Hallmark Custom 60 pickup heights? Help

[Hydra19]

what are your pickup heights for the Hallmark if you've got one? Mosrite info is appreciated as well.
I've had the pickups on my Hallmark about 2mm from the strings, I could not raise them any higher without hitting the strings. Last night I lowered them substantially but didn't hear a big difference in sound.
The neck sounds good with the pickup low and the bridge is about double the height higher than the neck pickup. I'm not very good with these things so didn't notice too much of a difference, although it did sound a bit brighter with the pickups lower.

I'd really like to get the syrupy Ventures style tone on these guitars so any pointers are welcomed.
I've got other guitars that I had my attentions on so the Hallmark didn't get much love but I'm liking this guitar more and more so want to get the pickup heights sorted.

Thanks for your responses, I'll post some pics of the Sunset Sparkle Hallmark sunbathing

[Bob Shade]

Getting the bridge pickup as high as possible when you hold the string down without it touching is what will give you that sound. The amplifier has something to do with it as well. Fenders work great for this sound. 500K pots may help. If you like we can always custom wind some pickups for you to give you more honk, but most guys love the stock pickups just fine.

Best, Bob

[Hydra19]

thanks for the answer bob. I was mostly concerned with the Ventures sound, other than that I have no complaints for these pickups. In fact, I was going to record a clip playing the ventures but went ahead and did the Ramones instead and the guitar sounds very good.

I'd say the Hallmark is my most versatile guitar with those pickups, so I have nothing against the stock pickups. I'll get some 500k pots and if that doesn't do it I'll just get another guitar to have to Mosrite Ventures specs

Having tried to research the topic I found very little info about pickup heights but a lot of info on pickups. I'll play more with the heights tonight to find the sweet spot

[Bob Shade]

What period Ventures are you speaking of?

The pickups in the stock 60C's are exceedingly close in sound to an original Mosrite pickup and will replicate the Ventures tone just fine with a nice tube amp. We have taken problems out of the old pickups like unwanted squeel at high volumes or with gain amplification and microphonic's.

Like I said prior if you want a vintage style pickup with no isolation we can make those too. That will give it a little more open honk sound like the early Ventures models. The only issue is you leave yourself open to squeel if you are going to play Ramones or harder rock guitar sounds etc.

We created the new 60C pickup to handle all of these situations.

Let me know if I can be of further assistance and best reverbs!

Bob

[Hydra19]

i'm talking about live in japan but I understand that particular live sound wasn't specifically to do with the pickups but whether some kind of fuzz pedal was used. I've been playing with the heights, I have my bridge pickup lower than it used to be but still very close to the strings and it's got a very good and accurate sound, now I'll play with the neck to match the volume.

Thanks Bob, you've been helpful as always, on my next purchase I'll probably try some different pickups for variety but you're right, these are great in the sense that they can handle a fair amount of overdrive. I've got a Les Paul for distorted tones, a Fender Jaguar for bright cleans, and this one fits perfectly in the middle

[vjf1968]

i'm talking about live in japan but I understand that particular live sound wasn't specifically to do with the pickups but whether some kind of fuzz pedal was used. I've been playing with the heights, I have my bridge pickup lower than it used to be but still very close to the strings and it's got a very good and accurate sound, now I'll play with the neck to match the volume.

Thanks Bob, you've been helpful as always, on my next purchase I'll probably try some different pickups for variety but you're right, these are great in the sense that they can handle a fair amount of overdrive. I've got a Les Paul for distorted tones, a Fender Jaguar for bright cleans, and this one fits perfectly in the middle

Nokie didn't use a fuzz on the 65 Japanese tour. That is the sound of his Mosrite through the amp cranked and with bass rolled off. I'm not sure if it was a Guyatone or a Fender. Mosrite pickups are really hot and live it was a challenge getting a clean sound without distortion. This was one of Don Wilson's pet peeves with Mosrtie. One or two of the Fender amps they brought was fried by the voltage difference so the promoters had Guyatone provide amps for the tour.

IIRC Nokie did have a plug in fuzz and a compressor built by Red Rhodes but I do not belive he used them on that tour

[olrocknroller]

Just my two cents worth... When I set the pickups, I start at about 1/8" below the strings with the strings held down at the highest note (bridge-end of the fretboard). I find I can go slightly closer on the higher (thinner) strings, because with less metal, they are not so easily influenced by the magnets. It often seems that too close gives "wolf-tones" with many types of pickups, as the magnets begin to influence how the strings vibrate, and reduce the guitar's natural sustain. Pickups vary a lot in their magnetic properties, so this is just a starting point, but it seems that I often end up leaving it at about this setting...

[Hydra19]

thanks for the replies and help. I've raised the bridge pickup and the pole pieces to a height where I'm almost touching them when I'm picking the strings. I can't tell if it's too close, wolf tones and that. I don't hear anything. Only thing is when the polepiece were too high it was hitting the high e string and blocking it. I tried putting the pickup about 2mm from the strings and then raising the pole pieces. Again, didn't hear too much of a difference.
I'll leave the pickups high like this, have you messed around with the pole piece heights on your hallmarks? Any moer tips? THanks!

[arpsum]

Hi Hydra 19,

I myself believe that the sounds of '65 Live in Japan we can listen now are not what they played there.

As you know, 1/4" tape recorders were standard device for recording at that time. Besides, there are no microphone or line cable near the guitar amplifies. It can't be helped, basically PA systems weren't popular around '65. Maybe poor one point microphone in the hall was directly connected to tape recorders. Thus the qualities of master tapes seemed not to be good.

When it comes to mastering the source for analog disc cutting and converting them for optical film striping at that time, the sounds had to be exaggeratedly cut down especially around mid-low band frequencies. This is why the real Mosrite sounds played by the Ventures were not what we can listen.

For all that, I wish the pickups for 60C had more power. You had better take advantage of some preamp to get more clean boost and loudness.

[erksin]

You really do have to jack them up pretty high to get to the clarity and edge these can produce. When I first got mine, I lowered them thinking they were waaaay too high (I mean that would certainly have been the case with every other pickup I owned) and what wound up happening was that it got kind of thuddy and bland sounding. I've been steadily cranking them up ever since then and I feel like I've got them right at their sweet spots about an 1/8" or so under the strings when fretted at the highest fret. Sounds massive and growly under gain and has a nice honky twang when played clean.