Full size humbucker for Strat

B

BMozingo

New member
I have a typical Strat.. Alder body with Maple neck. I have 2 Cool Rails and 1 hot Rails in the bridge. I hate the Hot Rails and I am sending it back to Seymour Duncan for an exchange. I want a full size humbucker in the bridge and I do not want to mess around with any more mini-humbuckers in the bridge. My question is; what will sound good with the 2 Cool Rails and what will help get me a warmer sound in the bridge? As you know, Strats are bright and even brighter with a 1 piece Maple neck.. I am not trying to get a Les Paul sound, I just want something that will give me a little more warmth and roundness that will give me some crunch but will clean up well.. I play mostly classic rock and a bit of metal..The Hot Rails are too Hot.. I think I need a medium output pickup. I didnt do my research and picked the wrong pickup with the Hot Rails.. This is why I need your help and opinions.

The Hot Rails is good if you want a wha at mid position sound. At times I would check and see if my wha was engaged.. However, I like the Cool Rails at the neck and middle, and it sounds great with fuzz and gain..it cleans up well. Reminds me of a coil on steroids,but still bright without the bell sound.
 
Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

custom custom would sound great, but might be too hot for what you are asking for

i bet an alnico II pro bridge or a pearly gates bridge would be pretty happenin'

t4d
 
Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

Whatever I get, the price must match or less than the Hot Rails. It's really hard to judge until you put the pickup in,plug into your amp and let your fnigers work it. But I can get it narrowed down to something close to what Im looking for if I do the research. I think the medium output is where I need to be...I want some crunch and something to handle gain (Van Halen) but I dont need something to sound like Pantera.

I will listen to the sound samples of the 'pearly gates' and look up some reviews on it.. Thanks for responding.
 
Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

BMozingo said:
Whatever I get, the price must match or less than the Hot Rails. ...
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this might be tough ... in fact, might put you in the 'duncan designed' category .... and i dunno if the warranty works that way or not ... contact your dealer or SD customer service

good luck
t4d
 
Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

I think the aph-1 is a great hb for that guitar,it really cleans up nice!
It`s warm sounding and not to hot:) if you destort your guitar with the amp it will be perfect IMO. but,i`m not sure if you want some hotter pu.
The tb 59 is good to but it`s a bit brighter. I`v heard a lot of good things about
the custom custom in the bridge of strats,that`s the next one up for me:)
 
Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

The aph-1 is going on my list to consider...

I love the feel of the maple neck on my guitar , it's as smooth as a babies behind, but hate the brightness..Too bright. I am even considering buying a rosewood neck in the fall. There is a store on Ebay called the Stratosphere that sells mint American fender bodies and necks. I hate to plug anything, but if you like Strats you should look at this ebay store.
 
Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

I've just gone to a Custom Custom in the bridge of my Strat with Cool Rails in the neck and middle. Great combo and well balanced. It took me a while and lots of swapping to get here but I think it's a keeper. I really like the Custom Custom in my Les Pauls and never really considered it for my Strat and now I'm pissed at myself for not trying it sooner.
 
Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

I like Alnico 5 humbuckers since they're tighter in the bass, neutral in mids like singles and Cool Rails, and open in the highs.

JB TB-4 - sounds good in strats and adds higher mids.
Custom 5 TB-14 hot vintage humbucker tone like ballsier 59
59B TB-1 nice all around humbucker, great for clean, midgain, highgain
Jazz bridge TB-2 Surprisingly good with single coils, full sound like 59 but glassier and harder under the fingers. If the tone is all the way up, the Jazz has a nice fat tone with a crisp attack like a tele. If you roll the tone back to 7 or 8, it's like a 59 or Custom 5.

If you go with something like a CC, it'll sound really dense and full in the lower mids, and the highs are more buttery, which can be nice with a maple neck, but the highs won't be as airy and open as A5 humbuckers. Still a very good pickup.

The bottom line is you should hear about 3 of the ones that interest you most, and find the one that works best with your touch and amp rig.
 
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Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

Gearjoneser said:
I like Alnico 5 humbuckers since they're tighter in the bass, neutral in mids like singles and Cool Rails, and open in the highs.

JB TB-4 - sounds good in strats and adds higher mids.
Custom 5 TB-14 hot vintage humbucker tone like ballsier 59
59B TB-1 nice all around humbucker, great for clean, midgain, highgain
Jazz bridge TB-2 Surprisingly good with single coils, full sound like 59 but glassier and harder under the fingers. If the tone is all the way up, the Jazz has a nice fat tone with a crisp attack like a tele. If you roll the tone back to 7 or 8, it's like a 59 or Custom 5.

If you go with something like a CC, it'll sound really dense and full in the lower mids, and the highs are more buttery, which can be nice with a maple neck, but the highs won't be as airy and open as A5 humbuckers. Still a very good pickup.

The bottom line is you should hear about 3 of the ones that interest you most, and find the one that works best with your touch and amp rig.
Click to expand...

You`re right,the aph-1 is`nt tight in the bass:)
 
Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

Thanks for the descriptions of the various pickups.. This is very helpful. I am starting to get it narrowed down now.

To all of the Hot Rail fans out there, it is a fine pickup, but its not the sound I want. There is no question that it is "Hot"..
 
Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

My favorite bridge bucker in a Strat is the Custom Custom or the '78 Model. Either one of those will fit the bill. Both are A2 mag pickups but voiced and sound very different from each other.
 
Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

I have never played it myself, but I hear nothing but good things about the Alnico 2 Pro. A friend of mine put on in his Strat, and apparently it is great. Even under pretty heavy gain, it has great clarity it what he said.
 
Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

Zhangliqun said:
Whatever humbucker you buy, don't forget to get it in an F-spaced version.
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That would be a Trembucker for Duncans. F-spaced is a DiMarzio term. ;) :D
 
Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

I agree with everything gearjoneser said. I think you might like the custom custom best though.
 
Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

I need a trembucker? Do all of these pickups come in a trembucker version including the APH-1 alnico..
 
Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

The 'custom custom' is another one on my short list. I think I'm leaning towrds that. I have it down to 3..

Any of those will be a much better fit for me than the Hot Rails..Hot Rails was a big mistake. In the end I hope to find something to help neutralize some of the brightness from my Strat while giving me some crunch and being able to clean up and control. I have found the Hot Rails to be 1 dimensional. This may sound strange,but the Hot Rails is too 'opinionated' for me. It pushes the amp to hard for my tastes..
 
Re: Full size humbucker for Strat

All the ones mentioned that I can see come as a trembucker although I'm not 100% sure about the APH-1. That one may be standard spaced only.
 
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