Aligning Pickup Pole Pieces And Strings

[Jorge Fernandez]

Hi all,

In my current project I want to use the seymour duncan pickups: SH2-n (jazz model) in neck position and the SH4 (JB model) in the bridge position. I bought it in a set from guitarelectronics, the 'Hot Rod set'.

Well, before drilling the bridge posts I wanted to check the complete set up. I've placed the bridge with double side tape, I made a temporary nut with the correct spacing, I placed the pickup in their position and with some string from the nut to the bridge I've been able to see a little missalignment in the sixth string over the bridge pickup. Maybe the next pics can show you what I'm trying to describe:

I was thinking about the bridge string spacing, a 2-1/16" pigtail bridge, but it's a common string spacing.

Next I've checked the pole pieces spacing and it's very weird. Both pickups have the same spacing, the neck and the bridge pickup! I thought that the bridge pickup spacing will be bigger because the string are more separated in the bridge than in the neck pickup.

The pickups boxs backcover has the next quote: "This pickup is designed for bridges with traditional humbucker string spacing of 1.925"/48.9mm measured center of high string to low string over the bridge"

This miss alignment is acceptable ????? Any help is welcome!

Best regards,

Jorge

[radrobgray]

try getting a F spaced humbucker to see if that makes a differance.

[TeiscosRock]

thats strange...

[Southpa]

All I can think up is that they accidentally put a neck pickup in the bridge pickup box. You say they are identical. Is the pole spacing the same as what they say on the box?

[fryovanni]

Hey Jorge,

Did you get a responce from SD?

Peace,Rich

[GregP]

Having the strings aligned exactly over the polepieces isn't as important as people might think. Lots of guitars for years and years were fine without F-spaced pickups.

Now, if you didn't get what you paid for, that's another story.

Greg

[j. pierce]

I built a guitar with a wierd string spacing, and my p'ups (particularly the bridge) are out of line almost as much as what you've got pictured there, and I really had no problem. There was a slight decrease in volume over the bass strings, so I raised that side of the pickup slightly, and now it sounds very fine.

Like Greg said, though, if you didn't get what you paid for, that's different.

[crafty]

He got exactly what he paid for--an SH-4 standard spacing. If he wants it to look perfect, he should have ordered a TB-4 trembucker.

It won't really matter, though. The magnetic field going well outside the polepieces and you shouldn't have any problems. Just try to get the pickup centered on the body properly.

[Mickguard]

Is is just me, or do those pickups look out of alignment with each other?

I can't tell which one is off --whether it's the neck pickup, the bridge pickup, or if the bridge wasn't set down right, or what, but there's something not lined up properly there. Hard to tell from the photos.

Look at the bridge itself--seems like the treble side is more to the bass side than it needs to be --you could move that a millimeter and that will make up most of the difference.

And maybe it's possible to re-notch the low E saddle to get it lined up a little better.

I'd get a laser sight and make sure everything is perfectly lined up.

[Jorge Fernandez]

Hi all,

First of all thanks for you responses!

I sent emails to Seymour Duncan and StewMac, where I bought the bridge. They said basically the same. It's not so

important to get the string perfectly aligned over the pole pieces. Here, the emails:

From SD:

>Hi Jorge,

>Thank you for the email and photos.

>I understand exactly what happened here. The Hot Rodded Humbucker set

>comes with the SH-4 JB for the bridge position. This is by far the most

>popular and sought after version of the JB, which is why it is in the

>set, rather than the wider TB-4 version. It has a string spacing of 1

>15/16".

>However, after reviewing the pics you sent, the spacing issue is more of

>a cosmetic issue than anything else. The Low E string is on the edge,

>but it will still be fine as the magnetic field is wider than the

>diameter of the pole pieces.

>Thank you.

From StewMac:

>Jorge,

> It is not necessary for the string to align with the polepieces exactly.

>There is a magnetic field around the polepiece that will pick up the vibration

>from the string. It looks to me from you pictures that your setup will work

>fine.

>Best regards,

And Mickguard, you're right. When I glued the top onto the body a little displacement was added along the center. The pickup holes were made previously in the top and maybe this is effect you can see. I was wondering if I have to redo the pickups holes and use mounting pickups rings to try to align the pickups properly, what do you think?? I like the look of the current pickups holes and I'm trying to avoid using the rings... and if the magnetic fields don't get disturbed from the little missalignment I only have to check that the bridge is perfectly aligned with the nut. Is it that correct ??? Sorry, it's my first building project

I've been thinking about the disalignment and it's a rotation where the center is in the top center line near the neck and the rotation is towards the short horn. I think the overall sound will not be affected if the bridge is set properly.

Edited April 26, 2006 by Jorge Fernandez

[brian d]

The pickup holes were made previously in the top and maybe this is effect you can see.

