Fender Player Series Necks

Sg335man

Hi, anybody know if the Fender Player Series Guitars the necks are compound or not? Unsure.  DonH

Funkfingers

Assume not, sir.

Compound radii arrive with the American Deluxe and Elite series.

Obviously, it should be possible to request this feature on a Custom Shop order form.

Sg335man

Thank you, I am a lefty so extremely limited without the Custom Shop which I find over expensive especially living in the U.K.  I am looking to change a lot of things including pickups.  That’s why I am looking at the Player Series.  It appears the Neck radius is 9.5 across the fretboard not compound.  I can get pickups L/H wound custom especially the pole stagger but may not have to, with a flat none compound neck. Cheers DonH 

Funkfingers

The vintage magnet length “stagger” pattern is designed to work with a 7.25” fingerboard radius and medium gauge strings.

With a 9.5” radius, you would be better off with either equal length polepieces or the reduced “stagger” of Seymour Duncan Stack pickups.

One of the MIM Classic Player models with a rosewood fingerboard models may have had a 12” radius.

Gerz6558

They are 9.5 radius, not compound. Nice necks!

Sg335man

I think the likes of Fralin and Lollar pickups etc all offer custom pickups for lefty etc. But it’s always expensive shipping Vat and import duty to the U.K.  when you look at UK pickup builders they all use the same materials and formulas etc. How can they be so different? Or are they. What’s the sound difference between Bare Knuckle pickups UK and Lindy Fralin or Jason Lollar Pickups US? 

thegummy

Definitely not compound.

Just to balance the "nice necks" comment, I'm not personally a fan so try one out.

Not sure what you mean about Bare Knuckle being so different to the other companies you mention? In what way might they be so different? Or do they not offer left handed versions?

Sg335man

I am thinking building pickups, if you use the same materials, techniques etc.  Sound wise there should be no difference from one company to another? The copying of retro 50s etc pickups, I can only think
ageing parts may play a part in the overall sound.  As to Bare Knuckles are there pickups any different than the USA made pickups? There is in price purchasing made in the US as the U.K.  But sound wise to
my ears no difference.  The variable our ears we are all different. 

thegummy

Sg335man said:

I am thinking building pickups, if you use the same materials, techniques etc.  Sound wise there should be no difference from one company to another? The copying of retro 50s etc pickups, I can only think
ageing parts may play a part in the overall sound.  As to Bare Knuckles are there pickups any different than the USA made pickups? There is in price purchasing made in the US as the U.K.  But sound wise to
my ears no difference.  The variable our ears we are all different. 

Any two companies' pickups are as different to each other as they are to Bare Knuckle; there isn't anything that pickups from the same country have in common that differs from those made in other countries.

Having said that, the difference between pickups is relative, any two vintage Strat pickups (for example) are going to have a lot more similarities than differences.

If you're not bothered about the subtle differences between pickups then there are much less expensive ones than Bare Knuckle, they're quite an expensive make. E.g. Wilkinson pickups are much cheaper than Bare Knuckle.

Funkfingers

Sg335man said:

if you use the same materials, techniques etc., sound wise, there should be no difference from one company to another? 

If only that were true.

Explaining why it is not could fill a very fat book. There are people on this forum far better qualified than I to write such a book.

Even if there were ever such a thing as a "perfect" pickup, the acoustic properties of host guitars will influence how it sounds. So will the set-up and the owner's playing style.

I have been meddling with pickups and guitars for forty years. The only valid test of pickups is trial and error.