Why Do Pickups Have Staggered Poles?

Staggered pole pieces are a feature on some, but not all, single coil pickups, and even humbuckers give you the option to adjust each individual pole piece height. Let's take a look at some guitar history to find out the relevance of this design choice.
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[@duradura1990]

my eyes were on the whiskey. he drank it, little by little

[@jacobb4077]

pharmavenom2 you're an ad

[@kylelikeskjvbible]

why not, whisky is great

[@kdragon7]

Cloven Hoof is spice Rum, not whisky

[@shannonwyatt1286]

Scottish folks drink scotch...and us irish drink whiskey. But they are both great.

[@AtticusStount]

Scotch is whisky (no 'E' in the way they spell it). It is more often single rather than blended malt, which is harsher to the palate.

[@Evilwhiteclownpunk]

I staggered into a pole while leaving the pub once...

[@kennethsrensen7706]

ha ha , yeah I have tried that too.

[@ZaneDalton]

😆

[@w.rustylane5650]

I staggered into a piece one night but was too drunk to do anything about it.

[@cameronjenkins6748]

One thing that I really like about P-pickups (I play bass) is that since they're in two pieces, the pickup height adjustment screws can be used to make each pole piece the same distance from the string.

[@HeavyMetal257]

I really love these videos breaking down a small topic that people might not have necessarily thought of or just didnt really pay any attention to

[@dietrichmuller172]

peckups

[@igoresdeefeso8405]

khukuri cross This whole thread is a joke XD

[@MrMusicopath]

pol picis

[@PedroskiClimb]

Great explanation Colin. All your vids are brilliant. Cheers!

[@sluggo68]

I really enjoy your tech talk. You answer many of questions I have & ones I hadn’t thought of yet.

[@ezbowers]

Love your videos!!! Always so informative and fun. Thanks for being you!

[@ihsanfadhlan4835]

this is really informative, been thinking about it for a while. thanks Colin!

[@buska100]

Another Great Informative Vid Colin. I always wondered about this. Cheers Mate

[@AAce-bo2bq]

ALWAYS informative!! Thx Colin!!

[@mikestubbs4580]

Really useful stuff this, I appreciate it being explained so it's easy to understand too!

[@mammothaudioengineering]

Thanks for this video, I learned something new about guitars. Really great content, keep it up!

[@KevinGsWK]

Now do a vid on how to get luscious hair

[@luisownerbr]

Yes please

[@georgehill6098]

Tiege Hanley and fretboard conditioner.

[@skyleranderson1984]

I would seriously watch this

[@timmyg8206]

George Hill Didn't expect to see the Tiege Hanley meme on this channel.

[@thombakker2835]

Timmy G. fuck yeahhh. i love me some tiege

[@RedroomStudios]

yep, pretty much exactly as I had thought... mainly to compensate for the differing string volumes. I can remember back in my early days of playing on my first electric which was a Univox Les Paul copy. I can remember fiddling with all the adjustments to the point where the thing was barely playable because I didnt know anything at the time. this included raising the pole pieces so high that the strings stuck to them magnetically. back to the drawing board!

[@ScienceofLoud]

I remember doing similar, daft things like that myself. No better way to learn than by making a complete arse of it.

[@tubstertheclown]

Brilliant video! Thanks Colin!

[@dalepal]

Very informative video. Many guitar players are unaware of why the single coil pickup poles are staggered and that you can adjust humbuckers.

[@Oilid]

Thanks for the explanation Professor Colin! 😉👍

[@jamietaylor8663]

Thanks for the video I’ve always wondered this

[@leehynes5543]

excellent. completely new information for me. thank you.

[@saguarotreker]

Great! Now I'm reading your video titles in your voice!!

[@brodiemack8814]

didn't even know you could raise and lower the poles on humbuckers, I shall try this out now.

[@CosmicFuzzFM]

I didnt even realize I was curious about this until I saw the title of this video - excellent topic!

