decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

[appar111]

That strat I put together back in December just hasn't sound as big and awesome as I've wanted it to. I don't necessarily want it to sound like PAF's or high output humbuckers, but the Fender Fat 50's I've had in it for the last month just aren't cutting it.

I've sold the pickups and I'm about to pull the trigger on a dual pickup setup and go Blackmore style with this one with a 3-way switch and a fake pickup in the middle just for looks. I don't use the middle or 2 & 4 positions anyway.

So should I go with a couple FS-1's or a couple Choppers?

The Chopper comes pretty highly regarded in the neck position, and I've heard a ton of Richie Kotzen and he uses a tele version of the Chopper in the bridge. About the only negative is the rail look on this otherwise vintage looking strat.

But from what I've read, the FS-1 is no slouch either. Dimarzio told me that it's the closest pickup to the Pre B-1 which is my favorite tele bridge pickup ever. Plus it would allow me to keep the stock strat look.

If I don't like either set, I can exchange them with Dimarzio, but the FS-1's have a lower list price, so I'd be shelling out more cash if I swapped them for the Choppers. If I got the Choppers and didn't like them, I could swap without putting more cash down.

I just want a big, ballsy ass strat for mostly distorted playing, and a pickup that cleans up well and also sounds solid on the clean channel.

Help me out guys! I'm stuck here and really don't want to keep swapping strat pickups anymore.

thanks!
J.

 

[Aceman]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

I have played both. Ended up owning choppers. If you want more scream, FS-1's - still in the 'stratty' realm. More balls, Choppers.

Sound's like you need the Choppers.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

Choppers.

No noise.

 

[oilpit]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

Chopper bridge - FS-1 neck


I just blew your mind

 

[appar111]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

I have played both. Ended up owning choppers. If you want more scream, FS-1's - still in the 'stratty' realm. More balls, Choppers.

Sound's like you need the Choppers.

I guess that's the big question-- how big do the FS-1's sound. I like the idea of a good set of screaming pickups, as long as they've got enough mids and bass as well. The Pre B-1 in my tele is just killer, pretty much the perfect tele sound for my needs, so the idea of having a strat equivalent of that is pretty enticing.

 

[appar111]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

Chopper bridge - FS-1 neck


I just blew your mind

you might have! I figured if I was going with the blade design, it'd look a little better, more symmetrical if I went with them in both the bridge and the neck positions.

Something about rails on an otherwise stock, beat up strat that just doesn't seem as cool looking as the stock strat look.

 

[appar111]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

I have played both. Ended up owning choppers. If you want more scream, FS-1's - still in the 'stratty' realm. More balls, Choppers.

Sound's like you need the Choppers.

Do Choppers still sound stratty at all, or are they pretty far removed from that sound?

 

[CustomCustom]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

If hum is not an issue... The FS1 are the best.

I even tried it in the neck (and a Fast Track in the bridge), killer combo. Cant go wrong with one in the neck and a Chopper in the bridge imho.

 

[oilpit]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

Do Choppers still sound stratty at all, or are they pretty far removed from that sound?

They sound very Stratty, but not like a traditional, vintage strat pickup. It's like a Strat pickup on 'roids, with added bass, but still very much a Strat pickup.

If you want to keep the rail design, go for a Chopper bridge/Cruiser bridge model in the neck

 

[Strat111]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

Yngwie used FS-1s in the early days. Then Dimarzio decided to have him test the HS-3s and gave him the prototypes. The rest is history. FS-1s are very nice. I guess the closest things in the Dundan line would be Quarter Pounders. BTW, I like the pup systen w/3 way switch. I did that for years, as Blackmore is my hero. I also don't use positions 2,3,or 4, but I am trying to get used to them. If you use OD pedals, you may think about the HS-3, HS-$ (formerly YJM), or the Duncan YJM Fury.

 

[JeffB]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

Yep first alcatrazz album and steeler is all FS1. KK Downing used them in his strats in the 70s and early 80s. Check out the live versions of The Sinner from UITE, and there is a good clip from 1982 on yootoob


FWIW, I am in the same boat and ordered an FS1 today myself. I have no problem with the KWS bridge pup as its very ballsy for a non base plate vintage style strat pup...but I wanted to try an FS1 again cos the last time I did was 25 years ago.

 

[RayBarbeeMusic]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

The Chopper is a great bridge pickup, where in spite of what they claim it sounds like a slightly overwound PAF, not at all like any single coil. But I think it would be too hot in the neck, and too dark. I had a few in the bridge position and they are both louder, warmer, and darker than say a '59 bridge or similar PAF in the bridge, but not unlike say a Virtual Hot PAF.

I'd go with a Fast Track 1 in the neck if you want a rail type, or if you want something more single coil ish go with an Injector neck, '54 or even a virtual heavy blues 2.

The Fast Track 1 is about PAF output, but still has some single coil ish characteristics, unlike its hotter brother the Chopper. It sounds like a PAF/Single coil hybrid in the neck position. The Injector Neck, '54 or VHB2 will sound like loud, dark overwound singles. You can look on their site and see how far you want to go in that direction, there are other options in the Area family to and also the Cruiser rail pickups, which are quieter and more single coil-ish. A Cruiser Bridge in the neck would be a step away from the Fast Track 1 towards being more single coil ish in character, but still hotter and with more low end than your average single coil.

