Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

[matt239]

Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

I'm building an HSH Strat type guitar with trem bridge. Alder body, maple neck, ebony or rosewood fingerboard.
- I'm leaning toward SH-14 Custom 5 in the bridge. I'm afraid a '59n may sound a bit quiet/wimpy and not blend well with the Custom 5.

For the neck I'm considering:
'59 bridge
Whole Lotta Humbucker, bridge
Screamin' Demon
'78
S-Deco
AH1 (12 screw pole) @ 10k - 12k DC

For middle I'm looking at:
STK-S4 "Stack Plus"
STK-S2 "Hot Stack"
or
STK-S6
STK-S7

I want the middle to have a single-coil "vibe" but it doesn't have to be too traditional. It can be agressive, like SRV's middle p/u tone or check out the neck/middle in-between sound in this "Hot "stack" demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL-MQbJq4_U - starting about 1:21 - definitely not traditional, but instantly recognizable as "Strat, neck/middle sound.."

I want the neck to sound full & sweet, & round with a little bite, and to sound like it's in the neck.. The thing I don't want is for it to sound as if I'm playing at the bridge..

Amps are a Carvin X-60, 60W, 1x12" combo, and a Yorkville Rockbloc.
I play an eclectic mix of stuff; classic rock, indie pop/rock, ambient, surf, blues, shoegazer..
I play lot's of cleans, a wide variety of semi-cleans, and overdrive sounds, up to Neil Young or Van Halen distortion, but never "high gain" by today's standards.

I find the SD "Jazz" to be a bit too bright, and the Hot Rails to be too middy, a bit plastic-sounding, - every other Duncan P/U sounds pretty awesome to me.
I just have to decide what to put in THIS guitar.

P.S. I'm doing Frailin-style blender wiring, so I'll have neck + bridge available, & all-3-on, and all the blends.

I may, or may not wire for splits on the humbuckers. - When I've had splits, I've tended not to use them..
Right now I've got a hardtail Strat HSH, with Carvin humbuckers (M22SD @bridge, M22n @neck) and a SD Lil '59n in the middle. - The 2&4 positions sound quite good, even w/o splitting the humbuckers. - The Lil '59n middle sounds a little "boring" alone.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

PGN for the neck.

 

[matt239]

Re: Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

Care to elaborate? - Why PGN?

Every time I hear Pearly Gates, I think they sound great,, but then, every time I hear '59s, I think THEY sound great!

Every time I hear Seth Lovers I think they sound great, but maybe not quite for me..
So maybe I'm kind of an A5 guy?

I know I like '59s bridge & neck, I was just a little worried about the '59n "keeping up" with the Custom 5.

- I'm not ABSOLUTELY certain I should be getting the Custom 5 for the bridge, but I'm about 98.5% sure.
- I feel like I could ALMOST get away with a '59b in the bridge, but I'd like just a bit more "meat."

 

[jake_xms3_punk]

Re: Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

The 59n keeps up with the custom5, infact I think it's a great combo.

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

For the middle I have used a STK-S4 in a HSH for almost 9 years now. I love it. I used to have it between a 59 neck and an Alnico II Pro but these days I have it between a Jazz humbucker set. If you have any further questions about the STK-S4 I can help.

I think it is best for you to choose your neck and bridge humbuckers before you pick your middle SC IMHO.

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

Oh, and I once had a 59 neck humbucker in a Strat HSH as well. It is an amazing neck humbucker in a Strat, and even has a nice split coil sound (especially when paired with an STK-S4 that is RW/RP in split coil mode or regular mode in the "2" position). I do not like the 59 as a neck pickup in a Les Paul usually, but in a Strat it shines so I would suggest a four conductor 59 for your Strat to stay on top of your consideration list.

 

[matt239]

Re: Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

Thanks.
I'm about 99.5% settled on a Custom 5 for the bridge, and I'm leaning toward a '59b for the neck. I could use a touch more output, and I wouldn't mind the resonant peak being a little lower.
A lot of folks complain about the '59s being "boomy" in the neck, but I don't think it will be a problem.

(I COULD turn the neck p/u around (screw coils nearer bridge) lower the bass side of the p/u, but raise the pole pieces under the bass strings a bit, for more bite, - if it sounds too "boomy" on the bass side..)

- I've even thought about using a Custom 5 in the neck!- and then using a cap/resistor network to tame the low end a bit..

