Fender Stratocaster pickup height adjustment and specifications

Today we’re going to have a very quick look at pickup setup for a Fender Stratocaster-style guitar. Adjusting the pickups on a Strat couldn’t be much easier and the only thing that really requires much consideration is what height to set them at. You’ll need two tools for this: a Phillips screwdriver and a ruler (ideally one that measures right to the end).

Before measuring any pickup heights, press down on the low E string at the highest fret.

 

With your finger still pressing down on the string, measure the distance from the bottom of the E string to the top of the pole piece (pickup magnet) directly under that string.

Fender recommends the following distances from the thick E string to the pole pieces for all three pickups, depending on the type of pickup you have:

• Texas Specials: 8/64" (3.2 mm)
• Vintage style: 6/64" (2.4 mm)
• Noiseless™ Series: 8/64" (3.2 mm)
• Standard Single-Coil: 5/64" (2 mm)
• Humbuckers: 4/64" (1.6 mm)

If you need to adjust any of the pickup heights, then to raise the pickup (thus reducing the distance from the pickup to the string), turn the screwdriver clockwise. Similarly, to lower the pickup, turn it anti-clockwise (counterclockwise).

Now repeat for the thin E string, remembering to press down on it at the highest fret before measuring. 

 
Note that pickup height specifications for this string (again, for all three pickups) are different from the thick E string, as follows:

• Texas Specials: 6/64" (2.4 mm)
• Vintage style: 5/64" (2 mm)
• Noiseless™ Series: 6/64" (2.4 mm)
• Standard Single-Coil: 4/64" (1.6 mm)
• Humbuckers: 4/64" (1.6 mm) 

 

And we're done. Remember that these specifications are merely guidelines, and you should
feel free to adjust slightly to your own tastes. However, note that adjusting the pickups so that they are too close to the strings can be problematic, as the magnetic fields produced by the pickup start to pull on the strings.