Using 53mm Pickups instead of 50mm?

[maddnotez]

Any feedback or experienced opinions on this?

I have never A/B'd this so I don't know how to compare. I have a 53mm pickup in a non floyd guitar that should have 50mm. I have not actually measured this yet but strings 1,2 and 6 do not line up with the poles so I am pretty sure that is what is going on. Plus the pup just looks a little wider than the neck pup.

Anyway It sounds great but am I missing out on anything by not having a 50mm in there?

 

[XSSIVE]

The only time you'd ever really notice a pickup that's too wide or too narrow for the string spacing is if you're on a clean setting and roll the volume way down, at that point the strings that are farther from the poles may sound just a hair lower volume than the others. When your volume is all the way up or when using some kind of drive it's usually not a problem other than aesthetics.

 

[maddnotez]

The only time you'd ever really notice a pickup that's too wide or too narrow for the string spacing is if you're on a clean setting and roll the volume way down, at that point the strings that are farther from the poles may sound just a hair lower volume than the others. When your volume is all the way up or when using some kind of drive it's usually not a problem other than aesthetics.

Thanks for the reply, appreciate it.

I will more than likely never be in that situation. I just roll down the guitar volume on the high gain channel and it cleans up fairly nicely.

I would not mind having some chorus/delay and use my clean channel but I do not have the Footswitch for my amp and idk, I have just always been a volume roller on the guitar. Much more convenient and I am not a very good tap dancer.

Good to know that info you posted. Thanks again.

I guess if there is anything else to add let me know people. I still may try to trade if I can find the right deal since the color of the pups sticks out like a sore thumb but hey maybe that is a good thing.

 

[Ventura]

The only time you'd ever really notice a pickup that's too wide or too narrow for the string spacing is if you're on a clean setting and roll the volume way down, at that point the strings that are farther from the poles may sound just a hair lower volume than the others. When your volume is all the way up or when using some kind of drive it's usually not a problem other than aesthetics.

Excellent post.

 

[cecilbag]

The only time you'd ever really notice a pickup that's too wide or too narrow for the string spacing is if you're on a clean setting and roll the volume way down, at that point the strings that are farther from the poles may sound just a hair lower volume than the others. When your volume is all the way up or when using some kind of drive it's usually not a problem other than aesthetics.[/quote

Solid points. I have a 53mm in the neck of one of my guitars just because it only comes in Floyd spacing (bridge pickup) and it sounds fine. When its screaming, you can't tell the difference.

 

[halebox]

I think it sounds a little different and in a good way on a particular guitar I tried same pickup both versions

 

[nigelpkay]

It does make a difference in some cases, for example, Dimarzio pickups are 48mm standard and 51mm F-spaced. I've used just the standard 48mm in a Floyd guitar (where it's about 52-53mm spaced) and there seemed like a tiny bit drop of output on the high and low E strings (or I might have been dreaming it).
I've read that a humbucker is basically awash in one big magnetic field that goes well outside the poles. For example, do you ever hear a drop in output when you bend a string away from the pole?

Also, another example is Seymour Duncan, their regular is 50mm and wide spacing is 53mm. The bobbins are longer too on the trembucker. I've used a regular and wide trembucker of a JB, and I always find the trembucker to be a little hotter and a bit more messy sounding because of the wind difference.

So there are differences, but its mostly aesthetic I think, it drives me nuts when I have a standard humbucker on a Floyd even though it sounds fine.

 

[psychodave]

The only time you'd ever really notice a pickup that's too wide or too narrow for the string spacing is if you're on a clean setting and roll the volume way down, at that point the strings that are farther from the poles may sound just a hair lower volume than the others. When your volume is all the way up or when using some kind of drive it's usually not a problem other than aesthetics.

So what you're saying is Van Halen slanting his pickup is bullshit...?

Haha, sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[Chubtone]

I think 95% of my favorite recorded Seymour Duncan tones were done with trem equipped guitars before they even made Trembuckers.

