A bottom structure for a spin valve sensor is configured to provide an increased GMR coefficient through the use of a crystallographically aligned seed layer in one embodiment and an improved pinned layer in a further embodiment. This improvement occurs through the avoidance of current shunting of the sensing layers, softening of sensing and pinned layers through even layer texturing, and a stronger coupling between the antiferromagnetic and pinned layers. The improved seed layer of the present invention may be formed with a face-centered cubic (FCC) material having a (111) crystallographic plane parallel to an underlying substrate. One preferred material for use in the seed layer is Ni.sub.42 Fe.sub.50 Nb.sub.8.