Mini Bucker for Bridge in SSS MIM Strat

[gvis]

Just bought a new MIM SSS Strat, which I'm really liking overall, and would like to replace the bridge pup with a mini bucker that will allow some heavier tones (not necessarily metal) but still be balanced against the stock middle & neck.

I already have a guitar set up with normal humbuckers that handles heavier styles. I bought this guitar to get me a Start sound out of the middle and neck, and I chose alder with a maple neck and fret board to give me a brighter, clearer sound than my other guitar. While I may try some other mid & neck pups in the future, for now I'm fine with the stock ones.

I'm not necessarily concerned with finding a mini bucker that tries to stay closer to a single coil, and I'm not concerned with it matching a full bucker. Somewhere in between is fine.

I'm more concerned with cancelling hum, getting a little thicker, slightly more aggressive tone, and a little more output, without losing too much balance with the mid & neck pups. For the balance concerns, what output range would the stock mid & neck pups fall in and compare to SD models? Vintage, middle, higher output? The guitar center site says ceramic but that may not necessarily mean higher output.

I've had hot rails on my other guitar and didn't like them much, and I also would prefer the look of minis with pole pieces instead of solid rails, so it's looking like choices include JB JR (so far my first choice), little 59, and Lil screamin demon.

While a couple of frets are tad rough on the edges, overall quality of this guitar is better than I expected and enough of a base to make some future upgrades worthwhile. I'm really enjoying it so far. Bought a mustang 1 practice amp at the same time and together I'm having a blast with the change in tones versus my bigger setup.

Thanks a bunch.

[gvis]

Re: Mini Bucker for Bridge in SSS MIM Strat

Oops, menat to post in the pup section, sorry bout that. Admins please move if it's not too much trouble.

Also, not trying to make this a does it all guitar. Just need a hum cancelling bridge pup that can cover hard rock leads and rthymns yet still be able to cover classic rock and passable blues if needed.

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Mini Bucker for Bridge in SSS MIM Strat

Lil 59er

[gvis]

Re: Mini Bucker for Bridge in SSS MIM Strat

Lil 59er

Thanks. The more I think about it and check other sites the more that seems to make sense for what I'm after. I really don't want to take the bridge too far out of the overall theme of the guitar.

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: Mini Bucker for Bridge in SSS MIM Strat

I don't think a mini would be farther away from the original Strat concept than a lil59. That said, the lil59 is a great pup, used one in a Strat myself for similar styles of music. I'd go that way myself, as it is less hassle...just drop it in!

[gvis]

Re: Mini Bucker for Bridge in SSS MIM Strat

Still leaning that way, but tonight I took it apart and changed the tone setup, because I noticed the bridge was bypassing tone pots and went straight to volume, which explains why it was so shrill and much brighter than the other pups.

The volume now has a 250k tone pot connected so that all pups run through that tone pot, with a .22 cap. The neck has it's own 250k tone pot and .22 cap as well.

This is a big improvement, by warming up the bridge and allowing me to warm up the neck as needed without affecting the others, for creamy solos, etc. But the neck's max treble is a tad lower than I'd like, so I'll try a 500k neck tone pot next. The stock tone setup was odd how the neck and bridge were tied together, and how the cap was located.

While I'm now kinda likin the bridge's twang and chime (being a humbucker guy it sounds like chime to me...lol...but maybe there's a better description), and how it blends with the middle, it still lacks bass (way less than the other pups) and balls.

I find myself playing a lot more clean on this guitar than I usually play, and I like it. The only way I'd leave the stock bridge (or replace with a different single to get more bass) is if the overall theme of this guitar is clean to mildly dirty. if I can't live without a more agresive bridge, I may skip a mini bucker, replace the pickguard, and drop a normal buker in there. I'm reading more and more that minis can seem like a compromise, without really getting the best of either. My hot rails experinces in my other guitar kind of confirmed it, at least for me and those pups.

If i go normal bucker, I'm guessing appropriate choices include a 59 and pearly gates. My parker came stock with a Fred (though slightly lower output than normal freds) and I really liked that pup; more modern imo, but i'd be ok with that if it balances and blends well with the single coils. It's listed as 10k resistance, vs 8k for the 59 and pearly, so it sounds like it may be within the range of balancing with the singles.

So i'm still trying to figure out which direction to go...lol, as usual.

[gvis]

Re: Mini Bucker for Bridge in SSS MIM Strat

After listening to the SD samples, which i'd forgotten about, the Alinco II pro bucker sounded pretty nice to me. Pearly gates sounded brighter and loser, almost a single coil vibe when clean, and the 59 sounded a little darker and tighter, more ballsy. I also listened to the minis and I just can't see myself going that route. Since hum is still an issue, it's looking like I'm going the normal bucker route.

Just based on the samples I'm leaning towards a2 pro, then pearly, then 59. It's a bright guitar, so not sure how the pearly will fair with that. A Fred is a wild card. Not sure how it compares to these SDs, but I'm guessing it's more compressed and has more harmonics.

