Question EB EVH Pickup discussion.

[Spudmurphy]

Regular knuckleheads on here know that I got myself a hardtail EVH a few weeks ago. Got it for a good price too comparing it with the price of a hardtail EVH, hanging on the wall in a London guitar shop (sorry - don't know which one, but prolly in Denmark Street).

Anyway, my impression is that the strings are very close to the bridge pick up.

I was discussing this with a buddy who builds pickups and he reckoned that he could replace the magnets with shorter alnico ones, remove the spacers and turn them on their sides. This way you could reduce the height of the pickup.

Now there is no way I'm gonna do this with my EVH but may consider such a mod to some axis pickups (if I ever come across any).

Any hardtail EVH owners out there suffer the same problem of the strings being too close to the pickups?

Wish I could take pics - but still no replacement camera!!

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Spud,

Are they original pickups? Have they been shimmed closer to the strings?

Are they negatively affecting tone or playability?

How do they sound?

 

[Spudmurphy]

Hi Pete.

Thanks for chiming in.

I don't know if they are shimmed and will need to check that out.

I intend removing the neck (around my mates guitar workshop) to see whether a shim on the neck (or removal of one) will help in any way.

The pickups are really powerfull and I'm really loving the guitar.

I have removed the back plates and all the wiring is original - none of the soldered joints look tampered with.

I'll try and borrow a camera and take some pics.

I can't emphasize how great a guitar this is!

The guitar is hidden away at the mo 'cos Mrs Spud doesn't know I have it!

Edit
They sound great but sometimes over enthusiastic damping causes the strings to "hit" the pickup.

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Edit
They sound great but sometimes over enthusiastic damping causes the strings to "hit" the pickup.

Gotcha! Check to see if they have been shimmed. If not, maybe try stepping up a gauge in strings. I can be a bit heavy handed while damping and with .009s I slammed them into the pickup on my JP a lot. I tried .010s and don't have the problem any more

 

[Spudmurphy]

It's a good idea but the guitar seems to "like" 9's.

When I got it I think it had been restrung? with 10's.

It played perfectly with no choking up the top end of the fretboard. After about a week it was choking when I bent a whole step at the 17th fret.

So I restrung with 9's and it has settled back down again and plays like a dream with no choking.

I'll check for any shims on the pickup as you suggest Pete and make some measurements tomorrow when the wife nips out !

Before any avid EVH owners are horrified at what I may do - I am not going to alter the pickup routing- honest!

 

[beej]

Hey Spud-

Very interesting stuff. With some pickups you can remove the magnets, depends on the windings. Not sure if that's possible with the EVH/Axis p'ups.

Have you considered just replacing them with something else? That way you've got the stock ones should you ever want to replace them (for resale, fun, whatever). I'm sure your buddy at Shed pickups could make you something killer that fits!

 

[threeminutesboy]

Spud I have the same "issue" with my evh, but not with axis as the cavity seems to be deeper. not a big deal you need to adjust your playing a bit with the evh. An ASS hardtail will not have this problem. actually i have raised the pickup on one of my ASS to get a bit hotter sound

 

[shredderbetter]

how about pulling pickups and routing the cavity 1/8" deeper?I did it by hand on one guitar it's not that big of a deal, go lightly and slow a few minutes your done!any tech can do it if you go too low throw a spacer behind there to boost it up!A hell of a lot easier than pulling pickups apart and all that crap.

 

[Spudmurphy]

^ see post #5.

Pulling pickups apart is what my mate does - he makes pickups! (good ones too)

Interesting to see that other guys out there have the same "problem" so I guess it's not just my EVH and I'll have to adapt.

Thanks 3 min boy for the comparison with the Axis - good info that.
I've only ever played 2 EVH's. Mine and a floyd version in Machinehead so these comments are appreciated.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Hey Spud-

Very interesting stuff. With some pickups you can remove the magnets, depends on the windings. Not sure if that's possible with the EVH/Axis p'ups.

Have you considered just replacing them with something else? That way you've got the stock ones should you ever want to replace them (for resale, fun, whatever). I'm sure your buddy at Shed pickups could make you something killer that fits!

Cheers Beej.

All this came about after a chat over coffee around my mates Guitar workshop.

Routing would be so easy for him to do but I don't want to start chopping around this rare beast!

I think I'll leave it as it and get "Mr Shed" to make me something for another project - anybody got a guitar sized slab of Balsa??

 

[MrMusashi]

when i press down on the last fret i have 2.2mm clearance between the string and the neck pickup on the bass side and 2mm on the treble side. approx the same on the bridge pickup, maybe a tad less.

that is with the relief set up as small as possible..
it plays like a dream, but i have to be careful not to slip of the edges of the fretboard. its much like the sr5 vs the sr4 in that way. just have it in mind and its not a problem

MrM

 

[Spudmurphy]

^
that's a nice bit of info MrM - I'll check the clearance on mine and compare Thanks

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Spud - I know EXACTLY what you mean!

The EVH Hardtail and Axis Hartail guitars have the bridge pickup extremely close the the strings. In fact, I used to suffer the same problem as you - when you palm mute the low E string would often get sucked into the pickup and you would hear a 'clonk' through the amp. When I moved to 10's from 9's, the problem went away a little, but it still happened. The easiest answer to this is the most simple one. Simply screw down the low E polepiece on the bridge pickup and the problem goes away!

Interestingly, on my ASS the bridge pickup is set much lower than the EVH Hardtail or Axis hardtails. I has the ASS bridge pickup shimmed as it was not noisy enough!

 

[Spudmurphy]

^

Thanks Tim - so from the comments it seems that this is a trait of the EVH and if that's the case then I shall live with it.

I don't fancy going back to 10's on it - if I come across a viable solution I'll let it be known on the forum.

 

[Jimmyb]

Hi Pete.

<snip>

The guitar is hidden away at the mo 'cos Mrs Spud doesn't know I have it!

Ah, a man after my own heart!!!

 

[wolf5150]

Spud, I'm in Bridgend, 15 mins from you.

I'll happily take a look at it for you because I can't see EBMM making it unplayable.

One other solution is to look at the legs of the pickup.. are they long or short ??
If they're long, it's really simple to sort.

Shed's solution seems extreme to me !!!

 

[MrMusashi]

if you modify the ev i will personally come over and smack you around!!!
perhaps with a scottish salmon, perhaps with a norwegian one.. will see what i find in the nearest sushi bar

MrM