I recently picked up a copy of Dan Erlewine's book How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great! I've been studying it in anticipation of giving my Strat a proper set-up.

The book goes into excruciating detail on the nut, neck and bridge. However, I was surprised to find that pickup height is not really addressed (with the exception of the set-up data for certain famous guitarists at the back of the book).

When I swapped out the pickguard on my Strat recently, I just sort of "eyeballed" the height of the pickups, and I ended up doing a little tweaking until I got them more or less the way I wanted them: not so low that they didn't produce a good sound, but not so high that I got string pull.

Is that the key? Or is there a "correct" pickup height? Experienced luthiers, show me the way!

(And I know Chet has prescribed a "nickel method" for setting pickup height, but there have been so many posts since then that suggest people search on this term that I cannot find the original post. So reposting would be appreciated.)

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I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.

It all is a matter of prefrance. my hero JM has his pickups as low as they get into the body on "The Black One" just like on SRV's #1. lowering them can help lower he output of the pickups. the same goes for rasing them. that will produce a slightly higher output. beware of raising them too high, you might scrape the tips with your pick!

low output pickups like 57/62s, Big Dippers, and FCS 54s, combined with very low heights, will produce more refined jazzy sound (at least in my expirence with them)

Higher output pickups like FCS Fat 50s, FCS 69s, and FCS Texas Specials combined with high pickup heights, will increase the output a little.


there really is no correct setting. just ajust to how you play, and the pickup model.

What did you install?

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Hey chanman. Thanks for the great info. So far I just reinstalled the stock Squier pickups on the new pickguard, but I am shopping around for some new pickups (I have another thread on that topic). Right now I'm torn between the Fender Custom Shop '54 and the Stewart MacDonald Golden Age models. I may go with the Golden Ages based on price alone. My Squier Standard Strat is a nice little guitar, but there is definitely a point of diminishing returns with upgrades.

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I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.

Actually if the pole pieces of the pickups get too close to the strings the magnetic pull can begin to effect the sustain negatively.
Fender factory spec generally calls for a 1/8 inch gap on the bass side and a 3/32 inch gap on the treble side. This is measured by holding the string down at the last fret, then measuring the gap from the top of the pole piece to the bottom of the string. A capo comes in handy here, as does a high quality metal ruler with 1/64 inch measurement markings. High quality feeler gauges work as well.
Lace Sensors can be set as close to the string as you like. Due to a completely different design, they induce no magnetic pull on the strings.

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I grew up in the "Dark Ages" of gear, when a '63 Strat was just an old guitar!

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Chet Feathers

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

I've got Lace pickups on my Strat Plus and this is a BIG advantage - they don't have a magnetic damping effect on teh strings like most pickups.

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....Assuming you like the tone of Lace Sensors.

I don't care for them myself. I prefer the organic snap and twang of a good old fashioned, AlNico single coil.
Of course, that's just me...

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I grew up in the "Dark Ages" of gear, when a '63 Strat was just an old guitar!

Chet is the man!

Well now hold on there a moment! Regarding that other thread, I've just been sitting here with some nickels and my digital calipers and I've discovered some very worrying things about coins!

Cheers - C

British coins are made by weight not size, ask any forger.

Aslong as their not so high they pull or so low their cold its a matter of taste.

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No no and no

To directly address russianracehorse's question (just to see how it feels to do that): I just pulled down Dan Erlewine's Guitar Player Repair Guide, and he gives the following data.

Holding the outer strings down at the last fret (for which a capo won't help, I'm afraid):

American Std: 1/8 inch bass side, 3/32 treble

Beck and Clapton sigs: 1/16 both sides

SRV and Malmsteen sigs: 1/8 bass, 3/32 treble

'52 Telecaster: 3/32 bass, 10-12/64 middle, 5/64 treble

I find automotive feeler gauges the easiest for measuring pickup heights. If only because I don't have a ruler calibrated in 64ths at one end - they tend to put an inch calibrated that way somewhere around the middle.

Though, surprise surprise, Stew-Mac sell a tool for the job...

Cheers - C

Uh oh! What worries you Ceri? Am I going to be disillusioned with Chets expertise?

Haha! Well, on the other thread Mr Twelvebar kindly gave some coin depth measurements to help us out-of-towners who may not have a pocket full of nickels to hand.

He reckoned a nickel at 1.95 mm thick.

But I'm sitting here with two nickels: a 1976 one is 1.88 mm thick, and a 1964 coin is 2.00 mm. So which do we take? When did Chet invent his method? It's very troubling...

BTW, this is the wonderful world of numismatics, guys (I just throw that one in for russianracehorse...)!

- C

I guess only Chet can enlighten us on what year the coin was when he developed his method!

OMG 0.12mm difference. How are we meant to have any degree of correctness in our pickup heights?

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No no and no