Hitting middle Strat pickup

Onpar

Different types of guitars have pros and cons but I do love the feel of the contoured body of a strat, it's comfortable and just feels right to me. I love Les Pauls and Teles but it's not comfortable like a strat is to me.

However, I seem to be constantly hitting the middle pickup with my pick and/or fingers. This can either be whilst picking individual strings or at the bottom of a full down-strokes when strumming chords and funk rhythm. Sometimes it's the plastic pickup cover and sometimes the pole pieces. It's annoying, where as on my tele there is so much freedom and real-estate to just pick in different places.

Does anyone else have the same issue? any thoughts on how to get around it?

EricTheWeary

IIRC Joe Bonamassa had the same issue and mostly stopped using strats. Obviously owning a shed load of vintage Gibsons is your answer...

I don't think I've had it as an issue with a pick, may be a set up issue if your pick up is that close to the strings (?), with hybrid picking I just have to move my hand behind or ahead of the middle pickup and get my brain adjusted to it. I suspect my strat pick ups are set quite low though, although that's more because I have an issue with popping the strings on the bridge pickup - any guitar I ever pick up I usually have to lower the pickups.   

BluesLover

How about ordering a custom loaded pickguard from one of the makers on here? A single coil in neck position, no middle pickup, maybe a humbucker in bridge...

Roland

Onpar said:

Different types of guitars have pros and cons but I do love the feel of the contoured body of a strat, it's comfortable and just feels right to me. I love Les Pauls and Teles but it's not comfortable like a strat is to me.

However, I seem to be constantly hitting the middle pickup with my pick and/or fingers. This can either be whilst picking individual strings or at the bottom of a full down-strokes when strumming chords and funk rhythm. Sometimes it's the plastic pickup cover and sometimes the pole pieces. It's annoying, where as on my tele there is so much freedom and real-estate to just pick in different places.

Does anyone else have the same issue? any thoughts on how to get around it?

Some people sink the pickup out of the way, and don’t use those switch positions. If you try that, and it works for you, then you could move to a two pickup Strat. 

You could also try lowering all the pickups. It’s my personal view that many players have their pickups too high in an attempt to increase volume. Lower pickups give a different tone, and you can add volume with a pedal, or by turning up your amp.

webrthomson

I have exactly the same issue, a legacy of my mainly HH format guitars, I sink the middle pickup to the scratchplate on my Strat.

I don’t use that pickup on it’s own very much so it does not make that much difference to me if it is quieter, and I can’t tell any difference when it’s used in combination with the other pickups

Try it and see - if you dont like they way it sounds it's a 10 second fix!

hollywoodrox

Any time I have a guitar with a middle pickup I have it screwed down flat and just use bridge and neck

Funkfingers

If you play finger or hybrid picking style, the thumb and/or plectrum aim between the neck and centre pickups. The remaining fingers aim between the centre and bridge pickups.

viz

KONX!

Musicwolf

I think that Richie Blackmore used to wind the middle pickup almost flat to the body (of course this is no good if you actually want to use it).

I do hit my Strat middle pickup but it's more noticable on my PRS Studio 22 which has narrow field humbuckers rather than true single coils.  I don't see it as being in my top ten guitar related issues though.

Just keep hitting the little bugger (they love it really)

axisus

I can never understand that. Strats are the guitar I'm most comfortable with, and I have never had the slightest hint of a problem with the middle pickup getting in the way. 

soma1975

yep same. 

I don't think I could replicate the problem if I tried. 

Cols

I had the same issue with hitting the middle pickup on a Red Special (regular guitar was a Les Paul).  Over time it went away with regular use of the Red Special; I’m guessing that my picking just adapted over time to avoid hitting it.  

I’d suggest spending some time using the Strat preferentially to see if you can unconsciously train yourself out of it.

LastMantra

soma1975 said:

yep same. 

I don't think I could replicate the problem if I tried. 

Me neither. My pick doesn't go under the strings for it to hit the pickup. Must be a technique thing.

sev112

I’m a little guy.  My normal position on my strat (and my lp) is the neck pickup.  Which is quite frustrating as I like to use metal guitar picks and they get attracted to the magnets !  And is partly why I recently bought an esquire . So maybe it’s about how long our arms are and how our straps hang 

Mark1960

I've played a strat for 30 years and never noticed hitting the pickups. Is the pickup set at the right height? If it is it must be something to do with your technique, or the way you hold the guitar and plectrum

ICBM

I dislike raised staggered poles mostly for this reason - which is worse than just hitting them, because I play without a pick and the polepieces tend to break my fingernails - although ones with beveled edges and a lower G pole (which you need anyway with a plain G string) aren't as bad. Flush poles are fine, so the pickup itself isn't the issue.

Keefy

BluesLover said:

How about ordering a custom loaded pickguard from one of the makers on here? A single coil in neck position, no middle pickup, maybe a humbucker in bridge...

Robbie Robertson got there first:

lovestrat74

Yep same problem. I even removed the middle pup on my strat. Now I just play my tele. I think I am done with strats now. The tele just feels like home to me. Think it might be the string spacing too on a tele. Much better for finger style imo. 

Barney

Yeah I had the same problem but just lowered the pickup a touch 

Trude

I've never had this problem with Strats or my #1, which is a 3PU Les Paul.  I reckon it's because I use the "shoulders" of the plectrum instead of the pointy side.  Not sure why, but I've always done this - means my plectrums last twice as long, and when they're worn out I can donate them to a pointy-end user

Looking at the gold cover of my middle humbucker, it's had a far amount of wear over the years, but I'm never aware of it when playing.

thomasw88

never had the issue..  are you guys using super thick plectrums or pieces of concrete or something?  Or are you absolutely battering the strings with your right hand?