bridge humbucker for my strat

F

Fndrfreek69

New member
i want to put a humbucker in the bridge of my strat and i don't know what to choose :doh: it needs to beable to get that ac/dc van halen style crunch but i also want it to clean up very well when i roll down the volume....it also needs to have plenty of clean spank to it.....the guitar is an ash body with a maple neck and i play through a jcm 800....any suggestions?
 
Re: bridge humbucker for my strat

Dimarzio Virtual Hot PAF, make sure u use 250k pots, and it coil taps really well if u want to use a push pull pot. Trust me you will not be disappointed.
 
Re: bridge humbucker for my strat

I have a Strat with a Custom 5 in the bridge, and I have a push pull pot to tap it. That guitar could cover everything. Sounds amazing
 
Re: bridge humbucker for my strat

When I think EVH and a full crunch sound, I think of A2 PAF-type pickups like the Custom Custom. The Custom 5 sounds a bit scrappy under gain, IME, but it could probably be improved with some degaussing.
 
Re: bridge humbucker for my strat

SixStringSales said:
I read that he use the 59 and the Custom Custom. Does he?
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No. He uses custom wound pickups these days. He used the Custom Custom for a short time in the early 80's. I don't think it was the Custom Custom then though, just a custom job he did by swapping out the mag of a Custom for an A2.

For AC/DC and VH tones in one, get the Brobucker from the Custom Shop. You'll thank me later. Sure, $160 may seem like a lot for a pickup but when it's wound by MJ and with the love and care she puts in to it, that price seems small. I have one and it is hands down the best humbucker I've used in a Strat.
 
Re: bridge humbucker for my strat

ErikH said:
No. He uses custom wound pickups these days. He used the Custom Custom for a short time in the early 80's. I don't think it was the Custom Custom then though, just a custom job he did by swapping out the mag of a Custom for an A2.

For AC/DC and VH tones in one, get the Brobucker from the Custom Shop. You'll thank me later. Sure, $160 may seem like a lot for a pickup but when it's wound by MJ and with the love and care she puts in to it, that price seems small. I have one and it is hands down the best humbucker I've used in a Strat.
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Did he ever use a 59?
 
Re: bridge humbucker for my strat

SixStringSales said:
Did he ever use a 59?
Click to expand...

Not that I know of, although the original pickup in the Frankenstein, before it had a partial rewind by Seymour, is a Gibson A2 PAF from an old 335 but the '59 is an A5 PAF.

Getting in the ballpark of his early days tone is not hard. A good PAF in a Strat, a cranked Marshall amp with the mids up, and some echo or delay will get you there. Heck, I've done it with a Custom Custom, '59B, Air Zone, Super Distortion, Brobucker, even a JB. The trick in making it all work is in the hands of the player in capturing the vibe. Having the tone is one thing, but without the vibe, it doesn't work.
 
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Re: bridge humbucker for my strat

A lot depends on what kind of pickguard you have. Some have the humbucker slot cut so the pickup is about 1/8" further away from the bridge, which makes a big difference in tone, a lot more midrange and lows. If that's the case, you won't need near as hot a pickup.
 
Re: bridge humbucker for my strat

sorry it took me so long to repost....i have just a standard pickgaurd in which i was planning to cut the whole for the humbucker.....also i am replacing the two single coils with some like dimarzio's noisless 61's or a 50's model...i really need something that can handle a fair amount of gain but more importantly i need something that will clean up very well as i use a single channel amp thanks for all the help
 
Re: bridge humbucker for my strat

Get a new HSS pickguard. There is no need to cut one up when replacements are readily available.

Another great bridge pickup in a Strat is the Gibson 57 Classic Plus.
 
Re: bridge humbucker for my strat

My two favorite bridge humbuckers in a strat so far have been the virtual hot PAF that dimarzio makes, except with an A2 magnet, and a degaussed VHPAF/Custom 5 hybrid. I've tried a Custom Custom, which was good but too compressed for my liking, an A4 59/custom hybrid that was too bright for me, and then I tried the VHPAF w/ A2 and it was amazing in my strat, but still lacked some sparkle clean. Which is why i'd really like to try the VHPAF's replacement (36th anniversary PAF bridge I think) with A2 as well. I figure it'll be a bit brighter, which would help with the natural middiness of A2.
 
Re: bridge humbucker for my strat

I have an American Strat which had three singles when I bought it. I had played a Kramer (HSS) with Floyd prior to that, so I wanted a beefier sounding bridge pickup in my Strat. After researching, I decided on the SD Little '59. Fits right in the single coil slot. I love it. I can get bright, clean tones as well as dirty rock tones. I can also push it to get some screaming lead tones. I think it works well with the alder. Doesn't get screechy or harsh.
 
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