H-S-S pickup balance question

PhatStrat

PhatStrat

New member
Doing my reserach on pups for my California Fat Strat. Alder body, maple neck, currently has Tex-Mex pups. VERY bright and harsh... limited sustain. I like to play 70's and 80's rock with an occasional power chord, no thrash metal. Planning on putting a Fat-O for Fatties switch in to give me magnificent-7, and also provide an option for running HB with two SC's in series to emulate the H-H setup ala SG or Les Paul (I know it's not the same, but I have one axe to work with so bear with me here).

Question is regarding matching SC pups with HB in terms of output, while darkening the sound and getting more sustain. I like the sound bytes of the JB, with the Pearly Gates and the 59 running a close second. Output on the JB is highest, then the 59, then the PG. I understand from reading specs that Alnico II mags are not quite as bright as Alnico V's, and since one of my probs with current sound is brightness I might want to go that road. Or is the difference between the Tex-Mex and the Alnico V's going to be so dramatic that brightness will no longer be a problem?

Finally, is there a scientific way to determine how the overall balance between the HB's and the SC's is going to work out? For example, if I team a JB up with APS-1's or SSL-1's is the HB going to overpower the singles when they are in the various combinations (like neck/bridge, mid/brige, neck-mid series/bridge, etc.). I also see that the STK-S1 has about the same output as the SSL-1 but with Alnico II instead of V. Is this a better direction for where I want to go? Do I even think about going as hot as the Quarter Pounders, or are they going to overbalance the output of the JB? Are there other combinations I am not even thinking about that will meet my needs?

I know this is lengthy and I am asking lots of questions, but the old budget will allow me to do this once and I want to do it right.

Thanks in advance,

Big Mike (aka PhatStrat)
 
Re: H-S-S pickup balance question

I've done alot of experimenting with this stuff and have yet to find the ideal combination.

However, one thing I have found is that hotter Strat single coils (6.6K and beyond) can still be plenty bright and bubbley and chimey IF:

1. You use 500K pots (which work better with a bridge humbucker anyway).
2. You connect the tone control to the output of the volume control - the terminal that leads to the output jack - instead of the usual connection to the input of the volume control.
 
Re: H-S-S pickup balance question

Hey Phatstrat, WELCOME TO THE FORUM MAN!

Lots of guys have problems balancing the SCs and buckers however I have found that if you have A2 magnets you can get the pups closer without pulling the strings out of tune. Closer to the strings also translates to more output.

I haven't had experience in running a set up like Lew mentioned but I can tell you that Lew won't steer folks in the wrong direction tone-wise knowingly. So if you go with the hotter singles try his suggestion.

As far as the pups you are talking about I think the APS' will be the way to go to calm down your strat a bit in the neck and middle.

The SSL's have great bass but also a lot of treble, creating that classic strat chimey tone. Imagine you went to the Fender factory and took a 56 strat pup and brought it back with you till today. That's the tone we're talking about. The flat poles make for a fatter sound as well.

The APS' will give you that plucky sound (sorry to steal your word Lew) with more mids and a tapered treble and softer bass. I've got my strat loaded with 2 APS staggered and 1 APS flat for the bridge.

If you guitar is already very bright you should really look hard at the A2 pups.

The Seth Lover---Quacky like a single but with bucker growl, grit, and power. Imagine a 55 model humbucker from the Gibson factory brought forward to today.

The Pearly Gates---The hottest of the Duncan PAF style pups. It has more midrange than the PAFs. It has mismatched coils which contribute to the "rude" sound people talk about. Think Billy Gibbons for tone reference.

The Alnico 2 Pro---The warmest of the Duncan PAF style pups. It has strong mids and good lows with rounded highs. It is a modern take of the classic A2 mag PAF tone. The most famous patron of this pup being Slash

The Custom Custom---Essentially an overwound PAF with an A2 magnet. It has lots of midrange with smooth highs and lows. Some consider this the best high output pup to warm up a bright guitar.

Hope that helps man!

Luke
 
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