How high should bridge be on Strat?
1/8″
The Fender spec for most Stratocasters says to set the bridge so that its back is 1/8″ off the top. (Some artist models, such as the Eric Johnson Stratocasters, come from the factory set with the bridge flush against the body.)
How can I make my Stratocaster sound thicker?
Some other amplifiers have controls called presence and contour. Presence simply refers to the amount of treble, so turn this down to make your Strat sound more mellow. Contour is basically the opposite of mids. If you want to make your tone sound thicker, then turn the contour control down.
How does pickup height affect tone?
If the pickup is too high, the tone should warm up, getting rich or full as the height is reduced. This is because the strings will no longer be as affected by the magnetic pull of the pickup and will be able to vibrate freely in their natural cycles and harmonics.
Should pickups be level?
Play in a comfortable position that is natural to you. For single coil pickups, your treble side should be slightly higher than your bass side, this provides a nice even balance of signal. This allows you to get as close to the optimal performance height of your guitar kits pickups as possible.
Can a Stratocaster sound like a Les Paul?
For this reason, a Stratocaster will never sound identical to a Les Paul. The classic Strat design usually rocks single-coil pickups that produce bright and articulate sounds. In contrast, Les Paul has humbucker pickups installed, which produces a warm and thick guitar tone.
Do Strats sound thin?
Its an early Mexican, and its light at 7 lbs, it sounds quite thin and harsh, its got very staggered pole pieces and ceramic bar magnet pickups. It makes all the right noises, it sounds very much like a Strat should, just a bit thin and harsh.
What is the purpose of a bridge pickup on a Strat?
The idea is to remove the lower end mud and give the upper register more presence. Many Strat players seem to never be satisfied with the bridge pickup. You often hear “ice pick”, “thin” or “brittle” in conversation. Grab a Phillips-Head and bring up the height a bit as you play to hear how it changes the sound.
How far should a bridge pickup be from the guitar?
For standard, full-size humbuckers, a reasonable starting point for the bridge pickup is at least 1/16″ (1.5mm) from the high E and 5/64″ (2 mm) from the low E. There are no recommended distances for the other 4 strings.
Why does my bridge pickup sound so harsh?
Often people will place the bridge pickup too high (close to the strings), with a VINTAGE set this destroys the tone, making it sound too narrow, focused, brittle, and harsh.
Do the fat 50’s work well with Strat pickups?
Making 100% sure your Strat pickup’s are properly height adjusted is essential however if you still don’t like the tone/sound you may want to go out and play a Strat with the FAT 50’s to see if they will work for you. They work really well for me and I have no plans on checking out other Strat pickup’s ’cause these are so great.