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ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,328
ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,328
07/16/2022 2:59 pm
Originally Posted by: ben.r.s

Do you mean what pickup I'm using, or how I'm deciding which pickup to use?[/quote]

When you put the pickup selector on the middle pickup what music do you play? Why do you select that pickup?

For example, I use the the middle pickup for clean-sh Buddy Holly chord timbres. Because that's the pickup he used on many of his classic tunes. Or Beatles & 60s type pop material. For what it's worth, you can see on pictures of Holly's Strat that the edges of the neck & middle pickup under the E & B strings are worn away from strumming!

I also combine the middle & bridge for a twangy blues lead tone. That's what is used for some of those songs to get that timbre. Having the middle a bit lower sometimes helps take the edge off the bridge pickup being so loud & bright. Or combining it with the neck helps get the twangy quack without the heavy bass of the neck pickup overpowering it.

I have Strats on which I keep the all the pickups the same height. But they are all lowered enough that it sounds good & they stay out of my way picking.

That blonde Strat in the screen grab is the main guitar I use for fast lead work. So it helps to have the middle pickup lower. And when I use it there isn't much change in overall volume anyway.

My point is that ultimately you set your guitar, amp & adjust your pickups for some specific musical purpose. If you are still learning & practicing & not sure yet, then don't worry too much about it until you encounter an issue that needs adjusting. Improve your picking so it doesn't interfere & see if that helps before you even worry about pickup height.

[quote=ben.r.s]I've had the PRS for longer - I started with a custom 24 as my 'main guitar' as it's so versatile (and it feels very good to play!). But then I wanted some other tone options, so I added the strat and also a PRS hollowbody 2. I'm still playing about with those two, finding the best way to use them.

Very different guitars! Have fun exploring all those tone options!


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