- What I think I want for the middle is the STK-S4 sound, though possibly a bit louder.. which lead me to consider the STK-S2 Hot Stack.
- I like the clips I hear of SSL-1, SSL-2, & STK-S4. - I haven't heard as many for the STK-S2 Hot Stack, especially by itself in the middle position..

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

If you are getting a 59 bridge pickup to put in the neck position my guess is it won't be boomy at all. If you have a 25.5" scale neck on your strat the 59 neck humbucker won't even be boomy in the neck position. I know, I ran one in a Strat for years! They really only sound boomy in a 24.75" scale Les Paul IMO.

I love the STK-S4 but even in between my Jazz humbuckers there is a bit of a volume drop. I think you would be happy with the STK-S2 to be honest. It should mix and match nicely.

 

[matt239]

Re: Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

Hmm. Yes I like what I've heard of STK-S2, I'm sure I'd like it.
- I've been VERY impressed with what I've heard of STK-S4 though..
- I wonder if just getting the STK-S4b would be enough extra oomph to make it stand up between the Custom 5, & '59b ?

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

Hmm. Yes I like what I've heard of STK-S2, I'm sure I'd like it.
- I've been VERY impressed with what I've heard of STK-S4 though..
- I wonder if just getting the STK-S4b would be enough extra oomph to make it stand up between the Custom 5, & '59b ?

It's possible, but I don't know since I have not tried it. Do you plan on having a push-pull volume pot for splitting the coils or are you just going to run them normally?

I love the STK-S4 for sure. It's an amazing pickup. It's true there is no such thing as a true "everything axe" but having the STK-S4 between two humbuckers really comes as close to an "everything axe" as I have ever played. It's amazing how true the single coil tone is out of this pickup! I can play Zeppelin riffs like Whole Lotta Love on my bridge humbucker, switch to the middle STK-S4 (and even pop up the push/pull pot for true single coil operation) and really nail Purple Haze tone without switching guitars. I love it and have learned other areas of my equipment I can adjust to make up for the slight volume decrease in the STK-S4.

 

[matt239]

Re: Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

I would probably/definitely not split the middle p/u. - I'm undecided about even splitting the bridge & neck humbuckers. - I usually just leave them in humbucking anyway.

- I know some folks really like to split them. - I might even get a Super-switch, and auto-split them, if I thought it was important to have "traditional," or "authentic" 2 & 4 position sounds,
- but I don't mind kind of an amped-up, modernized 2 & 4 position sound; enough quack you recognize it as 2 or 4, but more substance..

- always good to have options, but no point in having too many, and some aren't your favorites, and you don't use them..

I'm pretty happy with HSH and a 5-way switch..

- Though I am planning on a blender knob, so I'll have neck + bridge (Tele or Les Paul sound..) and all-three-on (David Gilmour, for example..) and points between.
- Those seem like something I would actually, (frequently) use..

 

[jmcorey]

Re: Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

PGN for the neck.

Today, 17 January 2015, let it be known that Blueman335 has recommended someone to use a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Neck Humbucker pickup.


Only Nixon could go to China.

 

[scorch]

Re: Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

Do you need a HB in the neck? I've got a HSH strat.....with a Phat Cat in the neck, a Quarter-pounder in the middle and a Custom 8 in the bridge (started life as a Custom 5 but I think a C8 sounds better). Just put a parallel/series switch on the bridge pu and your done. Parallel bridge works great with the two SC'c. I also have a pull switch to have the neck pu come in full time. That's so I can have it with the bridge either way.

Very versatile arrangement.

 

[matt239]

Re: Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

That sounds like an awesome arrangement! - I think for me, I DO want a humbucker @ the neck.. I like the Phat Cats though, I might put one or two in my NEXT guitar!

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Good Neck, & Middle P/Us to go with SH-14, CUSTOM 5 in HSH Strat ??

I've used a 59n at the neck of one of my Floydcasters for over thirty years and felt it to be nearly ideal for this application. It warms up the slight steeliness that the Floyd Rose imparts, and with a 25½ scale length it isn't boomy at all, just rich and voicelike. Cleans up quite sweetly too, just rolling back the volume a bit; I've never missed having a coiltap on it. This guitar has a Quarter Pounder in the middle and I love that one. Plenty beefy yet well-defined- it retains that certain singlecoil magic, especially when you dig in and pick hard. Not vintage sounding but recognizably Stratlike, and to my ear it has good 2 & 4 position tones combining with the 59n and a vintage T-top at the bridge. Also it's powerful enough to balance well with the humbuckers when standing on its own. I'd say both are excellent choices for this type of guitar.