S-D Pickup Pole Measurements by Yours Truly

[ThreeChordWonder]

These by digital "vernier" caliper, known by machinists the world over as a "very near", but close enough for this exercise.

All are 6-string E to e pole center to pole center.

Strat pickups:

SSL-1 bridge and neck = 2.06 inches - call it 2.0625 = 2-1/16 inches (note 1)
SSL-1 RWRP middle = 2.06 inches = 2-1/16" [EDIT - there was a typo here - I put it in as TWENTY point 06!!)
59/Custom Hybrid = 1.91 inches = 1-15/16" ( I definitely need to swap this one for a trembucker)
TB-4 Trembucker bridge = 2.06 inches = 2-1/16 inches (note 2)
Jazz neck = 1.91 inches = 1-15/16"

Tele pickups:

Quarterpounder bridge = 2.19 inches = 2-3/16 inches (note 3)
La Brea Bridge = 2.19 inches = 2-3/16 inches (note 3)
Little 59 humbucker bridge = 2.25 inches (note 4)

Notes:

1. The bridge pickup is angled at, I think, 12 degrees, so the effective spacing is 2-1/16 x cos(12 deg.) = 2.017 inches or about 2-1/64 inches, 3/64ths less than the string spacing.
2. This matches the standard modern Strat string spacing of 2-1/16 inches.
3. These pickup are angled at 15 degrees, I think, so the effective spacing is 2-3/16 x cos (15 deg.) = 2.11 inches or about 2-1/8" which matches traditional Telecaster string spacing.
4. These are angled and the poles spaced so that the slotted poles are under the E and e strings.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

PS I just got an email back from S-D support. All their pickups are made the same regardless of position, which, they say, is true of Fender pickups too. So there you have it.

 

[jeremy]

yes, was this in question?

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

In another thread, someone was asking about Trembuckers vs. regular pickups.

AFAIK S-D isn't making Trembuckers at the present time, so you have to hunt for them.

 

[Masta' C]

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Independent verification.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I had no idea the 59/Custom hybrid and JazzN are narrower spaced than standard Duncan humbuckers.
Seems very odd - why is that?

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

No idea, but that's what I measured.

Maybe I got ones designed for another brand of guitar by accident.

My strings measure about 1.90 centers over the neck pickup,, so the pickup is "about" right.

My 59/Custom Hybrid is probably a neck PU put into the bridge by the idiot builder, i.e. me. A trembucker will be sourced in due course.

 

[JB6464]

I had no idea the 59/Custom hybrid and JazzN are narrower spaced than standard Duncan humbuckers.
Seems very odd - why is that?

That's odd , the covers off my regular 59's fit right on the 59/custom and the pole pieces all line up .
Per my conversation with SD on the phone the other day , all the regular humbuckers are the same except Trembuckers , which are wider .

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Well....

I just checked my measurements and...

IDK - maybe I've got fakes?

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

That's odd , the covers off my regular 59's fit right on the 59/custom and the pole pieces all line up .
Per my conversation with SD on the phone the other day , all the regular humbuckers are the same except Trembuckers , which are wider .

Same as WHAT? Have you measured yours?

My 59/Custom Hybrid is the same as my Jazz, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if the covers off a "regular 59" fit the "59/custom" as well.

This is like the instrumentation engineer's "what time is it?" question.

Mr. A says is 12-15.
Mr. B says it's 12-45.
Mr. C says it's 12-42.

Who do you believe and what time is it really?

 

[eclecticsynergy]

My understanding was that Duncan humbuckers are only made with PAF spacing or trembucker spacing.
(Excluding oddballs like PATBs and various rail pickups, of course).
Any regular sized Duncan cover should fit every standard spaced Duncan humbucker.

That's why I was surprised to hear about a few with pole spacing a full 1/8" narrower than normal.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

I did some rough math last night.

Assume "frequent" string spacing at the bridge of 2-1/16 inches (52.4 mm) and 1.65 inches (42 mm) at the nut.

That means the E and e strings narrow by 52.4 - 42 = 10.4 mm total, 5.2 mm individually.

The scale length is 25.5 inches or 647.7 mm, say 648 mm.

So the tangents of the angle is 5.2 / 648. No need to work that out or the angle for what follows.

The neck pickup is about 19-1/4 inches (single coil), 19-3/4 inches (humbucker), both to the center of the pickup, from the neck.

Let's work on the humbucker.

19-3/4 inches is 501.7 mm, call it 508.

So by the rule of similar triangles, the growth in width from the nut to the pickup is (5.2 / 648) x 508 = 4.076 mm, call it 4.1 mm.

So the E to e spacing becomes 42 + (2 × 4.1) = 50.2 mm.

Which is 1.98 inches.

Which is near as dammit halfway between 1.91 and 2.06 inches.

So I am guessing whoever specified the pole spacing for their humbuckers did so based on tring spacing over the middle humbucker and a "close enough" for the other positions. Which is what I would do for moderate, not mass (like iPhones or candy bars or...) production, to keep tooling and component inventory costs down.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

59 humbucker drawing:

https://www.seymourduncan.com/wp-co...overed-Short-Magnet-Long-Leg-Bottom-Plate.gif

5 x 0.385 = 1.925 inches

 

[JB6464]

Same as WHAT? Have you measured yours?

My 59/Custom Hybrid is the same as my Jazz, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if the covers off a "regular 59" fit the "59/custom" as well.

This is like the instrumentation engineer's "what time is it?" question.

Mr. A says is 12-15.
Mr. B says it's 12-45.
Mr. C says it's 12-42.

Who do you believe and what time is it really?

All my SD pickups are the standard PAF spacing , NOT the Trembucker models .
And all of my pickup covers from my JB , C5 , 59/custom Hybrid , regular 59's , Jazz and Distortion pickup covers are all interchangeable with each other .
The only question I had recently for SD was the spacing between the neck and bridge pickups , but after talking to SD on the phone they stated ALL pickup have the same spacing unless you buy a Trembucker pickup made for wider string spacing for units like Floyd Rose .
All of the screw holes line up and I can swap them around any way I like with no problems , I don't need to measure them .

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

^ That seems to be the conclusion.

 

[Masta' C]

SD only manufactures their standard humbucker bobbins in 2 sizes...regular and trembucker spaced.

If your pickups don't match the specs, then there's either something wrong with your pickups, your measurements, or both

Feel free to post pics of the pickups that don't conform and we can see if there's anything unusual about them

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

^ Within the accuracy of my late night, strings still on, vernier measurents, the exercise was confirmatory only.

All of my pickups were bought from what I believe, are official S-D retailers, no issues from me.