Antiquity surfers & JB junior combination

[Marathanz]

I own a '73 Fender Strat with a swamp ash body and a maple neck / fretboard. Initially this used to be my main electric guitar and since I wanted a versitile instrument I changed the original bridge pickup for a JB humbucker.
For years I was quite pleased with the result, especially because I could split the JB in the 2nd position (combination bridge and middle pickup) and that would give me a good funky sound. My main pickup positions would be: Neck position for a SRV/Hendrix kinda tone, the 2nd ("in between") position for funky rhythms and the full bridge pickup for a blasting humbucker sound. The typical eighties-syndrome I guess! Recently I've been trying all kinds of pickups in this guitar, searching for a more vintage, classic strat sound.
I've replaced the original single coils with Fender Texas Specials and the JB with a Custom Custom trembucker. At first I really liked the new humbucker, but I started to miss the brightness of the JB. The Texas Specials were really not what I was looking for! After some research I decided to go for a complete set of Antiquity Surfers. WHAT A GREAT, MUSICAL SOUND THESE PUPS HAVE! Truly a vintage tone, with so much dynamics, even the sustain improved! Actually I'm very satisfied, didn't expect the sound to change hat much, for the good, but I still wonder if it would be possible to have a humbucker sound in the bridge position for the heavier stuff. I don't really use the bridge single coil all that much, it's a bit too thin for me. On the other hand however, I really really dig the 2nd position sound as it is now.
I'm thinking about trying a JB junior in the bridge position in combination with the neck and middle surfer single coils. DOES ANYBODY HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS COMBINATION? HOW DOES THE JB SPLIT? WOULD I SACRIFICE A LOT OF FUNKY BELL TONE IN THE 2ND POSITION? OR SHOULD I JUST STAY WITH THE FULL SET OF SURFERS? Thanks in advance for reactions!

Marathanz

 

[jeremy]

Re: Antiquity surfers & JB junior combination

welcome to the forum!!

i havent heard a jb jr split in some time but i tend to think the combined tone wouldnt be quite as nice. do you have the higher output custom surfer bridge or the 'normal' lower output variety

 

[Marathanz]

Re: Antiquity surfers & JB junior combination

I have the custom bridge version. I probably know what your point is: It allready has a fatter sound as the normale bridge pup.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Antiquity surfers & JB junior combination

if you already have the hotter bridge then it might be worth a shot. if it were me, id keep the custom bridge and maybe add a base plate to add a touch more mid and bottom. its sorta subtle but it made enough difference to me

 

[Marathanz]

Re: Antiquity surfers & JB junior combination

Thanks for the advice Jeremy, but what is a baseplate?
Actually, the more I play the guitar now, the more I must admit that the surfers are really awesome. I think I should just give up about the "best of both worlds"-idea and use this strat as all classic strat-sounding (duh!) guitar. I also have a double fat strat equipped with a JB trembucker in the bridge position and a '59 at the neck.
Ofcourse that one will never be a Les Paul, but still, I can get some great fat tones out of it. Like I said before, it's just that eighties superstrat syndrome I have to free myself of I think. The older strat even looks cooler to me now I've put all the original white plastic parts back on again after having had a black (ssh) pickguard and knobs and everything for over 12 years. That's why I was thinking about the JB junior; I didn't want to alter the look of it too much again.
I also found out that the little Bartholini preamp I put in the guitar years ago and just recently made on and off-switchable with a push-pull pot, can give the bridge pickup that extra meat that pushes it over the cliff so to speak. Sounds very similar to Gary Moore's guitarsound on the live version of "Empty Rooms". Not a bad single coil (high gain) leadsound. The sound remains bright and sharp, but not harsh. Very fluid, still dynamic, good sustain also.
Still, I'm interested in your advice, in particular about the baseplate and how that would work.

Marathanz.


Fender Strat '73 (antiquity surfers II set)

Fender Fat Strat '98 ('59 neck, JB trembucker bridge)

Guild D-15 (all mahogony) dreadnought

Fender Hot Rod Deville 410

Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 112

 

[kjrocks]

Re: Antiquity surfers & JB junior combination

You may consider stepping it up to an SSL-3. Its got more beef than that Custom Surfer but still has that single coil tone and has more highs like you JB did and takes didstortion very well. Much smoother than vintage type single coils.

 

[Marathanz]

Re: Antiquity surfers & JB junior combination

Mmm, interesting! The only thing I'm afraid of with a hotter sounding single coil is that I'll lose a lot of character. These antiquity surfers have so much vintage quality about them. Yet, I don't think they sound weaker compared to the texas specials I had in there before. But the tone is very inspiring, superb balance of hollow compression and dynamics, beautifull highs and definition, yet not sterile, nice edge with a subtile overdrive. They have a nice smooth, singing sound, but are also detailed and percussive in the low ends. Even my sustain improved and that would be the last thing I expected from a set of vintage sounding pickups! The texas specials sounded dull, blunt and uninspiring to me, no Fendertone at all!
In fact, as you can see, I'm very happy with the surfers, it's just that I'm so used to having a good humbuckersound in my bridge position, for years I've been thinking in terms of versitality rather then personality.
I know a mini humbucker would probably also kill a lot of the vintage tone I have now, but then at least I have that rich fat rock tone back again that I've been used to for so long. Just wondered if somebody tried this combination and if I would have to sacrifice a lot in the 2nd notch position.
Fact is, I can get my hands on a JB junior for a very good price and I know it's full size big brother so well. Might give me the best of both worlds after all?

Thanks again for reactions!

Marathanz

 

[jimijames]

Re: Antiquity surfers & JB junior combination

Have you considered getting a mid boost put in your guitar? www.guitarfetish.com sells preamps that you can put in your guitar and bypass, so you can have the vintage sounding pickups, pull on a knob, and get a mid-boost for the bridge, which should fatten up that position. Not an ideal solution, but it means you won't have to sacrifice the notch position.

edit: go to electronics, click on active preamps,and you're there.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Antiquity surfers & JB junior combination

I've gone the JB JR. route.

In my favorite Strats, I have the Antiquity Surf neck and middle and in one I use the Antiquity Texas Hot Custom bridge and in the other a Duncan Custom Shop Tele Hot Tapped.

Those are the two best Strat bridge pickups I've ever owned.

The JB JR. split is not all that exciting, IMO. Kinda weak when split.

Lew

 

[kjrocks]

Re: Antiquity surfers & JB junior combination

You may consider the Duncan Pickup Booster too. You get the best of both worlds. Vintage singles and more meat when you want it.