


Shims:
The purpose of a Dogear Shim is to help raise the pickup to it’s ideal height. Since Dogears are Fixed-height pickups, this is the only way to get around it. Sure, P90’s have adjustable pole pieces, but, those are for micro-fine-tuning the string-to-string balance, not adjusting the entire pickup. Let’s dig into how we can measure for Shims, if you need one (or two)! We have three shim sizes available:
- 0.0626″ (1/16″)
- 0.1″ (~7/64″)
- 0.225″ (~7/32″)
How to measure Shim Spacing:
- Have a ruler handy, and push your low E string down at the highest fret.
- Measure the distance from the top of the pole piece to the bottom of the string
- Ideal height should be 1/16″.
- Repeat this on the High E String.
Standard Dogear Shim Spacing:
Since the cover of a Standard Dogear is 7/16″ High, and you need 1/16″ String Clearance, you need 1/2″ from the bottom of the string to the top of the guitar for ideal dogear height. If you measure taller than that, and you need a shim. Simply take the difference and install!
For example, if you take the measurement, and you measure 9/16″, you’ll need a 1/16″ Shim.
Short Dogear Shim Spacing:
If you followed the above directions regarding Standard Shim Spacing, you should have no problem with Short Dogear Spacing. The process is the same, but the measurements are slightly different. Take a look at the diagram below.
As you can see, ideally, you want roughly 13/32″ (0.406″, 10.3mm) from the bottom of the string to the guitar’s top, measured from the back of the dogear. This is the easiest place to take a measurement, so bust out those calculators and we hope that this article helps you find the ideal Dogear height!
Is there tonal difference between plastic and fiber bobbins?
Hey Monty,
I would say no – or not as much as the coil structure or magnetic structure. All things being equal, there is no tonal difference between Plastic and Fiber Bobbins.
Tyler