I was just curious if anyone knew why strat and tele bridge pickups were slanted: is it because of tone or is it just the way that they fit? Because I bought a pickguard that doesn't properly fit my guitar, so I was going to use my original one that came on the guitar instead of trying mod the new pickguard. The problem is that it was used for a SSH electronics configuration and I bought 3 new single coils, so I can't slant the bridge pickup without drilling two holes in the pickguard, but I thought if I just kept the bridge pickup straight instead of slanting it, it would fit fine, I'm just curious if there are any reasons why I shouldn't do it.
Steve-0
First of all a pup meant for slant mounting needs to be wider than a "normal" pup (geometry!). Take that into consideration, as you may need to slant it to get the pole pieces directly under each string.
The reason for the slant is because the wavelength is longer on lower pitched stings, so the harmonic node peaks and noded along the string scale further from the bridge. So (in theory), slanting the bridge pup balances the pickup of harmonic levels a bit better, making the lower strings sound a bit beefier than if the pup is near the bridge.
... plus the slant looks cooler
-=tension & release=-
