Importance of pickup size when choosing replacements?

[McSalterson]

The pickups on my Ibanez are a bit of an odd size... 4.24" x 1.3" according to my inexpensive digital caliper. They fit in the cavity pretty snugly. If I'm eyeing a pickup upgrade, would slightly smaller pickups work well, or could they cause the strings to not be aligned over the pole pieces?

Currently stock Ibanez are 4.24" x 1.3"
Nordstrands are 3.99" x 1.27"
Aguilar are 4.25" x 1.25"

Anything else to keep in mind?

 

[gary mitchell]

I have a 32 year old Ibanez SR800 and a few months ago I put a new set of EMG Geezer Butlers in it and had know problems putting them in, they went right in fit great .

 

[sikamikanico]

As far as I can tell, that’s seems to be within the range/tolerance for what’s known as the “Bartolini P2” size, most commonly found on 5 string basses (but also seen on 4 and 6 string basses).

you can get a smaller pickup in general, but string spacing needs to be determined on case-by-case basis. For example, Nordstrand can make a P2 BigSplit to fit basses with spacing ranging from 16.5 to 19 mm (measured at the bridge, aka “bridge spacing”). Or you can get a blade/rail pickup like ZenBlade and ignore spacing as long as all the string fall within the sensing range…

I recommend you set your tonal goals first, then figure out how to get there. It might not even require getting new pickups. But if you do, determine what pickup you want, then work with the maker to confirm the size.