Hey ya’ll, My understanding, in the 6 string electric guitar world, is that aligning strings with PU magnetic poles is ideal. If I use a 6 pole PU on my 3 strings, would I attempt to align the strings in between the 6 magnetic poles?
Thank you for your input
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I agree with anonymous. It doesn't really matter.
The whole Fender spacing vs Gibson spacing is overblown. When you bend a string, do you hear the volume change as it passes between the pickup poles? I have a Strat with P-90s. Awesome combo, BTW, if you are into P90s. The poles do not line up exactly with the strings. Not an issue that I can hear.
For 3 stringer, if the center string volume is weaker, raise the middle two poles higher.
From someone that has been making pickups for 25 years:
"CurtisNovak wrote:Yep I get this one a lot. It is not the magnets that make a pickup work it is the coil. You can actually make a pickup with out a magnet all together, but you can not make a pickup with just magnets. Your coils is the sensor, all the magnet does is magnify / intensify the field for the coil pickup. Secondly a magnet does NOT create a laser focus field it is much more of a flood field that encompasses a wide area. So it is not required to be directly under the string to work."
Who is Curtis Novak?
https://guitar.com/features/interviews/curtis-novak-master-pickup-m...
Taffy, I pulled 2 poles with success, once. Maybe I just got lucky. The git hasn't come back for repair....but I'm going to advise others to NOT use this method. Fixing a git over a failed pickup problem that I caused would be a huge fail. Slant the 6 pole, or get a properly poled pickup.
Hi, I think pulling those two poles may cause the windings to collapse, but obviously the pickup still works, if you have used that idea. When I tried it the coil went slack and I junked the pickup.
Taff
Thanks, Taffy. I haven't posted for a while, I forgot about the glitch. Anyway, I was agreeing with AnonPick. I've slanted 6 pole p'ups so that the 1 and 6 poles are just outside the 1 and 3 strings, results have always been fine. I do believe that "sting adjacent" works great. Also, for those who don't know, a cb gitty 4 pole p/up cover will also fit the 6 pole p/up.Pull out poles 1 and 6,put 4 pole cover on to p/u, install and let 'er rip.
Hi Grandpa, use HTML Editor to get your posts to appear.
DONT USE VISUAL MODE ....'COS IT AINT VISUAL
Taff
Really , it's not much of an issue . the mag field radiates outwards and will read the string even if it is off center . some folks try and slant the pickup to align it better . but this can also effect tone on either end of the pickup . thats not a bad thing .. just another reason some pickups are slanted . some also use poleless pickups . , some even cover the pickup. mostly for looks . but long story short.. on a cbg , it does not really matter enough to make a big difference.... besides looks .
The reason why you center the strings over the magnets is because of signal strength & clarity, between the magnets will give you reduced volume & a muffled tone?