Square peg, round hole.

[jamieb]

Ok, so I'm thinking of installing an SD Lil' 59 (bridge), single coil sized humbucker in my Jaguar.

I'm assuming the one for Strat is the way to go here, but the Strat pickup, on eyeballing it, seems shallower than the SD; ie installing the SD will leave it substantially closer to the strings than the stock pup it's replacing (not necessarily a problem, just an observation).

Is there a "yes, that's because you need to ..." answer to to all this or am I just stuck with it?

Thanks in advance as always.

[Fran]

Two things you need to consider..
First off avoid the triangular base plate Strat size pickups. They dont fit unless you chisel some wood out of the body or cut the access plastic off the pup with a craft knife.
Secondly, you will have room on depth but i dont think the 'claw' will fit or the pup cover. Which can make the guitar look aesthetically wrong. Some people cut the top of the pup cover out (again with a craft knife) so the cover fits, then you wont get that awfull gap around the pickup.

[jamieb]

Two things you need to consider..
First off avoid the triangular base plate Strat size pickups. They dont fit unless you chisel some wood out of the body or cut the access plastic off the pup with a craft knife.
Secondly, you will have room on depth but i dont think the 'claw' will fit or the pup cover. Which can make the guitar look aesthetically wrong. Some people cut the top of the pup cover out (again with a craft knife) so the cover fits, then you wont get that awfull gap around the pickup.

Yep, it's a non-triangular base that's not an issue. The claw remains, but indeed there is a gap around it. Not the prettiest thing, but then I'm not too bothered with aesthetics.

It does, however, sit high. There is a strip of foam in the body atop which the pickup sits, but it doesn't make enough of a difference to remove it. Are strat bodies deeper or something?

[Fran]

Two things you need to consider..
First off avoid the triangular base plate Strat size pickups. They dont fit unless you chisel some wood out of the body or cut the access plastic off the pup with a craft knife.
Secondly, you will have room on depth but i dont think the 'claw' will fit or the pup cover. Which can make the guitar look aesthetically wrong. Some people cut the top of the pup cover out (again with a craft knife) so the cover fits, then you wont get that awfull gap around the pickup.

Yep, it's a non-triangular base that's not an issue. The claw remains, but indeed there is a gap around it. Not the prettiest thing, but then I'm not too bothered with aesthetics.

It does, however, sit high. There is a strip of foam in the body atop which the pickup sits, but it doesn't make enough of a difference to remove it. Are strat bodies deeper or something?

No. The pickups are'nt either, i cant understand why it wont fit, i tried JB Jrs, Hotrails and allsorts in my Jag. You may need to chisel a little out then. How deep is that pickup?

[Jagermeister]

Dots iirc had that problem, and wound up shimming the neck and messing with the bridge some... I'm not sure if a satisfactory result was ever achieved, I think he gave up and bought a Jag HH or something and returned the SCs to their place...