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Post subject: No adjustment for pickups?
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 1:52 pm
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Modern Player Telecaster® Thinline Deluxe:

I'm I missing something, or did Fender build this guitar, without pickup adjustments?

Kevin,


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Post subject: Re: No adjustment for pickups?
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:24 pm
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They're P-90 Soapbar type pickups. Notice that there appears to be 8 polepieces on each pickup? Each pickup actually has 6 polepieces -- the other two screws (on each pickup, in between the A&D and the G&B poles) are actually the mounting screws/height adjustment screws.

Image

Typically there's a chunk of foam under P-90s to act as "springs" -- sometimes after unscrewing the mounting screws to raise the pickups you then have to pull the pickups up to raise them and then let the foam expand (in extreme cases you may have to remove the pickups and add more foam or replace the foam with thicker foam).

Of course the polepieces are also adjustable. P-90s are very sensitive to pole height adjustments -- you can make significant changes to volume & tone by raising or lowering the poles along with raising/lowering the overall height of the pickups.


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Post subject: Re: No adjustment for pickups?
Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 7:56 am
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I did notice those screws and did adjust them, but they didn't make any change in the height; probably because the foam didn't have time to reform. I thought they would be loose and just rattle, so I snugged them back down: I'll give another look at these adjustments -- Thanks! By the way those screws were so tight, that on the bridge pickup, since I didn't get any noticeable adjustment, adjusting the front screws, I didn't want to try any harder -- to turn them, in fear of twisting out the Phillips head: suppose it's time to buy a new screw driver to get best results; are they suppose to be so tight?

Perhaps you know, "Are the P-90's considered Standard Single-Coil pick-ups:" Fender doesn't list in the telecaster setup guide, the height adjustment, for the P-90's?


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Post subject: Re: No adjustment for pickups?
Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 10:03 am
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intune wrote:
I did notice those screws and did adjust them, but they didn't make any change in the height; probably because the foam didn't have time to reform. I thought they would be loose and just rattle, so I snugged them back down: I'll give another look at these adjustments -- Thanks! By the way those screws were so tight, that on the bridge pickup, since I didn't get any noticeable adjustment, adjusting the front screws, I didn't want to try any harder -- to turn them, in fear of twisting out the Phillips head: suppose it's time to buy a new screw driver to get best results; are they suppose to be so tight?

Perhaps you know, "Are the P-90's considered Standard Single-Coil pick-ups:" Fender doesn't list in the telecaster setup guide, the height adjustment, for the P-90's?


The foam isn't going to "reform". Either add more or replace the foam with springs.

When it comes to phillips head screws and screwdrivers, any "mismatch" will be detrimental to the screw head.

The screws should never be so tight that they can't be readily adjusted.

P-90s are big single coil pickups. As to being "Standard", In Fender's world, I would think this term would be more for their usual/traditional Strat and Tele type pickups.

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Post subject: Re: No adjustment for pickups?
Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 10:42 am
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Martian wrote:
intune wrote:
I did notice those screws and did adjust them, but they didn't make any change in the height; probably because the foam didn't have time to reform. I thought they would be loose and just rattle, so I snugged them back down: I'll give another look at these adjustments -- Thanks! By the way those screws were so tight, that on the bridge pickup, since I didn't get any noticeable adjustment, adjusting the front screws, I didn't want to try any harder -- to turn them, in fear of twisting out the Phillips head: suppose it's time to buy a new screw driver to get best results; are they suppose to be so tight?

Perhaps you know, "Are the P-90's considered Standard Single-Coil pick-ups:" Fender doesn't list in the telecaster setup guide, the height adjustment, for the P-90's?


The foam isn't going to "reform". Either add more or replace the foam with springs.

When it comes to phillips head screws and screwdrivers, any "mismatch" will be detrimental to the screw head.

The screws should never be so tight that they can't be readily adjusted.

P-90s are big single coil pickups. As to being "Standard", In Fender's world, I would think this term would be more for their usual/traditional Strat and Tele type pickups.



You used the word expand, the foam may expand and it may not... I used the word reform; I meant expand.

As for the pickups, what I hear you saying ... Fender does not give a starting point for the P-90 pickups like they have for the Standard Single Coil pickup?

Thanks for the help!

Kevin

otherwise known as el funt, which means there is no fun without truth.


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Post subject: Re: No adjustment for pickups?
Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 11:51 am
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intune wrote:
Martian wrote:
intune wrote:
I did notice those screws and did adjust them, but they didn't make any change in the height; probably because the foam didn't have time to reform. I thought they would be loose and just rattle, so I snugged them back down: I'll give another look at these adjustments -- Thanks! By the way those screws were so tight, that on the bridge pickup, since I didn't get any noticeable adjustment, adjusting the front screws, I didn't want to try any harder -- to turn them, in fear of twisting out the Phillips head: suppose it's time to buy a new screw driver to get best results; are they suppose to be so tight?

Perhaps you know, "Are the P-90's considered Standard Single-Coil pick-ups:" Fender doesn't list in the telecaster setup guide, the height adjustment, for the P-90's?


The foam isn't going to "reform". Either add more or replace the foam with springs.

When it comes to phillips head screws and screwdrivers, any "mismatch" will be detrimental to the screw head.

The screws should never be so tight that they can't be readily adjusted.

P-90s are big single coil pickups. As to being "Standard", In Fender's world, I would think this term would be more for their usual/traditional Strat and Tele type pickups.



You used the word expand, the foam may expand and it may not... I used the word reform; I meant expand.

As for the pickups, what I hear you saying ... Fender does not give a starting point for the P-90 pickups like they have for the Standard Single Coil pickup?

Thanks for the help!

Kevin

otherwise known as el funt, which means there is no fun without truth.


I knew what you meant by, "reform". I maintain though, if the foam didn't respond immediately, for your purposes, it won't.

Regarding the pickups and this is MY opinion: It seems that Fender, more and more is using various and assorted pickups of a generic nature/origin. By "generic", I mean imported. Consequently, as you probably have and surely will continue to see, when it comes to said generic ilk pickups, there's not a whole lot of information out there on them to be had. YMMV.

Glad to help. :D

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Post subject: Re: No adjustment for pickups?
Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 12:18 pm
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Yeah! YMMV my mileage does vary that's for sure; truly thanks your answers did help.


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Post subject: Re: No adjustment for pickups?
Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 6:30 pm
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Martian knows more about pickups than I ever will. But you say that when you loosened the screws the pickup didn't move -- on the one P-90 guitar I had the foam wasn't strong enough to push the pickups up on its own but after I pulled the pickup up, the foam did expand enough to hold the pickup in place and keep it from rattling. (On the neck pickup which I only wanted to raise a little -- I wanted to raise the bridge pickup more and did need to add foam.)

Regarding the stiffness of the screws, there are two common ways to anchor them. Sometimes there's a metal plate mounted at the bottom of the pickup cavity, sometimes the pickup screws are screwed directly into the body wood. Screws sunk directly into the wood tend to be very stiff the first few times you adjust them.

P-90s are originally a Gibson design -- you'll find more advice about suggested heights on sites devoted to Gibson guitars. (Though as always, height preferences are very personal and subjective and you really need to experiment to see what sounds best to you.)

And again, P-90s are very sensitive to polepiece height. Don't be afraid to raise the poles way up high -- that will give you different tones than leaving them low and raising the pickup height.


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Post subject: Re: No adjustment for pickups?
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2013 3:51 am
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Thanks strayedstrater, I will certainly use this information.

el funt....


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