Sunrise Pickup vs. String spacing on Weissenborn

Tim Tweedale · Post by **Tim Tweedale** » 25 Sep 2009 7:24 am

I just got a sunrise pickup for my weissenborn. I notice that the string spacing is going to conflict with the spacing of the pole pieces (2 1/4" on the guitar, 2" on the pickup).

How do you deal with this issue? Does Jim Kaufmann make wider-spaced pickups? Must I change the string spacing on the instrument (yikes), or does it sound okay with the strings slightly out of whack with the pole pieces?

Lindley and many others do it, so it mus be possible!

Thanks!

-Tim

Twayn Williams · Post by **Twayn Williams** » 25 Sep 2009 8:21 am

You can put in the pickup to test it without doing a permanent install, right? Just toss it in and see what it sounds like!

A pole piece generates a magnetic field around it and so long as the swing of the string is in the field it should work fine, but let your ears be your guide!

Ben Sims · Post by **Ben Sims** » 25 Sep 2009 9:49 am

Ditto on what Twayn wrote. It's not crucial that the pole pieces be directly under the strings. Put it in there and try it out. If you need to, you can adjust the heights of the pole pieces to even out any differences in output between strings. Then see if it gives you the sound you're looking for. You probably want to experiment with pickup position and pole piece height anyway to get the optimum sound out of a Weissenborn, what with the string height and the unique acoustics.

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 25 Sep 2009 10:06 am

Here's an old photo of a Baggs M1 in my first Lazy River weiss, as you can see they don't line up properly, but the balance was just fine..

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 25 Sep 2009 1:29 pm

I have a Superior brand Weissenborn.
It came with very wide string spacing.
I had a luthier put on a different bridge and nut.
It wasn't all that expensive and made a fine guitar out of it. I have a Sunrise pickup on it, also.

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 25 Sep 2009 5:48 pm

Erv Niehaus wrote:I have a Superior brand Weissenborn.
It came with very wide string spacing.

Oh yes, here's how a Sunrise pickup lined up on my old Superior before I had a new bridge with narrower spacing made:

That's pretty wild!

Tim Tweedale · Post by **Tim Tweedale** » 26 Sep 2009 10:20 am

Thanks for the answers, guys. As it turns out, it works great, so you were right.

-Tim