Dave Murray using a bridge humbucker in the neck spot on his black Strat for 2025

[Anficht]

So regarding the black Strat from Dave Murray. While I've seen this Strat's pickup configuration change over the years (it has been seen with double parchment SD humbuckers, later with dual zebra humbuckers and now in what appears to be reverse Zebra humbuckers. It also had a parchement singlecoil in the middle, then later a black singlecoil and now has a black JB Jr. neck in the middle.

Now, below are two attached photos of the 2025 tour with the black Strat.
If we zoom in on the neck pickup, we see that it's actually not a reverse zebra neck humbucker, but a zebra bridge model humbucker, as the screws are on the bridge side and the SD logo is on the screw side of the bobbin.

So, anyone in the know of which bridge model Dave is using in the black Strat on this 2025 tour?

 

[jeremy]

nope but thats interesting. ive used a jazz bridge in the neck before and it was a great match for a hotter bridge bucker. ive also flipped a seth neck, but theres no logo there

 

[switchman]

I have nothing to add other than that I love these kind of visual detective work posts

 

[Mincer]

Wonder if we will see a new 70s inspired signature Strat with that configuration....

 

[Teleplayer]

What other neck pickups did he use apart from hotrails? AFAIK its probably PAF style such as SH-59b, or SH-PGb.

Could his tech deliberately order a neck pickup with screw coil towards the bridge? I’m sure SD would be happy to print a logo on screw coil instead, just for him / as a custom shop order.

 

[soulforger]

Davey's artist page on the Seymour Duncan website lists Hot Rails and Custom Custom as the pickups he uses.

 

[Mincer]

Well, it isn't a Hot Rails, and a CC in the neck would be an odd choice, for sure...

 

[Archer250]

So regarding the black Strat from Dave Murray. While I've seen this Strat's pickup configuration change over the years (it has been seen with double parchment SD humbuckers, later with dual zebra humbuckers and now in what appears to be reverse Zebra humbuckers. It also had a parchement singlecoil in the middle, then later a black singlecoil and now has a black JB Jr. neck in the middle.

Now, below are two attached photos of the 2025 tour with the black Strat.
If we zoom in on the neck pickup, we see that it's actually not a reverse zebra neck humbucker, but a zebra bridge model humbucker, as the screws are on the bridge side and the SD logo is on the screw side of the bobbin.

So, anyone in the know of which bridge model Dave is using in the black Strat on this 2025 tour?

Someone on Maidenhead said they got it from his tech that it was a custom shop Alternative 8 in the neck and a JB in the bridge.

 

[Artie]

. . . and a CC in the neck would be an odd choice, for sure...

Yup. Tried it once. As much as I like a CC, it was awful in the neck.

 

[Mincer]

Someone on Maidenhead said they got it from his tech that it was a custom shop Alternative 8 in the neck and a JB in the bridge.

That would make more sense tone-wise than a CC, but still an odd choice. Still, DM's neck pickup soloing is one of the main reasons I love Maiden, and my guess is that whatever he uses, he sounds like him.

 

[jeremy]

for better or worse, most of us sound like us, im sure hes no exception

 

[Anficht]

Someone on Maidenhead said they got it from his tech that it was a custom shop Alternative 8 in the neck and a JB in the bridge.

Ah that's really interesting. It doesn't look like a custom shop version. Just seems like a regular bridge pickup version.
What's "Maidenhead" mean please? Is that a place with a forum?

Thanks

 

[hamerfan]

Someone on Maidenhead said they got it from his tech that it was a custom shop Alternative 8 in the neck and a JB in the bridge.

An Alt8 in the neck seems to me a worse choice than a CC

 

[switchman]

An Alt8 in the neck seems to me a worse choice than a CC

I was thinking the same. Is there any current neck pickup at all made stock with A8?

EDIT: well what do you know the Jazz and Sentient Rails and Noumenon Neck are. All lower output 42AWG winds I would think from specs.

 

[hamerfan]

I have heard of people using the JB in the neck, but an Alt8 should be a bridge humbucker. Maybe a mix-up of the facts?

 

[Toejam]

Maybe it's just a neck version flipped upside down. Screw coil down just makes it a little brighter.

 

[Anficht]

Somehow I don't think it's an Alt 8.
I think it's a JB but we'll see...

It's definitely a bridge pickup in zebra flipped around - you can tell from the SD logo on the screw side.

 

[Archer250]

Ah that's really interesting. It doesn't look like a custom shop version. Just seems like a regular bridge pickup version.
What's "Maidenhead" mean please? Is that a place with a forum?

Thanks

My bad.

I read it from here: https://forum.maidenfans.com/thread...-stratocaster-short-article.16874/post-690837

Could be (supposedly) a custom wound Alt 8, or more likely a 59