So, there has always been something a little odd about the tone of my NS, bought pre-owned 6 years ago and setup by SA on its way to me. The top two strings were very hard to get in tune and the lowest notes on lowest strings seems to warble, for want of a better word.
Due to health issues and other stuff, it’s been in storage for most of the time I’ve owned it.

Anyway, a got it out and brushed off my chops a couple of days ago.
Yesterday, in a fit of inspiration, I lowered all four pickups by a whole turn on each mounting screw.
Wow!
The difference is like night and day. Every note on every string is clear and true.

Has anyone else found that having the pickups real close under the strings is not the way to go?
I should know this from nearly 40 years of guitar playing and tinkering, but I never had emgs on a guitar so I assumed they were in the right place, close under the strings, when I received the NS.

A fine line between close, and too close. Too close will definitely choke the string vibration. Playing style is a variable so not suprised a tweaking made a difference. No one should be "afraid" to adjust. Just remember where you started from in case you need to go back. I write ANY adjustment down 'cause I suffer from CRS...can't remember sh*t. Also I should add, I know with my Stick the truss is something that gets adjusted when it doesn't feel "right" under my fingertips. That happens even before a buzzing or bottoming out occurs. So the pu's have to be set when the fretboard "optimal".