trembucker spacing really matter?

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I'm looking for a humbucker for my strat, and most of the ones I find, won't be spaced for strat spacing. I've never ab'd, but wonder how much, if any it matters.

I'm thinking if it didn't matter why would companies bother making F or tremspacing, but OTOH, I remember on Peavey Wolfgangs, the poles did not line up at all, but those guitars sounded really good.
 
Re: trembucker spacing really matter?

Some people say it doesn't and some say it does. I've noticed on a couple guitars where the pole spacing was way off of the high e that it would sound weak. That said, a regular spaced bucker centered properly in the bridge position of an f spaced guitar is more or less close enough to work just fine.
 
Re: trembucker spacing really matter?

IF you do want to use a regular spaced pu just make sure that the high E side is more under the pole piece than the low E.
This is because the high E is not as naturally as powerful as the low E string.
I have used regular spaced pu's with floyds before this way and had no issues at all:burnout:
 
Re: trembucker spacing really matter?

The Duncan Trembucker poles, if lined up accurately, should have the string exactly centered on each pole. The Dimarzio "F-space" is slightly narrower from my personal experience. However, the Duncan design does require slight modifications to the pickguard or route in order to fit... the bobbin itself is bigger, whereas the Dimarzio design uses standard sized bobbins.

It depends on how strong the magnet is in your pickup and how much bending you do. The strings over a Dimarzio Super Distortion (thick ceramic) won't really move "out" of the magnetic field as it would for a '78 Model Duncan (Alnico 2), so I'd recommend the latter be a Trembucker so you don't lose any strength and sustain when you bend hard.

Both Wolfgangs, Peavey and the current Fender version, do have a more "standard" bridge spacing but (if I'm not mistaken) use thin ceramics with a fairly strong magnetic field, so it doesn't matter as much.

Also, some people prefer the look of poles that line up precisely and are willing to make the minor mods to fit a Trembucker. I love mine, personally.
 
Re: trembucker spacing really matter?

Well I was thinking about a Gibson '57 in a strat with a vintage spaced trem. I'm not going to angle the pickup or anything.
 
Re: trembucker spacing really matter?

Gibson stuff is almost as wide as Trembuckers, anyway. If you center it, you'll be fine.
 
Re: trembucker spacing really matter?

ok
my TB-4 and SH-2

100_0033.jpg

clearer pic but at an angle
100_0035.jpg


measuring the INF3 & INF4 that originally came in my RG4
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the pickup covers at Mojo Musical come in three sizes
standard = 49mm = E to E centered
50mm
and 51mm

trembuckers 51mm
 
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Re: trembucker spacing really matter?

I had a Super Distortion in my guitar with a American-spaced Wilkey trem and it was not exactly lined up. The strings were slightly outside the poles. It had the "F" on the back of the baseplate. Just sayin'. Maybe the Ibanez pups are slightly wider.
 
Re: trembucker spacing really matter?

i put the hot rodded humbuckers in my agile, and the pickup covers wouldnt fit, so then i put in the new pickups and they didnt line up straight, the agile pickups were widerspaced, as if both were F-spaced

really, i dont think it makes that much of a difference, in theory it should but my low E is clearly heard when i strum a chord
 
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