Adjustable PAF pole pieces are more than a 1950s Gibson marketing trick

[Meowy]

I have been struggling to remove some harsh overtones from a new build. It is an ~8.6K with an A4 bar.

There was a "scratchy" harsh string-to-string presence that was particularly annoying when playing major or minor 3rds in the lower registers, full chords or someone dissonant chords like an open E7 - and then only when played with with modest to heavy distortion.

Interestingly there were no such issues with single notes 5ths or power chords or with anything played clean

By adjusting the polepieces I was able to smooth out some of the harshness and left a desirable amount of grind. Now I'm interested to see what I might be able to do with 2 adjustable coils

[Djinn Guitars]

And staggered pole on fenders too...

I like double screw row pick ups. Like I said in another thread you've just got more adjustability, whether you really need it or not.

[David Schwab]

By adjusting the polepieces I was able to smooth out some of the harshness and left a desirable amount of grind. Now I'm interested to see what I might be able to do with 2 adjustable coils

But what exactly did you do? The thing about adjustable poles is you can raise the poles and lower the pickup, which cleans up the tone a bit, or lower the poles and raise the pickup, which seem to give a fuller tone.

I always cut my screw poles short so they don't protrude much out the back of the pickup. I think they sound better like that.

And staggered pole on fenders too...

I hate staggered pole Strat pickups. I don't mind an arch, but that vintage stagger always sounds uneven to me.

[Meowy]

But what exactly did you do? The thing about adjustable poles is you can raise the poles and lower the pickup, which cleans up the tone a bit, or lower the poles and raise the pickup, which seem to give a fuller tone.

I always cut my screw poles short so they don't protrude much out the back of the pickup. I think they sound better like that.



I hate staggered pole Strat pickups. I don't mind an arch, but that vintage stagger always sounds uneven to me.

More along your first scenario. i am thinking that the height difference - not between the strings on the screw - but between the slugs and the screws - is what made the difference. Kind of the same idea as mismatched coils, but here, mismatched string height

[Mark Hammer]

I hate staggered pole Strat pickups. I don't mind an arch, but that vintage stagger always sounds uneven to me.

There are things from the 50's that we begrudgingly accept and grumble about, never stopping to consider that people in 1956 did not use unwound G strings, and never had access to what we would call "light gauge" strings. The design of the pickups was predicated on the strings and amps in use, as well as the way they would be used. Staggered polepieces were a solution to a specific problem that existed at the time. That doesn't mean the problem does NOT still exist, just that it may apply to fewer people now than it did then.

I've grumbled ad nauseum about the stupidity of using the same tone capacitor value for the neck and bridge tone controls. Now that I think of it, though, I suppose that if you're using a .012, .017, and wound .026 for your E, B, and G strings, maybe what you need from your bridge tone control IS a little different than what you want when using a .010, .012, and unwound .017.

Context is everything, baby.

[David Schwab]

There are things from the 50's that we begrudgingly accept and grumble about, never stopping to consider that people in 1956 did not use unwound G strings, and never had access to what we would call "light gauge" strings. The design of the pickups was predicated on the strings and amps in use, as well as the way they would be used. Staggered polepieces were a solution to a specific problem that existed at the time. That doesn't mean the problem does NOT still exist, just that it may apply to fewer people now than it did then.

Oh I know that... and that's why it doesn't work well with today's strings. It was done for a reason in the beginning, but now that doesn't serve the original purpose anymore.

But people keep asking for "vintage" pickups, even though they will never get that "vintage" tone using those pickups with light strings.

I've grumbled ad nauseum about the stupidity of using the same tone capacitor value for the neck and bridge tone controls. Now that I think of it, though, I suppose that if you're using a .012, .017, and wound .026 for your E, B, and G strings, maybe what you need from your bridge tone control IS a little different than what you want when using a .010, .012, and unwound .017.

I agree. I like using a smaller cap on the bridge pickup, even on bass. Just takes off the top end and leaves all the mids.

[Djinn Guitars]

[QUOTE=David Schwab;55888].



I hate staggered pole Strat pickups. I don't mind an arch, but that vintage stagger always sounds uneven to me.[/QUOTE

But, you really notice the difference when you go to flat singles or put lefty singles in a righty strat. It really becomes evident how Jimmi did some of the things he did.