
Finding the ideal sweet spot for your Strat doesn't have to be a guessing game.
One of my all-time favorite Stratocaster mods is also the cheapest and most effective mod you'll ever perform: adjusting the height of your pickups. All you need is a screwdriver, a small ruler, and your ears.
Over the years at our shop, we've received countless Strats with descriptions like "it doesn't sound Stratty enough" or "there's something wrong with the pickups." Most of the owners were looking for a set of replacement pickups to solve the problem. There are good reasons to replace a Strat's pickupsāsuch as getting an ultra-hot output to drive your amp into crazy saturation. But if you feel something is missing in your tone, play around with the height-adjustment screws before buying a set of new pickups. In most cases, our customers were more than happy with their stock guitars once we "sweet-spotted" the pickups.
Many players think their Strats come from the factory with perfectly adjusted pickup heights and are afraid to change them. The goal of this column is to encourage you to pick up a screwdriver and play around with the adjustment screws. Before we start, take some low-adhesive masking tape and stick it on both sides of the pickup covers. With a sharp pencil, mark the current height of the pickup where it emerges from the pickguard. As long as you leave the tape on the covers, you can always return to the old adjustments within seconds.
To start, put a towel, a piece of foam, or a blanket on a table or your workbench, tune your Strat, and then place it on the work surface. You can use any precision ruler to measure the pickup height. The folks at stewmac.com have developed a tool called the String Action Gaugeāpart #0670 (inch) and #0670-M (metric)āthat I use and recommend for this work. Besides measuring pickup height with this tool, you can also measure string height, saddle height, nut height, saddle-slot depth, and moreāit's very versatile.
I built myself another little helper for measuring Strat pickup height. I found some precision square brass rods in exactly the heights I needed. I cut off a small piece for each height, and I place the bar on top of the pickup magnets, following the measurements detailed below. Then all I have to do is raise the pickup until the bar touches the string. Better yet, if you can find square rods made out of a magnetic material, the pickup magnet will hold the bar in place.
Finally, you need a screwdriver that matches the head type and size on your pickup-adjustment screws. Get the right kindāflat-head screwdrivers are not made for Phillips screws and vice versa!
Okay, here are the specs I use to set the heights for each Strat pickup. These measurements make a very good starting point for any Strat with standard Strat single-coils:
Bridge pickup
- Low-E string: 2.5 mm/0.0984"
- High-E string: 2.0 mm/0.0787"
Middle pickup
- Low-E string: 3.0 mm/0.1181"
- High-E string: 2.5 mm/0.0984"
Neck pickup
- Low-E string: 3.5 mm/0.1378"
- High-E string: 3.0 mm/0.1181"
Chances are that these heights will work for you right from the start, but it's important to realize these specifications aren't set in stone. Your perfect pickup height depends on the pickups themselves, your strings, and, of course, your playing style, your amp(s) and outboard gear, and personal taste. Some players like the tone of the pickups close to the strings, while others don't.
There are no factory specs, and if you talk to 10 different guitar techs, you'll hear 12 different opinions about it. These specs are based on my experiences and data I've collected over the years working on countless Stratocasters. Surprisingly, these heights seem to work every time.
If you have very powerful single-coils such as Fender's Texas Specials, you should lower the pickup height a tad to avoid having the magnets pull on the strings and interfere with vibration. This causes tuning problems and robs sustain. If you have very weak, vintage-flavored single-coils, you can place them a tad closer to the strings to boost the output a bit. Adjust humbuckers a tad lower than powerful single-coils, as a starting point.
Once you've adjusted all three pickups using the specs in this column, play your guitar for a while with the same amp settings as before to get a first impression of your Strat's new tone. If you're completely satisfied, great. Leave the new settings alone and you're done. If you feel that your Strat sounds better than before, but you still miss that certain something, it's time for some sweet-spotting fun. More about this next month.
[Updated 8/10/21]
- Mod Garage: Before You Swap Out Those Tele Pickups ⦠- Premier ... āŗ
- DIY: How to Set Up a Fender Stratocaster - Premier Guitar āŗ
- Adjusting Stratocaster Pickup Height, Pt. 2 - Premier Guitar āŗ
Get premium spring reverb tones in a compact and practical format with the Carl Martin HeadRoom Mini. Featuring two independent reverb channels, mono and stereo I/O, and durable metal construction, this pedal is perfect for musicians on the go.
The Carl Martin HeadRoom Mini is a digital emulation of the beloved HeadRoom spring reverb pedal, offering the same warm, natural toneāplus a little extraāin a more compact and practical format. It delivers everything from subtle room ambiance to deep, cathedral-like reverberation, making it a versatile addition to any setup.
