Bridge Pup for my '62 Reissue Strat?

[Lewguitar]

Re: Bridge Pup for my '62 Reissue Strat?

I think the key thing is balance...

Start with your bridge pickup and get it up fairly high so you have a nice sound with it alone. If that sound alone is too sharp then move the middle tone control to the bridge pickup, just be aware that adding a tone control to it will reduce it's gain a bit.

Once you get the bridge dialed in start on the neck...lower it in the pick guard until you can switch from neck to bridge w/o a big volume jump on the neck pickup.

Then do the same with the middle pickup.

If you are using 3 pickups that are pretty much the same spec this should result in a neck and middle pickup that are about the same height and a bridge pickup that is noticeably higher.

If at that point you need more output overall you need a set of hotter pickups OR (and this is what I'd do) a boost pedal of some kind to use with the Strat.

Yep. That's pretty much how I look at it as well. The bridge pickup can be moved closer to the strings than the neck and middle pickups can. So hold down your strings at the highest fret and adjust the bridge pickup on the treble side to about 1/16" or a little more away from the strings. On the bass side maybe 1/8" away or a little less.

Listen to see if the bass strings are being pulled out of tune when you fret up high and if so, move the bridge pickup further away from the strings.

Use your ears.

Now adjust the neck and middle pickups up or down to balance with the bridge pickup. You won't be able to move them as close to the strings because they'll pull the strings out of tune if you do - especially the bass strings.


It took me 45 years to find the BOOST PEDAL that was right for me. It's the Klon or a Klon Clone. I use one most of the time - only time I don't is when I want a 100% sparkling clean tone. Then I turn it off. Otherwise, my "Klon" is on all of the time.

I'm a blues player, and it's especially GREAT for slide.

It's also great for Jeff Beck style tones, which isn't surprising: a Klon is what Beck uses these days. No more Rats.

 

[Zombiwoof]

Re: Bridge Pup for my '62 Reissue Strat?

I've had an old set of Duncans that have been in two Strats since I got them (SSL-bridge, SSL-1 in other two positions), and I like the balance of the set. The SSL-5 has similar sound to a regular Strat pickup, but a little smoother and not as piercing. If you really want the true vintage Strat bridge bright sound, but hotter, you might want to go in a different direction, though.

Al