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Post subject: Strat Humbuckers- raising unevenly
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 11:32 am
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The springs (not screws) that come with Duncan and Dimarzio humbuckers are too long and need to be clipped.
When they're clipped, the perfect even edge of the spring is gone and the spring no longer sits evenly on the humbucker or pickguard (what ever surface you put the clipped side of the spring on).

Then, invariably, as you raise the pickup, one coil always raises before the other, leaving the humbucker uneven.
I've also used the yellowish rubber tubing- better, but still not real good.

Any ideas?

It seems like the springs that come with humbuckers aren't wide enough to begin with- they're too narrow to keep the humbucker flat.


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Post subject: Re: Strat Humbuckers- raising unevenly
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 3:31 am
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Sometimes I put foam under the pickup to level it out.

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Post subject: Re: Strat Humbuckers- raising unevenly
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 4:13 am
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Hi KRKHKZ, welcome to the Forum.

What you're describing can be an issue even if you didn't trim the springs down. Sometimes they just won't sit flat.

I haven't tried Donny's suggestion about the foam. Must give that one a go sometime.

However, the only effective solution I've found to this is the rubber tubing (though I think I slightly prefer springs, generally). What you have to do is cut lengths of it really accurately, with an X-Acto or whatever, so the ends are trimmed precisely flat and each piece is just a couple of mil longer than the gap it has to fill, so that it compresses a bit to keep things firm but doesn't distort out of shape.

It's a bit of a fanny-around just to get the pickups to sit perfectly flat, but that's the way to do it, if you can be bothered.

BTW, you can pay proportionately silly money for tiny bits of rubber tubing from guitar parts suppliers. Or you can buy yards of the exact same stuff for pennies from many other sources. Pharmacies perhaps - or I found that my friendly neighbourhood homebrew wine & beer supplier sells the tubing for next to nothing. Choose the diameter you need and you're set for life.

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Strat Humbuckers- raising unevenly
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 4:25 am
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Why not just replace the springs with ones that fit the guitar and pickups..?

Plenty to choose from in guitar shops, not to mention hardware stores etc.


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Post subject: Re: Strat Humbuckers- raising unevenly
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 4:49 am
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The rubber tubing idea is really good. If you got a Seymour it comes with Black foam. I just stick a piece under the side that tilts the wrong way. It only takes seconds to do.

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Post subject: Re: Strat Humbuckers- raising unevenly
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 5:29 am
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Humbuckers always have a habit of sitting unevenly, it's not just you - I've played guitars which cost as much as a decent new car which had wonky pickups. :lol:

I always liked the old Yamaha humbuckers - one screw one side, two screws the other. Perfect!


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Post subject: Re: Strat Humbuckers- raising unevenly
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 6:12 am
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Vulpinity wrote:
I always liked the old Yamaha humbuckers - one screw one side, two screws the other. Perfect!

And Fenders, of course. 8)

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Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Strat Humbuckers- raising unevenly
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 6:34 am
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Ceri wrote:
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Cheers - C


I never knew that, as I've never actually owned a Fender with OE humbuckers. Nice one, Fender people! :mrgreen:


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Post subject: Re: Strat Humbuckers- raising unevenly
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 2:43 pm
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That is the exact model I run in all my strats great pickup.
But I use Lone Star pickguards

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Post subject: Re: Strat Humbuckers- raising unevenly
Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 12:22 pm
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Can't you use a pair of pliers to bend the cut end of the spring. I have done this to get the end of a pickup spring level. The pickup ended up level in the pickguard.
Just put the spring on a level surface to test it after bending it.

Serge


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