'59 Hum in strat neck sounding muddy

[mikjwilli]

I recently modded one of my strats and put a PG in the bridge and '59 in the neck. I also added a 5-way switch and wired the pups according to SD's respective schematic.

When using the '59, either alone or with the PG, it is very muddy sounding. Is this a muddy pup? By lowering the pup height, should this reduce the muddiness? What would be the optimum neck pup height? Any other recomendations?

Thanks in advance.

[kevlar3000]

Re: '59 Hum in strat neck sounding muddy

Try an A3 magnet it will make a world of difference. I had the same issue and after trying a 2 and a 5 I settled on the three. The flub was gone, much clearer and chimey.

[mongrollo]

Re: '59 Hum in strat neck sounding muddy

The 59 it isn't a muddy sunding pickup in my opinion but it can sound muddy if you don't have the apropiated settings. The closer the pickup to the strings the more clear and less muddy it will be.

Pickup distance usualy it is measured but pushing the string in the last fret of the fretboard (next to the neck pickup). Apropiated distances varies depending of personal tastes and which pickup you have in the bridge. But I think 2 mm (0.08'') it is a good starting reference.

Also check if the PG it is a treblier sounding pickup refering to the 59'. Are you setting your amp to make the PG sound right? This may make the 59 sound muddy. Try to eq the 59 and see if you can find a nice tone and check if the PG sounds too treble. If this happens, and you can't stand it, may be you should go for a mached set.