The Injector neck in fact is listed as having the exact same output and almost the exact tone curve of the FS-1, so a chopper or Fast Track 1 in the bridge and Injector Neck might be your best bet.

I just think that you'll find the chopper is mud city in the neck position, if what you're after is any kind of single coil sounding pickup.

The advantage of NOT using the FS-1 or a Quarter Pounder in the neck is you get far less string pull, which leads to better sustain and better intonation. Rail pickups have very little string pull, and the Injector Neck, '54 and VHB2 are a low string pull Alnico 2, but they sound more like A5 tone wise. Strong A5 magnets in the neck position really reduce sustain in a noticeable way, and cause intonation issues if they get anywhere near the strings.

 

[oilpit]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

The Chopper is a great bridge pickup, where in spite of what they claim it sounds like a slightly overwound PAF, not at all like any single coil. But I think it would be too hot in the neck, and too dark. I had a few in the bridge position and they are both louder, warmer, and darker than say a '59 bridge or similar PAF in the bridge, but not unlike say a Virtual Hot PAF.

I really don't want to be rude, but this is completely false.

I realize that tone is subjective, but saying a Chopper sounds like a VPAF is like saying that a JB sounds like a Tele pickup...

 

[RayBarbeeMusic]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

I really don't want to be rude, but this is completely false.

Well, it's not only rude, its bull sh*t.

I guess you consider something darker, warmer, and louder than a PAF in the bridge to be something that sounds like a Tele?

Judgeing by that and some of your other posts, you have some really odd ears.

 

[oilpit]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

Well, it's not only rude, its bull sh*t.

I guess you consider something darker, warmer, and louder than a PAF in the bridge to be something that sounds like a Tele?

Judgeing by that and some of your other posts, you have some really odd ears.

I've never heard anybody compare the Chopper to a PAF, until you started posting here. However I've heard lots of people compare it to a single coil, because that's what it sounds like.

So if it's just my weird ears, then lots of other people have weird ears also.



Doesn't sound like any PAF I've ever heard.

 

[RayBarbeeMusic]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

You can set your amp to make a Gibson sound like fender if you want to, however, doing side by side comparisons is another thing.

I've compared the chopper directly to a '59b, Gibson '57 classic, and it was louder, warmer, and darker than both in very similar guitars with the same strings through the same amp. That was surprising given DiMarzio's description, but that was the result.

Nothing that sounds darker, warmer, and louder than a PAF type bridge pickup should be compared with a single coil.

The Fast Track 1 is darker and louder than a single coil to, it sits somewhere between a PAF and a single coil. It definitely does NOT sound like a single coil, even a hot one, it is more of a hybrid sound. I've used those extensively in various guitars to.

If you use really light strings so there is very little fundamental in your tone, and set your amp really bright, you might be able to get it to sound more like a single coil, but that would also make the amp sound weird with other pickups.

The bottom line is that a Chopper is louder and darker than a '59b or a '57 classic, so unless you consider those to be single coil sounding (and maybe you do given they are bright PAFs in the bridge?), single coil comparisons are out.

 

[oilpit]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

You're equating EQ with tone character, just because a pickup is bright does not mean it sounds like a single coil, and just because a pickup is dark doesn't make it sound like a humbucker.

There are plenty of humbuckers that are brighter than single coils...that doesn't mean that they are single coils.
But I'll let others form their own opinion, watch the video...if you think that sounds like a humbucker, it's no skin off my back.


Also, you most certainly can NOT set up an amp to make a Gibson sound like a Fender...that's freaking absurd.

 

[RayBarbeeMusic]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

You can set up an amp bright and definitely get more of a Fender feel out of a Gibson. That was, in fact, the reason Leo added bright switches to those amps.

Videos mean jack, you dont know how the amp was set or anything else.

Side by side comparisons are real.

And I'd ask you, if it is darker, warmer, and louder than a PAF, does not thwack like a single on the low notes, etc, precisely, pray tell, in what way does it sound like a single coil? It's only similarity might lie in that it samples the strings in a narrow area, but in that respect I'd compare it more readily to a hot mini humbucker.

 

[appar111]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

RayBarbee-
I tried the Injector Neck and it actually was a pretty good pickup, in both the bridge and the neck. But something about that and the VVHB2 that I had just didn't quite have the right kick. They were the first pickups I had in this strat.

I thought I should orient myself with a good quality, yet pretty standard strat set, so I got the Fat 50's. Too weak overall, but some of the tones were really good.

After playing my tele w/ the Pre B-1 in it again tonight to see if I could live with the hum if I really cranked the gain. With a fast volume pot, I really didn't find the standard single coil hum to be problematic. So the dual FS-1's (which are the strat versions of the Pre B-1) are definitely still in the picture.

I think the only thing holding me back from the rails (whichever they be-- dual Choppers, a Fast Track 1, dual Pro Tracks) is the look. If this guitar was a little more of a mutt like my usual guitars, I probably wouldn't mind too much, but for some reason I think this one would just look better with the traditional single coil looking pickups.


<sigh> I should just randomly put a few of these combinations in a hat and pull the first one out and buy them....

thanks for the advice guys!

 

[mystique1]

Re: decision time: dual FS-1's or dual Choppers?

I used an FS-1 for most of the 80's and a very nice pup it was too. But this is 2012 and I've long since abandoned anything that produces hum, so I'd say the Chopper too. I have one in the neck position of my Strat, but I'd have to say try a Tone Zone S in the bridge position.