Are p90 pickups supposed to be flat or angled like humbuckers?

[Hendrix1992]

Just bought myself an Epiphone faded P90 SG after playing Fender guitars and I love the guitar but I'm confused about the pickups. I've never had p90 pickups before in any guitar so I am unsure how they are supposed to be setup in terms of pickup height.

I tried googling it and I seemed to read different things in terms of pickup height and angle. I've seen some comments saying that they should be set 3/64 from the strings with the last fret pushed down, whilst other comments suggested they should be set like humbuckers where the bass side is 6/64 and the treble side is 4/64 from the strings. Which way is most correct? Is there a 'standard' way that they would be setup by Gisbon? Or is it personal preference? What sound differences would I expect setting them flat vs angled?

 

[DrBGood]

Your ears are the only measurements you need.

P90 pups are real sensitive to height. Too low they sound thin, too high they can be ice pick or boomy. Here's how I adjust them and I haven't yet tried a set I didn't like.

I set the bridge pickup (measured at the pole) height to about two credit card thickness distance from bottom of strings (1/8" or ±3mm). No closer, or magnets will dampen sustain. If it sounds good, I leave it there. Too hot ? ½ turn of each screw at a time to lower it where I want it. Check it clean AND with overdrive. I take my time, it's worth it. Once I have that one at the sweet spot, I go to the neck.

Neck tone has to be different from middle position. Many people have neck pup adjusted so it gives the same tonality as middle position. Not good. Neck pup is to be adjusted so middle position gets an almost acoustic tone, or a quacky tone, kinda Strat like. You'll know what I mean when you get there.

So, I raise the neck pup until it starts to sound boomy. Notes will seem to be overwhelmed with too much bass. I then lower it a full screw turn and compare it to middle. If it sounds the same, it is still too high. I go on until I hear three different balanced tones out of the three switch positions. The neck P90 often ends up the lowest I can get it. You might have to remove any foam or spring under the pickup. All of my six P90 guitars have their neck pickup as low as they will go. That is definitively where its sweet spot resides.

Don't rely on those thin screws to get it low, you WILL snap them. Push down hard on the cover as you screw deeper into the wood.

Take your time, it's worth it. Do it a second time to make sure you really found their sweet spot. That's a fun adjustment and it is by far the cheapest modification you can do to a guitar and probably the one that has the most drastic effect on tone.

 

[Hendrix1992]

That's excellent advice thank you for such a detailed response

 

[plankton]

As the good Dr. pointed out, pickup height can change the sound of a pickup dramatically. In my experience though, angled (to be parallel with the strings) or flat (parallel to the body) has no discernible effect on their sound.

 

[Gary Gretsch]

It would be hard to angle a dog ear?

 

[DrBGood]

It would be hard to angle a dog ear?

Tapered shim.