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Hi: I'm new to this forum but I didn't see a thread on this question yet. I have an Ephiphone Elite LP and wish to change my pick ups to the APH1 (both neck and bridge). My current spacings (E string to E string) are slightly less than 2quot; for the neck, and slightly more than 2quot; for the bridge. Is this a problem when replacing pickups, or is the distance so slight it doesn't matter. Thanks!

Hello, and welcome!!!!!!!

Regardless of what guitar you use, humbuckers all come in one standard size and shape. If your Epi has humbuckers in there now, then new Seymours will fit in. The strings are further apart at the bridge than they are at the nut, which is why there's a difference at the positions of the 2 pickups, but the slot the pup goes into (ie. the hole in the wood, which is the important thing) is exactly the same.

The only exception is when a guitar has a Floyd Rode tremelo unit, where the pups need to be a bit bigger, but your guitar won't have that so it's nothing to worry about.

Happy playing!

Get a regular spaced pickup for the neck and an F-spaced pickup for the bridge. Although the difference is very small and you could easily use regular spaced pickups in both spots. On the Burstbuckers and '57 Classics, Gibson doesn't even offer an F-spaced version, so that should tell you something.


Originally Posted by Alvin Lee FanGet a regular spaced pickup for the neck and an F-spaced pickup for the bridge.

Dude, NO!!!!! An F-spaced pup will be TOO BIG for the hole in the body of the guitar. I speak as someone who tried to put an F-spaced humbucker in the bridge of my Epiphone Dot, and couldn't because it was a few millimeters too big. A normal sized humbucker will do nicely.


Originally Posted by JimbojsrDude, NO!!!!! An F-spaced pup will be TOO BIG for the hole in the body of the guitar. I speak as someone who tried to put an F-spaced humbucker in the bridge of my Epiphone Dot, and couldn't because it was a few millimeters too big. A normal sized humbucker will do nicely.

I just pulled an F-Spaced Dimarzio Breed out of the bridge of my Epi LP. It fit just fine going in six months ago.

Hmmm.... interesting.... I tried with a PAF classic, which had a nickel cover on it, maybe that's what pushed it over the edge....

Yep, the only time I had problems with pickup size was with a *covered* trembucker.


Originally Posted by Alvin Lee Fan

On the Burstbuckers and '57 Classics, Gibson doesn't even offer an F-spaced version, so that should tell you something.

Not sure if ALL Gibsons come with and without quot;Tquot; spacing, but I do know that the bridge models of the 490T 498T and 500T have that T there for a reason. Trem Spaced, and they are the only versions of the bridge humbucker. There is no NON-T inscription on the bridge pickups' baseplate, those pickups come in. Maybe the Burstbuckers and Classic 57's are paired with re-issues that use the narrower bridge than most modern (post 1990) Gibsons, but I doubt it.


Originally Posted by Fusion1Not sure if ALL Gibsons come with and without quot;Tquot; spacing, but I do know that the bridge models of the 490T 498T and 500T have that T there for a reason. Trem Spaced, and they are the only versions of the bridge humbucker. There is no NON-T inscription on the bridge pickups' baseplate, those pickups come in. Maybe the Burstbuckers and Classic 57's are paired with re-issues that use the narrower bridge than most modern (post 1990) Gibsons, but I doubt it.

Er.... doesn't quot;Tquot; stand for quot;treblequot; (as opposed to quot;Rquot; for quot;rhythmquot;, as the 2 pickup positions are traditionally marked on a Les Paul switch?)

Actually the T on newer pickups accomodate the wider polespacing. An early 80's 490r and 498t set had the same pole spacing for both pickups. On any of the newer pickups with a T inscription, look at the baseplate and you will see the screw side is wider than the slug side.

EDIT: Just compared a newer Gibson with the GIBSON USA stamp on the baseplate to an older PAT no. 2,737,842 stamped Gibson and you can clearly see it's a wider spacing on the newer GIBSON USA pickup.

Anything newer than a 1990 Gibson will be a better fit with an F-spaced or Trem-spaced pickup.

Yup, the newer model Gibson pickups are sized for neck (Rhythm) or bridge (Treble) spacing, 490R, 498T, 496R, 500T, etc.
However, the recreations of the PAF like the original Burstbuckers and '57 Classic have no such differences. Not sure on the newer Burstbucker Pro pickups.
Has nothing to do with wide/narrow bridges. It's just that in the old days, no one cared about this, there was no quot;neckquot; or quot;bridgequot; model pickup. They just made a pickup and stuck two of 'em in a Les Paul Later model pickups are spaced for their respective positions, bridge sizes have stayed pretty much the same over the years.