[@SLAMSTERDAMN]

THX, man! I always wondered that.

[@xXEmbracetheMetalXx]

GREAT video, good sir!

[@oqsy]

Great vid! Great channel! I need more.

[@followfornothing]

Very informative, thank you.

[@MrWhiteguy6]

wow, I learned a lot, thanks man!

[@MrMadtv123]

Proud to be a fellow Scotsman , Well done mate , we should definitely jam , were probably not that far away :)

[@TheDunateen77]

Hi Colin I've been watching your channel for some time now and now it's becoming a daily visit and just wanted to say thanks for putting all these myths and jargon into black and white,much appreciation from geordie land.

[@andreasahlers-dummer1574]

Perfect explanation!

[@RJW14]

tbh, i 've been adjusting the pole pieces in my humbuckers for years now, it might be just in my head but it does make a difference in the balance of the tone.

[@markschwarz2137]

Very informative. I knew quite a bit of this already, but the extra details and explanations made it much clearer for me. BTW (although this may be out of date by now) does BawBags (sp?) export to Japan?

[@deo.strengthspan.project]

fun and informational. Thanks!

[@EXSENTRIX]

Radius it is! That's what I figured. Cool vid man. 🤘🏼💀

[@snottythe-snorlaxian4503]

Thanks. I thought there was something wrong with my new pickup. I saw this video, then realized some of my other pickups are staggered too; I just never noticed.

[@thinkingjack]

God damn this is the best most educational channel about guitars

[@dawin6710]

I noticed long time ago (lol) ZzTop solos any note played on the G string sounds louder than the rest. I had guessed that there must have been some screwing or unscrewing going on on his humbuckers to get the G string closer to pole piece.

[@alext9067]

Astonishingly informative. Give that man a bottle of his favorite spiced rum. I see it's Cloven Hoof.

[@brianmarker]

ive got a gretsch streamliner that sounds a little muddy even with the tone pot all the way up. Im going to try lowering the pickups a bit and raising the poles on the treble side and see if it brightens it up

[@elwrongo]

also try changing the pickups - they came with dull humbuckers. Stock Gretsch Filtertrons are good or Duesenberg LittleToaster Mini-Humbucker are great

[@Glicksman1]

In February 1965 I bought my first electric guitar, a '57 sunburst Streamliner that had one of the first patent-pending Filtertrons in the neck position. It had no tone pot, just the old Gretsch three-way tone switch on the upper treble bout. However, it was bright enough, and I used it to rock with for many years. I knew nothing of adjusting pickup height, pole pieces, intonation (it had a Melita bridge), action, or neck relief, I just played it the way I bought it in abject ignorance, strung with Gretsch flat-wound mediums, .010s or .011s I suppose, the label on the round plastic container didn't say. The G string was wound, of course. As usual, I'm sorry I sold it years later.

[@rblyle382]

Oh boy a new post!

[@DuckyBee156]

No idea if it’s the accent of confidence in what’s being said. But man was that enjoyable and educational!

[@dcharby35]

I couldn’t stop checking the level of the cloven hoof in the glass. Haha!

[@eml5086]

Hello - very educational video! I still have my first guitar - a 1969 Fender Telecaster Bass. It has a single coil pick-up with staggered poles (original to the guitar). There doesn't appear to be any way to adjust the poles individually. I can can adjust the pick-up height as a whole. Are the poles just set the way they are forever, or is there a way to change the pole heights individually? Many thanks! -- Michael

[@humzatebai]

I came here for the info and the accent cleaned up my soul inside out 🎉

[@tristanthompson9488]

always wondered why humbuckers had screw poles in them, nice one

[@GuyNarnarian]

I know this video is old, but I never understood this. My strat is ams American Standard from 2013, came stock with the custom shop "Fat 50's" pickups. I love the tone, (especially through my PRRI with an old school 12" Jensen alnico blue speaker) but I can hear an audible volume pop on the G string which is staggered higher. Maybe I should lower all the pickups a bit. Its more noticeable if I make a mistake, or if the dynamics in my playing are off that day, but the G string especially seems to be louder than the others. The B string poles seem to be below the plastic cover, not even flush which is nice. Generally its not an issue but I figured I'd watch this video to find out why.

