F spaced or standard for neck pickup?

[John R]

My S6570 currently has F spaced pickups at the bridge and middle, but standard at the neck. It has a 43 mm nut and the DiMarzio site says to go with F spaced at the neck if that's the case. Should I switch to F spacing at the neck or stay with standard at the neck?

[cornstar70]

From what I understand, you should technically get F-spaced pickups. I know there is only a few mm's difference, but the reason behind it is so the pole pieces line up with the strings more accurately. But, i've heard on many occasions that getting a regular pup instead of f-spaced makes absolutely no difference. I would buy f-spaced. My general rule is that if it's a fender or has a floyd, then I definitely get f-spaced.

[Zgicc]

F Spaced

[John R]

Just got home and measured. The strings are 50 mm apart at the mid-point of the neck pickup, so F spaced is indeed correct.

DiMarzio Evo 2 (b), True Velvet (m), and Air Norton (n) are all on the way!

Thanks for the help.

[jazzedout]

Especially for the neck position, I really don't see any great difference between F spaced or regular spaced...

[MicJustMic]

Don't bother, there is NO sonic difference between the two.

I've done a few tests with both types (same pup type, regular and F in the same guitar) and could discern no difference, with my ears, nor with a meter (looking at current and energy output).

The only thing that F spacing really does for you is make the pups look a little more symetrical with the strings.

Anyone that says they can hear the difference, I think they are either full of it, or it's psychological.

This has been debated ever since F spaced pups came out and no one has yet shown any real proof (in mine, and many other players opinion) that the F spacing is needed at all.

My 1 cent, can't afford 2 in this economy.

[Milo]

Originally Posted by MicJustMic

Don't bother, there is NO sonic difference between the two.

I've done a few tests with both types (same pup type, regular and F in the same guitar) and could discern no difference, with my ears, nor with a meter (looking at current and energy output).

The only thing that F spacing really does for you is make the pups look a little more symetrical with the strings.

Anyone that says they can hear the difference, I think they are either full of it, or it's psychological.

This has been debated ever since F spaced pups came out and no one has yet shown any real proof (in mine, and many other players opinion) that the F spacing is needed at all.

My 1 cent, can't afford 2 in this economy.

Good post

[GuitarBizarre]

Originally Posted by Milo

Good post

I won't deny the pups probably sound the same, but I've certainly noticed output drop during bends due to the string going between the poles, when the output then goes back up as I bring the string back, and the neck pickup on my old strat wasn't aligned with the strings either, which meant my low e had practically no output.

Ready to be proven wrong, but I've experienced that myself so I dont think its total hokum.

[John R]

I needed to pick one or the other and they were the same price. So even if the F spaced just looks better, that's good enough to be a tie breaker.

[Algiman]

Originally Posted by MicJustMic

Anyone that says they can hear the difference, I think they are either full of it, or it's psychological.

I beg to differ, the output on the E strings is slightly different, and I can hear it. It shows up well if your amp is set to that just breaking up point, and I spent a lot of time trying to convince myself otherwise.

[MicJustMic]

Did you install the pups in the same guitar?

I did this in both my RG 550 (Basswood) and my RG 520 (Mahogany).

I have two sets of Evolutions, one F spaced and one regular and tried both sets in both guitars and could honestly hear no real difference in output on the E strings.

Did the pickups sound different, well yes, all pickups sound a little different even if they are supposed to be identical, but output was the same, even on a meter.

Perhaps it's just my 4 pickups, but I've yet to hear on any guitar a need for the F spaced pups.

I DO however plan to buy a pair of F spaced PAF Pros, I've grown tired of the Evolutions in my 520, the sound is WAY dark with the wood and the evos really darken it even more so I'm going for a brighter pup and always liked the PAF Pros.

Getting the F spaced just because I think it looks better. ;-)

[Algiman]

My comparison is from string to string. The high and low e strings, because they sit in a different point of the magnetic field compared to the strings that are right above the poles, have a lower output and a different tonality. You can fix it to an extent by raising the poles, and the difference isn't so marked that I couldn't live with it, but it is definitely there.