The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    When I picked up my 175 from the luthier after its initial setup he proudly pointed out that as he dialed the string to string balance he set the slots in the pole screws so they were at a 45 degree angle to the strings. I thought I had the pickups set right but his setup is much better than mine, excellent actually, but I can’t see the pole angle offset making a difference. I’ve never heard of this before?

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    have you a pic of the set up?

  4. #3
    Aligning pole pieces with strings?-7dce80da-9467-4b0b-85e5-e51d604cc4c1-jpg

  5. #4

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    i'm long familiar with the idea..the string is not lined up over the screw slot..it crosses it..but really those are just screws, the magnet is below the bobbin..the gauss field is larger than just the top of the screws..so ultimately it doesn't do much

    it's an ok premise, but ...if it works for you that's all that counts

    but really the actual height setting of the screws would be more important...and the actual height of the pickup most important!

    cheers
    Last edited by neatomic; 12-01-2017 at 05:10 PM. Reason: typo-

  6. #5
    That is my opinion also. I can’t visualize how the direction of the slot could effect the magnets’ fields.
    Last edited by TedBPhx; 12-01-2017 at 04:03 PM.

  7. #6

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    I remember reading that they would set the screws this way at the Gibson CS - the curve of the screws across the pickup will follow the radius of the strings - does it really make much of a difference, though?

  8. #7
    That’s what the luthier said! “Gibson used to do this at the factory and set the heights to follow the radius.”


    I had set the pickup and individual poles so the balance sounded good to me. His method noticeably sounds better.

  9. #8

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    I never mind that screw setting. Pickup height and left/right balance is more important. Next - if needed - I turn them in or out in a way that the volume level of each individual string is about the same.

  10. #9

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    I don't think the orientation of the slot makes any difference, but it can't harm anything to set them at a 45 degree angle. And an eighth of a turn won't change the height very much. The important part is the sound, however you get there.

  11. #10

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    I think that guitar tech is F&#%^ GENIUS!!!

    To come up with new marketing BS in a world already saturated (and be able to back it up with a good setup) is pure magic.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  12. #11
    He credits this particular bit of BS to Gibson. I’m thrilled to find a competent luthier that knows archtops only a 20 minute drive away.

  13. #12

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    Finding a competent luthier anywhere is a thrill. They are far too scarce.

  14. #13

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    The magnetic field is stronger over the screws, so the center of the screws should be directly under each string in order to get the maximum benefit of individual string adjustability. If two strings straddle a screw, it is not as easy to increase or decrease the intensity of a single string.

    In terms of screw and fastener alignment, I would only buy into it to improve tone. Hey, fastener alignment improves the tone on these little amps....
    Attached Images Attached Images Aligning pole pieces with strings?-alignment-jpg 

  15. #14

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    See Dan Erlewines's piece on the "Kalamazoo method":

    Les Paul Set up Secrets by Guitar Mag 1998 | My Les Paul Forum

  16. #15

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    sounds like you have a luthier with some old school knowledge...and with good attention to detail

    the zig zag polepiece slot alignment does prevent strings from ever getting caught in the slot...looks neat and clean as well

    cheers

    ps- of course larry dimarzio tried to do away with the problem all together..back in the 70's..with his hex screw polepieces!!! hah

    Aligning pole pieces with strings?-dimarzio-dp100-super-distortion-202867-jpg

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by TedBPhx
    Aligning pole pieces with strings?-7dce80da-9467-4b0b-85e5-e51d604cc4c1-jpg
    Thanks for the pic.
    What about two silver screws in the frame of the pick up?

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by kris
    Thanks for the pic.
    What about two silver screws in the frame of the pick up?
    Adjustment for treble and bass response....

  19. #18

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    I just tried adjusting the poles in the neck pickup of my Tal the Herb Ellis way and I have to admit it has never sounded better.


  20. #19

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    Does anyone know what kind of strings Herb Ellis used? I find that my pole piece setup is drastically different using steel strings vs. nickel ones. On guitars that don’t have pole pieces I use steel strings (d’addario half rounds) because I can’t get the sound balanced enough for me with nickel strings unless I fiddle with the pole pieces. With Herb’s setup it’s hard to tell what he was using since it doesn’t seem to favor either steel or nickel strings.


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  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
    I just tried adjusting the poles in the neck pickup of my Tal the Herb Ellis way and I have to admit it has never sounded better.

    Mine ended up kinda like that but with the whole bass side of the pu much lower
    It was set to get the first string to be as loud as the second string
    Looks daft but sounds balanced now

  22. #21

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    IME, with a wound G, to balance the G, B, and E strings it requires something at least similar to the above. The B is always much louder than the others, and the G is weak, about as weak as the E. The exact adjustments of the E and G depend on the string gauge and composition, but that's generally the pattern I use. All the polepiece adjustments depend on the orientation of the pickup side to side, and having the bass end higher mitigates, to some extent, the need to screw them in so far, and also affects the adjustment needed with the treble polepieces, and having the treble end higher means you don't have to screw them so far out. It's a compromise all around, and it does affect the sound of the guitar. I spend more time than may be needed adjusting mine, because I seem to find the sound different on different days, with different amps in different rooms. But in general, I just try to get the volume balanced across the strings.