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Post subject: My 1999 Strat has diferent pickups! Why?
Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 11:26 am
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Hi there. After having my 1999 Fender for 14 years I noticed that my pickups are different. They don't have the middle magnetic pole-pieces raised (see pics). What is the difference? Does it matter?


Image
Neck Pickup
Image
Middle Pickup
Image
Bridge Pickup
Image

Image


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Post subject: Re: My 1999 Strat has diferent pickups! Why?
Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 11:44 am
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All Strats do not have staggered polepieces...

There was a topic on string volume balance and flat vs staggered not so long ago, link to that is:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=89400

In case you don't want to read through all three pages, the Fender official opinion is here (link originally posted by Butterscotch):
http://www.fender.com/news/staggered-polepieces-why/


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Post subject: Re: My 1999 Strat has diferent pickups! Why?
Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 11:49 am
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danieljackcosta wrote:
Hi there. After having my 1999 Fender for 14 years I noticed that my pickups are different. They don't have the middle magnetic pole-pieces raised (see pics). What is the difference? Does it matter?


Image
Neck Pickup
Image
Middle Pickup
Image
Bridge Pickup
Image

Image


Hey dude, thats not problem, they're probably exactly the pickups you thought they were, they are just set up slightly wrong. you can manually raise the magnets, but get someone to do it for you as it effects the sound in various ways depending on how they're set up relative to the strings.


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Post subject: Re: My 1999 Strat has diferent pickups! Why?
Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 12:07 pm
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or maybe im wrong judgingg by what the guy said.. i always thought you could adjust most


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Post subject: Re: My 1999 Strat has diferent pickups! Why?
Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 12:07 pm
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They aren't set up wrong, earlier American Standards had flat pole pieces. Not all Strat pickups utilize the vintage stagger.


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Post subject: Re: My 1999 Strat has diferent pickups! Why?
Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 1:08 pm
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American Standards had flat polepiece pickups from the day they came out (introduced in January 1987 but a some had at least parts finished in late 1986) until they were replaced by the American Series version in mid-2000 which had staggered height polepiece pickups.

So danieljackcosta those pickups are correct for your 1999 American Standard Strat.

If you want to dig into the history of the Strat, they had staggered-height polepiece pickups from introduction in 1954 until some time during 1974 when they went to flat polepiece pickups. The flat polepiece pickups were then used on the "regular" Stratocaster until it ceased production circa end-1981 or early 1982, as did the 25th Anniversary Strat (made 1979-early 1980) and "The Strat" models although " The Strat" had the hotter X-1 bridge pickup. The 1982 "Standard Stratocaster" (also known as the "Smith Strat") also had flat-polepiece pickups with the X-1 bridge pickup. However, 1982 was the year that the first Reissues came out, and they had period -correct staggered polepieces. The 1983/84 2-knob Standard Strats also had flat polepiece pickups and of course the polepieces on the Elite Strat models were covered over.


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Post subject: Re: My 1999 Strat has diferent pickups! Why?
Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 4:36 pm
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jmattis wrote:
... the Fender official opinion is here (link originally posted by Butterscotch):
http://www.fender.com/news/staggered-polepieces-why/



And Fender states:

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 probably the most ridiculous statement Fender ever released.
Why? Its quite opposite. The staggered pole pieces are responsible for the complete imbalance of the output across the strings

If the pole pieces are adjustable that would be very handy, but with fixed ones ....useless indeed. :lol:


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Post subject: Re: My 1999 Strat has diferent pickups! Why?
Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 10:52 am
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The pickups you have are the best ones Fender made in my opinion especially for rock and distortion.
I like them 70s or flat head with all the magnets no higher than the cover.
When they stick out or stagger they sound limp especially in the bridge.
My 70s strat ran flat head but had weaker pickups.
I took the theory and used the Hot Alnico 3 pickups but replaced the pole pieces with Alnico 5.
The Hot Alnico 3s run 11.5 kohm neck 12.5 kohm middle and 13.5 kohm bridge, HOT!
Fender never ran Alnico 3 in anything else and there is a pretty good reason.
I also rewired from the Grease Bucket to American Standard wiring with tone on bridge.
Used a .022 tone capacitor instead of .047.
Anyway my American Standard now sports the best sounding Fender single coils.
They still have the quack but are as hot and thick as any Les Paul I own.
I play Classic and Southern Rock with it.