[@Drunken_Hamster]

4:09 NO! NO FAFFING WITH EXTRA CRAP! Rail-style pickups FTW. Thanks for the vid, too.

[@salatieljyrustumanan4929]

Help! How do I get my tele to have a stronger signal with the high e? As a fingerstyle player, hitting the low and high drowns out my high string more times than I'd like. How should I set it up? My Pickup poles are all flat.

[@sohamsengupta6470]

I swear this guy has the best extra scenes ever

[@ThatMattGoodMusic]

I had literally no idea why you'd want staggered pole pieces, it makes so much sense now!

[@mach2223]

Thank you, I am now aware if I shouls get flat pools or staggered pools

[@alengregorin8366]

Colin, can you please direct me to where can i buy pickup magnets but just magnets? I had a spare duncan designed pickups so i pulled the magnet out and put it underneath my Carvin d26 bridge pickups with surprising results, however the magnet is obly for 6 strings and my carvin is 7, besides that, i would like to to it on ym neck HB and middle SC pickup as well. Its strange, the bridge pickup was very thin and on the high freq way too much and what the added magnet did, it just added a little body to the sound and smoothened out the hi end while still retaining the things i liked about it, the punch and fast low end, the output did not increase all that much but it is noticebly louder on clean channel so i want to mod all of them. Im really satisfied as ive been playin bare knuckler on my Prs guitars and to be hones, as anal i am about sound quality i feel there is no need to upgrade to "better" pickups as i have achieved what i needed.

[@MrRafaelMatiazoguita]

great video, do you think for strat guitar, vintage staggered ou flat pole pickups ?

[@johnroberts838]

Excellent as always, thank you Collin.

[@YomYestreen]

I have flat pole pickups in my partscaster and the high E string is a noticeably quieter output than all the other strings. Anyone know why this might be? Could it be a bum set of pickups? I notice it especially on the neck pickup but I think it might be on the others as well, I'd have to double check. Anyway, thanks for the video, Colin. I love this channel.

[@davidmilroy3851]

I put a new scratch plate in.and I'm not sure witch way I take them out on the treble there is 3 lower staggered pins the other side more higher what u think thk

[@bpdarragh]

So do you use a wound G mate? I bought a strat, with (I think, almost certain) a 9.5 radius, and bought a loaded pickguard (yet to place on the strat) which seem to have the classic stagger ie, quite high G pole. I know that the sound is important, but have heard unless you have a heavier gauge wound G, they break easily, but a heavy G is quite tough to bend.

[@charlesmoore1307]

If I use a scope and set all the amplitudes thatway, wouldnt it look more chaotic on the pickup than just a straight arch? Being that the frequencies and size and tension of the strings would effect the physical appearance of the staggering? I guess use a grease pencil to mark the peaks?

[@godzilla964]

I have a guitar with humbicking pickups that are both flat and staggered. I adjusted the flat poles just right, but how do I properly adjust the screw poles to the correct height?

[@misterbonzoid5623]

Good video.

[@CyberChrist]

Intelligent and well researched video. I remember an idiot claiming it was all a marketing ploy -_-

[@SlackWi]

So if i am planning on swapping out the neck on my tele to something with a much smaller radius do i also need to find staggered single coils?

[@djw6670]

Kinda on this topic, I've always wondered why is it that the bridge pickup on a Strat is usually if not always slanted with one end nearer the bridge? Would the pickup sound completely shit without it, or is it just to add some flavour and differentiation to the other 2 pickups?

