Help Me Pick A Strat Bridge Pickup?

[The Convert]

Most of my guitars are more reserved/vintage voiced (65 strat pups, '57 gibs in my LP, NoCasters in a Tele), but this one I want to be more aggressive.

The guitar platform is a MiM HSS Strat with a Floyd--all stock. I don't like the pups at all--especially the HB. I plan to gut the electronics when I swap out the pups. I mainly play into a Marshall Origin with a 4x12 of heritage greenbacks. My higher gain is produced by Wampler Plexi Drive, MXR 5150 OD, and Blackstar HT-DISTX right now. (I have other things in storage--DS1, MZ etc., but don't use them as much).

I'm looking for an instrument where I can get closer to VH I & II, British Steel, Moving Pictures, and to lesser degree MSG, Scorps, and so on.

So I've tried JBs twice in gibson bodies and didn't love them. Can't put my finger on it. I'd say coarse? shrill? Maybe it's just because it's hotter or different tonal balance than the 57's/59's/Jazz/BBs that I'm used to.

So I'm considering Custom (SH5), Distortion (SH6), PGs (I think might not be hot enough), as well as EVH Wolfie (though I wasn't totally in love with the Indonesian Wolfgang Std I eventually sold) or Frankenstein (which I fear might be harsh and a 1-trick pony--since EVH doesn't appear to put it on even their stripe guitars). I've also considered things like hotrails (although mainly maybe for neck), or something from the Vai/Satch world like an EVO.

As for the other pickups, I mostly haven't decided on a model--which I think will evolve from the foundation of the bridge. If I went with like an EVO I might do a 2 pickup arrangemetn with a hotrails neck. If I want more tame, I might keep the HSS orientation with a more strat like middle and neck.

Well I've rambled a bunch. Any ideas? I'm open to all opinions and suggestions. Thanks!

 

[Adieu]

Re: Help Me Pick A Strat Bridge Pickup?

Hotrail bridge

 

[The Convert]

Re: Help Me Pick A Strat Bridge Pickup?

Oh, and of course I use a Tube Screamer and sometimes a Muff; I'm not an animal. ;-)

 

[Ghwar]

Re: Help Me Pick A Strat Bridge Pickup?

I'd go for the Sh5 Custom based on your post. I think it is the perfect pickup for someone who plays vintage pickups to step their feet into some hotter waters. It actually sounds as advertised - PAF on Steroids isn't far off the mark. It'll sound like your 57 classics (EQ-wise) but with added thickness, and if you want it, the power to crash through a brick wall is there. The clean tone is also excellent . One of my favorite Duncan pickups. To directly compare it to a JB - more scooped, not quite as hot, seems to have a little bit deeper, growly character to it. Add a twinge of PAF mojo

There's also the Custom Custom, might be a bit closer to the VH sound, but it's definitely not for everyone. I would say it's more specialized. Mine sounds good in my SG, but I don't know about a Strat. IMO the regular custom has a higher number of usable tones.

I don't think the PGs are spicy enough for what you want in this axe, they are beautiful sounding pickups but they're not hot. they're going to be very similar in output to your LP's 57's, so if you wanted hot those don't really do it. However the DD is in the mega hot category, I think it's a bit hairy to be hanging out with single coils, especially based on the bands you mentioned.

Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk

 

[Mincer]

Re: Help Me Pick A Strat Bridge Pickup?

If you are open to a humbucker, I'd go with the Custom Custom, which is remarkable in Strats. It is especially great in a 1 guitar band, as it occupies a huge sonic space.

 

[LLL]

Re: Help Me Pick A Strat Bridge Pickup?

Strat w/ Floyd - SH-11 Custom Custom
Strat w/6 hole - SH-5 Custom

 

[The Convert]

Re: Help Me Pick A Strat Bridge Pickup?

Thanks for the helpful feedback!

I'm wrapping my head around the Custom Custom, which gets me thinking about the rest of the PUPs.

So if I go SH-11 (or probably TB-11?) Bridge, how would you build the rest of the pickguard? Is there another HB that would be a good tonal/output match for the neck? It seems like it'd overwhelm even hotter-wound strat-toned single coils? I'm going to get a custom pickguard made, and I have no problem routing the body if I need to, so pretty much any configuration is possible.

Also, I understand that EVH tends to put a hotter HB in the necks of his Wolfies. Seems like that'd make for muddier tones, but he seems to make it work.

More suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

 

[chadd]

Re: Help Me Pick A Strat Bridge Pickup?

Thanks for the helpful feedback!

I'm wrapping my head around the Custom Custom, which gets me thinking about the rest of the PUPs.

So if I go SH-11 (or probably TB-11?) Bridge, how would you build the rest of the pickguard? Is there another HB that would be a good tonal/output match for the neck? It seems like it'd overwhelm even hotter-wound strat-toned single coils? I'm going to get a custom pickguard made, and I have no problem routing the body if I need to, so pretty much any configuration is possible.

Also, I understand that EVH tends to put a hotter HB in the necks of his Wolfies. Seems like that'd make for muddier tones, but he seems to make it work.

More suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

If you only use the neck for soloing, the hotter pickup in the neck works well. It gives you a bit of a boost, fatter tone and more compression relative to the bridge pickup. It's not what I do, but it works for people that use it that way.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Help Me Pick A Strat Bridge Pickup?

Thanks for the helpful feedback!

I'm wrapping my head around the Custom Custom, which gets me thinking about the rest of the PUPs.

So if I go SH-11 (or probably TB-11?) Bridge, how would you build the rest of the pickguard? Is there another HB that would be a good tonal/output match for the neck? It seems like it'd overwhelm even hotter-wound strat-toned single coils? I'm going to get a custom pickguard made, and I have no problem routing the body if I need to, so pretty much any configuration is possible.

Also, I understand that EVH tends to put a hotter HB in the necks of his Wolfies. Seems like that'd make for muddier tones, but he seems to make it work.

More suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

Yeah, go for the TB-11.
As far as the other pickups, it is your choice. Humbucker-wise, I love the Alnico II Pro. For single coils, I like the Classic Stack. I have no balance issues, and all of the combinations work really well.