What are the adjustable screws used for in humbuckers and single coil pickups?
Adjustable screws are used to adjust the balance from string to string. At times you may need to adjust the output on a particular string because it may lack the output for your picking or playing style. You may need to lower a pole to decrease the output on a particular string when the output is too loud. Depending on how much adjustment you have for a particular string, the adjustment is usually minimal with not much affect. The original humbuckers designed by Seth E. Lover was first drawn without a row of adjustable pole pieces. Gibson felt the new and improved humbucking design should have adjustable poles as a selling point because the single coil P-90 s had them. Many other pickup manufactures have designed pickups that incorporated adjustable screws for each string. DeArmond s single coil Dynosonic pickup used on many Gretsch & Guild guitars used adjustable screws that would lift or lower a 1/4 inch Alnico rod magnet for desired string balance. The Gretsch Filtertron pickups des
