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Post subject: E and B strings completely off pole pieces, notable loss
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 8:51 am
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Hi, I'm new to the forum, and I have read a few articles about this problem, but the solutions don't seem to work.

My E and B strings are completely the pole piece of the neck pickup, they're off to the inside of the pickup. Even though it shouldn't cause loss of sound, these two strings give a lot less sound than the other strings. I know they should give more sound, because when I bend them until they're directly above the pole piece of the neck pickup, they sound a lot louder.

If anyone knows a solution to this problem, they would help out a lot.

Thanks for reading and helping!


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Post subject: Re: E and B strings completely off pole pieces, notable loss
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 1:15 pm
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Pics (from the top so we can see the problem: details and a panorama of the whole guitar etc.) would probably help a lot...

But since the forum wizards seem absent today, I'll make a guess (and I may be totally lost here):
How does the neck line up with the body? Are both E-strings running nicely at the same distance from the fretboard edge?

If not, you have to readjust/realign the neck: tune down the strings, loosen (about 1/2 to 1 full turn) the screws on the neck plate, gently tap the neck to the desired direction, retighten and retune. Sometimes it needs a little shim in the neck pocket beside the neck.


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Post subject: Re: E and B strings completely off pole pieces, notable loss
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 1:34 pm
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jmattis wrote:
Pics (from the top so we can see the problem: details and a panorama of the whole guitar etc.) would probably help a lot...


Both E strings are in the same position on the fretboard, and now that I take a closer look, I can see that the low E string is also a bit off from the pole piece, also towards the center of the pickup.

Pic of the misalignment: http://i.imgur.com/JVnUwM2.jpg

Also, for some extra details: it's a MiM new standard strat, link to shop: http://bit.ly/11PgMz3 (Music Store in Köln, Germany)

Thanks again for helping!


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Post subject: Re: E and B strings completely off pole pieces, notable loss
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 2:02 pm
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It's not neck misalignment. And should you ever have to address neck misalignment loosen the strings more than a couple of turns. Get those strings so slack notes don't sound, then loosen the neck bolts.
Nothing else is guaranteed safe.

From looking at the middle pickup in that picture, it looks like the problem is happening there too. Which indicates to me that the saddles may be misaligned. I'm more inclined to believe it's a problem with the pickup though. It would be handy if you could get your hands on another pickup and just drop it in that neck pickup position. (Don't even bother wiring it up) Just to see if the problem persists.

Need to see more of the guitar though. The neck pickup picture was fantastic but unfortunately only shows the affected area, not what is causing the problem.

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Post subject: Re: E and B strings completely off pole pieces, notable loss
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 2:46 pm
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nikininja wrote:
Need to see more of the guitar though.

Alright, here's a few more pictures:
Body: http://i.imgur.com/1FRHUUJ.jpg (a bit blurry, I'm pretty bad at taking pictures with my phone)
Bridge: http://i.imgur.com/EeNrAP0.jpg
Neck: http://i.imgur.com/fc3E4TV.jpg (again, quite blurry, I hope it isn't too bad)

The pickup itself might indeed be the problem, because the same misalignment can be seen on the picture on the website of Music Store. I probably won't be able to change the pickup for a while, because I'm pretty broke at the moment and I'm not really an expert at taking apart the guitar (putting on new strings is already a tough job for me).

If the pickup is the problem, I'll just leave it be for a while, until I get my hands on a new pickup.

Oh, this might be helpful: I used to have 10 gauge strings on my guitar (Ernie Ball regular slinky), but I have switched to 9 gauge strings (Super Slinky)


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Post subject: Re: E and B strings completely off pole pieces, notable loss
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 2:50 pm
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From the pic it does not look like a neck or saddle alignment issue (though it could be a saddle height problem or that could be part of the problem).

The strings do not rest exactly on top of the pole pieces in the best of worlds. Never meant to either. If any of your strings suffer from low output and general muddiness then the pickup height should be questioned. While the height on your rig will be a subjective distance based on what sounds good to you, in general the pickups are higher on the treble end and lower on the bass end, when measured from the top of the pole pieces to the bottom of the string.

Instead of going through exact measurements, you should plug in and play chords and individual strings while you make adjustments the pickup height on both sides to find your sweet spot.

If you want to start at factory specs then go to support here and read the stratocaster setup guide on how to set up the pickups.

