Pickup question

victorludorum

Having just wired them up a la @p90fool I've noticed an even bigger problem. The E to E string spacing is 63mm! They're going back, although they'd be better off in the bin with string spacing that extreme.

OilCityPickups

victorludorum said:

Having just wired them up a la @p90fool I've noticed an even bigger problem. The E to E string spacing is 63mm! They're going back, although they'd be better off in the bin with string spacing that extreme.

That sounds bonkers ... that's 7 string fan fret spacing!!!!!

Sounds like your 'independent' guy doesn't know what he's doing if this is the case.

p90fool

Is it from an old Fender baritone design or something?

victorludorum

God knows where he got his plans from. I'm waiting for his reply now, which will probably say that the string spacing doesn't matter.

Oh well, it was an experiment worth trying, and thanks to ebay's cast iron buyer protection I'll get my money back.

OilCityPickups

victorludorum said:

God knows where he got his plans from. I'm waiting for his reply now, which will probably say that the string spacing doesn't matter.

Oh well, it was an experiment worth trying, and thanks to ebay's cast iron buyer protection I'll get my money back.

Ebay is awash with 'custom pickup makers' ... I know of two 'brands' on e bay that purport to be custom hand wound etc etc that are re branded Chinese pickups available on Ali Express for below tenner each.

victorludorum

To be fair to him, it looks like it was lovingly made by hand. Bearing in mind that it's an attempt at making an XII replacement, I can only assume that he's made it himself as there seem to be no Chinese knockoffs anywhere.

Mojopickups

victorludorum said:

Having just wired them up a la @p90fool I've noticed an even bigger problem. The E to E string spacing is 63mm! They're going back, although they'd be better off in the bin with string spacing that extreme.

That is almost correct for a vintage correct XII pickup, so it's not really fair to shoot the guy down over the spacing.

The ones I make are copied from my 66 XII and the spacing between each magnet is 12.8mm.........which I get to 64mm.

OilCityPickups

Mojopickups said:

victorludorum said:

Having just wired them up a la @p90fool I've noticed an even bigger problem. The E to E string spacing is 63mm! They're going back, although they'd be better off in the bin with string spacing that extreme.

That is almost correct for a vintage correct XII pickup, so it's not really fair to shoot the guy down over the spacing.

The ones I make are copied from my 66 XII and the spacing between each magnet is 12.8mm.........which I get to 64mm.

Interesting, wider than P bass then which is roughly 10.6 in modern money (string spacing rather than pole spacing)

victorludorum

Mojopickups said:

victorludorum said:

Having just wired them up a la @p90fool I've noticed an even bigger problem. The E to E string spacing is 63mm! They're going back, although they'd be better off in the bin with string spacing that extreme.

That is almost correct for a vintage correct XII pickup, so it's not really fair to shoot the guy down over the spacing.

The ones I make are copied from my 66 XII and the spacing between each magnet is 12.8mm.........which I get to 64mm.

What's the string spacing of an original XII at the neck then? I believe the heel is only about 60mm in width, so that would put the pole pieces quite out of line I would imagine.

Calling @dogload ,who I believe is an XII fan...

Mojopickups

The pole magnets are spaced the same front and back.

Obviously they could reproduced at a custom width.

Funkfingers

victorludorum said:

Calling dogload, who I believe is an XII fan.

@HarrySeven certainly used to own an original Fender Electric XII. It is anybody's guess whether this guitar is easily accessible at present. (THINKS: What is the guitar equivalent of the Dewey Decimal classification system?)

Kittyfrisk

^  

HarrySeven

Funkfingers said:

victorludorum said:

Calling dogload, who I believe is an XII fan.

@HarrySeven certainly used to own an original Fender Electric XII. It is anybody's guess whether this guitar is easily accessible at present. (THINKS: What is the guitar equivalent of the Dewey Decimal classification system?)

I still have it...errrr...somewhere...

Mojopickups

OilCityPickups said:

Mojopickups said:

victorludorum said:

Having just wired them up a la @p90fool I've noticed an even bigger problem. The E to E string spacing is 63mm! They're going back, although they'd be better off in the bin with string spacing that extreme.

That is almost correct for a vintage correct XII pickup, so it's not really fair to shoot the guy down over the spacing.

The ones I make are copied from my 66 XII and the spacing between each magnet is 12.8mm.........which I get to 64mm.

Interesting, wider than P bass then which is roughly 10.6 in modern money (string spacing rather than pole spacing)

Sorry I misread that.

I get 50mm neck and 55mm bridge.

victorludorum

Thanks very much for doing that @Mojopickups ;-)

It suggests that even on an original XII the pole pieces would be way out of line if the covers were taken off. What a strange decision by Fender, bearing in mind that this guitar was designed from the ground up.

Mojopickups

victorludorum said:

Thanks very much for doing that @Mojopickups ;-)

It suggests that even on an original XII the pole pieces would be way out of line if the covers were taken off. What a strange decision by Fender, bearing in mind that this guitar was designed from the ground up.

No problem.

It is a strange that they didn't use a narrower spacing, even the pickup design is slightly strange, as they aren't hum-cancelling in any position.

victorludorum

Mojopickups said:

victorludorum said:

Thanks very much for doing that @Mojopickups ;-)

It suggests that even on an original XII the pole pieces would be way out of line if the covers were taken off. What a strange decision by Fender, bearing in mind that this guitar was designed from the ground up.

No problem.

It is a strange that they didn't use a narrower spacing, even the pickup design is slightly strange, as they aren't hum-cancelling in any position.

I've asked him to wire this RW so that it fixes that problem. I'll wire it in and see if it works as it should before thinking about returning it as it does seem he has followed the XII template.

victorludorum

@Mojopickups In terms of wiring a pickup like this to hum cancel, is it just a case of reversing the magnets in each half, or does the wire have to be reversed in each half too?

Mojopickups

@victorludorum if it has been made like the old pickups, one half will need to be recharged and the hookup wire will need swapping over.