[gvis]

Re: Mini Bucker for Bridge in SSS MIM Strat

I've decided to go with a pearly gates. Before I order, do new MIM strats use trem spacing? A lot of info out there but I want to make sure. So far it looks like trem & that trem is in between gibson/f (narrower) and vintage strat (wider). I'm at work and can't measure.

While my f space on a trem bridge in the parker came out ok, I'd like to align the pole pieces to the strings as much as possible before I order. Thanks!

[gvis]

Re: Mini Bucker for Bridge in SSS MIM Strat

Nevermind. Pretty sure trembucker is what I need. And yes I'm a dumbass and mixed up f spacing. Trying to work and get the order in before days end...bad combo.

Lookin forward to the new pup. Based it on a youtube demo of the 5150 iii 50 watt (likely my next amp), by a guy with a similar strat (though surely a better model...and player...lol) and pearly gates bridge.

Oh, and after removing the pickguard last weekend, I discovered three large holes drilled into the top of the body above the volume and pup selector switch, filled halfway up with glue blobs. Must be special MIM tone holes...lol. Looks liek they didn't want to waste a cut of wood that happened to have test holes. The glue is in there pretty tight and I doubt it will come loose. Or is it intended, such as for active pup hardware?

I got a decent sale price for the guitar and it plays well, so I'll just keep it and attribute it's tone to the holes. I've read more on MIM vs MIA and that MIM uses lower standard wood; if it does, this is good example. Pretty sure my 2002 MIA deluxe didn't have the holes. Sold that guitar because it was a complete dud, despite the fancy hardware. My fault because I mail ordered it and didn't know enough about tone back then. I only considered MIM this time because I've played enough of them at GC over the years to know good ones can be found, and because I'm currently on a much tighter budget. This one sounds great and resonates well, and the neck feels great and just as good as the MIA I had, so I'll just upgrade the hardware as I go.

[ImmortalSix]

Mini Bucker for Bridge in SSS MIM Strat

Little '59 NECK!

PERFECT FOR WHAT YOU DESCRIBED!

[gvis]

Re: Mini Bucker for Bridge in SSS MIM Strat

Hey that sounded pretty nice. Certainly better than the stock bridge single coil imo, and somewhere between a single and bucker. You used a lot of light dirt vs the higher gain I'd be using.

Thanks for the help, but I already ordered the pearly gates, based on this vid and more research. Lookin forward to it. I just don't think I can live without a full bridge bucker. The bridge and neck singles are really where I need the single coil sound I'm after. Plus I'm going to try split the bucker in the 4th position, with no mix with middle. hopefully it sounds good split.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQkpPH6G29M&feature=player_detailpage

[gvis]

Re: Mini Bucker for Bridge in SSS MIM Strat

Let's try this instead:

[RorySquier]

Re: Mini Bucker for Bridge in SSS MIM Strat

Let's try this instead:

Is that you playing? Awesome tone!!! It sounds clean, clear & warm without being muddy. I've converted a Squier Affinity into an HSS and I love the configuration. The humbucker is from a Samick guitar with a D.C. res. of 8.1 kohms. It has a nice bright, almost single-coil sound at times, but it really does the trick. Good vid!

[gvis]

Re: Mini Bucker for Bridge in SSS MIM Strat

Is that you playing?

Man, I wish it was. While I've certainly improved, i have years to go before I get to his level. I discovered this vid while searching for demos of the 5150 iii. This one and some others of his sold me on it. And since then I fond a SD forum thread on the pearly gates that includes a vid in a different setting that I think is his as well, when he first installed the pearly gates.

You know, I cancelled my order for the PG. i realized I had never sold the fred from my old parker, so I'm going to try that first. It's black, so I'm a little bummed because my new start is olympic white, my favorite color. I bought some black single covers for the stock fenders and black knobs and switch cover. Should still look ok.

i also considered trying the parker's dimarzio singles just for yuks, since they are out and unused as well, but I see their pole pieces are fixed at one level. I'm guessing it's not an issue for the parker given it's likely flatter radius near the pups vs the strat, whose pups have staggered levels...I don't know, just guessing. If anyone knows anything about the difference, please let me know so I don't waste my time. I actually like the stock singles, even if they are ceramic. No clue if the dimarzios are alinco. I wanted a bright strat and the setup overall is certainly bright and clear, but not annoying.

If the fred doesn't work out I'll go back to the PG. Despite the MIM stigma and my hilarious "tone" holes, I'm actually loving this cheap guitar and can't stop playing it. I never had that feeling with the MIA SSS I had in the 90's or the MIS HSS deluxe I had in the 2000's. Go figure. Maybe it's becaise both of those had rosewood fret boards and the deluxe was just tonally dead. I still like dark guitars, and the parker certainly is dark, despite being swamp ash ( i think the mahogony neck and carbon fiber fret baord dominate the tone), but I needed an alternative axe with a lighter vibe.