How hot is the Hot Strat pickup (vs humbucker) ?

[ThomasP]

Hello everybody,

I have a hot strat single coil in the bridge position, and I wondered how it compare to a humbucker ? Is it the same output?

I ask because I know nothing about the humbucker world, I play stoner rock music with lot of fuzz and I would like to know if a humbucker would do the trick more than the hot for strat, even if they seem to be similar sounding. I have a vintage pickup guitar and for my guitar with the hot for strat I would like something more modern and heavy.

Any recomendations ?
Thank you

[Mincer]

It is as easily as hot as a humbucker, but sounds nothing like one to me. It certainly sounds like a single coil.

[Teleplayer]

It wasn’t clear to me which pickup you are using now. Is it SSL-3 hot single coil? or one of Duncans stacked single coils, like “stack plus” series?

Either way you will typically get more output from a full size humbucker, it’s a question of which one is right for you.

[jeremy]

i assume hes talking about the ssl3, but if its the hot stack+, my comment would be the same. the output of the hot strat is similar to hot paf or something similar, but as dave says, it sounds like a single coil. i think its a great pup but if you want a different tone, then go for it!

[marcello252]

I ask because I know nothing about the humbucker world, I play stoner rock music with lot of fuzz
Thank you

me played stoner for a while.

it depends on the rig you have, if you use old style fuzz (fuzz face or tone bender for example) you have to stick on sigle coils in my opinion, HBs tend to be too much mushy, if you use different distortion pedals (RAT style, DS-1 , even the BigMuff ) you can improve a bit the sound with a HB, it becomes fuller and more focused.

A moderate hot ceramic magnet HB does the trick, a Duncan Custom for example, clearer than a PAF, not overwhelming, tight on the bass when you detune the guitar, enough power to make that Ampeg amp sing.
If you use the neck only pickup a Duncan Jazz is ok