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Post subject: Re: Strat string height - from pickups
Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 8:55 pm
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Just curious - but I presume the pickups are all interchangeable.

Also - why are the poles different heights? Must be some logic behind it - I can see a pattern, but do not get the total picture.


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Post subject: Re: Strat string height - from pickups
Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 9:39 pm
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rupertmja wrote:
Just curious - but I presume the pickups are all interchangeable.


Usually not, no. The strings vibrate a longer distance over the neck pickup than they do over a bridge pickup, so the signal is stronger. To compensate, the bridge pickup is usually "hotter"

rupertmja wrote:
Also - why are the poles different heights? Must be some logic behind it - I can see a pattern, but do not get the total picture.


To counteract that the strings don't sound the same:

- The unwound strings are perceived to be louder.
- The strings are not flat over the pickup, but the height curves with the neck radius.
- The magnetic field is weaker at the sides.
- The string lengths differ (intonation) - the longer strings will vibrate a longer distance, and sound louder. To compensate, the longer string poles are lowered. Thus the pole pieces also "mirror" the staggering of the bridge.
But why is the G string pole piece so high on many Strats then? Historical reasons - the G string used to be wound, and the shortest string of them all. And musicians in general and guitar players in particular are a traditionalist bunch who don't care about physics, but chase "the vintage tone". Thus lots of G string pole pieces are raised way too high because that was the right thing in the past, and the G string sounds shrill as a result. Nothing vintage about that at all.

For a modern guitar with a plain G string and correct intonation, it's usually safe to raise the D string pole a little and lower the B string pole a little, and leave the others at about the same height. If you want to fine-tune, that's best done with a meter, and then raise the wound strings just a tad to compensate for wound strings sounding softer.


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Post subject: Re: Strat string height - from pickups
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 1:11 am
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Absolutely great info - thanks!


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Post subject: Re: Strat string height - from pickups
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 3:19 am
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Thanks heaps "arth1" and "Strat-Slinger"!!
I was curious about some of the same things. I've only recently taught myself how to do a proper full set-up from a combination of the manuals that came with my Strat & Tele and the internet. Now I can tell by simply looking at a guitars bridge whether the intonation is out or not which is great. Those manuals have some really good info in them and are worth reading, even if you think you don't need to (like I originally did!).
So far , I've only completed two set-ups. One on my Strat and one on my Tele. Really, unless I change my strings gauge, I shouldn't need to do another one for a while.
Thanks again anyway, for your info guys!
8)

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