Swamp Ash Superstrat -- bridge pickup suggestions

[AdrianSD]

Thanks to all. My intuition with this guitar is it needs hotter, less bright pickups. Mincer, does the 59/Custom have a lot of top end or is it pretty balanced? I'm leaning toward something in the Custom lineup, probably a Custom Custom, at this point. I have an A2 magnet I might try in the JB before I do, but I too worry it's going to drop output more than I want. JBs have always sounded a lot less hot to me than the specs indicate, and this one is no exception. It's just like it lacks punch. I raised it up and raised the pole pieces to get some more snarl out of it and I'll report back if that helps (I can't try it into a real amp until the wife and kids wake up). Failing that I might swap the A2 in and see what happens.

It isn't that it sounds bad. It's just that by comparison the Super Distortion in one Les Paul and the Custom Shop Pearly Gates in the other are less strident and more punchy. Part of that is probably the guitar, but I feel like I can get closer to what I want with this one too. Given that the Pearly Gates is a bright pickup and isn't very hot, I think this is just an issue with the JB not liking the Swamp Ash Strat bridge position as a resting spot. The JB I had in the other LP sounded great, though the Super D did kick it out once I got it.

Before writing the JB off try an A8 magnet in it, will boost the output somewhat and tame the harshness. My favourite bridge pup mod for high gain, works exceptionally well in both JB and Custom.

[Ascension]

In my swamp ash HSS strat, I have Classic Stacks and a 59/Custom Hybrid. They blend really well, and the Hybrid has a great split tone, too. No harshness at all.

The Hybrid to me many times feels hotter than a JB because of how it's voiced. It seems to cut in a mix much better. On split tone with singles I was surprise after pulling the Perpetual Burn in my Kiesel DC and replacing it with a Hybrid how much better the PB sounded with the singles split than the Hybrid. Would have thought it would be the opposite but it sure was NOT! Have a PB back in that guitar now as a result. If you have never tried the PB split with singles do it it will surprise you best humbucker so far I have used split with singles.
Saying that a JB in a ash body Super Strat is normally a great combo. It's one of the few places I really like a JB.
From your comments on where you want to go will recommend a ALT 8.

[Clint 55]

The Custom Custom sounds more like what I'm after. I think, in order, I will 1) try out the JB as I have altered it (pole pieces and height), 2) try the CC, and 3) failing those, try the Tone Zone (thanks @Masta C).

No double thick A2?!

[David Garner]

No double thick A2?!

I have an A2. I didn’t see any double thick A2s from the usual sources. Where would I find one?

[Clint 55]

https://www.cermagmagnets.co.uk/alni...125mm-39-p.asp

Double thick A5 will also fill it out compared to the regular thickness A5 if you don't want it to sound chewy from the A2. You'd be surprised.

[eclecticsynergy]

Humbucker highs can be pretty aggressive in a thin-sounding guitar - are you running a 250K volume pot?

JBs are sometimes pretty picky about which guitars they like. I concur that it's worth trying an A8 in it, though.


For a swap, my first rec would be The Breed bridge. It was designed specifically for beefing up 25½" scale bolt-on guitars.
Plenty of low mids, fabulous lead voice - stays full even up the neck on the high strings - and it splits well too.
They were discontinued several years ago but there are still a few of NOS ones on eBay & Reverb.

Big +1 on the PATB-1b. The Parallel Axis pickups totally rock. Still almost unknown outside of discussion groups.
An even more exotic option would be the Fuglybucker - one rail coil, one PATB coil. Astonishing spit tone. If you can find one.

Perpetual Burn, AT-1, and Custom Custom all do really well in HSS Strat types too.
Probably none of the above will be as hot as a Super Distortion. On the plus side, they'll all balance better with the singles.



The Anderson H2+ and H3 offer remarkably good split tones thanks to an unusual vertical-magnet design.
And their full-humbucking tones are really good too. Both are popular & very well-regarded for in HSS guitars



If you wanted to match the output of your Super D precisely, you could drop one into the Superstrat too.
It'll still sound different enough from the Les Paul, but should be pretty close level-wise.
It's very convenient being able to keep the exact same gain settings when you switch guitars.
And you'd have a pretty solid split tone for the straight-up Strat parts of the set.



Just brainstorming... If split tone is the main priority and series mode only gets used once in a while:

A double-singlecoil type humbucker gives you true singlecoil tone when split.
Duncan has the StagMag, other makers offer models along similar lines.
I have a TallBreed from Rio Grande that kicks serious butt even when split.

One drawback with dual-singlecoil types is that the series humbucking tone isn't as smooth as conventional designs.
Their magnetic field is quite strong and more tightly focused than typical hums.

The upside is, they punch like champs. Plus, lead lines retain attack & definition really well, even with a ton of gain.

[JB6464]

Duncan has the StagMag, other makers offer models along similar lines.

Does SD even offer the StagMag anymore , it's not listed on their site .

[Mincer]

Does SD even offer the StagMag anymore , it's not listed on their site .

I don't see it either. But my guess is that the Custom Shop will still make one. There may be plenty out at dealers.

[JB6464]

I don't see it either. But my guess is that the Custom Shop will still make one. There may be plenty out at dealers.

I'll look around , i'm interested in one but I won't pay CS prices for one .

[eclecticsynergy]

Plenty of 'em still available on Reverb and eBay.

Thinking about it again though, I'm not confident the StagMag would be a good fit for the OP in this case.
Despite its great split sound, the series tone is quite spanky and not particularly thick - nothing at all like a Super D.

Not positive, but some have said the StagMag uses JB coils, just with rod magnets instead of an underbar.

[devastone]

PATB-3 or Tone Zone

A2 in a JB sounds great, won't be as hot as the Distortion, but it will sound good and mix better with the singles.

There is also a non-air Norton in the trading post right now, one of my personal favorite pups.

[alex1fly]

Another option, since the JB isn't thick enough, is to EQ your amp to get the sound you want from the JB and then address tonal balance issues with other pickups. Make them the focus.

You could also try a 250k pot for the JB.

[David Garner]

Thanks again to everyone -- sorry to dip out for a few days. We had a pretty busy weekend.

The JB has a 300k pot right now. I thought about a 250, but I don't think that's going to make the difference. If I had a 500k in there now that would be the first thing I tried.

I found a used Custom Custom on Reverb the other day and went ahead and got it. It hasn't come in yet, but I thought for the price I paid I can flip it if I don't like it and try some of the other options. Plus I have the option of just rolling magnets in it to try all the different Custom flavors. If that doesn't work out, I love the Super Distortion in my Les Paul so much I might try one of those as well, but I'll probably roll the A2 and UOA5 magnets I have through the JB first. I'm hoping the Custom Custom is what I'm after.

[David Garner]

P.S., I also have the JB on a 250k tone pot, so I'm going to swap that for a 500k pot for the Custom Custom. I'm afraid it will be too dark with the 250k pot.

[Mincer]

500k works best with a Custom Custom, indeed.