F-Spacing Humbucks.

[Gibsonmac]

"Trem spacing" is basically just a gimmick anyway. In 99% of the cases it does zero difference.

Actually the difference is pretty significant, on a guitar with a Floyd and a standard spaced humbucker, the attack from downstroke to upstroke has significantly varied output (particularly on the high E), but switch out for a trembucker and the response and output is even... this is most apparent on a clean amp with the output gain turned up a bit (clean, yet just starts to break up as you hammer on the strings)

I found this out after I had a custom 5 put into a soloist I had, and the local shop only had a standard humbucker spaced one, but I figured it wouldn't make much if any of a difference, so I had them put it in... almost immediately after I got it home, I called them up to order the trem spaced one and swap it out...

that said, if you play with a ton of distortion, the differences are much MUCH less noticeable.

Moral of the story: if you play clean at all, or SRV/Hendrix, non-bone-crushing distorted music... it makes all the difference in the world, but if your a 'metal up your ass' type player, or a non-solo player, you probably will not be able to notice.

[jhale667]

Actually the difference is pretty significant, on a guitar with a Floyd and a standard spaced humbucker, the attack from downstroke to upstroke has significantly varied output (particularly on the high E), but switch out for a trembucker and the response and output is even... this is most apparent on a clean amp with the output gain turned up a bit (clean, yet just starts to break up as you hammer on the strings)

I found this out after I had a custom 5 put into a soloist I had, and the local shop only had a standard humbucker spaced one, but I figured it wouldn't make much if any of a difference, so I had them put it in... almost immediately after I got it home, I called them up to order the trem spaced one and swap it out...

that said, if you play with a ton of distortion, the differences are much MUCH less noticeable.

Moral of the story: if you play clean at all, or SRV/Hendrix, non-bone-crushing distorted music... it makes all the difference in the world, but if your a 'metal up your ass' type player, or a non-solo player, you probably will not be able to notice.

+1

[DonP]

I still say it's bullshit. When you use a different bobbin, and different number of turns, the two pickups no longer sound the same. What you are hearing isn't the change from the poles lining up. It's a different pickup with a different tone and output.

[Dannyjoe Carter]

The only problem I've ever had with f-spaced p/us is when I had my repair shop guys would bring them in as replacements in guitars with pickgaurds and the f-spaced don't fit. I would end up having to get out the dremel and widen thr pickgaurd area which made the job a lot longer and more tedious.