EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

[Farkus]

So I've got a really nice looking EJ in CAR (one of my fav Fender colors). It sounds great unplugged; really loud, almost acoustic sounding. However, when I plug it in, it sounds really lifeless with little dynamics. My experience in the past with guitars has been that if they sound good unplugged but sound dead when amped up the pickups are usually the culprit.

So, with that in mind, I'd like some pickup suggestions. I play mostly rock or harder rock (say VH type stuff) but sometimes much cleaner music, so versatility is a consideration. I'd like to stay away from hot/cool rails. Also, no routing of the body (it's cut for 3 singles). Any suggestions?

 

[SMark]

Re: EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

Why do you want to stay away from the Rails? Are you looking specifically for single coils? Or do you just want to keep it looking stock?

 

[LReese]

Re: EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

I'd say rails would be where you would want to go, those cavities are pretty shallow. Could try something with a bigger magnet/more wire, like a Quarter Pounder.

You might also try contacting Zhangliqun on this board - He's wound some PU's with slightly bigger magnets for me. I've got some PU's from him wound 5.5K to 6.2K and .205 AIII/AII Bridge that are a bit thicker sounding. He probably could suggest something that would fill the bill.

For the record, I like the EJ PU's - even more if I could have a standard polarity middle.

 

[Farkus]

Re: EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

Are you looking specifically for single coils?

Well, yes for the most part. I find that most of the stacked humbuckers lack the top end to be a believable Strat pickup; and like I said I sometimes play much cleaner stuff and you can hear the difference night and day between a true single and say an HS-3 when you're chicken pickin'.

Or do you just want to keep it looking stock?

Ideally, I would like it to look stock. I have some DiMarzio stacks in a Yngwie body and they do look stock, but have that high end problem I'm talking about. I am also concerned about the shallow pickup cavities...I don't know that the stacks (Duncan or DiMarzio) would fit.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

i would not give up on the stock pups that fast. Single coils usually dampen the strings when put too high. This is most obvious on the low strings thru the neck pup. Try to back them all down. The bass side of the neck pup should be flush with the scratchplate, the middle pup can be a tad higher.

 

[Farkus]

Re: EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

i would not give up on the stock pups that fast. Single coils usually dampen the strings when put too high. This is most obvious on the low strings thru the neck pup. Try to back them all down. The bass side of the neck pup should be flush with the scratchplate, the middle pup can be a tad higher.

I've had it for about 6 months...we're just not bonding.

I will lower them some, as you suggest, and try them a while longer. I'm thinking of just selling the thing and getting a CS Strat now, lol.

 

[SMark]

Re: EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

The HS-3 is a bad pickup to compare a single coil to just because it's supposed to be a very dark and weak pickup (Yngwie wanted it that way) that was to be used with a big pedal boost of some sort.

But regardless, one true single coil that IMO can almost give you the best of both worlds is the Harmonic Design Vintage Plus. With hi-gain it's very plump and smooth, but it cleans-up with nearly as much snap and twang as more typical single coils. There's nothing I've played that's anything like it. I have a pair of these in one of my Strats along with a Harmonic Design Super 90 bridge pickup, which is also a true single coil Strat pickup with a P90-ish vibe.

I have a web page with all the details of my Strat if you want to check it out. There's some recordings there too...

http://marksmitchell.home.mindspring.com/Strat4.htm

And here's a pic of the Strat...

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

If you want to stay with true singles I have a few fav sets...a pair of SSL-1's in the neck and middle are **** hard to beat for the bridge if a stock SSL-1 is too thin then a Twangbanger is nice, a Fralin SP43 is great for P-90'ish tone but my all time fav is the SSL-5...it sounds like a Strat just thicker and meaner and blends well with the middle as well. I use the SSL-1/SSL-1/SSL-5 in my Strat and love it!

 

[Farkus]

Re: EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

But regardless, one true single coil that IMO can almost give you the best of both worlds is the Harmonic Design Vintage Plus.

I will try them! I've tried about everything else. Thanks for the tip.

And here's a pic of the Strat...

That is awesome. Is that the body for the YJM neck you're selling? What a sweet axe, I must say.

 

[Farkus]

Re: EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

If you want to stay with true singles I have a few fav sets...a pair of SSL-1's in the neck and middle are **** hard to beat for the bridge if a stock SSL-1 is too thin then a Twangbanger is nice, a Fralin SP43 is great for P-90'ish tone but my all time fav is the SSL-5...it sounds like a Strat just thicker and meaner and blends well with the middle as well. I use the SSL-1/SSL-1/SSL-5 in my Strat and love it!

This is hard to believe, but I bought a neck and middle RWRP SSL-1 set yesterday to use in my project Tele. And, I actually have a Twangbanger here a bro was selling for reasonable scratch on the board (I buy em up if I have any interest and the price is right, lol). I didn't think a standard cover would fit, but lo and behold it does. I'm going to wire this SSL-1 neck and middle with the Twangbanger in bridge and try it out in my main American Strat before carving up the EJ. I'm stoked that they work together output wise...at least that what I infer from your post :fingersx:

I'll wire it up and check back in.

Thanks!

 

[SMark]

Re: EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

That is awesome. Is that the body for the YJM neck you're selling? What a sweet axe, I must say.

It's not that body, but I'm doing something similar with my YJM body. I just like the 22 fret Warmoth scalloped necks better than the stock YJM neck. And it's mostly because I just like having 22 frets. I'm always reaching for number 22 it seems...

 

[jeremy]

Re: EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

howd you like the ssl1/twangbanger combo? nice eh?

 

[uOpt]

Re: EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

I think you should have a look at the StraBro90ties.

They don't do Strat-Strat too well, but they have very good "fat, punchy" and "bell, clean" sounds. If you didn't like the EJ pickups they might be for you. They certainly give you some kick.

 

[B2D]

Re: EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

As for rails, have you tried the Vintage Rails yet? They're the most single coil-ish sounding rails I've tried yet. They yield great top end and are fun to play. VERY different than the Cool Rails (which were good but not thrilling to me).

 

[WhoFan]

Re: EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

If you want to stay with true singles I have a few fav sets...a pair of SSL-1's in the neck and middle are **** hard to beat for the bridge if a stock SSL-1 is too thin then a Twangbanger is nice, a Fralin SP43 is great for P-90'ish tone but my all time fav is the SSL-5...it sounds like a Strat just thicker and meaner and blends well with the middle as well. I use the SSL-1/SSL-1/SSL-5 in my Strat and love it!

i normally prefer a bridge PU with some more output... so a set of SSL-1/SSL-1/SSL-5 may be in my future too.... but i'm also thinking of giving the Fender 1969 PU's a chance too...

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: EJ Strat Pickups...meh. Suggestions please.

i normally prefer a bridge PU with some more output... so a set of SSL-1/SSL-1/SSL-5 may be in my future too.... but i'm also thinking of giving the Fender 1969 PU's a chance too...

The CS69's are great pickups...more scooped and weaker/cleaner than the SSL-1's but still great. SSL-1's, think SRV...CS69's think Gilmour