Do you like this HSS Strat?

[MrGreen]

Hello guys,

It's great to be here for the first time! This forum is awesome!
Recently, I decided to become a part of SD family, so, let's not be confusing, here is what I want.

I own Fender MIM Deluxe stratocaster, ash body, maple neck. Pretty good guitar, actually awesome for the price. I've tried a lot of pickups in my life but i finally decided to put something really versatile in my guitar so i can do a bunch of things since I'm playing in commercial cover band right now. What i want is guitar that can do really good clean tones, specially middle positions (2,4 in SSS strat) and great neck sound, and also some hi-gain stuff, like 80s heavy metal and so on. I've read a lot of topics about JB and SSL series and there is a lot of different opinions. I thought to do the following:

Bridge - SD SH4 JB or TB
Middle and neck - SD SSL-3

I really love the sound of JB in bridge in Alder and Ash and that is gain tone I would like to use, also i thing that Stacked SSL3 is a good deal for neck sound, it works with higher gain very well, but I'm not sure about one single thing. Can JB mixed with SSL3 in middle provide that amazing 2nd position strat tone on clean. It doesn't have to be so thick, it might be fatter, but i love that kind of sound and it is not easy to find the hum-single combination that is able to do that. Otherwise, Im sure that double SSL-3 can do 4th strat position.
That's it... The question is will this HSS combination work as I wish, and if not, what is your suggestion?

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Do you like this HSS Strat?

If you are talking about the CLASSIC 2/4 position quack that a traditional strat has, none of those are going to retain that. You would need more traditional singles like the ssl-1. However, running a JB with traditional singles creates a big output difference between the singles and the humbucker. All of the pickups you listed can get some very good clean tones, but they are not the pickups I would go to first for clean tones. They are all rather hot pickups.

What amp setup and gear are your running through?

 

[MrGreen]

Re: Do you like this HSS Strat?

Tnx for replay Mr.B.
Well, I guess you are right, but I sad that it is not important to get that 2 and 4th position to sound that vintage, I just want it to sound similar. It may sound fatter or what ever. Im currently running HSH strat (not the on I described in first post) ToneZone in the bridge, some vintage pickup in the middle and copy of 59 pickup in neck. Middle and neck sound really straty, but bridge and middle dont. I know that ToneZone mixed with some dimarzio velvet series pickups will give that strat-like tone. This is also why I'm posting this thread, I just want to find a god middle pickup if JB is in the bridge. When I listen to some 80s Charvel HSS guitars for example, they have very nice clean because the pickups are combined well and that is what I want to do with my strat. Not vintage clean but acceptable.
When it comes to amplifiers, I'm using Peavey Vypyr series. I use to mic it and it sounds ok. It has very nice clean tone for the price and good tube emulation. Elsewhere, Im running throw a different amps in studio. Marshall JVM and JCM series and so on. I just want my guitar to be good in every setting (clean, crunch, hi-gain) and in every pickpup position. Tnx a lot

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Re: Do you like this HSS Strat?

You can get a good position 2 sound on a HSS Strat if you use the auto-split wiring arrangement

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=1h_2s_1v_2t_5w_as

To get a good match, I tend to think it's a good idea to have the split humbucker work out at roughly the same output strength as the single in the middle has. Doing that with the SSL3 might find a split JB being overpowered a bit. I'm using a Screamin' Demon and a pair of SSL52's in my Strat, which seems to work well, even if if the output balance is off a little.

 

[AudioWonderland]

Re: Do you like this HSS Strat?

If you are talking about the CLASSIC 2/4 position quack that a traditional strat has, none of those are going to retain that. You would need more traditional singles like the ssl-1. However, running a JB with traditional singles creates a big output difference between the singles and the humbucker. All of the pickups you listed can get some very good clean tones, but they are not the pickups I would go to first for clean tones. They are all rather hot pickups.

What amp setup and gear are your running through?

True, but if you split the JB in position 2 and maybe add a series parallel switch for the JB you can mitigate a lot of those issues

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Do you like this HSS Strat?

Since you already know that you love the sound of the JB, keeping it in the bridge position is a no-brainer. But add a split (either wire it with auto split for the #2 position or a p/p or mini switch).

SSL52 is a great suggestion for the middle pup.

SSL1 or APS1 for the neck. (Heck, the SSL52 would even work here as well).

 

[MrGreen]

Re: Do you like this HSS Strat?

Since you already know that you love the sound of the JB, keeping it in the bridge position is a no-brainer. But add a split (either wire it with auto split for the #2 position or a p/p or mini switch).

SSL52 is a great suggestion for the middle pup.

SSL1 or APS1 for the neck. (Heck, the SSL52 would even work here as well).

Will I have some volume drop because JB is louder than ssl1 when I change from bridge to neck?

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Do you like this HSS Strat?

^^ Probably, but not night and day different. The lower out put pu is still in the neck and the high output is in the bridge. A lot of guys like having an output differential between n/m singles and bridge humbucker because that is what you going to use for gain tones and leads anyway. It like having a bit of built in boost. You can probably mitigate things enough by lowering the JB a bit and setting the neck pu as high as possible without getting stratius. A good thing about using the JB in these situations is that it plays well with 250k pots.

Don't worry about loosing the notch position tone with the humbucker. I use the autosplit wiring and the notch position still sounds good.

 

[MrGreen]

Re: Do you like this HSS Strat?

^^ Probably, but not night and day different. The lower out put pu is still in the neck and the high output is in the bridge. A lot of guys like having an output differential between n/m singles and bridge humbucker because that is what you going to use for gain tones and leads anyway. It like having a bit of built in boost. You can probably mitigate things enough by lowering the JB a bit and setting the neck pu as high as possible without getting stratius. A good thing about using the JB in these situations is that it plays well with 250k pots.

Don't worry about loosing the notch position tone with the humbucker. I use the autosplit wiring and the notch position still sounds good.

I wouldn't like any volume drop. I play hi-gain sometimes as well and I would like the single magnet which is not too noisy. What about JB, SSL1, SSL3 (bridge, middle, neck) combination?

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Do you like this HSS Strat?

From you clarification I think you need to be investigatying some hot noiseless models like the vintage hot stack plus.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/stratocaster/medium-output/vintage_hot_sta/