Casinos and different pole piece distances

[Fubar]

We know that using MIA pups are out of the question because of the pole piece spacings.......so what would have to be changed on the Casino so that the MIA pups would work and line up with the strings.......if the trapeze and bridge were changed would the spacing be correct or would you then have to change the nut?

[Ricochet]

FWIW The pole spacing is not depending on where the PU is made. The pole spacing on any given PU can be the same but if MI USA is notated in imperial sizes, and if MI Asia or Europe in metric sizes.

[Fubar]

dually noted Rico..........so what is it on the Casinos, hardware that would require changing in order to have the strings line up properly over MIA pup pole pieces#-o

[Stig]

dually noted Rico..........so what is it on the Casinos' date=' hardware that would require changing in order to have the strings line up properly over MIA pup pole pieces#-o [/quote']

 

Are there separate bridge and neck styles that are spaced differently? Do you already have the pups, and they don't line up? The casino uses a regular bridge.

[tonedeaf1281734100]

I just bought a used Casino that had its pickups replaced with GFS P90s but the original chrome PUP covers were used and the original Epiphone P90s were also sent to me.

 

It looks as if the pole piece spacing for the GFS PUPS was very slightly narrower than the pole piece spacing for the stock PUPS, but it is so slight that one doesn't notice that the pole pieces are not precisely aligned with the chrome covers unless one looks hard. The installer may have had to file out the holes in the stock chrome covers slightly.

 

The pole piece spacing (E to E) for the neck PUP is just over 1 7/8 inch and that for the bridge PUP just about 2 inches.

 

It didn't look however as if the pole pieces were all that well-aligned with the strings with the stock trapeze tailpiece in place.

 

A Schaller roller bridge allows lateral alignment of the strings and I am thinking about putting one on my Casino, along with a Bigsby B7.

[tonedeaf1281734100]

If you don't want to go with a roller bridge and your strings don't quite align with the pole pieces, perhaps you get replace your bridge with a ABR1 type copy that doesn't have string slots filed on the bridge saddles. You would then have a bit of leeway to adjust the string positions laterally. Of course, you would either have to file the string slots yourself, or have someone do it for you.

[Fubar]

thats interesting Tone........didn't know you could by a bridge with lateral adjustment, gonna have to look at that.....string would still be out a 1/64 or 1/32 with the trapeze no? or would you have to file it out so it was plum with the nut?

[tonedeaf1281734100]

If you go to the Stewart MacDonald site, they have a nice close up picture of the Schaller ridge. You can see that the bridge saddle rollers are mounted on threaded shafts so that the saddle rollers can be moved from side to side allowing a string spacing at the bridge of anywhere from 1 29/32" up to 2 1/4".

 

Stewmac (and others) also sells ABR-1 type tune-o-matic bridges with no string slots filed on the saddles. This allows you to adjust the string position for each saddle from side to side somewhat when you file the string slots, just like you can adjust the string spacing somewhat if you get a nut blank and file the string slots.

 

The string spacing at the bridge doesn't have to match the string spacing at the trapeze tail piece. If you look at a lot of archtop acoustic guitars, or a violin for that matter, you see that the strings converge from the bridge toward the tail piece.

 

TWANG just used the Schaller bridge on his LP studio. I am probably going to get one. If I do I will leave a post on how well it allowed me to adjust the string spread to the pole pieces once I get my Casino reassembled.