Pickups Off Center

[rwmol]

Can someone give me a reason the original pickups on my 1980 X175 Manhattan are mounted off center. The strings lay across the left side of the posts on each pickup. I'm assuming they use some kind of jig to center the PUs so, why would they be off center?

 

[fronobulax]

Can someone give me a reason the original pickups on my 1980 X175 Manhattan are mounted off center. The strings lay across the left side of the posts on each pickup. I'm assuming they use some kind of jig to center the PUs so, why would they be off center?

I can't answer your questions, but I once thought things were off center on my JS II because the strings were all to one side of the pole pieces. Turns out my bridge was badly adjusted. (In particular the saddles had slid to one side). In my case I was able to adjust the saddles so that the strings were over the pole pieces and the intonation was correct.

Could something being out of adjustment explain what you are seeing?

 

[GAD]

Can someone give me a reason the original pickups on my 1980 X175 Manhattan are mounted off center. The strings lay across the left side of the posts on each pickup. I'm assuming they use some kind of jig to center the PUs so, why would they be off center?

Loosen the strings and move the bridge. It just sits on the body on an archtop - it's not mounted.

HTH,

GAD

 

[guildzilla]

Pull the bridge up so that it is on-center. Then tune it up and adjust the bridge for best intonation position. Then play awhile and see if bridge maintains position. It should.

On a lot of archtops, the tendency is for the strings and tailpiece to pull the bridge downward toward the treble side.

 

[Default]

 

[Brad Little]

My late 80s X-170 had the tailpiece mounted off center so that the strings were on the treble side. My luthier filled the original hole and redrilled it so that it was mounted on center. Might be something like that on yours.

Brad