Flat-Pole

Q: “I recently got a new guitar with single-coil pickups and noticed that the G string is noticeably louder than the rest of the strings. Is that normal?” A: Your guitar is more than likely equipped with staggered-pole single-coil pickups, meaning pickups with pole pieces at different heights. If that’s the case, then yes, it’s definitely normal! Early vintage guitars...

[caption id="attachment_2395" align="alignright" width="311"] On staggered-pole pickups like the one above, some of the pole pieces stick out slightly, with different poles having different variations on the amount of stagger. Flat-pole pickups have the poles all laid flat, usually with no stagger beyond their plastic encasing.[/caption] Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been discussing factors that play a role in determining a pickup’s tone. In Part 1, we touched on coil size and thickness as well as how pairing two pickups with wires wound in opposing directions can be used to cancel out hum. In Part 2, we looked at high out-put, hot pickups along with magnets and the tone they deliver. Today, we’re taking a look at staggered-pole versus flat-pole pickups and pickup height as they relate to tone. Make sure you check out Part 1 and Part 2 if you haven’t done so already.   Continue reading →

Staggered-Pole unwound Stratocaster pickup. Check some awesome staggered pole pickups right here! The difference between a flat pole and staggered pole guitar pickups goes far beyond cosmetic and can drastically affect tone – which means your playing style. Read on and find out exactly how pole positioning changes a pickups sound and which one is right for you. On...