Finally I put an SSL-1 neck in my strat. Wow!

[IMENATOR]

I was always into high gain with stacked SCs ot HBs but I just decided to change y beloved blue Strat into true single coils. Neck and middle are SSL-1s, omg I love this sound. And when I need to cranck the volume for high gain leads I can simply stomp on my ISP Decimator and there is no noise to care about. I know this most be the most boring thread talking about tnrue single coils but I decided to do this and have my first ever Strat with true single coils after listening again Gimour's Catellorizon and that video of Robert Baker and his 60s Strat. The STK-S6 is great in the neck but but the SSL-1 is just magical and sweeter sounding.

[PFDarkside]

At this point the SSL-1 is underrated, IMO. To many the perception is it’s just a vanilla Strat Pickup, but it sounds fantastic. Lots available used now, it’s pretty easy to throw them in the neck and middle and get great results. (Bridge too if that’s your thing, usually I like a little more there)

[Erlend_G]

I remember when I finally gathered finances and bought my first SD pickup-

An A2pro for strat .

It was so different from the stock japanese fender pickups- i was SHOCKED! :o

Quieter, but with such a radically different pick response, character and sound... :/

From then on, I've always had a "thing" for A2 pickups.

...

And, the SD *POLE PIECE* magnet SC's sound very different from "Bar magnet" SC's! I don't know which one is "better" really... but very different

rock on

[Lewguitar]

The SSL-1 and the Antiquity Surfer are my favorite Duncan Strat pickups.

The two are similar but the SSL-1 is more affordable.

[IMENATOR]

At this point the SSL-1 is underrated, IMO. To many the perception is it’s just a vanilla Strat Pickup, but it sounds fantastic. Lots available used now, it’s pretty easy to throw them in the neck and middle and get great results. (Bridge too if that’s your thing, usually I like a little more there)

I have the STK-S6 and an SSL-6 here, hopefully tonight I should install one of those.

[jeremy]

the ssl1 is a terrific strat pup, very much an early 60s strat tone. i think people ignore it in their tone search due to it being as common as it is, as others have said, but it sounds great. glad you got some classic strat tone you are enjoying

[eclecticsynergy]

Great sounding pickup - a true classic and IMO easily the equal of many that cost way more.
There's a reason the SSL-1 design hasn't changed in forty-odd years.
Seymour got it just right.

[IMENATOR]

Well, I had put a DiMarzio HS-4 in the bridge but it was way too weak so I put it in the middle and the other SSL-1 is in the bridge now. It is not the sound of hard rock but I like it so far, trying some eric johnson tones with the SSL-1 bridge is nice. I will probable leave the Blue Strat like this and now I am debating about changing the Wine Strat to either use the STK-S6 in the bridge or the OEM Paf Pro. Both can hard rock that I know for sure.

[ItsaBass]

It always amazes me how many people have never actually tried the original orientations of classic guitars.

Glad you have finally seen the light that was always there. You can do practically anything with classic low output pickups.

[IMENATOR]

You can do practically anything with classic low output pickups.

Almost. Because of the noise it can be tricky to properly set the noise gate and roll the vol knob for clean/rhythm/lead which I love with Strats, I may try an STK-S4 or STK-S7 for the bridge in the future. But it is completely fine when using channel switching at the amp. God bless my Decimator G String ii .

Edit: And Hard Rock / Metal sounds better with the JB in the Charvel, really

[Mincer]

It always amazes me how many people have never actually tried the original orientations of classic guitars.

Glad you have finally seen the light that was always there. You can do practically anything with classic low output pickups.

I've always thought that it would benefit many players to only play a classic low-output-pickup-guitar for a year or 2. Even if you don't like the styles of music they are associated with.

[Gtrjunior]

Almost. Because of the noise it can be tricky to properly set the noise gate and roll the vol knob for clean/rhythm/lead which I love with Strats, I may try an STK-S4 or STK-S7 for the bridge in the future. But it is completely fine when using channel switching at the amp. God bless my Decimator G String ii .

Edit: And Hard Rock / Metal sounds better with the JB in the Charvel, really

This is what makes me hesitate with a pickup like the SSL-1 too. I KNOW I’d live the sound but being a high gain guy, that creates a noise issue.
I too have the decimator g string and it is a godsend.

[Mincer]

The noise is the reason I don't use any of the SSLs, but I get what I need with the Classic Stack. I am not a high-gain player at all, either.

[IMENATOR]

I've always thought that it would benefit many players to only play a classic low-output-pickup-guitar for a year or 2. Even if you don't like the styles of music they are associated with.

That is true. Months ago I was almost only playing with the Charvel with Distortion Bridge, everything else sounded anemic. Being playing with SSL-1 for several days now and the Charvel has the JB, now the JB sounds like too much gain So the brain really adjusts to the sound you feed it with and feels comfortable with it after some time. Now the 3rd guitar will have a PAF like bridge in an HSS config, trying to have different sounds and configurations just to have a better appreciation of each sound, hopefully become more versatile and and most important get the best of the same amp using different guitars.

[ArtieToo]

The noise is the reason I don't use any of the SSLs, but I get what I need with the Classic Stack. I am not a high-gain player at all, either.

One of my favorite Strats has the STK-4/4/6 combo. Sweet, but you can tell they aren't "classic" single coils. I've always thought it would be sweet to do a simple Strat, with an SSL-2 set, with a simple 2-position switch: N/M and M/B. That's it. The antithesis of Jimmy Page, et al, wiring.