Rise and Fall of 3 Humbucker Guitars

[ArtieToo]

I actually like using middle position on Strats; . . . . and a Zhangbucker . . .

I don't use the middle much either, but I have one Strat with a Zhang middle pup, and I love it. It's one of my favorite pups.

[Mincer]

I just remembered that Steve Howe used a 3 humbucker ES5 Switchmaster for most of Fragile in 1971.

[alex1fly]

Meh. Same reason there's Nashville Teles with middle pickups but 90% of folks gravitate towards the standard setup. Middle pickups sound different but not necessarily good and Strats already do notch tones better than anything. They make wiring needlessly complicated. They can get in the way, moreso than a middle single coil. They're just... not necessary beyond novelty. Learn to work the volume controls of a 2 humbucker guitar and you can get tons of tonal variety, no middle pickup needed. Do coil splits on those two humbuckers and you get even more useful tonal variety.

Middle is one of my favorite positions on a Strat. Nasal and cuts right through, also sounds different than anything.

[alex1fly]

I thought I noticed that based on the headstocks based on a rewatch or two--still there were so many lawsuit guitars around at that time (70s-80s) that I wasn't sure.

Dean is a brand I could never get into. I always found Dime's MLs to be tacky looking. His Washburn versions were a little better. I liked the DBZ designs a little better as they were sleeker.

But on the whole, yeah, I've always found some Dean lovers to be like folks who realllyyyy love the gawdy pink flamingos on their lawns. ; )

Dean basses rule. I have two - one cheapo P, one mid-level Jazz. Both basses beat out all other basses I tried in stores when I was building my bass stable. Superb construction and playability, beautiful frets, gigtastic tones. But yes.... one of them is an awful gawdy neon green but it worked because I was in a reggae/dub band at the time

[DCikes88]

.... one of them is an awful gawdy neon green but it worked because I was in a reggae/dub band at the time

No matter the personal taste, I believe no instrument collection is complete without atleast one "gawdy" specimen.

[beaubrummels]

I never use the middle pickup alone on a Strat, but I've rewired that position with a new switch to give me bridge & neck.

Two of my three Strats are 1960's models, so they only have 3-way, so I find the middle option useful, for rhythm clean or edge/gritty rhythm, at least.

[dave74]

No matter the personal taste, I believe no instrument collection is complete without atleast one "gawdy" specimen.

Just like everyone need a "sticker guitar".

[Inflames626]

Dean basses rule. I have two - one cheapo P, one mid-level Jazz. Both basses beat out all other basses I tried in stores when I was building my bass stable. Superb construction and playability, beautiful frets, gigtastic tones. But yes.... one of them is an awful gawdy neon green but it worked because I was in a reggae/dub band at the time

I may have seen the exact same specimen when I was working in a local high school. I think it was a neon green PJ owned by the band teacher. It struck me as particularly out of place in that setting. But I just thought, "That's a Dean being a Dean." Like Dean Zelinsky himself, not the easiest thing to work with.

I'll be a little kinder. I *do* like their more traditional looking stuff like their MAB and Rusty Cooley lines (I want one of his 8 strings with a scale length for a high A). But for the most part the styling of Deans and their derivatives alienate me. And I'm a guy who likes BC Rich.

[Inflames626]

Getting slightly off topic but back to 3 pickups, one thing I miss about this period (late 70s-early 80s) is the degree of experimentation involved, especially from Japanese guitars.

I think something like a Fernandes BX-70 looks badass. I almost got one, but with Fernandes mostly out of business now except in Japan and a lot of the bridge designs in the late 70s-early 80s being kind of wonky because they were trying to come up with their own Floyd Rose or Kahler, I didn't buy it.

Yeah, I don't like Deans, but I like obscure pointy Japanese things from the 80s like Fender Heartfields. Go figure. : )

[Inflames626]

Also, regarding a middle pickup, I'm a big fan of Sustainers/Sustainiacs. I have a Jackson DK2 with one. It sounds pretty good as a pickup but you do sacrifice some tone for the sustainer function in the neck positon.

A sustainer being used in the bridge is probably less useful since the strings don't vibrate as much, but maybe with a third pickup in the center, either as HHH or HSH, a sustainer could be used in the middle and a proper neck pickup retained?

