Hello.

I was wondering if anyone knew the string spacing on the new blacktop strats as compared to say a les paul. only reason to ask is that i thought it would sound great to stick a 57 classic or a burstbucker into the bridge to get that gibson "growl" with still the feel of a strat. I know theres a difference in the straing spacing but what i dont know is if Fender changed the spacing just for the blacktop. ( Similar as squier did for the model 51).

Thanks-- d

I am not sure myself. If I had to venture a guess, the spacing is "F" spacing. Dimarzio sells humbuckers in standard and "f" spacing. I know my Dimarzio Super Distortion is spaced "F" on the guitar I modified.

Like I said, I am pretty sure that Fender is having these humbuckers for their Stratocasters "F" spaced. If you find ou tfor sure, please post. I am debating on either modifying my Squier to Blacktop electronics or using it for a trade-in for a Blacktop.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Is the fender spacing called "F"? If so what is gibsons spacing called???

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--Hillbilly
Proud member of the 2 or 3 club

I donot say anything...

Fender F spacing is 56mm usually. Gibson spacing is 52mm as are some Squier and Mexican guitars.
Not all Mexican or Squier guitars use the 52mm spacing. Some have the 56mm spacing.

I'm sure you knew that already.

Sorry I can't be specific about the blacktop model. I'd guess it's at 56mm. But don't go by that, it's a uneducated guess at best.

I'd be off down the guitar shop with a tape measure if I were you mate. Though I've never worried about it. I've put gibson spaced buckers on fender spaced guitars and never suffered any adverse effects. The string still passes through the pickups field ok.

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No no and no

After researshing both gibson and fenders websites i couldnt find anything about how the pickups are spaced. However, i was able to find the nut spacing dimensions, as, logically, it would be proportianal or something. the 2010 LP standard spacing (at the nut) is 1.695 as the Black top is spaced at 1.650. any thoughts?

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--Hillbilly
Proud member of the 2 or 3 club

It doesn't apply to pickup polepiece spacings. Far too small a difference at a point too far away, to make any perceivable difference at the bridge end.

Mate you can take it to the bank that vintage fender bridge spacing is 56mm and Gibson's is 52mm. The polepieces of their respective pickups are set to suit those dimensions.

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No no and no

Hi BostonMan1: nope, that logic doesn't follow. Spacing at the nut has nothing to do with spacing at the bridge. And as it happens not only Fender and Gibson but almost all other modern manufacturers range between the two spacings you mentioned: 42 mm / 1.650" and 43 mm / 1.659". In fact, it so happens that my Les Paul has the wider nut and my US Strat the narrower, even though they are the opposite way around at the bridge.

I go with everything Nikininja says, above: my one area of caution is that as far as I can tell the Blacktop is made at the Ensenada factory and so it is not a given that the string spacing at the bridge is 56 mm / 2.204". The specs name a "Vintage Style Synchronized Tremolo", which on a MIM might just as well be their 52 mm / 2.047" unit.

I also notice that the model isn't listed on the parts/wiring diagrams page of this site yet, so we can't work it out from the bridge parts number.

At this point you've tried every line of enquiry you reasonably might, short of going an measuring a guitar for yourself (which is what I'd do). So it seems fair now for you to shoot Fender Customer Relations an email and just ask the question.

If you do, let us know, please.

Cheers - C

I thought F-spacing was for a Floyd Rose bridge.

Thnaks guys. Where do i find the adrress for the Fender CR department?

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--Hillbilly
Proud member of the 2 or 3 club

Hi again: go to the menu at the top of the page, click > support > consumer relations... and you get to this page:

http://www.fender.com/support/consumer_relations.php

Please let us know what you find out.

Cheers - C

What a team, what a team

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"Another day in paradise!"

Hey guys. I e mailed Fender and they said that the black tops will come stock F spaced. ha ha Guess we know now. and, on a different note, What does HRR mean when it comes to pickup Configurations?? Im dying to find out!! :p

A long time ago (in the 20th century, actually) the electric guitar world was divided between Gibson and Fender designs. One of the differences between the two was string spacing. In general, Gibson chose a narrower string spacing at the bridge than Fender, and therefore the polepieces on Gibson humbuckers were closer together than the magnets on Fender pickups. When guitar shops started installing humbuckers in the bridge position of Strats, it was obvious that the strings didn’t line up with the polepieces, and if the E strings were too far outside, the sound could suffer. Our first humbuckers followed the original Gibson spacing, and we call them standard-spaced. When we released our first humbuckers with wider spacing, Floyd Rose bridges were very popular. Floyd string-spacing is the same as Fender spacing, so we naturally called the new pickups F-spaced.


F-spaced pickups measure 2.01" (51 mm) center-to-center from the first polepiece to the sixth. Standard-spaced pickups measure 1.90" (48 mm). Although some players believe that F-spaced pickups are only for the bridge position of tremolo bridge guitars, many guitars with fixed bridges (including late 1990s Gibson Les Pauls and Epiphone LPs) should have F-spaced pickups in the bridge position. Most tremolo equipped guitars that have a nut width of 1-11/16” (43mm) or more should also use an F-spaced pickup in the neck position. If you’re replacing a bridge-position pickup and you're not sure what your string-spacing is, it's usually better to get an F-spaced model. It is not necessary for the strings to pass exactly over the center of the polepieces for best performance, but it is wise to avoid a situation where the E strings are sitting completely outside of the outer polepieces.

HHR

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