Mustang Pickups?

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Sweetfinger
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
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Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2019 3:23 pm

Re: Mustang Pickups?

Post by Sweetfinger » Thu Oct 14, 2021 11:44 pm

Mustang pickups are ... essentially... slightly underwound Strat pickups with flat pole pieces. Most of why they sound different in a Mustang is the shorter scale, and placement.
Fender would use an extra piece of bobbin flatwork on the top of the coil to make the poles flush, and the whole thing was stuffed under a Strat cover with no holes. If you cut some cardstock or pickguard material to fit the top of a Strat pickup so the poles aren't popping up the center of a cover, you can use just about any Strat replacement pickup you like. It's easier if you can find a non-staggered one, and any of the Fender pickups built on a plastic bobbin, like the American Standard and Mexico made ones, are good candidates for simply pushing the poles flat. Traditional Fiber bobbin pickups like the various vintage reissues, Texas Specials, 57/62, '54s, etc., can be damaged by pushing the poles down, though you'll read posts from players who did it and survived. Don't do it.

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