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Here's a little trick if you want better pickups but can't afford the silly prices some people are charging these days.

1 - Take a set of Squier or similar pickups, about a fiver on eBay.

2 - Prise the ceramic magnets off the bottom.

3 - Push out the steel polepieces.

4 - Push in a set of alnico magnets, available from several suppliers at about 50p each.

I've now made 3 sets of these, and they have all sounded amazing! Obviously they're no competition for a set of Custom Shops, but are more than capable of sounding as good as pickups costing twice as much. This is because (or so I'm told) the magnets have more of an effect on the sound than the wind, particularly when it comes to resonant frequency.

The advantage is that you can have any stagger you like on the polepieces - even flat. I've copied the stagger from my Fender 59/62s, and have made a little gauge to keep it consistent. You can also choose the polarity, with the proviso that, if your middle pickup is reverse wound (as they often are on Strats these days) the magnets need to be reverse polarity as well, or you'll end up out of phase.

Next week, how to make your own Meazzi with three yogurt cartons and some sticky-backed plastic.

Can you give out a source for these magnets, please, Steve?

I'd perhaps like to experiment with a stagger on the Duncan-Designed" pickups on the Squier VM Jaguar...

It's www.guysmagnets.com, Jim. I use the 0.195"x0.65" (4.95x16.5mm) ones.

Don't forget you can change the stagger on ANY Strat pickup, as long as it uses a plastic bobbin; just gently push them up or down as required. I once bought a set that turned out to be left-handed - no problem!

But don't try this if your pickup has a fibre bobbin; here the inner layer of windings is in contact with the magnets, so moving them may break something!

Many thanks.

JN