lovely forums because my ears tell me it's wrong.

in this situation I wasn't asking how to make them sound good to me. they didn't sound good to me... I identified a problem and specifically asked about the problem. I also remained open about it being down to user error. considering that I've never had a single coil that needed to be 1/8" away from the bridge in order to counteract the magnetic pull I was alarmed that they needed to be so low(close to the pick-guard). of course they sounded better low, I mentioned that in the OP. I know your trying to confirm that 'you were right' in this situation but you weren't you didn't understand the situation. you picked out text from something I already copy and pasted and re-pasted it to me as if I hadn't read it or understood it. your not right. Shawn was right to point out that the pickup height specs are very different than the general specs used on the website.
yes, one should adjust their guitar to ear, play by ear and not worry about the misc. details. I get that jazz. that jazz had nothing to do with this and again... thanks for pointing out that I don't understand what I read.

 

[JSTN]

You didn't like the sound with the recommended settings, so you adjusted them to where you thought they sounded good. I didn't paste it as if you "hadn't read it or understood it", I pasted it as emphasis that you need to go with your ears, not what it says on any website. I understand confirming specs and that if you're not happy with the suggested specs, you can point that out or ask about it. The bottom line is, the phrase "season to taste" is what's important here, not numbers posted online. Seems like you needed someone to point out the numbers that confirmed what your ears already told you, which is what we've seen happen. Trust your ears, they seem to be working for you.

But hey, my not right, or something.

Have a good one, man.

k

 

[shimmilou]

I can't remember the last time I ever measured pup heights, always go by sound.

 

[Tone-y]

I can't remember the last time I ever measured pup heights, always go by sound.

I adjust pickup heights all the time. I never measure the distance. You can easily tell when they are no longer sounding good. I do find that there are different heights that sound good whether you are playing clean or distorted, so a final height is normally somewhere between the two.

 

[Kinggarreth]

These are the pickup height specs we use for Silver Sky.
Measured while pressing the string down on the last fret

High E Low E
Neck 2.5/32" (5/64") 4/32" (1/8")
Middle 3.5/32" (7/64") 4/32" (1/8")
Bridge 2/32" 4/32" (1/8")

What are the factory settings for the action on the Silver Sky?