 

[SQUAREHEAD]

I think 95% of my favorite recorded Seymour Duncan tones were done with trem equipped guitars before they even made Trembuckers.

Yep, same here!

 

[cecilbag]

I think 95% of my favorite recorded Seymour Duncan tones were done with trem equipped guitars before they even made Trembuckers.

Pretty well sums it up

 

[dstroud]

I'd say if it sounds good go with it! my favorite pickup doesn't come in F-space, but it sounds better to me than anything else so I'm going with it

 

[XSSIVE]

The only time you'd ever really notice a pickup that's too wide or too narrow for the string spacing is if you're on a clean setting and roll the volume way down, at that point the strings that are farther from the poles may sound just a hair lower volume than the others. When your volume is all the way up or when using some kind of drive it's usually not a problem other than aesthetics.

So what you're saying is Van Halen slanting his pickup is bullshit...?

Haha, sorry, I couldn't resist.

LOL not at all near what I was saying, but, the angling of EVHs bridge hum is one of the many keys to his tone people often seem to forget when arguing about it on the internet lol. Just like Jake E Lee's reverse angle neck and middle singles, Steve Stevens' reverse angle hums in his Charvel and Washburns and Hendrix's bridge single being reversed due to a rightly played lefty, important factors in their tone. Not that this is news to you specifically Dave, but for those who don't know. When you angle pickups like that, just like a strat or tele, they pick up the sound from the string in a different place (kind of like a bridge, middle or neck pickup location in smaller increments) and by him having the bridge hum angled like a strat single his lows were rounder and a bit bassier and highs a bit brighter than if he would have put it straight. If you look at close up pics of Lynch's tiger you can see the bridge hum route has been enlarged over the years and he's moved the pickup forward and back a hair since it makes quite a difference in tone. Years ago I actually had a custom shop Charvel I went through about 7 pickups in trying to get it to work for me but since the hum was routed way too close (for me) to the bridge in this case it was always just off sounding and I could never bond with it. Thus why I obsessed over bridge pickup placement when designing my guitars since it's quite crucial. I also love the sound of a reverse angle neck single and not just because I'm a Jake E Lee fan, moving the bass side a bit away from the neck tightens up the bottom in a good way.

The tiger, check out the pickup location. One shifted forward and the neck shifted back.

 

[maddnotez]

The only time you'd ever really notice a pickup that's too wide or too narrow for the string spacing is if you're on a clean setting and roll the volume way down, at that point the strings that are farther from the poles may sound just a hair lower volume than the others. When your volume is all the way up or when using some kind of drive it's usually not a problem other than aesthetics.

So what you're saying is Van Halen slanting his pickup is bullshit...?

Haha, sorry, I couldn't resist.

LOL not at all near what I was saying, but, the angling of EVHs bridge hum is one of the many keys to his tone people often seem to forget when arguing about it on the internet lol. Just like Jake E Lee's reverse angle neck and middle singles, Steve Stevens' reverse angle hums in his Charvel and Washburns and Hendrix's bridge single being reversed due to a rightly played lefty, important factors in their tone. Not that this is news to you specifically Dave, but for those who don't know. When you angle pickups like that, just like a strat or tele, they pick up the sound from the string in a different place (kind of like a bridge, middle or neck pickup location in smaller increments) and by him having the bridge hum angled like a strat single his lows were rounder and a bit bassier and highs a bit brighter than if he would have put it straight. If you look at close up pics of Lynch's tiger you can see the bridge hum route has been enlarged over the years and he's moved the pickup forward and back a hair since it makes quite a difference in tone. Years ago I actually had a custom shop Charvel I went through about 7 pickups in trying to get it to work for me but since the hum was routed way too close (for me) to the bridge in this case it was always just off sounding and I could never bond with it. Thus why I obsessed over bridge pickup placement when designing my guitars since it's quite crucial. I also love the sound of a reverse angle neck single and not just because I'm a Jake E Lee fan, moving the bass side a bit away from the neck tightens up the bottom in a good way.

Interesting information. I refuse to hack up my ESP but this kind of makes me want to.