I like complex wiring schemes. I would love to build something with a Sustainer, Graphtech Ghost system, killswitch, Floyd Rose--the problem is by then things become very custom and expensive and you need someone who really knows what they are doing to make it work.

[orpheo]

Hm, I have no issues with the middle pickup.
















There's one I'm missing! Just noticed that. I'll rotate all my guitars to make watch pics for a watch forum I frequent, so I'll gt to the others soon enough. Same chair, same position.

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Also, regarding a middle pickup, I'm a big fan of Sustainers/Sustainiacs. I have a Jackson DK2 with one. It sounds pretty good as a pickup but you do sacrifice some tone for the sustainer function in the neck positon.

A sustainer being used in the bridge is probably less useful since the strings don't vibrate as much, but maybe with a third pickup in the center, either as HHH or HSH, a sustainer could be used in the middle and a proper neck pickup retained?

I like complex wiring schemes. I would love to build something with a Sustainer, Graphtech Ghost system, killswitch, Floyd Rose--the problem is by then things become very custom and expensive and you need someone who really knows what they are doing to make it work.

I used to have a Ghost in my semi hollow. It wasn't very complex with additional mini toggle: piezo, piezo + humbucker, and humbucker only. The Ghost by itself sounds thin, not anything you ever desire, not even close to an acoustic guitar. I paired it with a humbucker with the tone rolled off. The wiring inside is a convoluted mess, lotsa wires going into a mini board.

Eventually the wires from the board to the saddles broke off one by one, and I finally decided to yanked the whole system but leaving the graphite saddles on. Never again in my life.

[GuitarStv]

Also, regarding a middle pickup, I'm a big fan of Sustainers/Sustainiacs. I have a Jackson DK2 with one. It sounds pretty good as a pickup but you do sacrifice some tone for the sustainer function in the neck positon.

A sustainer being used in the bridge is probably less useful since the strings don't vibrate as much, but maybe with a third pickup in the center, either as HHH or HSH, a sustainer could be used in the middle and a proper neck pickup retained?

I like complex wiring schemes. I would love to build something with a Sustainer, Graphtech Ghost system, killswitch, Floyd Rose--the problem is by then things become very custom and expensive and you need someone who really knows what they are doing to make it work.

That's a really cool idea! I use the neck pickup too much to ditch it for a sustainer . . . but using one as a middle pickup would be perfect!

[alex1fly]

I may have seen the exact same specimen when I was working in a local high school. I think it was a neon green PJ owned by the band teacher. It struck me as particularly out of place in that setting. But I just thought, "That's a Dean being a Dean." Like Dean Zelinsky himself, not the easiest thing to work with.

I'll be a little kinder. I *do* like their more traditional looking stuff like their MAB and Rusty Cooley lines (I want one of his 8 strings with a scale length for a high A). But for the most part the styling of Deans and their derivatives alienate me. And I'm a guy who likes BC Rich.

Yeah I had absolutely zero intention of bringing home a Dean instrument. I like FENDERS and PEAVEYS and YAMAHAS, thank you very much. But the price was right, it was broken in (Guitar Center used, I'll pass on their new stuff TYVM), and is still a rock solid instrument. Then I'm looking around for a Jazz style and nothing feels right until the local Mom n Pop shop had another Dean... and boy did it feel right as well. Smooth, fat, sultry, just amazing. I record with both basses regularly now 5 years later! Go figure!

[alex1fly]

Also, regarding a middle pickup, I'm a big fan of Sustainers/Sustainiacs. I have a Jackson DK2 with one. It sounds pretty good as a pickup but you do sacrifice some tone for the sustainer function in the neck positon.

A sustainer being used in the bridge is probably less useful since the strings don't vibrate as much, but maybe with a third pickup in the center, either as HHH or HSH, a sustainer could be used in the middle and a proper neck pickup retained?

I like complex wiring schemes. I would love to build something with a Sustainer, Graphtech Ghost system, killswitch, Floyd Rose--the problem is by then things become very custom and expensive and you need someone who really knows what they are doing to make it work.

I can see this working if they function at all like Ebows. The Ebow is pretty good at getting vibrations going around where the middle pickup would be.