Pickup Height Setup Planner

What this tool is for

Record bass/treble pickup clearance and plan balanced listening tests. Measurement tools are useful only when the physical datum, unit, fret or position, instrument posture, and instrument state are recorded with the number.

Use it when you can describe the current state and need a defensible next check. It is not a shortcut around inspection: preserve the starting state, change one variable, and verify the result under the same conditions.

Before you begin

Tune normally, fret the last fret, and measure from each pole or cover to the underside of its string on bass and treble sides. Record pickup type and the audible symptom.

• Use a stable, tuned instrument unless the page specifically investigates tuning.
• Name the physical reference, unit, and test condition beside every important number.
• Keep the original measurements so any reversible change can be returned to baseline.

Input guide

Pickup type

classifies an observed condition; choose “unknown” or “not tested” instead of guessing when available.

Bass-side gap

supplies a measured geometric quantity whose datum and resolution should be written down.

Treble-side gap

supplies a measured geometric quantity whose datum and resolution should be written down.

Input unit

sets the interpretation and display unit; do not mix units elsewhere in the same run.

Balance concern

classifies an observed condition; choose “unknown” or “not tested” instead of guessing when available.

Input labels describe evidence, not targets. A placeholder demonstrates format only; it is never a recommendation for a particular guitar.

How the result should be read

Balance level, clarity, sustain, and pitch stability across pickup positions. Preserve the starting measurements so a listening test can be reversed.

Read priorities from top to bottom, but stop as soon as new evidence contradicts an earlier assumption. Save or print the result ticket with the entered conditions so another person can reproduce the decision.

Method and logic

The planner treats clearance as a repeatable baseline and recommends listening comparisons. It does not embed a universal height because magnetic design and manufacturer guidance differ.

The page keeps calculation and diagnostic claims deliberately bounded. Display rounding improves readability, while the underlying logic uses entered values; descriptive branches report relative tendencies and the evidence needed to confirm them.

Worked example

If a neck pickup measures 1.5 mm on the bass side and low notes warble, lower that side by a small reversible amount, retune, and compare a recorded phrase at matched volume.

The example demonstrates reasoning, not a universal setup specification. Substitute real measurements and repeat the final test before accepting the next action.

Assumptions and limitations

Pole stagger, rail designs, active pickups, string magnetism, pickup angle, and mounting travel change the result. Contact, stripped screws, or abnormal resistance require stopping.

Instrument design, service history, measurement error, and player technique can outweigh a calculator or checklist. Where manufacturer instructions exist for the exact hardware, use those instructions and record the revision consulted.

Safety and stop conditions

Stop for abnormal resistance, cracking, heat, odor, electrical sensation, moving wood or joints, a measurement that cannot be repeated, or any step that would remove material without a confirmed cause. Secure strings and stored mechanical energy before hardware work. Refer structural, fret-cutting, mains-powered, or uncertain repairs to a qualified technician.

Related workflow

• String Spread at Pickup Projector — Project measured outer-string spread at a pickup location without assuming a bridge or pickup standard.
• Pickup Pole Spacing Matcher — Compare measured string spread with candidate outer-pole spacing and an explicit alignment tolerance.
• How to Measure Pickup Fit — Measure the string path, part, cavity, ring, and screw centers.

Open the related page that answers the next unresolved question; do not run every tool as if every system needs adjustment.