[@FloodExterminator]

D Wright - METALHEAD i think it is slanted so there is more treble on the gbe strings and less of it on the ead strings

[@rav743]

thats true but is more that the ead strings can capture enought vibration, the more close you get to the bridge the less magnetic energy you capture since the vibration (of any) string is a lot more in their center than their ends.

[@markschwarz2137]

I've heard some people say the Fender actually got that the wrong way round (although I personally don't worry about it). Also I have recently acquired a Yamaha MG series guitar that I'm restoring which has a straight, coil-splittable humbucker at the bridge and a reverse slant single coil at both the middle and neck positions. It's not yet in full working condition, so I can't really judge it right now.

[@littlebritain64]

Interesting. Wich system Jimi Hendrix adopted?

[@MrJimbissle]

@@littlebritain64 I hear part of why he played a right handed guitar upside down was because it reversed the slant on the pick-up and that's a bit of why his tone was so unique.

[@joecool5670]

That was very helpfull

[@christisgod3354]

very interesting stuff.

[@TeggyTeggyTeggy]

Will it be dumb of me if I were to mix them up? I bought a staggered Dimarzio Virtual Solo. My current tokai has flat stock pickups. Flat neck and Mid then staggered bridge. Would that be good?

[@teensrygley]

Do a staggered humbucker versus non staggered so we can hear the difference

[@bidenbuyersremorse7019]

That ending made me laugh so hard.... thanks!

[@finnthehu200]

I'm not sure what that ending was, but I enjoyed it.

[@xxdvallesxx]

Can you do, or have you done a video on Ohms?

[@thelonghaul5214]

the beverage behind you, "cloven hoof" what may i ask is it? whiskey? scotch? and how would you rate it?

[@stormbringer67]

I have staggered pole pieces on my Fender Jazz bass. But what if i was to replace the pickups for pickups with "flat" poles? How does that work while the guitar neck has a 12" radius? I enjoy your accent by the way!

[@jnicorb]

Colin, i have a problem with the single coil of my Cort X-11, i use this pickup for clean stuff (arpeggios, jazz or funk, etc.) but one of the poles (sorry, my english sucks xD) is far from the string because of my picking attack Is it a problem for my sound?

[@ALTDOK667]

When you play, how does it sound? If you think it sounds good, all is well!

[@mcswordfish]

When can we buy the "He who hingeth aboot" t-shirts?

[@TheShinyShow]

Why don't you try speaking to Rabbie Burns? *holds up fiver*

[@G-Point-EU-AU]

The string's volume depends on the fretboard's radius (pole/screw distance to the respective string), and on the respective string's magnetic force summed combination. Radiuses (respective distances) are different and string's magnetic forces (depending on size and magnetic material) are different too. The first 3 (E, B, G) plain strings and the 6th (E) wound string magnetic forces are more or less compensated by distances, so can be left approximately flat. But the situation with the two wound "mid" strings is reverse - the weakest 4th (D) string has the highest distance, and partly the same is with the 5th (A) string, so they must be seriously compensated - the 4th pole must be the highest, and the 5th pole must be a little bit higher too. Balancing must be done using the "string to string" + full chords method in a "clean" gain regime using your real amp and loudspeaker(s). Very subjective and depends on your style too. Just my 5 cents :)

[@hafiz.6727]

Does it change or lose the tone went we adjust the Poles? cause I got 7 string electric guitar

[@n1tr0sys09]

Oh god... I was just reading about this last night ._. How do you like to set the ones that can be adjusted in a humbucker?

[@Kuroi733]

My D string has a huge pole and I ordered the guitar online... I was hoping there was a way to fix it. It seem very awkward being the only one sticking out....

[@mongo6588]

So do left handed players need to adjust the staggered poles? meaning, now the A-string pole is flush with the cover while the B-string pole is higher. so how do you adjust them? excellent video. Did you know that rum makes your accent more pronounced? especially that good sipping kind...

[@LOOMING_WRAITH_OF_BAD_OMEN]

I always wondered what was up with the uneven pole pieces. Didn't know it was a feature. I thought it was a fuck-up.

