Best All-Round Bridge Humbucker For HSS Strat?

Re: Best All-Round Bridge Humbucker For HSS Strat?

Haven't seen it mentioned in here yet.. the custom 5. I've had really good results with a custom 5 trembucker in hss. Although it was a cheaper strat copy with likely ceramic mag single pickups. So the slightly higher output of the custom 5 balanced well. Also has the mid scooped thing you're going for.

Did see the Custom 5 as a higher output option to the '59.

I really cant answer the question all that well, but i can tell you what i have had very good luck with in strats: SH-11 Custom Custom works very well, especially in bright guitars. I have a 59/Custom hybird in a Kramer F3000, which is basically a strat copy and that works fantastic! I used to have a MJ wound custom shop JB Concept that i want to put into another strat. The JB is one of those rare pickups that works very well with 250k pots and splits super well. My CC and 59/CC were/are wired with 500k pots without a tone in the chain.

I am thinking about putting my JB into my 50s HRR MIJ strat. I have a Dimarzio FRED in there now which is good, but that pickup seems to work best with a 500k without a tone pot.

The Custom Custom is seem popular too in an HSS Strat. I'll be running whatever pickup just with a volume control; no tone control.

I really agree with the crowd that you can't beat the 59/Custom. It will handle mild to wild better than most any other pickup.

Depending on the amp and fx, the 59 might be the next best choice.

I'll vote Demon for 3rd place.

The '59/Custom seems like to popular choice indeed.

I love the often overlooked SH11. It works great split, it's great with OD, and it's a bright pickup, so it should work well with the pots and caps.

Good to know.
 
Re: Best All-Round Bridge Humbucker For HSS Strat?

The Custom 5 is pretty scooped, so it works well in mid-heavy bodies. The Custom Custom's EQ is perfect for a Strat, but both the CC and C5 have a high output that is difficult to balance with the single coils (if that sort of thing is important to you).
 
Re: Best All-Round Bridge Humbucker For HSS Strat?

The Custom 5 is pretty scooped, so it works well in mid-heavy bodies. The Custom Custom's EQ is perfect for a Strat, but both the CC and C5 have a high output that is difficult to balance with the single coils (if that sort of thing is important to you).

I do use the volume control a lot to clean up my sound and wonder sometimes would it be better to have a higher output pickup(s) that you turn down a bit knowing you've got something left in the pocket when if/when needed or a lower output that boost with a pedal for example? Where I am at with my playing and styles of music, I tend towards a vintage-style i.e. an overwound PAF etc rather than a super-hot pickup that would be more of a one-trick pony.
 
Re: Best All-Round Bridge Humbucker For HSS Strat?

I do use the volume control a lot to clean up my sound and wonder sometimes would it be better to have a higher output pickup(s) that you turn down a bit knowing you've got something left in the pocket when if/when needed or a lower output that boost with a pedal for example? Where I am at with my playing and styles of music, I tend towards a vintage-style i.e. an overwound PAF etc rather than a super-hot pickup that would be more of a one-trick pony.

Well, that is just it...you have to think about how you like to work. If you voice a pick a vintage output pickup, you can always use a pedal to boost it. If you use a higher output pickup, you have a volume knob (which will also change the tone/dynamics). Pick the way you'd like to work.
 
Re: Best All-Round Bridge Humbucker For HSS Strat?

The duncan website says the 59/custom uses a 59 screw coil and a custom slug coil, and when split the 7k custom coil is used. Is it typical to use the slug coil for coil-splitting? I thought usually the screw coil was utilized for this
 
Re: Best All-Round Bridge Humbucker For HSS Strat?

The best I've tried, and the one I now have in my Strat, is the Air Zone.
 
Re: Best All-Round Bridge Humbucker For HSS Strat?

w/ Floyd: SH-11
w/ 6hole: SH-5

JB too.
 
Re: Best All-Round Bridge Humbucker For HSS Strat?

If playing against stock old style Strat middle and neck pickups, I would suggest a Firebird pickup (like the vintage wind SD mini hum or Antiquity Firebird) or an EJ Custom Bridge. If using a P.A.F. style pickup against these Strat pickups, a Jazz Bridge, '59 Neck, or Seth Neck would be my first choice.

If you're going with slightly hotter middle and neck Strat pickups (e.g. Texas Specials or something in that vein), then the middle to hot end of an A2 humbucker would work nicely (PG, Slash, Seth Bridge, or even '59 Bridge, which is an A5 pickup).
 
Re: Best All-Round Bridge Humbucker For HSS Strat?

If playing against stock old style Strat middle and neck pickups, I would suggest a Firebird pickup (like the vintage wind SD mini hum or Antiquity Firebird) or an EJ Custom Bridge. If using a P.A.F. style pickup against these Strat pickups, a Jazz Bridge, '59 Neck, or Seth Neck would be my first choice.

If you're going with slightly hotter middle and neck Strat pickups (e.g. Texas Specials or something in that vein), then the middle to hot end of an A2 humbucker would work nicely (PG, Slash, Seth Bridge, or even '59 Bridge, which is an A5 pickup).

Thanks for the suggestions.
 
Re: Best All-Round Bridge Humbucker For HSS Strat?

I'm going to date myself a bit, but I would suggest a JB.
 
Re: Best All-Round Bridge Humbucker For HSS Strat?

59, or Custom if you want a bit more heat

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