Got my PC1...one small concern

[veniculum]

Hey guys...any PC1 owners...I'm looking for your input. I just got mine a couple days ago...and right away, I took it to my guitar tech. He's really great, and I totally trust him when it comes to setting up my axes. This one had one major problem for me...it had 10 gauge strings on it, and I only ever play 9's.
So tonight, he called and said it was ready. I picked it up, and finally got to sit with it for a while. This thing is absolutely amazing. It's by far the coolest looking guitar I've ever seen...and sitting on my couch tonight, not plugged in, just running up and down the neck..it's friggin perfect for my hands and my playing style. Then I plugged it in, and it sounds great too. The sustainer is pretty cool, but in all honesty, it's not something that makes or breaks the guitar. I don't know how often I'd use it, as I'm not too into gimmicks...and this is a bit of a gimmick...but cool nonetheless.
I'm going to post a couple pics. Included in these pics are some close-ups of the pickups...which are the subject of my post.
First, let me preface by saying this guitar is not brand new....it's a condition "1" from Musician's Friend...meaning that it's "like new"...it was a return with no real wear and tear, and certainly no blemishes. And MF lived up to this...the guitar had no damage, scratches, etc...it really is in great shape, and I saved 3 hundred off the price of a new one..can't beat that with a stick!
Anyway, going back to the thing that has me a little concerned....the pickups (at least the middle single coil and bridge humbucker) are not straight up and down...they're angled a bit towards the bridge...particularly the middle pickup. I'm going to try and post a pic or two of this...I just want to know if this is normal for these guitars. My tech said it's nothing to worry about...but this is the first time I'm questioning him. Everything sounds ok...but I just want to make sure there's not a problem that needs to be fixed.
So here they are. I sure would love to hear from you guys...especially those of you who have PC1s. I'd like to see close-ups of your pickups as well...if you don't mind posting.
As always, I appreciate any comments. I'm sure that no matter what, I could get this fixed if there is actually a problem...I just don't want to worry about it if this is the normal setup of these guitars.
Thanks again guys!

Todd

Here she is...friggin amazing!!!



Here's the close-ups of the pickups...notice (especially the middle pickup) is really angled back towards the bridge...is this normal?

[Hellbat]

I wouldn't sweat it as much as I'd be worried about those single coil pole pieces being all different heights....

[Trussrod]

Great looking axe. I'm not sure if it's normal on this model but both can be fixed easily. Looks like too much spring tension to me. You could shorten the springs--esp. under the middle pup. You could also put some foam under the bridge pup to push up the low side. There are other ways to do this and other posters might have better suggestions. BTW why didn't your tech take care of it?

[veniculum]

Thanks for the quick replies...to answer both questions...the single coil middle pickup will probably get the least amount of use....so if it's not perfect, I don't really care (regarding the pole pieces)

To answer the second question...my tech didn't do anything because he really didn't think there was any problem. And as I mentioned in my first post, this is really the first time I've ever questioned this guy. He's been workin at the same shop for 30 years...so he really has seen and worked on everything...so I should probably just take his word for it. But being the perfectionist that I am...I just want something to compare mine to. I'd love to see another PC1 close-up...just to compare the pickup setups.

Thanks again guys..keep them coming!

[Hellbat]

I was just kidding. The pole pieces are suppossed to be staggered like that. It was my smart ass way of telling you that you have nothing to worry about. If you are some kind of tone cork-sniffer then you might say something like "If the pickup isn't parallel to the strings you lose about .3db in the critical 735 Hz range." If you are a normal person you wont hear a difference. My first suggestion is give them a few gentle nudges. If they move back to uneven, then a little bit of foam under the low edge will help level them.

But to quote EVH, "If it sounds good, it is good."

[rjohnstone]

It's normal.
You only have two pivot points for each pup. You need at least 3 to keep it from tilting.

And that middle pup is not a single coil. It's a stacked humbucker (DiMarzio HS-2)

Not a full on side shot, but here's mine...
they tilt a little too.

[VitaminG]

I was just kidding. The pole pieces are suppossed to be staggered like that. It was my smart ass way of telling you that you have nothing to worry about. If you are some kind of tone cork-sniffer then you might say something like "If the pickup isn't parallel to the strings you lose about .3db in the critical 735 Hz range." If you are a normal person you wont hear a difference. My first suggestion is give them a few gentle nudges. If they move back to uneven, then a little bit of foam under the low edge will help level them.