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Post subject: Re: My 1999 Strat has diferent pickups! Why?
Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 11:11 am
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tobougg wrote:
danieljackcosta wrote:
Hi there. After having my 1999 Fender for 14 years I noticed that my pickups are different. They don't have the middle magnetic pole-pieces raised (see pics). What is the difference? Does it matter?


Image
Neck Pickup
Image
Middle Pickup
Image
Bridge Pickup
Image

Image


Hey dude, thats not problem, they're probably exactly the pickups you thought they were, they are just set up slightly wrong. you can manually raise the magnets, but get someone to do it for you as it effects the sound in various ways depending on how they're set up relative to the strings.



They are not set up wrong this is how they are set up from the factory.
They will sound like crap if you adjust them.

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Post subject: Re: My 1999 Strat has diferent pickups! Why?
Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 11:16 am
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danieljackcosta wrote:
Hi there. After having my 1999 Fender for 14 years I noticed that my pickups are different. They don't have the middle magnetic pole-pieces raised (see pics). What is the difference? Does it matter?


Image
Neck Pickup
Image
Middle Pickup
Image
Bridge Pickup
Image

Image




Those pickups are exactly how they are supposed to be do not adjust them.
The balance myth is false it is for nostalgia and does not even apply to todays tech near as much.
Your magnets are not long enough.
The pickups you have are some of the best Fender made.

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Post subject: Re: My 1999 Strat has diferent pickups! Why?
Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 11:45 am
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danieljackcosta wrote:
Hi there. After having my 1999 Fender for 14 years I noticed that my pickups are different. They don't have the middle magnetic pole-pieces raised (see pics). What is the difference? Does it matter?


Image
Neck Pickup
Image
Middle Pickup
Image
Bridge Pickup
Image

Image

By the way I love that strat man currently shoping for a 3 tone sunburst myself.

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Post subject: Re: My 1999 Strat has diferent pickups! Why?
Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2013 6:37 pm
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The pickups on my G&L Legacy have flat pole pc.
This may answer your questions about flat vs. staggered pole pc.

http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/mercha ... le-pickups

Imagehttp://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=flat-vs-staggered-pole-pickups


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Post subject: Re: My 1999 Strat has diferent pickups! Why?
Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2013 8:32 pm
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Any pick-up with staggered poles is a peace of crap in terms of volume balance .. whatever the manufacturer's explanation is. :mrgreen:


To the OP: you are lucky, ... you have a flat pole pick-ups.


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Post subject: Re: My 1999 Strat has diferent pickups! Why?
Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2013 9:14 pm
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Nikola Tesla wrote:
Any pick-up with staggered poles is a peace of crap in terms of volume balance .. whatever the manufacturer's explanation is. :mrgreen:


To the OP: you are lucky, ... you have a flat pole pick-ups.


Mebbe someday some inventor from "down under" with the vision and the acumen and the foresight of a Leo Fender will emerge to invent the ultimate in electrified instruments, complete with the finest line of companion amplifiers and a world-wide network of service centers to keep customers happy and returning en masse to buy even more.

Until that day, make yourself comfy in a favored easy chair, light up a Pall Mall or a Lucky Strike, and pour yourself a nice hot steamy cup of STFU.

:P

Everything Leo did, he did for a reason. And those principles are as sound today as they were sixty years ago. If you find them so utterly antiquated then buy yourself some other brand of guitar and stop sniveling.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: My 1999 Strat has diferent pickups! Why?
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 8:44 am
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