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Post subject: Mismatched pickups?
Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 5:57 am
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I just bought a used American Standard Strat and noticed that the pickups didn't all match. I was suspicious that the pickups had been changed, but the guitar looked nearly unplayed. It apparently came in with all of the film still on the pickguard, if that gives an indication of how little it was used.

I was able to find a photo of my guitar online from the original dealer (tag was in the case). The serial number matches this set of photos, and in the photos the pickups are as they are now.

Here's a link to a photo of the pickups: http://www.elderly.com/fmic/items/image ... ickups.jpg

Here's another shot where you can clearly see that the bridge pickup pole pieces are NOT beveled: http://www.elderly.com/fmic/items/image ... bridge.jpg

The guitar is a 2012, and to me it looks like the neck and middle pickups are Custom Fat 50s, while the bridge pickup is a pre-2012 American Standard pickup.

This is not a complaint at all - I actually like the mix because I like what the older design does with higher gain and I play on the bridge pickup in that context a lot. Clean I prefer the Fat 50s pickups, and they happen to be in the positions where I play clean, too.

The only questions I have are a) how common is this? and b) is there anything that I should be aware of given the particular mix of pickups?


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Post subject: Re: Mismatched pickups?
Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 12:00 pm
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Okay, I will give this a go......

I don't see what you talking about, I can see the pick ups pole pieces clearly to see if they are different or not.

Once you get the guitar, pull up the pickguard and look at the bottom, that will tell you more then looking from the top.

BTW, mixing pick-ups is not uncommon nor is it a bad thing. I have a set of the 69's in the neck and bridge and a reverse wound fat 50 in the middle. You can balance out there tone on 2 & 4 by adjusting the height, lowering the stronger one, raising the weaker one. Or not, it's all up to what your ear like.

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Post subject: Re: Mismatched pickups?
Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 12:08 pm
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Jeffytune wrote:
BTW, mixing pick-ups is not uncommon nor is it a bad thing. I have a set of the 69's in the neck and bridge and a reverse wound fat 50 in the middle. You can balance out there tone on 2 & 4 by adjusting the height, lowering the stronger one, raising the weaker one. Or not, it's all up to what your ear like.


+1

Mixing pickup sets provides a nearly infinite number of sonic possibilities not available with a standard production instrument.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Mismatched pickups?
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 7:18 pm
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If one or more of the pickups has, in fact, been changed, the answer to part 'a' of your question is that it is very common. It's not common for dealers or shops to change them around, but private owners are hard pressed to leave anything unmodified.
Part 'b' of your question is even easier. There is nothing in particular that you need to be aware of. Simply familiarize yourself with the sounds the pups make in all the different possible configurations and use that knowledge to produce the sounds you want your listeners to hear.
Enjoy learning your new guitar.


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Post subject: Re: Mismatched pickups?
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 2:50 am
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It's probably a good thing to be honest.

The bridge pickup on a strat will always be the quietest as the string is constrained by the bridge and can not vibrate as freely as the neck or middle.

Many people put a hotter pickup at bridge as a result and most calibrated sets will have a hotter bridge pickup.

In fact many custom shop guitars have a mismatched bridge pickup. My 1960 Custom Shop Relic has two CS69s and a Texas special at the bridge.


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Post subject: Re: Mismatched pickups?
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 3:16 am
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the sordid sentinel wrote:
In fact many custom shop guitars have a mismatched bridge pickup. My 1960 Custom Shop Relic has two CS69s and a Texas special at the bridge.


Interesting.

My 1960 Closet Classic Relic came with hand-wound AY's custom-voiced to the 1960 paradigm. Did you order yours with the CS69's and the TS?

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Mismatched pickups?
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 3:27 am
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To the Q, part b:
IMHO, the only thing that may need special attention is the pickup heights.


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Post subject: Re: Mismatched pickups?
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 11:41 am
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I guess I don't see (from the photo) any difference between any of the pups.

How can you tell they're different other than to pull the PG and compare..??

cheers!

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Post subject: Re: Mismatched pickups?
Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2014 4:02 pm
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The pole pieces are beveled on the neck and middle pickups, and they are flat on the bridge pickup.


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Post subject: Re: Mismatched pickups?
Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2014 6:22 pm
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BrentD wrote:
The pole pieces are beveled on the neck and middle pickups, and they are flat on the bridge pickup.


The pickups for the Robert Cray signature Strat are configured in such a manner. An excellent set BTW......

Arjay

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