Flat Vs. Staggered

[MetalManiac]

and no, I'm not talking about me on a friday night..
I mean Strat pickup pole pieces . Yes, I've Googled it ( obsolete deatil cause of wound G and vintage radius argument) , and yes, I know this may have been discussed before.
So some one please provide a link , or perhaps ad something to help someone understand a little more clearly.
I am and always have been a Strat dude, and I don't know why it took me this long to get really really into the Duncan SSL-3.4/5/6's, and as you may know the difference in models involves flat vs. staggered pole-pieces.

 

[dr. ad]

Re: Flat Vs. Staggered

if you don't have a right-handed guitar with a 7 1/4" radius fingerboard, you want flat.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Flat Vs. Staggered

if you don't have a right-handed guitar with a 7 1/4" radius fingerboard, you want flat.

Don't forget the flatwound G, mofo! ...lol

 

[dr. ad]

Re: Flat Vs. Staggered

heh heh
seriously tho, i've noticed the plain 3rd sounding slighly louder but haven't found that to be an issue (i have a stag mag in a squier tele at the moment)
i only notice it with a bit of dirt, and then it's kinda a good thing

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Flat Vs. Staggered

I prefer flat, rather than staggered. The most noticable difference for me is notes past the 10th fret. With flat poles I don't notice as much stratitus or odd overtones.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Flat Vs. Staggered

Basically the idea is to have the magnets (poles) the same distance from the string.


The information you've found is not obsolete. Those specs are still in play today.


As Dr. Ad said - if you're not playing fretted rolling pin, you want flat.

 

[FAC]

Re: Flat Vs. Staggered

I asked the same question a few weeks ago...my 2010 Am. Strat came with staggered. I replaced the pickups with Fralin Blues Specials (had them already), flat poles. Of course, the sound is night and day, so the difference in tone aside, I think the string balance is better with the flat pole, at least on this guitar.

also check out http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=flat-vs-staggered-pole-pickups

link to other thread: https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=203755&highlight=staggered+flat

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Flat Vs. Staggered

The third element in the magnet height stagger pattern on early Fender pickups was the use of what, today, we would consider to be Medium gauge guitar strings. Not just the wound G. The whole .012-.056 set.

 

[Artie]

Re: Flat Vs. Staggered

There's actually 3 different profiles. Flat, as in "flat as a ruler", staggered, as in the D and G at slightly different heights, and then there's the radiused, which has the poles follow the neck radius. I have all three. I think the "staggered" is the somewhat "odd-man-out". Although, my Tele Antiquity has that stagger and sounds great.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Flat Vs. Staggered

The staggered pole pickups sound different to me vs their flat counterparts. It's not night and day, but I notice it when playing clean in the 2 & 4 positions.