Antiquity Surfer and SSL-1 OR What Effect Dun-Aging Has

S

soham

New member
Hello.
I have a SSL-1 in the neck of my RW 60s right now and I LOVE it. But it's time to swap the middle Tex Mex. And I have to ways to go about this:

1. Just get another SSL-1 and be done with it
OR
2. Buy an Antiquity Surfer and put in the neck and push the SSL-1 in the middle.

Now, for a frame of reference, I play funk - both clean and with fuzz or a hard-edged distortion.
So that bright, snappy top end of the SSL-1 is very important to me.

So my question is, is the top end on the Antiquity more rounded? Because then I'd rather have another SSL-1.
Or is there more than that to the Antiquity? I've heard people say that Antiquitys have a certain depth to them and I've also read people say SSL-1s are 99% there but IDK what exactly that 1% comprises of.

Extra Question: I'm also going to be replacing the bridge Tex Mex in the near future. My options are the Surfer Custom bridge and the SSL-52 Custom bridge. I basically want to simply compensate for the thinner bridge sound by pushing the output just enough but I don't want to go into SSL-5 territory.
So, is the Surfer bridge at 9.7K too much to retain a vintage bridge tone. Or is the SSL-52C at 7K a better matched to the SSL-1s (6.5K)?
Thanks in advance.
 
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Re: Antiquity Surfer and SSL-1 OR What Effect Dun-Aging Has

soham said:
Hello.
I have a SSL-1 in the neck of my RW 60s right now and I LOVE it. But it's time to swap the middle Tex Mex. And I have to ways to go about this:

1. Just get another SSL-1 and be done with it
OR
2. Buy an Antiquity Surfer and put in the neck and push the SSL-1 in the middle.

Now, for a frame of reference, I play funk - both clean and with fuzz or a hard-edged distortion.
So that bright, snappy top end of the SSL-1 is very important to me.

So my question is, is the top end on the Antiquity more rounded? Because then I'd rather have another SSL-1.
Or is there more than that to the Antiquity? I've heard people say that Antiquitys have a certain depth to them and I've also read people say SSL-1s are 99% there but IDK what exactly that 1% comprises of.
Click to expand...

The Antiquities DO have depth to them. This is due to the scatterwinding process and hand aged magnets. They will have rounder highs than the SSL-1s. For gain and distortion... the Surf Antiquities are AMAZING strat pups. They play very nice under gain. Clean they are gorgeous with big piano tone and a nice textured midrange. They aren't raspy or honky but tight and focused.

And very quiet for true single coils... they remind me of the vintage strats I have played here and there over the years. Sort of smokey but with tons of detail.

soham said:
Extra Question: I'm also going to be replacing the bridge Tex Mex in the near future. My options are the Surfer Custom bridge and the SSL-52 Custom bridge. I basically want to simply compensate for the thinner bridge sound by pushing the output just enough but I don't want to go into SSL-5 territory.
So, is the Surfer bridge at 9.7K too much to retain a vintage bridge tone. Or is the SSL-52C at 7K a better matched to the SSL-1s (6.5K)?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... the SSL-52 is going to match the SSLs with the same 42AWG gauge wire. The Surfer Custom bridge is a thinner wire with more windings. It will be darker and have more sustain that the SSL-52. The SSL-52 has that cool A2 for thre top three strings and A5 for the beefy strings. That is a subtle, effective and very welcome tonal change from those who want rounder high strings and snappier and more detailed low strings. Whether or not that means much to you is for you to decide.
 
Re: Antiquity Surfer and SSL-1 OR What Effect Dun-Aging Has

Thanks zenmindbeginner. So the Antiquitys still have enough snap for that bright Nile Rodgers neck tone right?
And I've read and heard clips of both the Surfer Custom and SSL-52C. Tbh I'm fine with either tone as long as it's not a big tonal and volume jump from the SSL-1s/Surfers. Can you shed some light on that? Again thanks for the response.
 
Re: Antiquity Surfer and SSL-1 OR What Effect Dun-Aging Has

The Antiquities are too hot for Nile Rogers, IMO. The highs are rounder rather than snappy, or they have a longer peak time in the higher frequencies, I think is the technical way of putting it. They have attitude, but not that attitude. IMO Nile Rogers is lower output single coils, with a resistance in the 5k to 6k range. Seymour Duncan doesn't even make that low of output single coil AFAIK, except the custom shop Psychedelic set. I'd say get another SSL-1 if you already like that particular sound, though.

edit: it wasn't my imagination, the Fender Custom Shop Nile Rogers model uses CS 69's http://www.fender.com/custom-shop/s...stratocaster-maple-fingerboard-olympic-white/

so if you're going for that sound, just buy a set of Fender CS 69's. I bought a set myself, waiting to be installed:

http://www.fender.com/guitar-bass-p...custom-shop-custom-69-strat-pickups-set-of-3/
 
