Staggered vs flat?

[Benjy_26]

Hello all.

I'm aware that most recommend that, on Fender style singles, one should use flat poled pickups if the fingerboard radius is greater than vintage spec in order to have proper volume balance between strings.

My question is: Does having vibtage staggered poles give a strat pickup a different sound vs flats?

What do you guys hear?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Staggered vs flat?

yes, i do hear a subtle difference

 

[Herby]

Re: Staggered vs flat?

I found with staggered poles and a 12" or more radius I had to flip the pickups to get a balance and it did work very well.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Staggered vs flat?

If I were to do the pickups in my Strat over again it'd go flat for sure at the bridge and maybe in the neck too. Probably in the middle too. The neck is a 10-16 radius on my strat, so I don't know if the neck would be better with a flat. I wouldn't want to lose the chimey clarity in the neck. But, I've read Jeremy post many times on flat being better, especially on more modern radius's, so I would trust his advice and start with flat all the way around. I could always swap back in the neck if needed.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Staggered vs flat?

Staggered seems to add to the strattiness to me. I do reverse stagger to make the treble strings louder and to attenuate the bass since I use heavy bot strings. I think you can't go wrong with flat tho since it's nice and even.

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: Staggered vs flat?

Vintage stagger makes a very noticeable difference, as the G-string just becomes quite strong compared to the others. To me, flat poles are an improvement in string balance for 9.5" and flatter finger boards.

Ideally there should be a modern stagger with taller D poles, while G-B-E poles need to be flat IMO.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Staggered vs flat?

I use and recommend flat when using everything but a vintage radius with a wound 3rd. I do hear a difference: the balance is better with flat on modern guitars with modern string gauges.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Staggered vs flat?

I use and recommend flat when using everything but a vintage radius with a wound 3rd. I do hear a difference: the balance is better with flat on modern guitars with modern string gauges.

Do you find any loss of the chime, air and stratty sweet qualities in the neck position? I wouldn't want to lose those qualities that are so amazing from the neck.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Staggered vs flat?

I had my fill of vintage stagger single coils years ago. I am never wasting more time fighting stratitis and string volume imbalance on modern fretboard radius guitars. As a matter of fact, I am also fed up with the incorrect polepiece spacing on strat neck pickups with modern Fender string spacing. That is why I use David Allen pickups on all my strats.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Staggered vs flat?

Do you find any loss of the chime, air and stratty sweet qualities in the neck position? I wouldn't want to lose those qualities that are so amazing from the neck.

I don't, no. Maybe other people think you lose that, but it sounds the same to me (other than string balance).

 

[Ascension]

Re: Staggered vs flat?

I have both and with flatter boards much prefer the ballace with the flat polls. Modern string guages also are a factor in particular with a plain 3rd so across the board prefer the flats for a more even string response.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Staggered vs flat?

I don't, no. Maybe other people think you lose that, but it sounds the same to me (other than string balance).

I have both and with flatter boards much prefer the ballace with the flat polls. Modern string guages also are a factor in particular with a plain 3rd so across the board prefer the flats for a more even string response.

+1

I have a 12-16" compound radius on my Strat with a SSL2 / SSL2 / SSL6 combo, and they sound great. Nice and Stratty with a beefier bridge sound and excellent string balance.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Staggered vs flat?

I always prefer staggered, and 9,5 radius. Never had problem with string balance.