Middle recommendations for a custom HSH guitar

[OctopusRider]

I am going to build a custom guitar from Warmoth with a WGD Body (Jerry Garcia Tiger shape). I’m thinking Swamp Ash body, Quilted Maple top, Maple neck, Ebony fingerboard and 24 frets. I’m looking for versatility with this thing as I play lots of styles (D. Allman, Gilmour, Andy Summers, Hendrix, Garcia, R.E.M., Phish, J. Page…no metal or country for the most part).

I’m leaning towards a Hot Rodded Humbucker Set:
Jazz Model Humbucker SH-2 (Neck)
JB Model SH-4, TB-4 (Bridge)

For the Middle position I’m thinking I want to go noiseless. These are the two I’m looking at:

Vintage Hot Stack Plus
Custom Stack Plus (STK-S6)

What would be the best single coil neck pickup to go with the Hot Rodded Humbuckers for balance and versatility?

[Mincer]

Thing is, as you go up in power for the middle pickup, the less it sounds like a traditional single coil. It also starts to sound darker. The JB and Jazz are pretty bright sounding pickups, and I am thinking that both of your choices might be too hot to get a good single coil-ish sound, and also not bright enough. Maybe something like a Classic Stack?

[OctopusRider]

That makes sense. I was thinking more output on the single coil would be better to pair with the humbucker which was why I was looking at those two. I’ll check out the samples on the Classic Stack. Thanks for your help!

[Chistopher]

Classic Stack

[OctopusRider]

Classic Stack

The samples sound pretty great on this pup. Although, I’ve never had a noiseless single coil before. What would be a good, balanced option for a regular single coil to go between the Jazz(N) and JB(B) in case I don’t want to go noiseless? I definitely prefer alnico 5s.

[Mincer]

The Classic Stack is a fantastic pickup. But if you want to go for a traditional single, you have the same issue- as you go more powerful, the less traditional it sounds. So you can either go for a powerful single coil (like an SSL-6) to balance in volume with the humbuckers, or a single coil that actually sounds like a traditional Strat pickup (SSL-2) but is lower volume.

[OctopusRider]

…So you can either go for a powerful single coil (like an SSL-6) to balance in volume with the humbuckers, or a single coil that actually sounds like a traditional Strat pickup (SSL-2) but is lower volume.

Thanks for your help on this. I’ll check out those samples as well. Balance and versatility are the most important factors for me with this guitar. I have several Strats all equipped with low output vintage sounding pups for when I want the real thing.

I would probably want the RwRp if I go with one of the true SCoils. If I go with the Classic Stack will it be noiseless in positions 2 and 4?

[Mincer]

Any Stack pickup is noiseless in 2 & 4 if you wire them like regular pickups. If you decide to coil cut the humbuckers in 2 & 4, you have to cut the bottom pickup of the Stack, too.

[OctopusRider]

Any Stack pickup is noiseless in 2 & 4 if you wire them like regular pickups. If you decide to coil cut the humbuckers in 2 & 4, you have to cut the bottom pickup of the Stack, too.

That makes sense. I had an SSH for a while and the HB (Bridge) had a coil cut in the 4th position. It didn’t sound very Stratty but it was well balanced.

if I don’t do the coil cuts on this HSH in 2nd and 4th, what can I expect from those positions? Would they be more prominently HB’s or would the Stack shine through?

[jeremy]

500k pots?