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Post subject: Strat Pickguards and the middle pickup location
Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 9:24 am
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I have a sambora strat and noticed the other day the middle pickup location is centered different than most HSS pickguards today. Does anyone know why? and does the location of the middle pickup moved closer to the bridge help anything? see pics.

Sambora pickguard middle pickup cutout more centered than current HSS pickguards.

Image

Current HSS- Middle PU is moved back closer to bridge PU.

Image


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Post subject: Re: Strat Pickguards and the middle pickup location
Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 9:52 am
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Hi GtrMuzMan: my American HSS Strat has the middle pickup in the same position as the second of your two photos - as do virtually all other HSS Strats. That's the normal arrangement.

It's your Sambora that's out of step. Probably that gentleman specified the middle pickup position for visual balance, and I certainly think it looks better like that. Maybe he has some tone hocus pocus to justify it too, but I suspect that would be stretching a point. I think it makes precious little difference, soundwise.

In fact, the standard position for the middle pickup makes its own kind of sense. It is simply the same place the middle pickup is on an SSS Strat. The way to look at it is that the bridge single-coil has been replaced with a humbucker, while everything else has stayed in the usual placement.

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Strat Pickguards and the middle pickup location
Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 10:23 am
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That 1st pic I'm afraid is the 1st Sambora Strat. that Iv'e liked.... Mainly because it doesn't have those ghastly Star inlays :shock:

Sambora's guitars are a little different to say the least, I still enjoy Bon Jovi ( haters be cursed ) as a matter of fact I'm listening to the Partridge Family as I type ( :wink: )....

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Post subject: Re: Strat Pickguards and the middle pickup location
Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 10:59 am
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Yeah here is another pic of a sambora strat with the middle pickup location different than most HSS pickguards... I wish fender would tell me the reasoning behind this.

Image

(image from http://forums.fender.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=62288)


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Post subject: Re: Strat Pickguards and the middle pickup location
Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:45 pm
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Since it's a sig, and Ceri has already hit it, it's just what the Sambora specs were......
I really doubt they ( Fender ) will give you anything more than that as an explanation ...

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Post subject: Re: Strat Pickguards and the middle pickup location
Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:48 pm
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Thanks everyone for your input!!


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Post subject: Re: Strat Pickguards and the middle pickup location
Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 9:51 pm
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I have run across other Mexican strats from 95 that didnt have a floyd but had the universal route.
It also was an HSS.
Its pickups were positioned just like that.

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Post subject: Re: Strat Pickguards and the middle pickup location
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 2:52 am
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Without really knowing this model, I'd say Sambora simply chose to be different (just like many other stars).

Maybe he wanted a little mellower tone in the middle position? Moving towards the neck gives more warmth in tone. Dunno, if the difference would be much by moving just a few millimeters but famous guitarists are known to be able to even hear a flee cough :lol:

Others tilt their humbuckers like the bridge singlecoil is.

Just remember what EVH did to his Frankenstein to confuse people and get rumors going!
Could as well be a marketing thing. Fans might see this as Sambora's "secret" of tone, so if you buy the signature strat with the middle SC in another position, you will "all of a sudden" sound exactly as him ....... NOT! :wink:

It's a Sambora signature guitar, so they probably just took over what Sambora did to his guitar.

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Post subject: Re: Strat Pickguards and the middle pickup location
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 4:34 am
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Its just the way they did the pickguard in the 90s with the universal route

This is the kind of strat I bought one of my kids, a 1995 Fender The Strat Special made in Mexico

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

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Last edited by donnycraven on Fri Feb 08, 2013 5:44 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: Strat Pickguards and the middle pickup location
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 4:36 am
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Heres another one

Image

Model Name: Strat® Special
Model Number: 013-5600-(Color#) and 013-5602-(Color#)
Series: Special/Deluxe Series
Body: Poplar with an Ash Veneer Top
Neck: Maple
Fingerboard: Rosewood pn# (013-5600) or
Maple pn# (013-5602), 9.5” 241/mm Radius
No. of Frets: 21 Medium Jumbo
Scale Length: 25.5” (648 mm)
Width @ Nut: 1.6875” (43 mm)
Hardware: Chrome
Machine Heads: Vintage Style
Bridge: Vintage Style Tremolo
Pickguard: 3-Ply Black
Pickups: 2 Special Design Strat Single Coils (Neck & Mid),
1 Special Design Humbucking Pickup (Bridge)
Pickup Switching: 5 Position Blade, 2 Position Mini Toggle Humbucking Coil Tap Switch
Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
Colors: (506) Black,
(507) Vintage Blonde,
(528] Crimson Burst,
(532) Brown Sunburst,
(Polyester Finish)
Strings: Fender Super 250L’s (.009 to .042) Nickel Plated Steel pn#073-0250-003
Unique Features:
Source: Mexico
Accessories: None
U.S. MSRP: $559.99
NOTICE: Prices and Specifications Subject to Change Without Notice
INTRODUCED: 1994
DISCONTINUED: 1/1997
DISCONTINUED COLORS:
COMMENTS:
WRENCH SIZES:

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Post subject: Re: Strat Pickguards and the middle pickup location
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 4:55 am
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GtrMuzMan wrote:
I have a sambora strat and noticed the other day the middle pickup location is centered different than most HSS pickguards today. Does anyone know why? and does the location of the middle pickup moved closer to the bridge help anything? see pics.

Sambora pickguard middle pickup cutout more centered than current HSS pickguards.

Image

Current HSS- Middle PU is moved back closer to bridge PU.

Image



Note also, the space between the fretboard and the neck pickup in these models...

Not sure what's going on there, with the second guitar- what is the origin? Doesn't seem to be a regular MIM Floyd Rose model going by the neck logo? I always thought the signature was on the headstock..

As a comparison to mine below (08 MIM Floyd std):
Image

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Post subject: Re: Strat Pickguards and the middle pickup location
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 5:50 am
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Was just showing you all mid 90s hss strats were like that. They had that universal body route and it looked better to do the pickguard that way I guess. It was not exclusive to the Sambora strats but it was exclusive to the 90s.

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Post subject: Re: Strat Pickguards and the middle pickup location
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 6:02 am
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Yeah, my question is with the black MIM (second pic on first post on thread) the placement of the neck pickup compared to the sambora and also your pics. I'm noticing the distance between the neck pickup and the fretboard is much smaller.. I wonder what explanation could be for that?

Even the sambora Strat seems to have regular spacing there..

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Post subject: Re: Strat Pickguards and the middle pickup location
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 6:09 am
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donnycraven wrote:
Was just showing you all mid 90s hss strats were like that. They had that universal body route and it looked better to do the pickguard that way I guess. It was not exclusive to the Sambora strats but it was exclusive to the 90s.


Thanx, Donny, I didn't know that.
I hardly play HSS and only possessed one(!) in the past.

Dunno if I have pics left. I'd like to see if it was the same, it was a US Lone Star from the 90s, if I remember correctly.
I'll go and check...

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STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!


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Post subject: Re: Strat Pickguards and the middle pickup location
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 6:17 am
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Smokin' Frets wrote:
a US Lone Star from the 90s, if I remember correctly.
I'll go and check...


Yep! Still have pics and LO AND BEHOLD! Guess what? :shock:

Image

It was a 1996 Lone Star strat.
To my defense: I only played it 3 or 4 times, didn't give it much attention and sold it quickly afterwards.
Since I'm generally not much interested in HSS strats, I also didn't compare it to others.
I really did not notice until today, that there are two different "standard" pickup layouts on Fender strats as far as HSS strats are concerned.

Talk about learning something new every day! :wink:

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STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!


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