Strat Pickup Questions - Alder body - Ebony fretboard - Maple neck

[Monsta-Tone]

My neighbor sold me a Chandler Strat copy for $200. It doesn't have any pickups in it.
I have a pickguard for H/S/S from Warmoth that I will be using on the guitar.

Maple neck
Ebony fretboard
Alder body
Wilkinson vintage style tremolo with rolled steel saddles and huge brass block
Schaller standard, non locking tuners. I'll probably change them for some type of locking tuner eventually.
Graphite nut

So, here is my question:
What pickups should I use for warm fat tones with lots and lots of sustain and harmonics?
I haven't had an alder guitar in a lot of years.

I have to say, I'm a very heavy neck pickup user and I don't really like single coil tones that much. I love Strat music, but I don't make it.
I'm used to having a full sized humbucker in the neck and have not found a mini/stacked/rails type humbucker that I thought did a good job of sounding like a full size humbucker.
I'm tempted to just alter the pickgaurd and go for a full sized humbucker in the neck, but wanted to get some opinions first.

I remember liking Lace Hot Gold pickups that I had in a US Strat Deluxe some years ago, but other than that, I can't really think of any single coil size pickups I've liked much.

I play lots of cleans, medium crunch, and really high gain stuff. Sort of Incubus meets Rush with a lot of Santana thrown in the mix.

[jeremy]

Re: Strat Pickup Questions - Alder body - Ebony fretboard - Maple neck

a single coil size pup will never sound like a fullsize humbucker. never. it hears the string differently.

if you like the sound of a humbucker and the body is routed for it then go for it

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: Strat Pickup Questions - Alder body - Ebony fretboard - Maple neck

Yeah, I was kind of afraid of that.
The other side of the coin is that I've been playing a basswood bodied guitar for the last year and the neck pickup has always sounded great, but slightly muddy with super high gain.
I'm wondering if I need to change my tastes just enough to find a pickup that has the Strat like quality of cutting through the mix, but the humbucker qualities of fat round tones.

I have a Chopper in my Ibanez that I was thinking about trying in this guitar. I like it in the middle position of the 540R it's in, but not the neck. It doesn't seem to have enough thump for the neck.
I am guessing that it will seem to have much more power in a more solid sounding guitar.

[jumble jumble]

Re: Strat Pickup Questions - Alder body - Ebony fretboard - Maple neck

You might be interested in the strat Quarter Pounders.

[jeremy]

Re: Strat Pickup Questions - Alder body - Ebony fretboard - Maple neck

the chopper will sound fatter in the neck position regardless, if the guitar is more solid sounding as well then that should help push things more toward where you want them too. id give it a try and see what ya think

[Rodney Gene]

Re: Strat Pickup Questions - Alder body - Ebony fretboard - Maple neck

a single coil size pup will never sound like a fullsize humbucker. never. it hears the string differently.

if you like the sound of a humbucker and the body is routed for it then go for it

^^ This. ^^

I would also consider a mini-humbucker. They may...get you what you want. They are bright and chimey but also full. Kind of a paradox, but just heaven in the neck position of the right axe.

Much Respect,

Rodney Gene, Austin Texas

[Evan Skopp]

Re: Strat Pickup Questions - Alder body - Ebony fretboard - Maple neck

Welcome back to the the SDUGF, Rodney Gene. You're a sight for sore eyes. (Sorry to hijack this thread).

[Lewguitar]

Re: Strat Pickup Questions - Alder body - Ebony fretboard - Maple neck

I'd order a new pickguard cut for two humbuckers and then put my favorite set of humbuckers in that guitar.

If it was my guitar, I'd put a Pearly Gates neck pickup in it.

I'd probably put a PG Trembucker in the bridge position, but there's lots of other good choices.

If I didn't love single coils, and did love only full size humbuckers, and especially if I loved Carlos Santana tones, I'd definitely forget about single coils and go for two full size humbuckers - some kind of humbuckers based on original pafs: Pearly Gates, 59's...something along those lines.

[darthphineas]

Re: Strat Pickup Questions - Alder body - Ebony fretboard - Maple neck

not clear on what types of tones you are going for, but if I were wanting to stock with something that is single-sized, I'd consider a Hot Rails neck or a Lil '59 neck. but if you've gotten used to a hum in the neck, call up a place like Warmoth and get loaded for bear:






RTM in the bridge, JB in the middle, '59A4 in the neck. single accelerator, no brakes.

[Chickenwings]

Re: Strat Pickup Questions - Alder body - Ebony fretboard - Maple neck

Maple neck
Ebony fretboard
Alder body
warm fat tones with lots and lots of sustain and harmonics
Sort of Incubus meets Rush with a lot of Santana thrown in the mix.

Just go for an HH config.
something like a 4 conductor 59n and custom bridge. Install push pull pots in your tone controls so you can coil tap for extra versatility.
both these pickups also sound great with any magnet, so you can tailor your sound and feel even more later without having to spring for a different set of pickups.

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: Strat Pickup Questions - Alder body - Ebony fretboard - Maple neck

Thanks guys!

Nice Strat! JB in the middle...

A friend of mine brought over a couple of pickguards last night that are loaded with Duncans.
One of them has Lil 59 neck, Hot Rails middle, JB bridge. I might try that one.
The other has Hot Rails neck, Kinman middle, JB Jr bridge.

I'm thinking that I'll experiment a little with the rails and Lil 59 before ordering another pickguard.
How does a full size JB sound in the bridge of an Alder guitar? I seem to remember that most guys like 250k pots for this.

[darthphineas]

Re: Strat Pickup Questions - Alder body - Ebony fretboard - Maple neck

How does a full size JB sound in the bridge of an Alder guitar? I seem to remember that most guys like 250k pots for this.

JBs are awesome in alder, as they are in most woods. look at the companies that are (or have been) using JBs in the alder guitars that they ship... starting with ESP and Jackson and Kramer (both 80s Kramer and Gibson Kramer). pickup up a 500k and a 250k and try them both, and decide what works best for you... it just take a few minutes to swap them out, all things considered.

[guitarded]

Re: Strat Pickup Questions - Alder body - Ebony fretboard - Maple neck

I've got a poplar body with that neck wood combo and it sounds fantastic with an emg 85 in the bridge and an emg 81 on the neck. It basically a metal guitar though. Noy really a traditional Strat.

[nike0223]

Re: Strat Pickup Questions - Alder body - Ebony fretboard - Maple neck

Put an Hot rails in the neck the thing is amazing