I know this is something that has been discussed on the board before but I was hoping to double check before I make a purchase, so I throw this open to the collective wisdom of the 'board...
I'm converting an SSS 2015 American Standard Strat to HSS. I have read about F-Spacing etc which I think would dictate a 53mm pickup (I'm thinking BKP Holy Diver or Mule) but when I get the calipers out it gives me 51.56mm - almost smack bang between 50mm and 53mm, so does this mean it's down to aesthetic choice at this point?
I'm also thinking of upgrading the bridge at some point to a Vega or Wilkinson - would that have a knockoff effect, does anyone know?
Thanks in advance for any advice,
Cheers
Alex
The measurement calipers (sheesh, look at all that dust!) :
The guitar:
Comments
FWIIW, I have a Callaham sustain block going spare. (The design is intended to replace the block on earlier Am Std vibratos with the offset intonation screws. The stock blocks were prone to cracking.) I need to check the Callaham website to determine whether all of the drilled holes will align with your 2015 baseplate. The most critical detail is the arm thread.
i’ll have a look into the Callaham bridges and get back to you if that’s ok? Thanks so much for the feedback
IMO, these are good enough for Mexican Standard guitars or American Stratocasters with a double locking vibrato system. Basic fulcrum vibratos deserve German machineheads.
It often doesn't even *really* matter if the E strings just miss the polepieces entirely, although you may start to hear a small difference - but given the choice, I would always prefer a pickup with slightly wider spacing than the strings to one slightly narrower... mostly because it looks better .
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Great thank you @OilCityPickups - funnily enough I'm looking for pickups for my first from-scratch guitar build as well which is a Tele Deluxe. I need to crack on and finish it!
I had a 56.4 mm Stratocaster bridge with a 52mm pickup - and the 1st string was definitely quieter. Not so much evident whilst playing clean or heavily overdriven. But when the amplifier was said “on the edge of break up”, the E (1st) string remained clean while the other Strings overdrove…
The picture below shows a DiMarzio normal spaced humbucker with vintage Stratocaster string spacing.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Despite this, the guitar manages to produce a goodly racket from all six strings.