[rcboals]

Since I just got a 6120DE with Dynasonics and didn't know where to start with the pole height adjustments on the pickups. This made a big major difference in clarity for me. I couldn't find anything here on adjsuting teh pole height specific to Dynasonics. This was located somewhere on the other Gretsh site is not all that easy to search and I coudl not locate it. I thought I'd pass this on. A great big thanks to Paul Setzer for getting it to me.

[dan P]

works good, I used that for reference when I set up the DeArmond...!

[donwood]

I think you can find that adjustment on the TVJones website. I think.. Don

[roadjunkie]

Paul can be an endless resource.

[bug music]

I spent about 2 weeks playing with the polepieces on my 2000's, when I first got my Gretsch. I played at all different levels, with all my effects on and off tweaked up and down, back and forth and finally arrived at the perfect settings. Then someone showed me Mr. Setzer's drawing, and sure enough that's just the way mine ended up. Paul sure knows his stuff, I just wish someone showed that drawing to me before I started tweaking.

- Jay

[troy6120]

Perfect pickup and polepiece heights on Gretsch guitars are a never-ending quest for me.

[Scott]

Paul's diagram is a good reference; I got it from him years ago. But my experience with Dynas is to lower the bass polepieces(the E, A, and D polepieces) down lower than that, because Dynas have such powerful magnets that if your poles are too high the bass overrides your treble. IOW you'll get way more bottom end than you will top end out of your guitar. That's the main reason Chet didn't like Dynas and pushed for the new-at-the-time Filtertrons.
In the same token you can't raise the treble polepieces(G, B, and high E) too high because the magnetic field pulls the strings themselves, resulting in a dramatic loss of sustain.

While Paul's layout is a good starting point, IMO it's just that...a starting point. Use your ears to go from there.

[Ripley1046]

I used that drawing on my 5129 a while back and it really brought that guitar to life. I was really amazed. So I know this works wonders for the DeArmond 2000s.

I want to try it on the Hilo that I have in my SG, but I need to lower the pickup a bit first, and the way it's rigged up that takes a lot of work right now.

[bug music]

Another thing to remember is shimming the entire pickup, rather than just adjusting the polepiece height has a big effect on tone too.

- Jay

[Scott]

Yes, a shim is very important. Gretsch ships their hollowbodies out(all that I've bought since 2006) with the bridge pickups way too low. You can either jack up the polepieces to where they look like six fingers sticking up together(which is a tone nightmare) or you have to shim the bridge pickup to bring it up where it's somewhat useful tonally.

These guitars really shouldn't be leaving the factory without shims under their bridge pickups.

[dafreeze]

hmmm, I need to take a look...Scott, I've got an '05 6122-62, an '06 6196 and an '07 5120 w/TV Classics.

I have noticed on all 3 guitars when I blend both pups I usually end rolling off the vol a bit on the neck, but play a lot on bridge only...hadn't noticed any poor tone but maybe I'm onle used to what I've so far heard.

Figure I've issues with them? Better scrounge up the capo and ruler? What do you recommend to cut shim material out of?

[Scott]

Sorry, I probably should've said all Dynasonic-equipped guitars need the bridge pickup shimmed, since with a Filtertron from what I understand the closer the polepieces the better. I don't own any 'Tron-equipped guitars so I can't say.

I've owned several 'Tron-equipped guitars in the past. Of the recent Japanese guitars I had a 1993 6119-62 and a 1999 6120-60...both with 'Trons and neither needed shimming. Don't know if being pre-FMIC played into it or that they were Filtertron guitars might have had something to do with it. Not sure.

dafreeze, the only one in your stable I'd be concerned about would be the Dyna-equipped Club. If it's like mine was the bridge pickup was way too low. Of course if you like the tone you're getting it's a moot point, but with mine the bridge pickup alone lacked a lot of body compared to the neck pickup alone. A shim made quite a bit of difference.

The shims I have are just plastic ones bought from Blackrider. Actually the shim on my Club I got from Paul Setzer; he had an extra lying around and mailed it to me. But I've heard people say you can cut up old computer mousepads and use that material as good shims. YMMV.

[dan P]

Dave, they most likely look like this...out of my pro-jet

[Scott]

That's different than what is under a Dynasonic on a hollowbody. I don't have a photo of one handy but all they are is a rectangular piece of plastic(not solid; the pickup fits in it) with screw holes on each corner. Reminds me very much of a gasket.

[bug music]

Yeah, they look like this...

Like Scott said, I found on my 5126 that the bridge pickup was too low and the neck pickup was too high. I took one of the spacers from the neck pickup (there were 2) and transferred it to the bridge and everything balanced beautifully.

- Jay

[RepentOrPerish]

i used to spend tons of time banging my head againt the wall trying toget my dynas to sound right. experimented with tons of different pole piece adjustments, various strings,etc...

...finally came to two conclusions....



..i got a set of seymour duncan dynas , wound by mj, at a local booteek shop. 11.3 in the bridge, and 10.2 in the neck. the high output allows the pole pieces to be adjusted far from the strings, reducing pull, increasing sustain, yet still with plenty of power.......



.never been so happy with a guitar in my life..


....the only way i could get stock dynas to work, and still, they lacked a certain sweetness the sd's have,was to adjust the poles like setzers drawing and use an output boost pedal....

hope this helps.

[reflekt_kills]

How can u tell if the pickups on a 5129 need to be raised? also how exactly do u adjust the pole piece height? Im rlly noob at this

[reflekt_kills]

Also, if some1 might have a phot of what its supposed to look like that would be super helpful.

[Ripley1046]

The stock pups on my 5129 were actually set up very well. As I said before I used Setzers drawing and it made a huge difference.

I just dropped in a TV Powertron Plus in the bridge and now the spacers are way too high, so I think I'm going to try the mouse pad thing.

how exactly do u adjust the pole piece height?

The screws on the top of the pup next to the poles them selves. Sometimes when lowering them you have to give them a push to get seated correctly, but it's all pretty easy. Just watch the screw driver around those monster magnets, they like to throw tools out of your hands if you're not careful.

[Flynnski]

Any stuff like that for PowerTrons?

Mikei

"A bad day on the guitar sure beats a good day at work."