Poles

[davidwpack]

Ello! I've always primarily been a fan of Fender offsets, namely Jazzmasters. However, I recently purchased my first Strat. I did have a G&L strat type back in the day (SC-3 I  think) but this my first Fender Strat. It's one of the gold anniversary models. I love the feel and mostly I love the sound. When playing chords though, the G and B strings are barely audible in all positions and it really irritates the bloody hell out of me. The pickups are stock and have staggered poles. Is this a common complaint/problem with Strats? Would you recommend a pickup replacement? I really like the sound other than barely being able to hear the G and B strings. What are some of your recommendations? Thank ye!

[mresistor]

 You can try a set with level pole pieces and see if that helps.  Odd that those two strings are less audible.  If you bought the geetar used maybe someone has fiddled with the pole piece heights.  My strats don't exhibit that behavior, and if it was a common complaint then Google should be able to find the answer easily.
If the action is low and the pickups are set too high that could be a problem, try lowering the pickups and see if it helps.
 

[davidwpack]

Hey thanks! It was used. I did Google that and couldn't find much about it. I'm not sure if the poles are adjustable. I don't believe they are. Playing single note solo kind of stuff it's not really noticeable but comparatively, when playing open or Barre chords it is really noticeable. I figure I'll end up replacing them with level poles I guess.

[mresistor]

some info on flat pole pickups ( all my Music Man Silhouette Specials have them ).


https://www.lollarguitars.com/flat-pole-vs-staggered-pole

[mresistor]

Also you should try a new set of strings, like some Slinky 9's or 10's. If thats what you already have then try some D'Addarios. The chances of a wound and plain string being flat out of the package is slim though.
 
Guess it could be a problem with the nut or the saddles too.

[davidwpack]

Yeah, I use Slinky 10s. I appreciate the guidance.  I'll try a new set and see if it improves. Thank ya!

[mresistor]

deleted   strat single coils are basically non-adjustable  (even though some are)

[pdf64]

It’s pretty weird for the G string to be weak. Typically it’s about the loudest.

[davidwpack]

I'll try to attach a picture. I don't know why they are staggered to that degree. All 3 are like that though.

[mresistor]

that's a normal stagger for Fender Strat..

[davidwpack]

Oh ok. I wasn't sure. I'm gonna try raising that side of the pickups and change strings to see if it helps any before I buy a non staggered set. I'd like to keep it original but that's a no-go for me as is. Thanks!

[Willabe]

Look at these from Stewmac. 

https://www.stewmac.com/video-and-ideas/trade-secrets/how-to-measure-your-guitars-action/

And,

https://www.stewmac.com/video-and-ideas/trade-secrets/how-to-set-the-height-of-your-guitar-pickups-for-optimal-tone/

And,

https://www.stewmac.com/video-and-ideas/trade-secrets/3-easy-mods-to-make-your-fender-squier-stratocaster-play-great/

All 3, plus many others, are from Stewmacs trade-secrets on their on-line store.

https://www.stewmac.com/video-and-ideas/trade-secrets/

[davidwpack]

Thank you, I will!

[acheld]

I am partial to Lollar and Fralin pickups, and they folks in those companies will work with you for choosing the best pickup.

https://www.lollarguitars.com/flat-pole-vs-staggered-pole seems like a good guide.

[G._Hoffman]

Ello! I've always primarily been a fan of Fender offsets, namely Jazzmasters. However, I recently purchased my first Strat. I did have a G&L strat type back in the day (SC-3 I  think) but this my first Fender Strat. It's one of the gold anniversary models. I love the feel and mostly I love the sound. When playing chords though, the G and B strings are barely audible in all positions and it really irritates the bloody hell out of me. The pickups are stock and have staggered poles. Is this a common complaint/problem with Strats? Would you recommend a pickup replacement? I really like the sound other than barely being able to hear the G and B strings. What are some of your recommendations? Thank ye!

I mean, I'd need to take a look at it, but that sounds like a damaged pickup.  If the pickups are adjusted right, G strings have the most mass of any string, assuming it's a unwound G, and should be plenty loud.  On the other hand, if the pickups are too close, Stratitus is a real thing, and can cause all kinds of problems sound wise.  When in doubt, the first thing I would do is back off the pickups, make sure the E strings are balanced (by ear - your eyes can't tell you anything here), and recheck it. 

Backing off Strat pickups generally makes them sound more "Strat-like," to my ear.  Set the neck pickup first, because it will usually be the loudest (largest string movement=more output).  I back it off to approximately 3/16" of the cover above the pickguard, and get the E strings balanced.  Then, I adjust the other pickups to match (I'll set the bridge pickup a bit louder - solo tones and all that...)

Some people have tried tapping the pole pieces GENTLY with a hammer and a punch to realign them, but I REALLY don't recommend it, because the coils are directly against the magnets, and it is very easy to cause a short.  Given how rough the magnets are, I'm surprised anyone ever has success with this process. 

[G._Hoffman]

I'll try to attach a picture. I don't know why they are staggered to that degree. All 3 are like that though.

The stagger of those is for a wound G string.  But that wouldn't cause the problem you describe (too quite of a G string).  The truth is, the stagger doesn't make a huge difference.  Plenty of great sounding pickups, even today, use flat pole pieces.
As to why, they weren't originally, but there were some string balance issues, probably mostly because the strings weren't really great for magnetic pickups, but they started to stagger them to fix the issue, and then that became "vintage," and now people would complain if they changed it.  But as I said, it's not really a huge difference.

[davidwpack]

Sorry about the lag of getting back. I'm a paramedic  and I'm either extremely busy or extremely fatigued nowadays since covid. There's not really a perceptible difference when playing individual notes when doing solos and such. It's just when playing chords that you don't really hear the G,  B, and to some degree even the high E. I have adjusted the treble side up and the bass side down with some improvement but not quite as much as I'd like. Eq helps too but thats the only guitar i have to re-eq for. I switch between a Jazzmaster and a Gretsch usually and dont have to re-eq as drastically as i do for the Strat. I will check out the Lollar and Fralin pickups. Thanks guys!