Strat Bridge Single-coil Options - 60s Tone

[DonP]

Last night I messed around with the settings on the rig. I think part of the issue was that. It sounds much sweeter after adjusting the treble, presence and bass. This is a DI rig too.

I’m sorta leaning towards the Antiquity II or the Ant Texas Hot. Those sounds sweet. Seems like a lot to spend for pickup going in to a Squier Classic Vibe but it does have good bones and the hardware is better since I change that out. If I go that route, it’ll be the bridge pickup first, then the neck later.

I might even try putting a baseplate on the stick bridge as mentioned in this thread for kicks.

Using the baseplate will save you money, so why not try this first? Is the second tone wired to the bridge pickup? If not, do that as well.

[EC Strat]

This weekend I removed the SSL-1 bridge and put an STK-S6 (kinda noiseless SSL-6). It is a jump in volume but not too much. For example I struggled to balance the SSL-1 bridge with neck by rising the one in the bridge a lot, I mean a lot. Now the STK-S6 has a proper height and balances in volume very well with SSL-1 in neck and middle. And EQ wise it balances better, for example before this if I tweak the amp eq for the bridge the neck was a bit darker than the usual Strat sweet spot, and if I tweaked the neck for the Strat sweet spot the bridge was too bright. Now with the STK-S6 the EQ is more balanced across all 3 positions and the STK-S6 sounds way better for high gain sounds. Also, the notch position 2 (bridge + middle) is very very nice.

Had a similar experience with the SSL 5

[ErikH]

Using the baseplate will save you money, so why not try this first? Is the second tone wired to the bridge pickup? If not, do that as well.

I am most likely going to do this first. Yes, the second tone is wired to the bridge pickup. It came stock that way.

[eclecticsynergy]

I found the baseplate to be a pretty subtle change. Gave the tone slightly more body. Did not increase the output appreciably.
Of course I only did it once. Results could be different with other guitars & rigs - and to other ears.

[ErikH]

I ordered a Fralin baseplate. Will see what that does. Like I said, I don't want/need a lot more out of the bridge, just a little more. If I end up with a hotter bridge pickup, something like the Antiquities or Lollar Special S are what I'm going target for.