How far?

[Ruel]

How far should adjustable polepieces protrude from the baseplate?

[David Schwab]

I guess as much as you might need to adjust them up.. but I cut mine off pretty much flush. I think they sound better that way. Less magnetic field being waisted out the bottom.

As a disclaimer, I have not made that many Gibson style humbuckers. Yet.

[LtKojak]

I cut mine off pretty much flush. I think they sound better that way. Less magnetic field being waisted out the bottom.

+ 1

I first adjust the screws following the string radius, then cut'em out flush with the baseplate. I can't say I've made any A/B comparison test uncut vs. cut, mind you, but I too think they (should) sound better this way. I sure like the way my p'ups sound in my various guitars.

Pepe aka Lt. Kojak
Milano, Italy

[SK66]

I leave them "stock". Cutting them down will increase the "magnetic efficiency" and change the resulting magnetic field/response. I think the difference is minimal and "Gibson Types" always had the extra screw length.

A cut screw pole will likely destroy the threads in a bobbin if removed after cutting. You never know what a customer/tech will do when adjusting pickups. To prevent this you really need to mark them, remove them, cut them, then recut the threads on the screw with a die.
(alternatively, screw an appropriately sized nut onto it before cutting, cut/bevel the end, then remove the nut)
PITA and generally not worth it IMO.

[David Schwab]

I leave them "stock". Cutting them down will increase the "magnetic efficiency" and change the resulting magnetic field/response. I think the difference is minimal and "Gibson Types" always had the extra screw length.

That's why I did it. I like humbuckers with matching poles better, like both coils with stud coils. But that's just my personal preference. I did get the idea from the interview with Seth Lover though.

A cut screw pole will likely destroy the threads in a bobbin if removed after cutting. You never know what a customer/tech will do when adjusting pickups. To prevent this you really need to mark them, remove them, cut them, then recut the threads on the screw with a die.
(alternatively, screw an appropriately sized nut onto it before cutting, cut/bevel the end, then remove the nut)
PITA and generally not worth it IMO.

Very good advice. I was making these for myself, but you don't want to send them out like that.

[David Schwab]

I can't say I've made any A/B comparison test uncut vs. cut, mind you, but I too think they (should) sound better this way.

I didn't record before and after or anything, but I tried them both ways and liked what I heard better with the screws short.

But I was probably looking for a different tone than most people do. I'm used to blade humbuckers.

[kevinT]

A cut screw pole will likely destroy the threads in a bobbin if removed after cutting. You never know what a customer/tech will do when adjusting pickups. To prevent this you really need to mark them, remove them, cut them, then recut the threads on the screw with a die.
(alternatively, screw an appropriately sized nut onto it before cutting, cut/bevel the end, then remove the nut)
PITA and generally not worth it IMO.

+ 2 ....good point.

[LtKojak]

Originally Posted by SK66 -
you really need to mark them, remove them, cut them, then recut the threads on the screw with a die

I surely didn't recut the thread! I did, however, (after I recreated the bridge's radius) marked'em, removed'em, cut'em and slightly beveled'em before I've put'em back. I don't know why you're so sure about the "distruction of the thread of the bobbins". I'm sure you've got your reasons, I just can't figure'em out.

Anyway, that's something you do only once.

I've learned this trick from my 1967 MIJ Emperador 335 copy. The original GOTOH p'ups came like this from the factory. Now it has a SD Jazz bridge on the neck and a SD Custom 5 in the bridge. It's wired with the '50 mod and has a 500k pot with a .47 cap in the neck and a 300K with a .22 cap on the bridge. This guitar can give a run for its money to any Gibson 335 CS and then some.

Pepe aka Lt. Kojak
Milano, Italy

[kevinT]

I surely didn't recut the thread! I did, however, (after I recreated the bridge's radius) marked'em, removed'em, cut'em and slightly beveled'em before I've put'em back. I don't know why you're so sure about the "distruction of the thread of the bobbins". I'm sure you've got your reasons, I just can't figure'em out.

Pepe aka Lt. Kojak
Milano, Italy

You're basically doing the same thing by beveling...I think SK's point is you have to do something with the jagged edges after you cut the shank because it will create havoc with the plastic if you don't and it will mess up any threads inside the bobbin that were either already created or after the start of the shank entering the bobbin deforming the virgin plastic.

[David Schwab]

You're basically doing the same thing by beveling...I think SK's point is you have to do something with the jagged edges after you cut the shank because it will create havoc with the plastic if you don't and it will mess up any threads inside the bobbin that were either already created or after the start of the shank entering the bobbin deforming the virgin plastic.

SK's right, of course. Untreated ends would chew up the bobbin a bit.

But just for the record, I cut mine off with end nippers while they were still in the pickup. I haven't unscrewed them since.

[Possum]

....

You dont really need to rethread them, just sand them so the burs are gone and they'll thread back in without chewing anything up....

[SK66]

Only sanding/beveling the cut edge MAY prevent damage, in may not. As often as not it will cause the first "starter thread" to close. If it doesn't close it, it usually rounds/tapers the starter making it very easy to cross thread. It will probably still go into the plastic bobbin and it will probably thread in/out ok, for a while. But it will more than likely deform the plastic threads; if it doesn't destroy them.

Try to do this in metal to metal close tolerance fitments and you'll likely have many cases of problems with the cut/beveled threads. The "problems" are still there with the plastic bobbins, they are just "masked".......for a while.

The simplest assurance is to put a 5-40 nut on the screw before cutting. Removing the nut straightens and cleans up the "starter thread" well enough for reuse.

[Ruel]

The simplest assurance is to put a 5-40 nut on the screw before cutting. Removing the nut straightens and cleans up the "starter thread" well enough for reuse.

This is the way I usually do it. It gets the job done, simply.