Guitar How-To

Electric guitar players make adjustments to the relationship of the pickups to the strings in an effort to get that perfect sound. The pickups take the acoustic sound of the strings and turn it into electrical impulses. The resulting sound varies according to how close to the strings the pickups are. This is where pickup adjustment is needed.

If the pickups are close to the strings, more of the sound around the strings is amplified. This means that some extraneous sound from the strings will be combined with the note that the guitar player expects to hear when he plucks the string. These extra sounds may be the sound of the pick striking the string or random harmonic tones. The extra noise is considered desirable by many guitarists and metal guitar players for instance will get the string as close as possible to the guitar strings. Lowering the strings not only cuts out some of the richness of the sound but also lessens the sustain. So you get a note that is more within your control but one that dies quickly.

If you want to try adjusting the height of your pickups, you will need to tighten or loosen the screws on the pickups. With the guitar unplugged, get your pickups to about one-quarter inch from the string and then plug the guitar in and do some playing to see which way you want to adjust them for optimal sound. This is where you need somebody to keep you supplied with coffee or beer because you need to be prepared to spend a lot of time getting the adjustment of your pickups right.

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