With two independent reverb channels, each featuring dedicated tone and level controls, you can easily switch between two different reverb settings - for example, rhythm and lead. The two footswitches allow seamless toggling between channels or full bypass.
Unlike the original HeadRoom, the Mini also includes both mono and stereo inputs and outputs, providing greater flexibility for stereo rigs. Built to withstand the rigors of live performance, it features a durable metal enclosure, buffered bypass for signal integrity, and a remote jack for external channel switching.
Key features
- Two independent reverb channels with individual tone and level controls
- Mono and stereo I/O for versatile routing options
- Buffered bypass ensures a strong, clear signal
- Rugged metal construction for durability
- Remote jack for external channel switching
- Compact and pedalboard-friendly design
HeadRoom Mini brings premium spring reverb tones in a flexible and space-savingformatāperfect for any musician looking for high-quality, studio-grade reverb on the go.
You can purchase HeadRoom Mini for $279 directly from carlmartin.com and, of course, also from leading music retailers worldwide.
For more information, please visit carlmartin.com.
Designed to preserve Jazzmaster charm while eliminating unwanted noise, these pickups combine classic aesthetics with cutting-edge technology.
Designed and crafted by SeymourDuncanās VP of Engineering Kevin Beller, these Jazzmaster pickups employ a patent-pending triple-coil system. With two outer coils canceling hum while an inner coil captures the unmistakable Jazzmaster sound, they offer pure, authentic vintage tone with plenty of punch and warmth, but with absolutely no hum.
Plus, the visible Alnico 5 pole pieces maintain the classic Jazzmaster look, so you get hum-free sound with an unaltered, vintage feel.
Enjoy the classic offset sound with a warm, punchy Jazzmaster neck tone and a bright and tight JazzmasterĀ® bridge sound with plenty of snap. Our Vintage Jazzmaster Silencer pickups are a drop-in replacement for any JazzmasterĀ®-sized pickups. Perfect for surf-inspired riffs, shimmering indie textures, modern pedal-driven explorations, and more, the Seymour Duncan Vintage JazzmasterĀ® Silencer pickups maintain bold presence without interferenceājust pure sonic clarity.
The Vintage Jazzmaster Silencer is a noiseless pickup that retains the bright, punchy neck tone and tight, snappy bridge sound that defines the Jazzmaster. Clean or overdriven, the Vintage Jazzmaster Silencer's vintage-voiced tone is perfect for shimmering indie textures, surf-inspired riffs, and modern pedal-driven explorations. No more hum holding you backājust the pure, classic JazzmasterĀ® tone you love.
The Hot Jazzmaster Silencer neck pickup has a crisp, full-bodied tone, adding extra warmth in the low end, while the bridge pickup brings sharp definition and sustain for solos that cut through any mix. Designed as a drop-in replacement for any Jazzmaster-sized pickups, this noiseless set lets you dive into gritty surf riffs, glimmering melodies, grungy fuzzed-out rock, reverb-drenched shoegaze, and beyond. With boosted output and zero hum, itās everything you love about the Jazzmaster, amped up.
The Hot Jazzmaster Silencer pickups offer iconic Jazzmaster tone with powerful output and zero hum. Their patent-pending triple-coil design cuts unwanted noise while enhancing the rich, gritty Jazzmaster sound. Enjoy clear, punchy highs and warm, solid lows, perfect for distortion or clean tones. Get the classic Jazzmaster sound with boosted outputāwithout the hum.
Kirk Hammettās Top Three Guitars (Yes, Greeny Is One of Them)
Photo courtesy of The Collection: Kirk Hammett, Gibson Publishing
In a lavish new coffee table book from Gibson, The Collection: Kirk Hammett, Metallicaās lead guitarist shares some of his most spectacular vintage instruments and the stories that go with them, as well as his love of Hawaii.
Together with Nathaniel, weāre decoding our favorite eras of the Edgeās tonesāfrom his early Memory Man days through his expanding delay rack rig, into his 1990s Achtung Baby sounds, and all the way through to his Sphere rig. How does he get those amazing delay tones? And what are those cool picks he uses?
Thereās a good chance that if youāre a guitar fan, youāve seen Nathaniel Murphyās gear demosāeither on his Instagram account, where he goes by @zeppelinbarnatra, or on the Chicago Music Exchange page. His solo arrangements of classic tunes display his next-level technique and knack for clever arranging, and he makes our jaws drop every time he posts. When we learned that the Irish guitarist is a huge fan of U2ās The Edge, we knew he had to be our expert for this episode.
Together with Nathaniel, weāre decoding our favorite eras of the Edgeās tonesāfrom his early Memory Man days through his expanding delay rack rig, into his 1990s Achtung Baby sounds, and all the way through to his Sphere rig. How does he get those amazing delay tones? And what are those cool picks he uses?