I recently received a MIM standard strat as a birthday gift and I'm really enjoying it. However I just noticed that my high E string is not centered over the bridge pick up. As a matter of fact, no part of it is over the pick up. Everything sounds nice to me, however I really don't have an ear for quality yet. Is this a problem? if so do you guys recommend any fixes? Thanks!

Hi, sorry for my english, but I have the same problem with my MIM standard´04. The strings don´t cross over the E and B polepieces , but in the neck pickup, (is better in the middle, and good in the bridge), and from me ,I have lost of sound when play only the neck picup.

I assume you mean you high E isn't centered over the "pole piece" of the bridge pickup, right?.

As long as the string saddle is centered on the bridge and the neck is centered in the neck pocket, don't worry about the string being off center of the pole piece. Single coil pickups have a strong magnetic field. The string should be somewhere within the width of the polepiece though.

Just to be sure, can you post a pic of the area in question? Is the E string more to the treble or bass side of the pole piece?

p.s. I had a MIM Std once whose neck shifted in the pocket. The previous owner must have dropped it. The result was that the high E was dangerously close to the edge of the fretboard and it was really off center of the treble side of the bridge pickup pole piece. There was a larger than normal gap between the low E and the edge of the fretboard. The remedy is a 60 year old trick since the first Fender: I loosened the 4 neck bolts slightly and gave the neck a good whack to shift it to the bass side then retightened the neck bolts. That centered the neck and all strings were centered over their respective pole pieces of the bridge pickup. (note: on vintage and AVRI Strats the strings will be centered to the neck pickup's pole pieces due to the width of vintage style bridges).

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

You're OK as long as the strings are centered over the bridge pole pieces. Just a guess for you, but "loss of sound" (muddy sound?) at the neck pickup might be cured by raising the treble side the pickup slightly. If you truly cannot hear those two strings at all, then there are other problems.

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

GAH! i'm such a fool! i meant to say neck pickup instead of bridge...
ok the term is "pole piece". i had no clue what to call those lol. i'm still fairly new to all this. let me start over. my high E string is completely off the pole piece. its off to the bass side of the guitar. here's a pic

Looking at that your neck is out of position. Theres far more space between the high E and the edge of the fingerboard than the low E and the edge of the fingerboard.

What you need to do is slacken your strings right off. Then undo the neckplate screws a couple of turns.

Sitting down with your guitar on your lap, in play position. Put your left hand on the headstock and press the headstock down towards the floor, whilst holding the body of the guitar firm.

What you're looking to do is change the line of the neck to the body. It is a common problem with Fender guitars that has existed since 1948. The remedy was in the handbook that came with the guitar in years gone by.

Someone else may have a similar solution (different way of manipulating that neck line). Do the one your most comfortable with.

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^
wow thanks! that did the trick. everything is all lined up and looks as it should.

G-Burn

I forgot to mention that over time the neck may become loose.

What you will undoubtedly notice now is a slight gap between the side of the neck and the top wall of the neck pocket.

When you can (no real rush) get some wood shavings, find one that has a suitable taper. Put it on that wall of the neck pocket. It will stop the neck working loose when it gets jarred.

You could even take it to a small local builder and ask them to keep an eye out with their wood shavings for something suitable.


If you look at any of the old 54 Strats. They all have the same problem. Caused by the neck being too narrow. One of the E strings would fall off the fretboard on the higher frets.

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Nice one Nik!
You say it's common..how so? Manufacturing process or shifting during shipment or...?

-T

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-T

"You can't spend what you ain't got, you can't lose what you ain't never had" ~ McKinley Morganfield

Replacment Seymour Duncan pickups are a devil for this - in fact just about all replacement p/ups are. As I understand it, Fender own the patent for the single coil design that is just the right size for their guitars. Other manufacturers have to make them a slightly different size in order not to breach that patent protection.

But it's no big deal, as long as the string is somewhere close to the pole piece. I've never seen one that was so far out it compromised the sound of that string.

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Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!

I think it's manufacture mate.

We see a lot of mistakes on this forum. Trem's not square, bad neck pockets. I'm sure it's no more than any other manufacturer. Bad neck pockets get hidden on set neck designs. They only really manifest themselves as a very flexible neck. Being as though Gibson are the only other company to rival Fender in terms of output and were on a Fender forum. We don't get to read of Gibsons with a similar problem that no one can see but the owner can feel.

What I think happens (and this is only suppostition) is that the machine that carves the bodies accumulates sawdust. It gathers to one side and the piece of lumber cannot be cut perfectly because of it. By the time they notice a body bad enough to scrap 5 others with minor imperfections have gone through.

About a year and a half ago some guy posted with a EJ strat that had the worst neck pocket I've ever seen. It happens all over the range. The trem placement issue that you see as a low E that won't go back far enough to intonate. Seems to be a problem particular to the AM DLX range. Even the AM STD doesn't get it as bad if at all. Despite using a very similar trem.

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I have this exact same issue with the Strat I just bought. Do you have a picture of how it looks now? I would like to see how much of a difference it made adjusting the neck.