Topic: Strat Pickup height?
I've finished building a strat copy (from a kit), and I've finished the setup, but I'm not sure about the pickups.
Does anyone know what height the Pickups are normally set to on a Fender Strat?
- Royce Drake
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Re: Strat Pickup height?
Go Here for setup info . . . http://www.fender.com/support/setup_guides.php
Re: Strat Pickup height?
Royce Drake wrote:
Go Here for setup info . . . http://www.fender.com/support/setup_guides.php
Thanks. 
4 2008-02-19 04:54:26 (edited by t 2008-02-19 04:55:55)
Re: Strat Pickup height?
Something looks wrong with my login (It's not "t", but Tennessee Strat) Anyway:
Since you already made a bunch of choices building the guitar, I suggest you take those specs that were suggested, and see if they work for you. Then start to experiment: Not all pickups are the same of course. Maybe you have an Ohm meter and can measure each pickup's resistance. Then you know what you're working with.
My rule of thumb: Not too close to the strings! The pickup magnets can actually ruin the tone if they are too close to the strings. The magnets can actually pull on the strings, while the string is supposed to vibrate freely.
The neck pickup is supposed to sound "mellow", so don't jam that up too close. Bridge pickups are usually already wound a little hotter, they require less distance than the middle and neck pickups.
I am always a little disrespectful of specs... Because I found perfectly good setups (including pickup wiring schemes) by monkeying around with my own ideas. Play on!
5 2008-02-19 04:57:07 (edited by Tennessee Strat 2008-02-19 04:57:30)
- Tennessee Strat
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Re: Strat Pickup height?
Fixed the login bug!
Looks like my above post came through anyway...
6 2008-02-19 15:49:25 (edited by Tibernius 2008-02-19 15:49:40)
Re: Strat Pickup height?
Since you already made a bunch of choices building the guitar...
The only choice I made was the paint colour! 
It was a £40 kit off eBay, maple neck, alder body, all the electrics ready done (though I had to re-solder some of them). A nice guitar for that amount!
I have noticed that changing which pickup is active (using the switch) doesn't seem to make much difference, maybe the pickups are too high?
- Tennessee Strat
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Re: Strat Pickup height?
Ahhh, a bargain! You'll get this to work with a little patience.
Maybe you could check this site for wiring diagrams first: http://www.guitarelectronics.com/catego … rdiagrams/
Make sure that you actually are switching between the pickups, and that both are not on all the time. There should be a noticeable difference between neck and bridge pickup... Or you could at first lower the neck pickup and raise the bridge -so that they are at two distinct heights, and then they really should sound different.
Play on!
Re: Strat Pickup height?
Tibernius wrote:
Since you already made a bunch of choices building the guitar...
The only choice I made was the paint colour!
It was a £40 kit off eBay, maple neck, alder body, all the electrics ready done (though I had to re-solder some of them). A nice guitar for that amount!
I have noticed that changing which pickup is active (using the switch) doesn't seem to make much difference, maybe the pickups are too high?
The tonal difference is not noticed because they're cheap pickups, imports with a "k" value of around neck and middle 5.2k and bridge 5.3k so no difference. As T.S. mentioned you can change out the pickups. Check out the GFS pickups, they're reasonabley priced at no more than $ 80.00 american a set. I have a 70's overwound that I am going to put back in an alder body strat. If you change the pickups change the pots, switch & caps also. I would use CTS pots, Orange drop caps & either an Oak Grisby or CRS switch good quality parts.
Bootlegger.
9 2008-02-23 19:50:24 (edited by Tibernius 2008-02-23 19:54:46)
Re: Strat Pickup height?
bootleger wrote:
The tonal difference is not noticed because they're cheap pickups, imports with a "k" value of around neck and middle 5.2k and bridge 5.3k so no difference. As T.S. mentioned you can change out the pickups. Check out the GFS pickups, they're reasonabley priced at no more than $ 80.00 american a set. I have a 70's overwound that I am going to put back in an alder body strat. If you change the pickups change the pots, switch & caps also. I would use CTS pots, Orange drop caps & either an Oak Grisby or CRS switch good quality parts.
Bootlegger.
Thanks bootleger, I had a feeling it might be that. It is 5.2k and 5.3k, I noticed it was written on the underneath of the pickups but had no idea what it was...
I was thinking of changing the pickups anyway. Thinking of either a set of Wilkinson WVS for £55.91 or a set of Kent Armstrong Vintage for around £120:
http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/Vintage_Strat%AE_STV-1
big change in price and I have no idea what the difference would be. I'd rather wait and get some decent pickups than spend half the money on pickups I'd end up replacing again.
Found a wiring kit too:
http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/Strat_ … _STWIREKIT
Even with the Kent Armstrong pickups it's still cheaper than a Squier.
- Tennessee Strat
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Re: Strat Pickup height?
I don't have a set of Kent Armstrong Strat pickups, but I use a single Kent Armstrong P-90 in my home-built LP-Junior-style guitar. That is the best P-90 I have ever heard, it makes the guitar sound awesome. I can only encourage you to spend a little extra on the Kent Armstrongs and you will be a happy camper!
Check out my custom modified and home-builts at http://www.flickr.com/photos/23752184@N04/
The WD wiring kit is probably going to do the trick. I also bought my above mentioned pickup from them here in the U.S.
It seems you'll like to upgrade your kit, maybe you can also invest in a new pre-cut Strat nut -not one made of plastic. You will hear the difference!
Play On!