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Author Topic:  Pickup Height Adjustment
Kevin Raymer


From:
Chalybeate, Kentucky, USA
Post  Posted 11 Mar 2015 10:13 am    
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I just replaced the pickup on my Derby with a single coil Zum pickup.

I've heard of using a quarter to guage the pickup height.

I don't recall if it was one or two quarter thicknesses distance to the strings ??

Anybody know ??

Thanks
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Kevin Raymer
Zum / Knaggs / Breedlove
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chris ivey


From:
california (deceased)
Post  Posted 11 Mar 2015 10:21 am    
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i'd start with one.
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Lane Gray


From:
Topeka, KS
Post  Posted 11 Mar 2015 12:06 pm    
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Two is normal for a Truetone or modern pickups. I don't know how hot the Zum is.
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chris ivey


From:
california (deceased)
Post  Posted 11 Mar 2015 3:25 pm    
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mine are about 20k.
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Kevin Raymer


From:
Chalybeate, Kentucky, USA
Post  Posted 11 Mar 2015 5:30 pm    
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Mine is about 18k...
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Kevin Raymer
Zum / Knaggs / Breedlove
Fractal Audio
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Peter Nylund


From:
Finland
Post  Posted 12 Mar 2015 8:52 am     Re: Pickup Height Adjustment
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Kevin Raymer wrote:
I just replaced the pickup on my Derby with a single coil Zum pickup.

I've heard of using a quarter to guage the pickup height.

I don't recall if it was one or two quarter thicknesses distance to the strings ??

Anybody know ??

Thanks


How much is that in €uro?
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Lane Gray


From:
Topeka, KS
Post  Posted 12 Mar 2015 9:39 am    
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A 1c and a 10c will be pretty close to two quarters.
Our quarters are 1.75mm thick
Since your penny is 1.67 and your dime is 1.93, I'd say 3.5 for us and 3.6 for y'all is close.
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chris ivey


From:
california (deceased)
Post  Posted 12 Mar 2015 10:24 am    
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i just checked and two quarters are just slightly less than an unwrapped condom.
hope this helps.
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Jim Smith


From:
Midlothian, TX, USA
Post  Posted 12 Mar 2015 1:25 pm    
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chris ivey wrote:
i just checked and two quarters are just slightly less than an unwrapped condom.
hope this helps.


Small, medium, large, or magnum? Laughing
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Dick Wood


From:
Springtown Texas, USA
Post  Posted 12 Mar 2015 1:39 pm    
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Ribbed or with pleasure sensory bumps?

Perspiring minds wanna know.
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Francesco Porcu


From:
Italy
Post  Posted 22 Sep 2022 2:00 am     BL 705 cromed the PROBLEM HELP ME
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Hi steelere, even if this post is from many years ago I try to solve this problem, in my pedal steel guitar I have a chromed BL705 measuring 19.83K, the height I set for the pick up from the strings is this, in the n1 string the thinnest the height is 3 millimeters, in the thicker n10 string it is 2.5 millimeters. I am having this problem while playing everything is fine but it happens after 4 days that while I play the pick up dies there is no more sound, only if I turn up the whole volume of my amp I hear a small sound but the speaker gets distorted if I hit the ropes. I turn everything off and try again the next day and the pick up goes everything goes and after I play for 2 hours the steel dies there is no more sound but this time it is no longer restarted. I unsoldered the pick up and it gives me the signal of 19.83K so yesterday I had the pick up checked by a great technician with the various instruments but he tells me that the pick is perfect and that it has no problem. I wonder if the BL705 Cromato has ever given you this problem, I have two twin steels in all and in my other steel I have the same pick up a BL705 Chromed but it measures 18.5 K, and the distance of the strings from the pick up is the same as this one but the other steel never gave any kind of problem. I hope someone can help me. Thank you very much Francesco
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Dick Wood


From:
Springtown Texas, USA
Post  Posted 22 Sep 2022 6:38 am    
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Try different cables and another amp to see if the problem continues and let us know what happens.
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Francesco Porcu


From:
Italy
Post  Posted 22 Sep 2022 7:30 am     Bill Lawrence 705 chrome PROBLEM
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The simplest test to do is to attach the other pedal and everything works, you attack the one with this pick up that I describe and nothing goes anymore, then I unsalt the pick up I go back and fuonziana all perfect but after or a few hours or Some days I play while I'm playing suddenly the pick up dies. So I put a post here on the forum that I am looking for to buy a BL705 Chrome so I finished doing empty tests, my 705 has some problems.
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Norbert Dengler