I like the look of the current pickups holes and I'm trying to avoid using the rings...

Jorge, did you mount the pickups into the top before gluing to the body?

I love that look.

Regards,

Brian.

[Jorge Fernandez]

Hi Brian,

Well, I routed the top and the body before glue them together. You can take a look from the next pics, the body

and the backside of the top:

If you're interested you can see all the pics of the building process in the next link

http://personales.ya.com/jorgefm/Guitar%20...ding/index.html

and I've documented all the process in a spanish forum like this. The link is:

http://foros.guitarramania.com/viewtopic.p...be14a670d18c765

I love this look too and I'm trying to get it work

Best regards

[fryovanni]

That's pretty nice work for a first build . Keep up the good work.

Peace,Rich

[radrobgray]

if you do infact glue the top with the pups in there like that how will you change them later if you chose to. or do you plan on not changing them? also when you stain and/or paint the top will it be attached?

[Jorge Fernandez]

Thanks a lot Rich!!

Rob, they're not glued on the top! The pickup's cavity is oversized to allow insert and remove it.

The next pic will show you this:

Regards,

Jorge

[fryovanni]

if you do infact glue the top with the pups in there like that how will you change them later if you chose to. or do you plan on not changing them? also when you stain and/or paint the top will it be attached?

I think he is placing the pickups after glueing. I believe a couple photo's show pickup wires hanging out of the pickup holes. I can't imagine feeding those through later if he glued the top down with pickups under the top. I think some of the early pictures have material stuffed in the pickup holes to keep them clean. I also see a close up of the knob holes(I assume the top was glued at that point), and no pickup just shielding and bonding wire. I may be wrong.

Peace,Rich

Edit; Sorry, I was typing while Jorge was posting.

[George Brown]

first off very clever with the p/u mouting you get the look of it being direct mounted with the adjustability of standard mounting rings

will you be replacing the bridge humbucker? if you leave it as it is there may be some differnce in volume from string to string but, i doubt it will be audioable.

[ihocky2]

One thing that I noticed (and I don't really know how it will affect the string placement) is that you have you bridge located parallel to the neck. You don't have it angled like usual on TOM's. That will affect intotation for you and as I picture this in my mind, by added the angle it will being the strings a little closer to the pole pieces.

[George Brown]

its a tone pros warparound, it has two adjustable srews to angle it at the posts and the saddles have plenty of travel, take a look at a prs wraparound it also has two overall adustable srews at the studs but the studs are parralell

Edited April 26, 2006 by George Brown

[Ben]

One thing that I noticed (and I don't really know how it will affect the string placement) is that you have you bridge located parallel to the neck. You don't have it angled like usual on TOM's. That will affect intotation for you and as I picture this in my mind, by added the angle it will being the strings a little closer to the pole pieces.

Thats what I thought when I saw the pic. Maybe when its angled slightly it will reduce the string spacing a bit. Cant imagine it would be much though.

Guitar looks great BTW!

Edited April 26, 2006 by Ben

[vikingblood]

try getting a F spaced humbucker to see if that makes a differance.

What is a f spaced humbucker?

[GregP]

Google "f-spaced humbucker" and the "I feel lucky" button gets me this:

http://www.jag-stang.com/FAQ/index.php?pag...p;id=39&c=4

Not the best page ever (it should show the f-spaced polepieces in an "after" shot!) but just an example that even the very first hit of an internet search will give you the answers.

In any event, since I'm already posting... might as well answer the question, too...

F-spaced pickups have their polepieces spread out a bit wider to accomodate for the fact that the strings are also wider apart closer to the bridge. My impression (not historical fact) is that it became pretty common to install them on superstrats equipped with Floyd Rose trems. The goal is to have the strings more accurately aligned with the polepieces. There is likely a quantifiable change in the sound between normal and f-spaced, but for the most part the magnetic field of a regular pickup is plenty large to accomodate strings that may be a little bit off-centre from the polepieces. The slugs and screws don't have laser-precise fields pointing straight out from them, after all.

Greg

[Guest AlexVDL]

.

[Jorge Fernandez]

Thanks a lot Rich!!

Rob, they're not glued on the top! The pickup's cavity is oversized to allow insert and remove it.

The next pic will show you this:

http://personales.ya.com/jorgefm/Guitar%20...ges/pupcav1.jpg

http://personales.ya.com/jorgefm/Guitar%20...es/p1000801.jpg

Regards,

Jorge

Hey I recognise that pic

Very cool you used my method... it looks very slick!!

Here is the guitar I made 10 years ago

Hi Alex! You're right

I saw your post and I thought that I liked that look! The cad pics are yours.

I think I sent your some PM with some questions...

Thanks!

Jorge