Quick SC question

[markeymark]

Making 3 SCs for my G&L (Strat Style) with a 12" radius neck. Should I go with flush rods (.67") or the vintage staggerd. (I've always been told over 10" radius to use flush polepieces.)

Thanks for your help.

Peace

[Sweetfinger]

Depends....

The original stagger on SC's was to even out the string response on the average strings of the day- likely 12's with a wound 3rd, or flatwounds! With lighter strings the stagger favors some strings more than others, not so good if you're looking for a sweet string to string balanced sound, but if you're going for a Jimi or Stevie sound, a small part of that sound is the eneven response from a modern string set with a staggered pickup.

You can take a standard Fender Strat pup, with the molded plastic bobbin, and shove the magnets up and down to quickly experiment with different staggers: even, slightly radiused, vintage right handed, vintage left handed, or weird-o settings of your own. It must be a plastic bobbin pup, or you'll saw through the windings on the ends.

[Spence]

I recommend the following:

E A D G B E
0.688 0.688 0.719 0.712 0.653 0.688

Call it a short stagger if you like. I have made plenty of these sets but there will always be someone who'll disagree with a stagger on a 12" radiused fretboard.

[markeymark]

Thanks guys...

Peace