String spacing vs pickup coil spacing

[Cederick]

I want a guitar with vintage fender hardtail and it has 57 mm string spacing, Im used to a guitar with that one.
But what would happen if the bridge pickup has 53 mm spacing?
would it be totally useless or nothing noticable?

 

[Cagey]

It's visually noticeable, but not sonically. Don't worry about it.

 

[Cederick]

Ok, that's a big relief it's for a non-Warmoth custom since I wanted a neckthrough... costs a bit more but I want one  :icon_biggrin:

 

[greywolf]

You could always use a rail pickup .....

 

[Cederick]

It will be a regular coil pickup so I'm probably not changing that

 

[Cederick]

Ok I changed my mind about the 57 mm bridge in the last second...

I will have a Gotoh hardtail instead, it has about 53 mm if I'm correct, and the pickups with be a Gibson 500T/490 combo and they are slightly smaller, I'm still not convinced it will work, but I have checked around on the internet and it seems like others have actually used 500T in strats before, and it seems like Van Halen used one too for a while.
So it should work from whhat I know, but I'm still afraid it will not work :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :icon_scratch: :icon_scratch: :icon_scratch: :dontknow: :dontknow: :dontknow:

 

[AutoBat]

When you bend a string, it goes away from the pole pieces.  Does it get quieter?
If you answered no, then you'll see why having them not lined up is a non-issue.

If you answered yes, then. um. I don't know, then make sure you get equal spacing? (i've never had anyone say yes)

 

[Cederick]

Well I wont know until a few months when the guitar is finished... The guy building it isn't sure it will work out but since I've seen others saying it works... I dont know really, I can't try it out for myself  :sad1: :sad1: :sad1:

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Get the narrow spaced bridge.  The spacing is the same as standard pole pieces.  Also, as others have reported, the vintage Strat hardtail can place the high and low E strings to close to the edge of the fretboard.

 

[Strat Avenger]

"Trembucker" or "F-Spaced" pickups line up best with any bridge (other than the TOM/STP).  The differences are so small that it's irrelevant.

The TOM/STP needs the standard (Gibson) humbucker spacing.

I once installed a standard-spaced humbucker with my Fender American Standard bridge (2-1/8" spacing) and it did not line up well at all, so I exchanged it for a "Trembucker" spaced unit, and it lines up perfectly.

The STP/TOM spacing is a little over 1/16" narrower.

Edit: Even if the sound is not affected, it looks terrible if the pole-pieces don't line up with the strings, and you want your custom-built guitar to look good, don't you?

 

[Cederick]

Get the narrow spaced bridge.  The spacing is the same as standard pole pieces.  Also, as others have reported, the vintage Strat hardtail can place the high and low E strings to close to the edge of the fretboard.

That's why the guy making the guitar initially made blueprints with a wider neck at the heel. :laughing7:
However I changed my mind about the bridge and go for a Gotoh bridge instead

"Trembucker" or "F-Spaced" pickups line up best with any bridge (other than the TOM/STP).  The differences are so small that it's irrelevant.

The TOM/STP needs the standard (Gibson) humbucker spacing.

I once installed a standard-spaced humbucker with my Fender American Standard bridge (2-1/8" spacing) and it did not line up well at all, so I exchanged it for a "Trembucker" spaced unit, and it lines up perfectly.

The STP/TOM spacing is a little over 1/16" narrower.

Edit: Even if the sound is not affected, it looks terrible if the pole-pieces don't line up with the strings, and you want your custom-built guitar to look good, don't you?

For sure. I just did not have enough knowledge about the different bridges. The reference guitar (an old modded Fender Musicmaster) I have has a hardtail, but making comparisons to the pictures on the Warmoth site it looked more like the Vintage rather than the narrow spaced, but had no V-shapes (which would suck for palm muting anyway, I guess!)
But I woke up from my usual lazyness and actually to a ruler and measured the bridge, and it was closerto 54mm than 57mm. Anyway, I have no problem playing on a TOM bridge, so we will go with a Gotoh hardtail with 52.5 something millimeters and the pickups have 52 between poles, so it would work out just fine.