Flat or tapered pickup rings??

[Govmnt_Lacky]

I have a dual humbucker setup and currently, the pups are in tapered pickup rings. Now... not being the musicphile that some are... I wonder why? Why do they mount pups into tapered rings where the pups sit unevenly and the string distance differs?

Basically... what are the pros/cons of tapered rings compared to flat/even pup rings?

[davent]

I think the tapering is just to keep the face of the pickup parallel to the strings on guitars with an angled neck set.
dave

[Govmnt_Lacky]

I think the tapering is just to keep the face of the pickup parallel to the strings on guitars with an angled neck set.
dave

So.. are you saying that I should have the same string height at the neck-side of the pup as I should at the bridge-side? If so... I do not 

The bridge side of both pups are considerably (in context) closer to the strings.

[Aentons]

I don't know why they would purposely do that. SGs with the full pickguard have the same problem because the pickups are mounted directly to the pickguard without any rings. Gibson seems to think it's fine for these but they use taper rings on the SGs with the smaller pickguard

I bent the pickup tabs on mine to help them to sit at an angle and use the pole pieces to compensate for any height differences.

[davent]

I think the tapering is just to keep the face of the pickup parallel to the strings on guitars with an angled neck set.
dave

So.. are you saying that I should have the same string height at the neck-side of the pup as I should at the bridge-side? If so... I do not 

The bridge side of both pups are considerably (in context) closer to the strings.

Again speculating here i'm thinking it just allows the pickup poles to be set closer to the strings when strings and  pickups are parallel. With non parallel the front neck edge of a pickup could contact the string in certain instances.

I checked my only guitar with humbuckers, tapered rings but the pickup face mounts flat which makes no sense now.
dave

[gordo]

You should be able to use a sanding block and account for the neck angle.  Ideally you want the face of the pickup ring to be parallel to the strings.  There really is no universal angle.

[Govmnt_Lacky]

Ideally you want the face of the pickup ring to be parallel to the strings.

Definitely NOT parallel with the strings. Like I said, pretty obvious distance between the neck side of the pups and the bridge side.

BTW... for info sake. The guitar in question is a PRS SE Custom 24. Rings "look" original however, this may not be the case.

[jimilee]

Will it sound any different if you change it?


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[Govmnt_Lacky]

Will it sound any different if you change it?

Don't know Jimi. I would guess so due to the distance difference when the coils are split.

[Muadzin]

Building my own guitars I can't help escape the idea that a LOT of what is being done continues to be done that way because its always been done that way. In no small way either because if they don't then the guitar purists will crucify them. FOR LEO FENDER AND LES PAUL GOT IT RIGHT THE 1ST TIME!

Although of course, sometimes, when you do try something new instead you discover, oh, THAT'S why they did it like that. So you gotta try it, see if you like it, or not. Occasionally you must reinvent the wheel to understand why the wheel is as it is.