HB for a strat bridge

G

gimmieinfo

New member
I stopped using humbuckers long ago but i always had a HSS strat up till maybe 5 years ago. I just got a second rosewood board vintage style strat and decided to make it HSS rather then have 2 SSS strats for a change of pace. But i don't want a really middy HB or anything like that. Put it this way....i had a duncan 59/hybrid with a roughcast A5 in it in the parts drawer so i threw that in it and it;s not bad. But heres what i don't like about it. Using classic rock style overdrive and the guitar on 10 it;s not bad. Maybe a touch stiff feeling. The main thing i'm not crazy about is that when i roll the guitar back to clean up it sounds sorta dull. I even have a 250pf bleed cal in it which should allow plenty of top to bleed thru but it doesn't seem to have the higher top end frequencies where chime and sizzle live.
Heres the thing.....i know what everyone will tell me when i say this, but i'm using the 250k pot because i don't want to use a 500k and have some switching trick that adds a 470k resistor for reasons too long winded to go into. So with that out of the way, what HB with give me a nice full sound but can chime when rolling the volume down with a 250k pot? Don't like high output pickups and the 59/hybrid is about as hot\t as i am willing to go. I suppose the logical duncan would be the 59? But the big Q is can it chime when clean? Also open to other cheap but known good small brands like bootstrap etc.
 
I am thinking a Jazz they respond nicely to the volume knob. They will also play nicely with classic rock overdrive. Don't let the name fool you the Jazz is a solid rock humbucker. Pearly Gates is also nice in a Strat.
 
I would recommend a Jazz Bridge. It's bright enough to not sound dull with 250k pots. It will also match well output and eq wise with singles.
 
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If you want to use 250K pots so your single coils sound "right", there's only one bridge pickup I've used that I liked with 250K pots.

That's the JB.

IMO, the JB sounds better with 250K pots than it does with 500K.

Seymour uses it with 250K pots if that says anything. To me it does.

You may not need that bright cap on your volume pot if you go with a JB.
 
Lewguitar said:
If you want to use 250K pots so your single coils sound "right", there's only one bridge pickup I've used that I liked with 250K pots.

That's the JB.

IMO, the JB sounds better with 250K pots than it does with 500K.

Seymour uses it with 250K pots if that says anything. To me it does.

You may not need that bright cap on your volume pot if you go with a JB.
Click to expand...

I had an Ash Body strat with two Fender fat 50's and a JB with 250K controls. It was awesome!
 
Another vote for the Jazz, or even the Full Shred. You might try using a dedicated tone for the humbucker, too, with a 500k pot.
 
gimmieinfo said:
I stopped using humbuckers long ago but i always had a HSS strat up till maybe 5 years ago. I just got a second rosewood board vintage style strat and decided to make it HSS rather then have 2 SSS strats for a change of pace. But i don't want a really middy HB or anything like that. Put it this way....i had a duncan 59/hybrid with a roughcast A5 in it in the parts drawer so i threw that in it and it;s not bad. But heres what i don't like about it. Using classic rock style overdrive and the guitar on 10 it;s not bad. Maybe a touch stiff feeling. The main thing i'm not crazy about is that when i roll the guitar back to clean up it sounds sorta dull. I even have a 250pf bleed cal in it which should allow plenty of top to bleed thru but it doesn't seem to have the higher top end frequencies where chime and sizzle live.
Heres the thing.....i know what everyone will tell me when i say this, but i'm using the 250k pot because i don't want to use a 500k and have some switching trick that adds a 470k resistor for reasons too long winded to go into. So with that out of the way, what HB with give me a nice full sound but can chime when rolling the volume down with a 250k pot? Don't like high output pickups and the 59/hybrid is about as hot\t as i am willing to go. I suppose the logical duncan would be the 59? But the big Q is can it chime when clean? Also open to other cheap but known good small brands like bootstrap etc.
Click to expand...

I have this phenomenal single coil, which MJ wound for me, in my Fender Lead II bridge slot. Don't write a single coil off. You might be surprised.
 
I'm sure all of the standard vintage choices will chime: 59, Jazz, PG. They're just voiced differently. Take ur pick.
 
+1 on the Jazz Bridge, if you really categorically will not do any other wiring. It, the Pearly Gates Plus and the PAF Pro are the three pickups I'd always try first with any single coils and adjust from their, since all three have that ideal medium-cool output and slightly-bright EQ that most singles pair well with. Of them, the Jazz is the one that is best-suited for classic rock drive.

But really the most straight-forward and cheapest option, given you are going to have to get under the pickguard in order to wire in the neck pickup anyway, is just to swap the volume control (if not the tone controls) for a 500k then add another 500k resistor to the single coils, so they still 'see' 250k while the humbucker gets 500k. Then just back the humbucker further from the strings, so the output remains in-line with the singles; more space between the humbucker and the strings will also help retain some lightness when rolling the volume off.
 
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Clint 55 said:
I'm sure all of the standard vintage choices will chime: 59, Jazz, PG. They're just voiced differently. Take ur pick.
Click to expand...

No. Not with a 250k pot. If you're going to use a humbucker with a 250k volume pot you need a pickup that's almost ice picky when you use it with a 500K pot.

That way, when you use it with a 250K pot it won't sound dull and lack punch.

The JB is one such pickup. There are probably others too.

With 500K pots the JB is a little unpleasant to my ears.

With 250K or 300K it sounds "right".

YMMV.
 
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I use 250K pots with my PG and it sounds perfectly fine. Your pots are the only thing in your signal chain that dictates the tone and do not have as dramatic influences on the signal chain as other factors.
 
Unfortunately the JB isn't an option because i used them in the past and never liked them. Too hot also from memory at least. As i said the 59/hybrid is as hot as i'd go, tho i'd prefer to stay even lower.
 
gimmieinfo said:
Unfortunately the JB isn't an option because i used them in the past and never liked them. Too hot also from memory at least. As i said the 59/hybrid is as hot as i'd go, tho i'd prefer to stay even lower.
Click to expand...

It does sound different with 250K pots. Not as hot. Have you tried it with 250K pots?
 
It seems very important to Lew that you tell him you'll consider the JB. You don't actually have to consider the JB, but the nice thing to do here would be to throw the old man a bone and tell him you will. His heels really seem dug in here.
 
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Pearly Gates Plus does well with 250K. A tad more fullness and output than the regular PG bridge,
Excellent match for vintage output singlecoils.
 
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