I'm trying to learn the best i can to fix my dilemma! a lot of the info i read was understanding, but i need more experience with it. i tripped onto your page trying to find info about adjusting my pickup heights on my les paul studio light! i play mostly clean on my crate vintage club 50..5310 w/ 3 10in speakers).do you think this is not a good match up?

That maybe there is to much bass here and not enough color is getting through? it is driving me crazy! if you have any tips for me, it would be appreciated!!!!! should i change pickups? i play in a classic rock style and like colorful tones.

>> I'm not familiar with your Crate amp, but they are a reputable brand, and of course your Gibson is also a reputable brand ;-). I wouldn't think you need to change equipment or pickups.

The way I set my pickups up is:

(1) Set the amp to give a clean tone close to what I want, by choosing each of the pickups individually (regardless of any volume mismatch at this stage)

(2) Adjust the bridge pickup to be fairly close to the strings, checking it's not too close to the strings when they're fretted at the top fret.

(3) Then adjust the middle (if you have one) and neck pickups for a good volume match between the bridge pickup.

The pickups would usually be level with the strings, but if you have any problems with strings "warbling" you would need to move them further from the strings. This problem is common with strats, and is usually solved by reducing the height on the bottom (low E) string side.

Classic rock usually is played with a moderate amount of overdrive, with "middley" tone settings. You may want to keep the bass down on your amp, turn the middle up and set the treble (and presence if it has it) to set the amount of "bite" you want in your sound. Check that the tone control on your guitar is set to 10 (maximum). If your amp does not have overdrive, try an overdrive pedal such as the BOSS overdrive pedal or Ibanez Tube Screamer.

One other thought - a faulty guitar cable can kill your treble also, so try another one to make sure.