Quick question about alignment

[TheNamesHollywood]

So I am fitting things before I finish color and clear. From everything I have read, the poles should align center to the strings. I am trying to adjust the pickup to the strings but the Low E doesn’t want to play nice. As far as notching the saddles, does it matter where I notch them as long as the string centers over the poles?

 

[CB91710]

You can notch the saddles off-center to tweak the string spacing, but that looks pretty good along the edges of the neck as it is.
Def check with the bridge pickup in there... for one, because of the lower string excursion closer to the saddles, the pole spacing is more important there than at the neck.
Honestly, I would not change what you have. If you aren't set on that specific pickup, maybe see if you can find one in 50mm?

 

[TheNamesHollywood]

Ok so the bridge is on center and I split the difference on the neck. I cant get the neck on center on the E e. The camera isn't picking it up but there is a slight angle at the tailpiece. Its very small and re drilling and plugging i dont think needs to be done.

 

[CB91710]

Ya, that looks nice.
You could go a little further out and split the difference without getting too close to the edge of the neck, but I honestly think the best compromise is to more accurately position the bridge poles than the neck.

 

[TheNamesHollywood]

Ok cool. Thank you for the help!!!

 

[pshupe]

IMO the E strings should be aligned with the edge of the fret board. It looks like you have a lot of room there. It could be an optical illusion. I generally cut the nut spaced the way I want. Offset about 1/8" on the high e, and a bit more on the low E from the edge of the board. Notch the E strings at the bridge so they run parallel to the edge of the fret board. Then equally space the inner strings with a string spacing guide and notch. I do not aligned the strings to the pole pieces but rather align the pole pieces to the strings. There should be a little play with the pickup inside the pickup route to slide the pup from side to side. Align as best you can. This is not perfect because the strings are shorter spacing at the neck pickup and wider at the bridge pickup. They will never be perfectly aligned over the poles.



Cheers Peter.

 

[LtDave32]

The traditional spacing is for the strings to be directly over center of the poles of the neck pickup, and due to the string spread getting wider at the bridge, over the outside third of the poles under E strings. And over the centers of the other pole pieces.

 

[TheNamesHollywood]

I might purchase a new nut. I bought a nut spaced and slotted from gibson. Probably why I have so much space on each side and why the strings are aligning at the neck.

 

[cmjohnson]

Your neck pickup has bridge polepiece spacing. Not all humbuckers have the same polepiece spacing.

Fender (F style) spacing is wider than Gibson's spacing.

When dealing with non brand name pickups, the spacing can be pretty much anything.

The alignment isn't out by enough to worry about, or won't be if you get a pickup that fits the string spacing.

Replacing the nut with a wider slot spaced nut is going to not be worth the effort. It'll have almost no effect on string spacing over the pickups.

Get a pickup that has string spacing that matches the guitar.

You can adjust the location of the pickup in its ring by carefully bending the legs of the pickup a little.

 

[TheNamesHollywood]

Its funny you mentioned that because I looked and I realized it is a bridge pickup. I ordered one Dimarzio EJ Custom for the bridge as I am mainly a bridge player lol. I had this pickup laying around so I tossed it in and didn't even realize it was a damn bridge PUP. That explains why stuff isn't lining up. I have been so focused on why things were not looking right my brain didn't realize it wasn't the right PUP to begin with.

 

[cmjohnson]

I'm just one of those people who is observant and analytical to a fault. That this pickup had the wrong polepiece spacing was literally the first thing I saw in the photo. I may suck at people skills, but when it comes to "one of these things is not like the other", I'm a madman.

 

[TheNamesHollywood]

lol well i appreciate your madman skills! I was trying to look at the EJ Custom neck spacing but the diagrams I came up with show the same specs. What is the normal spacing on a neck PUP over the Bridge? are they all different.

 

[cmjohnson]

Each individual pickup manufacturer should publish its pole spacing specifications. Check the manufacturer's websites.

 

[endial]

It's funny, I thought the same as mentioned above. And almost concluded that the pups were switched. Thought the bridge was in the neck position and vece-versa. Looking at how the "bridge pup" fits in the ring with the gaps at the outsides and the "neck pup" is tight.

 

[CB91710]

It's funny, I thought the same as mentioned above. And almost concluded that the pups were switched. Thought the bridge was in the neck position and vece-versa. Looking at how the "bridge pup" fits in the ring with the gaps at the outsides and the "neck pup" is tight.

View attachment 473941

I noticed that but thought it was the camera angle.

 

[endial]

I noticed that but thought it was the camera angle.

Exactly why I didn't chime in quickly.

 

[TheNamesHollywood]

lol yep I totally fooled everyone lol. The Dimarzio is in the bridge and the other bridge PUP is in the neck. I am switching the neck out once I get another PUP. I dont know why it has such a gap on the PUP ring on the bridge.

 

[pshupe]

I would get the string spacing at the nut, fret board, and bridge correct before looking at the pup pole spacing. How wide is your board at the nut and bridge end? To me those strings look too far in from the edge of the board. If it is a standard sized board the inside strings are gonna be spaced too close together.

Regards Peter.