Warwick Corvette Standard, User Manual

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18
Adjusting Pickup Height
The pickups should be set relatively close to the strings for the best tone. The bridge pickup in particular should be set as close
as playing style and intonation will allow. (If the pickups are set ridiculously close to the strings and/or have very strong magne-
tic fields like the Corvette FNA’s pickup, the intonation can get wacky.) Start at 5/32” (4mm) or less on the bridge pickup, then set
the height of the neck pickup until it approximately balances in output level. If you play hard, and the strings are always slapping
against the pickups when you play, then this setup is too close. In general, the closer the pickup is to the strings, the fatter and
fuller it will sound. The signal to noise ratio is also optimized.
Second, the output of the pickup varies as the square of the distance from the string. This means that the string-to-string balan-
ce of a bass with the pickups set nice and close can be significantly affected by changing the saddle height slightly on a given
string. Sight along your bass from the bridge to the neck.
Do the string heights approximately follow the radius of the neck? Is one of the strings higher or lower than it should be? Uneven
string output can be the result! Some people like the strings to be level from E to G, some people like to follow the fingerboard
radius. The pickup can also be tilted as a balancing tactic. Many people lower the bass side slightly, but there are so many varia-
bles (i.e. cabinet response, string gauges, room response, playing style) that there is no right setting here.
Setting the Intonation
Set the intonation for each string so that the harmonic at the 12th fret is the same pitch as the fretted note at the 12th fret. This is
best done with an electronic tuner, but can be done by ear. Use the same fretting pressure as you use in normal playing for the
best results. If the fretted note is sharp to the harmonic, the string needs to be made longer. Use the individual screw adjustments
at the bridge to make each string shorter or longer as needed to get the harmonic and the fretted note the same. Use a phillips
screwdriver with a fresh #1 tip.
shorter longer