But to quote EVH, "If it sounds good, it is good."

in the hour between your posts, veniculum has taken a hammer & angle grinder to his new guitar to level out the pole pieces on that pickup. Nice work man

[javert]

If the pickups are set up like on a Soloist, then there's a piece of foam beneath that single coil. Should be easy to fix that angle.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Yeah, if they are too loose or too tight, they will be angled like that. Sometimes you have to screw around with the foam or rubber grommets under the pickups to get them where you want them. I like the middle pickup really low (out of the way) and IIRC they usually lean the opposite way when you tighten them down a lot.

The bridge pickup is likely just because of the wire or something. Push it gently but firmly so it is angled the opposite way and it will probably return to "flat" and stay. In some weird cases where I'm dealing with an angled neck pocket and a non-angled mounting ring you end up with a serious difference between the front and back halves, I'll use pliers to angle the legs on the pickups to get them to sit at a better angle.

[veniculum]

in the hour between your posts, veniculum has taken a hammer & angle grinder to his new guitar to level out the pole pieces on that pickup. Nice work man

Dude...I just didn't want to be rude...I know that the pole pieces are not supposed to be even...but I'm relatively new here, and didn't want to be the guy who has to correct someone who's just trying to help

I did not know, however, that it was a single stacked humbucker....so we learn something new every day.

So if I'm to understand...there's foam pieces under these pickups...or is that just the case with the soloists?
I should stress again...I'll probably never use that middle pickup...and last night I took a piece of a straw and wedged it in to straighten out the bridge pickup..just to straighten it out...and I really didn't hear a difference...other than when the piece of straw moved and rubbed up against the 4th string...then my sound really went down the toilet

Thanks everyone for your replies....and I appreciate the pictures as well...

Todd

[Lakeflower]

Congrats! Got mine last friday. I'll try to shoot some pics of mine.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

My SL1 ('09) had springs, not foam. I don't doubt that they have used foam, though, I've seen them do it on direct mount humbuckers and stuff.

In any case, because of how the wires come out of the pickup at the bridge side, it just tended to tilt toward the neck when you cranked them down. I'm sure you can get it sitting how you like with a little fiddling.

[veniculum]

My SL1 ('09) had springs, not foam. I don't doubt that they have used foam, though, I've seen them do it on direct mount humbuckers and stuff.

In any case, because of how the wires come out of the pickup at the bridge side, it just tended to tilt toward the neck when you cranked them down. I'm sure you can get it sitting how you like with a little fiddling.

I played with this quite a bit...and I had learned a pretty rough lesson playing with pickup and pickup rings when I took them apart on my PRS. This appears to be the same kind of setup...I've played around with it as much as possible without taking anything apart, and this thing is just going to sit the way it does.

I probably shouldn't worry about it...as I've been told by my guitar tech, and the numerous posts here....I just hate to think that I'm not getting the optimal sound out of this thing. Of course, all of this goes out the window when I propped the thing up straight with a piece of a straw and didn't hear any different. And yet I still am letting this piss me off. It's called OCD, and it's a bitch

If anyone has a PC1 and doesn't mind taking some close-ups, it would ease my mind. I trust what you guys are telling me...I just want to see it..then I'll shut up

Thanks again guys!

Todd

[Hellbat]

Buy some fresh strings for the guitar. At your next string change, remove the 4 screws holding the humbucker mounting plate on and gently lift out the pickup. Cut a small thin piece of foam from somewhere. (Seymour Duncan pickups ship with nice pieces of foam in them.) Place it in the bottom of the pickup cavity. Hold the pickup ring back in place with your fingers and check to see if it fixes the angle problem. Adjust the foam position as needed and then screw it back in and put on the new strings. Play your guitar free of ocd stress.

A little 2 sided tape on the bottom of the foam will help it hold it's place too. Just don't seat it too hard till you get it in the right spot. Make sure you use a compressible open cell foam and not styrofoam or something too hard. You just want some with enough consistency to hold the pickup level.

[Trussrod]

Regarding pup height--too close to the strings and the magnetic field puts a pulse in sustained notes, too far away and you lose volume and tone. I don't think there is a perfect, precise height for a pup--you have some wiggle room. Once you're satisfied with the tone your guitar produces you can put a bunch of foam under it (which is what I would do). Do it just like you would to keep the battery from moving around in the control cavity on an EMG setup.