Bridge pup

[TiG49]

Hi guys.. quick question that has probably been asked many times.

Been using a '79 Strat for many years with standard SD neck and middle replacement pups with a hot rails on the bridge position - they've always sounded great for blues, rock etc

But lately I've been playing a few great new country songs ie. Alan Jackson (Chattahoochee etc), Brad Paisley etc.. great fun to 'try' to play for me though, and a nice challenge for the change of playing style ! But anyway.. the only problem that I have is the sound. I heard that it's possible to get a very telecaster 'twang' sound using an antiquities pu for the bridge position - is that right ? I can't seem to nail that 'twang' quite at the moment.

Obviously the hot rails isn't ideal for that country solo twang thing and I would so love to get something similar out of my old Strat - I don't really want to go out and buy a tele - as much as I would love one!

So which is the best pup to install for a nice telecaster sound on a Strat with a trem bridge ? Note that my hotrails is wired to the lower eq pot for added eq adjustment.

I also heard about push/pull pots for more flexibility switching between bridge and the other pups - ie. I still want to be able to use the bridge/middle combo on position 2 on my pu selection. How does that all work ? Any advice on this stuff would be really helpful.

Cheers all

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Bridge pup

I've only gotten twang out of Strats and Teles when using lower output single coils. I have an Antiquities set for Strat and the bridge PU is 10+k, which is thick and rockish, almost semi-humbucker tone-wise. When I put the middle PU in the bridge (which was 7k), then it got twangy.

The cheapest experiment would be to try wiring it for coil-splitting first.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/images/products/electric/stratocaster/501015-100.pdf
That would only cost you a push-pull pot and some time soldering.

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Bridge pup

The beauty of the antiquities are that the magnets are hand aged... the aging of magnets can change the whole vibe of the pickup giving it more dynamic range and more of an edge.

But what you definitely need is a TWANGBANGER.

 

[TiG49]

Re: Bridge pup

Thx guys.. helpful suggestions.

I never knew about the Twangbanger - I guess I missed that one ! Sounds incredible and seems to be the solution for me. I'll be grabbing one as soon as I can ! I might just go for those antiquities for the mid and neck too..

After all this time (almost 35 years) I think my pots and wiring could probably do with replacing - I've noticed some random crackling appearing in between playing suddenly so maybe a good time to do it. Can anyone recommend the best cable for re-wiring.. pots, switches etc ? If I'm going to do it, then I may as well do it right..

Thx again guys.. this forum is the best !

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Bridge pup

Thx guys.. helpful suggestions.

I never knew about the Twangbanger - I guess I missed that one ! Sounds incredible and seems to be the solution for me. I'll be grabbing one as soon as I can ! I might just go for those antiquities for the mid and neck too..

After all this time (almost 35 years) I think my pots and wiring could probably do with replacing - I've noticed some random crackling appearing in between playing suddenly so maybe a good time to do it. Can anyone recommend the best cable for re-wiring.. pots, switches etc ? If I'm going to do it, then I may as well do it right..

Thx again guys.. this forum is the best !

You are so very welcome good sir!

The teflon coated single conductor stranded wire is really good stuff and great for tight cavities but you can't go wrong with vintage cloth covered hook up wire.

My favorite though, is the shielded Gibson style push back wire.

 

[MisterE]

Re: Bridge pup

The Twangbanger is great indeed but if you would like to keep your matched set you can get a blender pot and just do the bridge tone mod, it just adds a jumper to the switch, easy to do.

Both the blender pot and bridge mod will give you a tele spank for when you need it and save you some money in the mean time.

You could also add a metal base plate to your current bridge pickup for some twang also.