How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

[uOpt]

Am I right assuming some folks here have more pickups than they need and that some have both Gibson-style and Fender-style guitars? I though so

How do you guys deal with the problem of string spacing at the bridge?

I annoys me no end that my humbuckers don't really fit under the Fender-style bridges and that I would have to buy a second pickup to get the right string spacing. Not to mention that even if you go through the trouble of trying your humbucker and then ordering the same pickup as a trembucker you might end up with differently sounding pickups anyway. Afterwards you'll have difficulties selling them on ebay.

I would have assumed that most people who like to fiddle with pickups and electronics have Stratocaster style guitars and hence buy Trembuckers. But the market clearly says otherwise. The mass of pickups I see pushed through are normal-spaced humbuckers.

Personally, I have solved the problem by using normal humbuckers and one of the Schaller bridges that can adjust the strings spacing (the fixed bridge with rollers). Not perfect, because the minimum spacing is still slightly too much, but works well enough and I don't use tremolos anyway.

What's your solution?

• Ignore problem, use normal humbucker in your Fender-style guitars.
• Use a bridge or tremolo with narrow spacing (like I do).
• Don't care about the Fender-style guitars enough to worry.
• What's a Stratocaster?
• You actually have Trembuckers?
• You only use SC-sized humbuckers because you don't like the wood/pickguard work and/or it's too 80ties to have humbuckers in a Strat.

 

[disturb]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

I always use normal 'buckers. Even on Floyd's and Fenders. They're only off a hair. It keeps it vintage. They didn't have that TB bull**** back when people started putting them in strats.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

I just order what I need when I need it. If it is a F spaced guitar, then I get an F spaced pup.

 

[jimijames]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

you didn't include angling the pickup (a la eddie van halen)

 

[Simon_F]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

My one and only Strat is SSS.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

Don't be so tweaked by what it looks like. Be concerned only with what it sounds like. The string doesn't have to be dead center on a bridge pu pole to get the full output. If you don't hear a problem, there isn't a problem.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

I pretty much only buy TBs of F-Sp for the bridge anymore...

 

[Mr. B]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

I bought a couple of trem-spaced humbuckers before I tried putting a regular sized one in my favorite strat. I really can't imagine that It makes a lick of difference, now that I have heard it for myself. I now have 2 regulars in strats that I like more than the other one that DOES fit correctly. I hear no EQ problems. I will never buy another trem spaced pickup, because then I can't test them out in my PRS/Gibson guitars.

If Duncan could make double cream color, I wouldn't have to worry about that either. Every guitar I have would have them.

 

[uOpt]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

you didn't include angling the pickup (a la eddie van halen)

Right, but I don't seem to be able to edit the poll. Duh.

But I'm not sure about this method. I am not even convinced that it is a good thing for a Strat and Tele to have the bridge pickup as angled as they do.

 

[Kac]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

I get whatever the guitar calls for.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

If Duncan could make double cream color, I wouldn't have to worry about that either. Every guitar I have would have them.

You have to special order them, but you can get Duncan double creams. Give 'em a call.

 

[sosomething]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

I use trem-spaced humbuckers on my trem'd guitars. I'm too anal retentive to have it any other way.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

Don't be so tweaked by what it looks like. Be concerned only with what it sounds like. The string doesn't have to be dead center on a bridge pu pole to get the full output. If you don't hear a problem, there isn't a problem.

+ a whole bunch. If the Es sound bad, use a trembucker. If not, don't sweat it.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

I just order what I need when I need it. If it is a F spaced guitar, then I get an F spaced pup.

+1 :beerchug:

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

I am happy to say my after market pus are all Bladed and the PATB Crazy 8

 

[Stratfan]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

When I had a '59 trembucker put in my old Strat the hole in the new Fender HSS pickguard had to be widened for it to fit. My current Strat has the Pearly Gates Plus (which is regular spaced) and it fits perfectly in the pickguard. As for string spacing over the pole pieces, I couldn't hear a noticeable difference.

I believe that the string spacing on the "vintage" style bridge is slightly wider than on my Amer. Series 2 point bridge and may work better with a trembucker.

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

Trembuckers are easy enough to come by. But if I don't have one handy, I'll use a standard spaced one. I've never heard a difference with Duncan pickups. And the people listening to my songs on myspace or on CD aren't looking at the guitar anyway.

Heck, if an ugly beat up Franken-Strat worked for Van Halen, the polepieces being a hair off aren't gonna be a big deal for me.

 

[ponch]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

if it makes noise that makes me happy.

 

[Rich_S]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

I voted "What's a Stratocaster?" for obvious reasons.

Really, I take exception to what you said about "difficulties selling them on ebay". There are SO many HB-equipped, Fender-style guitars out there these days, that the used market for Trembuckers or F-spaced or whatever you want to call them is pretty much friction-free.

Case in point: when I built my PT above, I decided to start with a 59 set, and wanted 2nd-hand pickups. I simply looked (and/or advertised) in the Trading Post for a used trem-spaced 59B, and got one within a day. A few months down the road, I decided I really needed a Custom instead. Again I looked in the Trading Post, and within a day 1) obtained the Custom I wanted and 2) found a good home for the 59B. Trem-spacing is not an impediment to buying or selling pickups.

On the other hand, I doubt my PT would sound much different with a normal Custom in it.

 

[Gr8Scott]

Re: How do you deal with the bridge spacing/trembucker problem?

I use trem-spaced humbuckers on my trem'd guitars. I'm too anal retentive to have it any other way.

Same here. I don't want even the possibility of misalignment. Some people think it makes no difference if the string is slightly out, but I have noticed a slight volume difference in pickups that weren't properly aligned.