575 bridge pickup question

[Guest HRB853370]

Playing my 575 yesterday through my GA-40RVT, which happens to be a great amp for jazz tones, and since I normally play in the neck pup, I never noticed this before. When switching to the bridge pup with the volume controls equalized, I noticed a significant cut in volume, maybe about 30%. Holding the guitar sideways, the bridge pickup seems further away from the strings than the neck pickup. Normal or not normal? And shouldn't they have equal output?

[Gitfiddler]

Will, all you gotta do is turn a few screws until they are balanced. Start by lowering the neck p'up, then raise the bridge p'up...

[barrymclark]

You are saying that when you have both pickups hot, then you notice a drop in volume?

 

I had that issue once and I had the wires reversed coming from one of the pickups. A few minutes with a soldering iron and I was off to the races. It was a VERY noticable dropoff in my case. It was like my toggle was a series/parallel switch.

[Guest HRB853370]

You are saying that when you have both pickups hot, then you notice a drop in volume?

 

I had that issue once and I had the wires reversed coming from one of the pickups. A few minutes with a soldering iron and I was off to the races. It was a VERY noticable dropoff in my case. It was like my toggle was a series/parallel switch.

 

No, I am saying flipping the toggle from the neck position to the bridge position with the volume controls equalized, results in a drop in output.

[barrymclark]

 

No, I am saying flipping the toggle from the neck position to the bridge position with the volume controls equalized, results in a drop in output.

Ah, ok. Forget what I said then. haha. Go with Gitfiddler's advice. That would be the surest quick fix and is probably it.

[fxdx99]

Holding the guitar sideways, the bridge pickup seems further away from the strings than the neck pickup. Normal or not normal? And shouldn't they have equal output?

 

Nope, not normal, Will. Yes, should have similar output. The strings aren't vibrating as much at the bridge, so the pickup needs to be closer. Think the standard is 1/16" spacing string to bridge pu, 3/32" for neck from bottom of string to top of pu with string depressed on last fret. Your's kinda sounds reversed to this. After height, pole piece adjust to follow radius and audibly be balanced across strings.

[barrymclark]

 

Nope, not normal, Will. Yes, should have similar output. The strings aren't vibrating as much at the bridge, so the pickup needs to be closer. Think the standard is 1/16" spacing string to bridge pu, 3/32" for neck from bottom of string to top of pu with string depressed on last fret. Your's kinda sounds reversed to this. After height, pole piece adjust to follow radius and audibly be balanced across strings.

This.

[SouthpawGuy]

I bought my 575 used and the previous owner had the neck pickup set to be way louder than the bridge. I'm guessing that only the neck pickup was ever used. I liked the tone from the neck so I adjusted the bridge pickup to it's max and then only had to reduce the neck pickup in height very slightly. Now the bridge is just slightly louder than the neck. Both pickups are SD 59s btw.

 

You can see the outcome in the photo ....

 

[Kuz]

Guys, remember that in the 50s and 60s the output for neck & bridge pickups was THE SAME. SO to be honest, it is period correct to have a drop off in volume/output from the Neck to Bridge pickup.

 

Now a days, we have hotter bridge pickups to offset the volume drop off due to the pickups' different orientation on the guitar.

 

ONE THING I will STRONGLY caution is that unless you use a recording/mixer to SEE the difference in output between the neck & bridge pickups, the bridge pup tends to sound like it is putting out less volume (because of the lack of low end) but in reality when checked on the board they are probably the same or a lot closer than you think. An EASY way to check this is too dial your amp in with some distortion/over drive. The flip between the two pickups. Initially the bridge will sound like it has less output, until you use the distortion and then you hear that it is actually driving the amp more (or equally as much) as the neck pup.

 

Just my .02

[Guest HRB853370]

Will, all you gotta do is turn a few screws until they are balanced. Start by lowering the neck p'up, then raise the bridge p'up...

 

Followed your formula and problem solved. One more thing, the pickups were slanted slightly downward (holding the guitar in playing position) so that there was more distance between the pickup and the GBE strings than the EAD strings. I leveled both of them out during this adjustments. I have seen this slanted arrangement on Strats, but most HB pickups I have seen are completely level so that is what I did. Not sure if that is correct, or just individual preference.

[Gitfiddler]

 

Followed your formula and problem solved. One more thing, the pickups were slanted slightly downward (holding the guitar in playing position) so that there was more distance between the pickup and the GBE strings than the EAD strings. I leveled both of them out during this adjustments. I have seen this slanted arrangement on Strats, but most HB pickups I have seen are completely level so that is what I did. Not sure if that is correct, or just individual preference.

 

 

Glad that worked out for you. Keep in mind that the only thing that truly matters is how it sounds to your ear. I've seen pickups adjusted in very strange looking ways. Plus you have SD 59's on your blue beauty, with only a single adjustment screw on either side, making perfect leveling nearly impossible. Bottom line, go with your ears, not your eyes for pickup adjustments.

[Guest HRB853370]

 

 

Glad that worked out for you. Keep in mind that the only thing that truly matters is how it sounds to your ear. I've seen pickups adjusted in very strange looking ways. Plus you have SD 59's on your blue beauty, with only a single adjustment screw on either side, making perfect leveling nearly impossible. Bottom line, go with your ears, not your eyes for pickup adjustments.

 

That is what I did, I didn't measure anything.