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Post subject: Volume inbalance for each string
Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 6:10 am
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Am I missing on something or this is what I think it is?

The rods on all 3 pickups are of identical height (as the one pictured) and produce an unequal volume on each of the strings. From search I found this is called staggered rods, but what's the point?

Are the rods adjustable at all? If they are - then ok, it can be managed, otherwise its ridiculous playing on a guitar that has the 4th string loud and 2nd 50% quieter .. etc

Suggestions please!

:?: :?:


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Post subject: Re: Volume inbalance for each string
Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 6:36 am
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The rod , Pickups magnets are non adjustable .

That's is the Fender Stratocaster sound .

You can adjust sting height but theoricaly strings should follow neck radius .


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Post subject: Re: Volume inbalance for each string
Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 7:01 am
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Strings following the neck radius are fine, but what do we do with the rods being factory adjusted as they are on the photo?

If the rods are not adjustable, than there is a complete unbalance in the volume of each string on this guitar. And the volume varies exactly as per height of the rods in the photo - the 4th is the loudest, the 2nd the quietest.

It would be logical to have the rods following the neck radius, or at least be flash with the pickup covers, but this way .. its ridiculous. :roll:


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Post subject: Re: Volume inbalance for each string
Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 7:17 am
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Yes the forth string is a bit louder than the rest. I see you have the "Modern Stagger" on your G string. The pole piece used to be as high as the D pole piece. If your saddles are set to a to mimic the fret board radius then the E A and D poles will actually be the same distance from the strings. The G Pole was higher to accommodate the wound G strings of the 50's and early 60's. Fender just left the pole pieces in a "Vintage Stagger" until 2008 when they went to the Modern Stagger that you have on your Stratocaster now.

If you have plastic bobbins on your pickups the pole pieces can be moved up or down as desired. However, The traditional Strat tone has a louder G tone. Nothing is wrong with what you have now. I would not mess with success, but it's yours to do with as you please.


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Post subject: Re: Volume inbalance for each string
Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 7:27 am
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Nikola Tesla wrote:
Suggestions please!


I suggest you contact Fender and tell them they're building their guitars all wrong.

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Post subject: Re: Volume inbalance for each string
Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 4:08 pm
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GilgaFrank wrote:
Nikola Tesla wrote:
Suggestions please!


I suggest you contact Fender and tell them they're building their guitars all wrong.



You started politely enough, then you had a mood swing again huh Frank?
They make meds for that, you forget to take them again?

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Post subject: Re: Volume inbalance for each string
Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 12:12 am
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SNick wrote:
If you have plastic bobbins on your pickups the pole pieces can be moved up or down as desired.


I guess the pick guard needs to be taken off to ascertain if there are plastic bobbins on the pick-ups. :?:


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Post subject: Re: Volume inbalance for each string
Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 2:23 am
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Yes, you must remove pickgard .

Question ; why did you bought this guitar if you don't like the way it sound ?

Is it your first Fender ?


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Post subject: Re: Volume inbalance for each string
Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 2:31 am
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Worth reading, before attempting to adjust polepieces...which can easily ruin pickups...

http://www.fender.com/news/staggered-polepieces-why/


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Post subject: Re: Volume inbalance for each string
Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 4:57 am
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Back in the old days, using cheap guitars, everbody used to suffer from what was called "Second string overpowering tendency"..ie, the second string on a cheap pickup with no pole pieces, just the one magnet, would always be louder , this sound can be heard on some old recordings
Fender realised that in order to have all strings sounding the same volume, small adjustments in the magnet height were neccessary in the early models , hence the "staggered" pole pieces
If you can honestly hear the difference in volume on a string compared to it's neighbours from one of these pickups, then your hearing must be super sensitive

Why not put how it sounds on here and let people decide?

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Post subject: Re: Volume inbalance for each string
Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:30 am
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stratele52 wrote:
Yes, you must remove pickgard .

Question ; why did you bought this guitar if you don't like the way it sound ?

Is it your first Fender ?



This is the 23rd Strat in my long career. I just wanted to have the American Standard (never had one before), and bought it online from the US, obviously without trying it first.

Luckily it turned out to be a very nice guitar, but for this issue.

:D


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Post subject: Re: Volume inbalance for each string
Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:43 am
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Butterscotch wrote:
Worth reading, before attempting to adjust polepieces...which can easily ruin pickups...

http://www.fender.com/news/staggered-polepieces-why/



Thank you for the link.

I find the following to be untrue:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fender’s customer service department gets asked all the time why some Stratocaster guitar pickups have staggered polepieces.

The answer: because it balances the output across the strings.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is false - the 4th string is the loudest by far (with the pole sitting very close to the string) and 2nd with triple the distance being noticeable quieter, followed by 1st and 3rd.


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Post subject: Re: Volume inbalance for each string
Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:45 am
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23 th strat and first time you see this issue ?????


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Post subject: Re: Volume inbalance for each string
Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:49 am
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stratele52 wrote:
23 th strat and first time you see this issue ?????




Yes, I never had a strat previously with a staggered p/ups somehow, and none had this balance issue.

:!:


Last edited by Nikola Tesla on Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Volume inbalance for each string
Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:50 am
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Well, look at it this way..... All the Stratocaster rock gods played with a much higher G pole piece. You can always drop it down a bit lower - say even with the B pole which is louder than the high E, then you can lower the B pole piece even further to even it all out or....... you can learn to love the G Spot the way it is and just play it. :wink:


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