F-spaced?

[android13]

I use a Gibson Les Paul BFG - is that F-spaced? How do I tell?

 

[VictorB]

F spaced usually refers to the width of a pickup thats spaced properly for a Fender guitar.

 

[android13]

I've read that some Gibson guitars are F-spaced… but I'm confused.

Say I want to add a new humbucker to the bridge, replacing my Burstbucker 3. Do I get F-spaced or not?

 

[VictorB]

I don't think that the BFG is F-spaced, I would stick to a regular Gibson spaced bucker.

Or you could contact Gibson directly.

 

[LOSTVENTURE]

From what I read on the Seymore Duncan site a while back, his humbucker pole pieces were "F-spaced" to match the Floyd Rose vibrato. He actually offered options of neck, bridge or "F" spaced pole pieces at one time. He may still.

 

[Hedcrash]

I bought a non F-spaced DiMarzio Super Distortion a while back, and I can tell you that the pole pieces do not line up under the strings on either my Gibby. I was thinking maybe they were F-spaced, though they obviously don't have trems.

 

[zslane]

A standard bridge humbucker is meant to match up with the string spacing of a standard Tune-O-Matic bridge. An F-spaced humbucker (Seymour Duncan calls it a "Trembucker") is meant to match up with the string spacing of a Fender (Strat) or Floyd Rose tremolo bridge.

Most folks who I've heard report on this subject seem to feel that there is no noticeable difference in tone between the two (the most common "mistake" is using a standard humbucker with a trem-equipped Strat-style guitar). But unless you have a tremolo system on your Gibson, I would suggest going with a standard humbucker (not an F-spaced or Trembucker).

 

[jfwund]

There's a difference in the width of the humbucker. I believe F-spaced is 53mm from E-pole to E-pole and PAF is 50mm...

 

[RLee]

I can tell you that F-spaced doesn't match up with the bridge string spacing on my 2008 LP. Neck-spaced is different than bridge-spaced which is different than F-spaced... although I think it's ok to be slightly off, as long as the string isn't completely outside of the pole piece.
Best way is to measure E to E string spacing at the bridge pickup position, then compare that to the pickup's spacing. I would guess that .1" off is fine, but .2" would be pushing it... this is just a guess though.

 

[6stringmofo]

double post

 

[6stringmofo]

My 04 Custom's bridge pickup is F-Spaced while the neck PU is not.

 

[redscott131]

If you have BFG Gibson LP, the bridge pickup should be a Burstbucker #3. That is a regular spaced (neck spaced) pickup. You can tell if it is a F-Spaced/Bridge spaced pickup if all the bridge pickup poles lineup perfectly under the strings.

However if you want to go into F-SPACED LAND, then maybe this will help (as a general rule, but not always)......
(i) Seymour Duncan F Spaced..........will not lineup perfectly for a Gibson bridge position (SD has a wider F spacing)
(ii) Dimarzio F Spaced..........ARE MORE LIKELY TO LINEUP PERFECTLY for a Gibson bridge position (just like the Gibson 498T does). Example...the Dp223 36th Ann PAF pickup (F-Spaced) lines up perfectly.

However, it doesn't make a lick of difference on tone b/c of the way the magnetic field interacts with the strings vibrations. It only makes it look visually better (subjective thing anyway).

 

[acstorfer]

Some BFG's now come with a Floyd Rose. If yours does, F space. If you have a TOM bridge, regular. If you get the wrong one, no biggie, you won't hear a difference most likely. That being said, my LP has a Kahler, so I had Lollar make me an F space Imperial high wound. If he couldn't, I would have just used a regular spaced Imperial High Wound.

 

[SKATTERBRANE]

All PAF style pickups like 57 Classics and Burstbuckers are spaced 1 15/16" (49.2mm) for the bridge OR the neck pickup. Pickups like 490R/490T, 490R/498T, 496R/500T the "R" pickup is 1 15/16" (49.2mm) spaced and the "T" pickup is 2 1/16" (52.4mm) spaced.

50mm, 52mm and 53mm are METRIC spacing found on Asian guitars.

So to answer your question if you have something like a 490T, 498T or 500T pickup in the bridge of your Les Paul, it IS F-spaced. I do not know about specialty pickups like the modern Dirty Fingers or Angus Young pickups and the like.

 

[SKATTERBRANE]

And for them to line up perfectly is more a matter of cosmetics for the OCD types.

 

[android13]

But they both fit, though?

 

[SKATTERBRANE]

Yes, the pole spacing has nothing to do with the outer dimensions of the pickup. So you can just as welll put a bridge spaced pickup in the neck if you wish.

 

[les paul sound]

bb pro and 1, 2, 3 are not f spaced so
impossible with a floyd
so > seymour duncan: )

 

[Sinster]

bb pro and 1, 2, 3 are not f spaced so
impossible with a floyd
so > seymour duncan: )

Necroposter!!!

 

[Flyfish-mt]

I put an F-spaced 36th in the bridge of my 13' Trad and a standard spaced 36th in the neck and they line up perfectly.