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Re: Antiquity Surfer and SSL-1 OR What Effect Dun-Aging Has

DreX said:
The Antiquities are too hot for Nile Rogers, IMO. The highs are rounder rather than snappy, or they have a longer peak time in the higher frequencies, I think is the technical way of putting it. They have attitude, but not that attitude. IMO Nile Rogers is lower output single coils, with a resistance in the 5k to 6k range. Seymour Duncan doesn't even make that low of output single coil AFAIK, except the custom shop Psychedelic set. I'd say get another SSL-1 if you already like that particular sound, though.

edit: it wasn't my imagination, the Fender Custom Shop Nile Rogers model uses CS 69's http://www.fender.com/custom-shop/s...stratocaster-maple-fingerboard-olympic-white/

so if you're going for that sound, just buy a set of Fender CS 69's. I bought a set myself, waiting to be installed:

http://www.fender.com/guitar-bass-p...custom-shop-custom-69-strat-pickups-set-of-3/
Click to expand...

Thanks DreX. Yeah, I'd heard about Duncan Singles basically being slightly overwound vintage coils. I was hoping that the Antiquity would be a step in that direction.
I guess I can put a CS 69 in the neck and keep Duncans in the rest. Because I've heard the CS 69 bridge is quite thin and I already have a SSL-1 and I don't think I'll have the heart to sell this one. I've really bonded with this tone and I'd like to have in at least in the middle. :P
 
Re: Antiquity Surfer and SSL-1 OR What Effect Dun-Aging Has

I don't think you'll get much feedback about single coils in this forum except from me and a couple other people. A guy named Lew would surely have told you to get Ant II's, but he's gone.
 
Re: Antiquity Surfer and SSL-1 OR What Effect Dun-Aging Has

Lew has gone ??????
 
Re: Antiquity Surfer and SSL-1 OR What Effect Dun-Aging Has

From experience, if you love something don't change it.
Therefore get another SSL-1 and put it in the middle.
 
Re: Antiquity Surfer and SSL-1 OR What Effect Dun-Aging Has

On some topics, he's correct.
 
Re: Antiquity Surfer and SSL-1 OR What Effect Dun-Aging Has

Oh. You know I've always FELT that there are far more threads about humbuckers than anything else here.

DreX said:
From experience, if you love something don't change it.
Therefore get another SSL-1 and put it in the middle.
Click to expand...

You know, that's the notion I keep coming back to. I have to ship these internationally so I don't have much of a chance to keep sending pickups and forth till I find the right one. So I feel it's safer to stick with what I can personally account for.
 
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Re: Antiquity Surfer and SSL-1 OR What Effect Dun-Aging Has

If you love the SSL-1 in the neck right now then chances are you won't like anything else there as much. I'd just get another SSL-1 for the middle. For the bridge though I'd certainly consider the Antiquity Custom bridge. t was designed to make the bridge position more usable but still let it be a strat.
 
Re: Antiquity Surfer and SSL-1 OR What Effect Dun-Aging Has

If you want something more on the grey bottom end of the spectrum you're going to have to look beyond Duncan.

I sound like a broken record, but I always recommend Fender Pure Vintage '65s (the ones that come installed in the AVRI 1965 reissue Stratocaster) and the CS69s as far as relatively easy to find grey bottom single coils (the CS69s being WAY easier to find). Beyond that there's a lot of custom winders that have some pickup in that style. I have a Klein '65, but there's tons more guys who can easily wind you a pickup of that sort.

Otherwise, if you've already proven the SSL-1 to work for you, then might as well get another.
 
Re: Antiquity Surfer and SSL-1 OR What Effect Dun-Aging Has

It is really hard to beat the ssl-1 for a vintage strat sound. You do not see a ton of offerings anywhere in the true lower to mid 5k resistance of old strat pickups. They can be called weak.

The tonerider surfaris are interesting. They have the correct resistance and the original 1954 alnico3 magnets so it sounds different from our usual alnico 5 strat sound. They have that elusive 1954 strat darker tone. I would like to try them someday. They are the OEM pickup on the Squire CV strat. There are sound samples available online.

I personally just use ssl-1 for most things strat in the neck and middle especially. I have a set of the texas antiquities and they sound amazing, but I do not find them "better" than ssl-1's.
 
Re: Antiquity Surfer and SSL-1 OR What Effect Dun-Aging Has

Thanks everyone!
It seems the ol' "if it ain't broke" notion applies here. Some of you suggested a SSL-1/SSL-1/Ant Custom Bridge setup which is probably what I'll end up doing.
Unless I can snag up a Fender Pure Vintage 65 to put in the neck, like tc suggested. That tone has really grabbed my attention. :P
 
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