Just remember that pickup positioning is the LAST step in setting up your guitar. Before you even go there you need to make sure that your guitar is in every other way proper set up.

http://www.fender.com/support/articles/ ... tup-guide/

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Post subject: Re: E and B strings completely off pole pieces, notable loss
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 4:58 pm
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Looking at how the spacing of the pole pieces is uniformly wider than the actual string spacing a strange thought that comes to my mind is perhaps the guitar was built using 3 bridge pups.

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Post subject: Re: E and B strings completely off pole pieces, notable loss
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 5:09 pm
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I didn't know that Fender used different sizes for the bridge pickup?

It looks to me like the neck pickup is sitting too high towards the top of the guitar.

This picture the top edge of the pickup seems to be way higher than the other two and the bottom edge of the pickup way higher also.

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So maybe it's no more than a new scratchplate. Try putting a straight edge across the bass side height adjuster screws for the pickups. If you see a gap from the middle pickup screw to the straightedge, whilst it touches the other two screws (bridge and neck) you can bet the neck pickup is out of position.

If thats the case, it'll save you a few quid and could even be a warranty replacement if the guitar is new.

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Post subject: Re: E and B strings completely off pole pieces, notable loss
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 5:36 pm
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The vast majority of MIM Strats have a narrower bridge spread string to string. In other words, it is more of a humbucker spacing rather than what is/was traditional. Fender never revamped their MIM single coil pickups' polepiece spread to compensate. The closer to the neck the pickup is, the more pronounced this disparity becomes. FWIW, I wouldn't reset the angle of your neck as it appears to be just fine.

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Post subject: Re: E and B strings completely off pole pieces, notable loss
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 5:46 pm
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Martian wrote:
The vast majority of MIM Strats have a narrower bridge spread string to string. In other words, it is more of a humbucker spacing rather than what is/was traditional. Fender never revamped their MIM single coil pickups' polepiece spread to compensate. The closer to the neck the pickup is, the more pronounced this disparity becomes. FWIW, I wouldn't reset the angle of your neck as it appears to be just fine.


+1

The only MIM Strats whose pickups line up correctly with the strings are the Classic Series '50s, '60s, and '70s re-issues, specific signature guitars based on those instruments, the Roadworn's, and the Classic Player models.

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Post subject: Re: E and B strings completely off pole pieces, notable loss
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 6:09 pm
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nikininja wrote:
I didn't know that Fender used different sizes for the bridge pickup?

They don't use different sizes as far as external dimensions go but they do have different magnet spacings. They usually use a wider one for the bridge. For both reasons. Wider string spacing and angled pup.

Here's a Kinman dimensions pic I have on file. Only the magnet spacing shows optional parameters.

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Post subject: Re: E and B strings completely off pole pieces, notable loss
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 8:16 pm
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Not the best angle, but the strings (10-46 Original Bullets) line up nearly perfectly over the pickups (Fender SCNs) of my 2010 MIM Standard Strat:

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Post subject: Re: E and B strings completely off pole pieces, notable loss
Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 4:37 am
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Nothing unusual, it does happen. It will not really effect the sound.

My 2006 MIM.

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My 2004 American - the one on the left.

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Post subject: Re: E and B strings completely off pole pieces, notable loss
Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 4:44 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
Martian wrote:
The vast majority of MIM Strats have a narrower bridge spread string to string. In other words, it is more of a humbucker spacing rather than what is/was traditional. Fender never revamped their MIM single coil pickups' polepiece spread to compensate. The closer to the neck the pickup is, the more pronounced this disparity becomes. FWIW, I wouldn't reset the angle of your neck as it appears to be just fine.


+1

The only MIM Strats whose pickups line up correctly with the strings are the Classic Series '50s, '60s, and '70s re-issues, specific signature guitars based on those instruments, the Roadworn's, and the Classic Player models.

Arjay


+2

You could position the high-E more to the center of the saddle though. Other than that, the guitar looks perfectly fine.

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Post subject: Re: E and B strings completely off pole pieces, notable loss
Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 8:29 am
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shimmilou wrote:
You could position the high-E more to the center of the saddle though. Other than that, the guitar looks perfectly fine.

Alright, I'll try that, thanks everyone for the huge amount of help! I really appreciate it :)


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