Sting marks on Rail

[RW James]

I have a Vintage Rail in the neck position on my Strat. I just noticed that I appear to have string wear marks on the rails. I checked the height visually and I seem to have plenty of clearance... but I am assuming that the only way those marks could get there would be direct contact from the strings.

Is there any other way the rails could be marked like that?

Is this damaging the pickup in any way?

I have the guitar torn apart right now, so I can't tell you the exact string height. Should I try to clean the rails? (I tried seeing if I could scrape the mark off with a finger nail and it had no affect)

Thanks,
Rick

 

[Scott Miller]

Re: Sting marks on Rail

Do you leave your guitar on a stand when you are not playing it? Maybe it is being exposed to some sunlight (or just strong light in general) and the marks you are seeing are caused by the sun sort of 'bleaching' the blades except for the spots where the strings are casting shadows. Kind of a long shot, but you never know.

 

[RW James]

Re: Sting marks on Rail

Interesting thought... but no. I do leave the guitar at times on a stand (I usually have at least one of my guitars on a stand so I can practice). But they are never in direct sunlight.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Sting marks on Rail

Look closely at the pickups. Is this just a colouration, or are the rails actually physically worn down (grooves, scratches, etc)?

If it's just colour, it may be corrosion casting off the strings onto the rails, in which case it's nothing to worry about.

 

[RW James]

Re: String marks on Rail

Re: String marks on Rail

Okay - I looked a little closer and I can see nicks in the silver rails along with the discolorization.

The black rails while they are not discolored do have a "flat" reflective quality at each string position - and no nicks. Are the black rails made of a denser material than the silver rails?

So I guess I am hitting the rails with the strings... I am assuming this isn't really all that serious since they still play well. Right?

I'll try setting them a little lower. What is the recommended height at the neck position?

Rick

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: Sting marks on Rail

I don't know if there's a "normal" or "average" height for the neck pup. It's more of just adjusting it until it matches the bridge pup's output the way you like it - as long as it's not so far away that it sounds bad or so close that it pulls the strings out of tune. My cool rails that I have in the neck is backed off a good deal because it sounded very bassy, especially with my amp. I like the sound and the output still matches well with the others, so I'm happy. I don't know of any immediate problems with the strings hitting occasionally (other than the magnets trying to keep them there.