From:
germany
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2023 4:43 am    
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Hi Francesco, i would consider a new 705, don`t put too much attention to the chrome legend.
Many here share the opinion that the new ones are very good too and much more available and affordable. I have one myself and it`s a great pickup, though i ended up using a single coil.
Best wishes to you.
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Francesco Porcu


From:
Italy
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2023 4:50 am     BL 705 cromed
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Norbert Dengler wrote:
Hi Francesco, i would consider a new 705, don`t put too much attention to the chrome legend.
Many here share the opinion that the new ones are very good too and much more available and affordable. I have one myself and it`s a great pickup, though i ended up using a single coil.
Best wishes to you.


Hello Norbert, thank you very much for writing to me, I tell you I had both the old original 705 and the chrome, so I did the sound test comparing the black with the chrome, the difference is made by the chrome because it is more open, more defined and more brilliant. I have heard the new 705 black live but I can guarantee you that it has nothing to do with the old 705 chrome. Good evening to you Francesco
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Norbert Dengler


From:
germany
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2023 11:47 am    
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Thanks Francesco,
coming back to the original question: I use a modfied Wallace Truetone, stripped down to 16 kilo/ohm and i lowered it to 5mm (more than 3 quarters) and get remarkably better results than with 2 quarters.
Don`t be afraid to increase the pickup/string distance, it may result in a much better string seperation and a better overall feel.
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Donny Hinson

 

From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2023 2:04 pm    
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Two quarters...minimum!

The reason why is that the distance decreases when you're actually playing (due to bar pressure), but many players fail to take that into consideration.
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Francesco Porcu


From:
Italy
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2023 12:07 am     Bill Lawrence 705 chrome
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Donny Hinson wrote:
Two quarters...minimum!

The reason why is that the distance decreases when you're actually playing (due to bar pressure), but many players fail to take that into consideration.


In my opinion and direct experience since I have two steels and in my steels in each of them there is the chrome BL705 the distance from the strings to have a perfect sound can be found by testing it by playing it, do not hesitate a mandatory distance since each pickup has its own Ohm impedance, in my two steels the 705s have two different impedances one has k18.5 the other has k19.92, so I put them at different distances from the strings and produce the exact same sound, the 18.5 has a distance from the strings of 3.5 millimeters, the 19.92 one has a distance from the strings of 4 millimeters, in both the two steels which are twins I get the same sound.....Francesco Smile
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Marco Schouten


From:
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2023 6:35 am     Re: Bill Lawrence 705 chrome PROBLEM
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Francesco Porcu wrote:
The simplest test to do is to attach the other pedal and everything works, you attack the one with this pick up that I describe and nothing goes anymore, then I unsalt the pick up I go back and fuonziana all perfect but after or a few hours or Some days I play while I'm playing suddenly the pick up dies. So I put a post here on the forum that I am looking for to buy a BL705 Chrome so I finished doing empty tests, my 705 has some problems.


The jack of the guitar may sometimes have a shortcircuit against the endplate. Take it out and see if there is an isolating ring.
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Francesco Porcu


From:
Italy
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2023 7:23 am     Re: Bill Lawrence 705 chrome PROBLEM
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Marco Schouten wrote:
Francesco Porcu wrote:
The simplest test to do is to attach the other pedal and everything works, you attack the one with this pick up that I describe and nothing goes anymore, then I unsalt the pick up I go back and fuonziana all perfect but after or a few hours or Some days I play while I'm playing suddenly the pick up dies. So I put a post here on the forum that I am looking for to buy a BL705 Chrome so I finished doing empty tests, my 705 has some problems.


The jack of the guitar may sometimes have a shortcircuit against the endplate. Take it out and see if there is an isolating ring.


Hello Marco, thank you very much for writing to me, yes we had checked this detail but the female jack that is in the steel has always been the one that has never been touched but we replaced it with a new one as a test but it always had that problem there, but then perhaps we have found the problem , the pick up had an extension because the wire was too short and the problem was in the welding between the wire of the pick up and the extension, let's hope it's solved, but I'm looking for one that has the original wire so I'm more sure and that I keep in reserve. Best regards Francesco
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