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Old 10-28-2008, 07:00 PM
Steve_M Steve_M is offline
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Sampson, I don't know why noone else here has replied to you, but I suspect the answers to your questions are all down to personal preference.

String height in particular is a very personal thing depending on whether you are a heavy or light player. Generally the string height should be set so that you can get as low an action as possible without excessive string buzz.

There's a Gary Willis article here on set ups if you want to have a go yourself.

As far as pickup height goes, why not play around with it and see if there's one height you prefer the sound of? Generally a closer gap between pickups and strings means more volume but can also mean an unpleasant clacking sound if you play hard when the strings touch the pole pieces. Also, you risk overdriving any preamp stage you are playing into with the increased output that results too. However with the adjustable gain trim pot in the Smith basses, its possible to turn the gain down so that you can compensate.

As for the pickup poles, there's no reason I can think of for adjusting them.

Hope this helps.
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