[@milork748]

Hey man how do you raise the poles of single coils

[@colemanoverbey1184]

What is that amp in the background (not the Marshall in the right)

[@tonym7051]

Nice shirt!!!

[@Doomchild2XL]

That accent alone got you the sub.

[@shaunw9270]

Great video ... here's a question.. Why do some Fender pickups have beveled magnets and not others ? (I own both btw)

[@ScienceofLoud]

Age and cost. Originally the magnets were all steep bevelled, then later shallower bevels were what was readily available. Flat magnets cost less than bevelled ones (one less step in the manufacturing process) so those appear on the cheaper instruments. So depending on what era of instrument the manufacturer is trying to evoke will change the magnets look. It offers practically no difference in sound, it's just a traditional looks thing and also a cost consideration.

[@reubensolly2237]

Listen up... Do not adjust your pole pieces to to the fretboard radius. You adjust them to the output of the string gauges. Now, here's how to do it. First, make sure the pickups are level from side to side. Then plug your guitar into a recording program/daw with no effects and look at the DB meter. Then evenly pluck each string a few times and move from low to high. You can probably see that the low E and G strings are the loudest, the A and B strings second and the D and high E strings have the weakest outputs. This is because the strings with lower amounts of magnetic material have lower output and vice versa. Now you need to adjust the pole pieces so that all the strings have the same amount of volume on the DB meter. Adjust the side to side height only if you can't get the low E and the high E strings to be equal volume without one or the other pole pieces being too high or too low or too close to the strings. And then adjust the other pickups the same, but just keep the volume between all the pickups the same when you toggle between them so one isn't louder than the other. Sorry if it seems confusing, If you have questions feel free to ask. But here's what it should kinda look like. E = A == D === G = B == e ===

[@elninjadelaguitarra4794]

I can file the poles of the third and fourth string of a curved radius pickup to later place on a guitar with a 12 radius neck... what would happen?

[@Sm00thR0ckS]

A lefty here. Is installing my newly purchased text mex pickups on my left handed Fender going to be an issue since they are staggered I'm assuming for right handed guitars?

[@AlmaGuitars]

Great!

[@goldenlightchild4861]

Hey friend, for a 9.25” Strat radius do you recommend staggered or flat for better sound? (I.e is it necessary to use staggered?) btw I am using 10-46 daddario nickel strings.

[@martianmurray]

Yeah I have a 9.5 radius so I’m wondering the same since it’s kinda right in between 7.25 and 12 inches. I’m leaning towards flat but I would appreciate hearing someone’s opinion.

[@lordsludge5678]

wound G strings will always be the best

[@snape1464]

You can get used to that aswel. You wouldn't believe how fast you adapt to fat strings and they usually sound a lot warmer

[@lordsludge5678]

i bend alot i have no issues

[@oqsy]

Agree. I imagine I’d prefer b and e wound as well if such a thing existed.

[@kaiser7695]

A lot of acoustics have it

[@5urg3x]

Good vid

[@k4m125]

How do you build a pickup

[@w.rustylane5650]

My G string is too loud. The pole piece must be made for a wound G string. Can I lower the pole piece for the G string? If so, how? The HSS pickups are all staggered pole pieces, even the humbuckers.

[@erlikquadros5873]

The defference is that staggered peckups will peck up more output from the meddle strengs! =D

[@TheMfhorton]

What is the effect for a left hand guitar? I'm not familiar with staggered pole pickups being available in LH orientation.

[@davidkastin4240]

They sound great in left handed Strats. They are my favorite pups

[@UmVtCg]

I immediately went to the IOS appstore to download those peck apps you speak off, but I could not find them, are they only available on the Android playstore?

[@gusblacksmith9]

Peck ops!

Gus Ferreira Thenks four wechin thez vedeio

[@GhostGuitars]

excellent video, thanks