Awhile back I decided to put 3 full sized humbuckers in my American Strat. While at first I liked it (it was my first experience with humbucking pickups), the novelty has worn off. I got to jam with both of my guitars (Strat, LP Custom) yesterday at really high volumes and I think I have an idea of what I'm looking for now...
I have a TB-5 Custom in the Strat's bridge. It's raw, aggressive, and pretty ballsy. But, even with my amp's treble on 3, it's WAY too trebly for my liking and rather thin compared to the pickup I have in the neck ... a full size JB. The JB sounds fantastic, it's very hard to make it muddy (even with gain cranked up!) and it has a unique sound. It's so fat that it makes the Custom look anemic, and that's a problem when switching from a fat lead to [what's supposed to be] crushing rhythm.
What can possibly fatten the bridge position up? I thought of a Custom Custom, but I'm concerned that it won't be tight enough, as I do a lot of palm muting with this particular axe. I thought of an Invader but I'm on the fence regarding that; the ideal pickup seems to be the DiMarzio Tone Zone. I'm not all that impressed with ceramic magnets.
I'm also pondering getting a single-coil pickup put in the middle position for more versatility.
Maybe Strat's just aren't the guitar for metal, especially when you're looking for a real fat sound. It's either I fatten my bridge up, or this guitar's going to get completely renovated with a set of Antiquity's!
I have a TB-5 Custom in the Strat's bridge. It's raw, aggressive, and pretty ballsy. But, even with my amp's treble on 3, it's WAY too trebly for my liking and rather thin compared to the pickup I have in the neck ... a full size JB. The JB sounds fantastic, it's very hard to make it muddy (even with gain cranked up!) and it has a unique sound. It's so fat that it makes the Custom look anemic, and that's a problem when switching from a fat lead to [what's supposed to be] crushing rhythm.
What can possibly fatten the bridge position up? I thought of a Custom Custom, but I'm concerned that it won't be tight enough, as I do a lot of palm muting with this particular axe. I thought of an Invader but I'm on the fence regarding that; the ideal pickup seems to be the DiMarzio Tone Zone. I'm not all that impressed with ceramic magnets.
I'm also pondering getting a single-coil pickup put in the middle position for more versatility.
Maybe Strat's just aren't the guitar for metal, especially when you're looking for a real fat sound. It's either I fatten my bridge up, or this guitar's going to get completely renovated with a set of Antiquity's!

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