Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

B

BBQLS1

New member
I need a pickup for the Bridge position on my strat. I've been through quite a few and none are quite what I'm looking for. I want a nice fat rock tone ala Fair Warning, Blues Saraceno, you get the idea. Bridge LP type tone.

The problem is, every pup I've tried just doesn't seem to push the amp nearly as hard as a LP or my PRS. Now I understand that the strats build is different, but I figure I can get in the ball park, but it seems I can't.

About the strat: MIM, poplar body, Wilkinson two post bridge, MJ frets, maple fretboard. 500K Ohm volume pot, 250K Ohm Tone.

Bridge Pups tried:

Gibson 496R - Sounds weak
Custom Custom - To mid rangey, to much honk, Sounds great for VH type sound in my Paul Reed Smith, it just doesn't seem to work in the strat. Much weaker sounding.
JB - Best sounding, just doesn't seem to push nearly as hard as in my PRS.

I'm thinking the problem may be in the Tone Pot or the fact that the paint is so thick.

Oh, I have a Fender 57/62 single in the neck and it sounds great.

How do I fix my bridge pup problem?

BTW, I just want thick fat rock out of the bridge.
 
Re: Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

Hey and welcome to the forum!

I would go with all 500k pots first but if you are unhappy with the pickups you have tried a new is in order...try a Custom or maybe the Blues Saraceno model...both of those are nice and fat and the Blues model was designed from the ground up to be fat and powerful in a Strats bridge position.

The only other thing I would tell you is that poplar is not a very full sounding wood...I have compared 2 Strats with the same neck, hardware, and same pickups but one Strat had an alder body while the other had poplar...the poplar was good but the alder sounded so much fuller and bigger in the lows and low mids. This is not me slamming your gear just telling you that it could be the guitar...that said the "right" pickup could be the answer!

Good luck!
 
Re: Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

the guy who invented fire said:
Hey and welcome to the forum!

I would go with all 500k pots first but if you are unhappy with the pickups you have tried a new is in order...try a Custom or maybe the Blues Saraceno model...both of those are nice and fat and the Blues model was designed from the ground up to be fat and powerful in a Strats bridge position.

The only other thing I would tell you is that poplar is not a very full sounding wood...I have compared 2 Strats with the same neck, hardware, and same pickups but one Strat had an alder body while the other had poplar...the poplar was good but the alder sounded so much fuller and bigger in the lows and low mids. This is not me slamming your gear just telling you that it could be the guitar...that said the "right" pickup could be the answer!

Good luck!
Click to expand...


No offense taken. I'd change the body, but it was a gift from my wife! It would be hard to get away with it!
 
Re: Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

Im not saying you should change the body...thte right pickup could give you the sound you want with that body I was just saying that alder has a bit more in the lows that poplar.

Try the Custom first...the Custom sounds like a PAF style pivkup but just hotter and bigger overall, I think you might really like it!
 
Re: Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

It took me a long time to find the right Strat bridge, but I found happiness with the SSL-3 Hot. You lose a bit of the classic "chime", but gain it back in cojones. Get the tapped version, and you can have your cake and eat it too. ;)
 
Re: Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

So just to be clear: you do want to use a full size bridge humbucker...right?

You're not looking for a single coil size pickup...right?

Cuz you have got to use a full size humbucker to get the tone you are after.

Most humbuckers like that want 500K pots. But 500K pots will make your neck single coil brighter thanit is now if you are using 250K pots with it.

The JB is the only pickup that comes to mind that sounds good with 250K or 500K pots.

With 250K pots it reminds me a bit of the Custom Custom. The highs are smooth and warm and buttery when the JB is used with 250K pots.

With 500K pots it also sounds great but a little edgier and brighter.

But 500K will make you neck single coil possibly sound to bright.

So what are you using for pots? 250K or 500K?

That might be why the JB sounds so differant in your Strat compared to the way it sounds in your PRS.

If you're using 250K pots, the Custom Custom will sound to dark, IMO. That pickup needs 500K or else it loses to much treble.

Lew
 
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Re: Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

If you want something thick, fat and powerful give the Dimarzio Tone Zone a shot. It can be a bit loose and a bit dark but there's no denying it's positive attributes.
 
Re: Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

500k in the volume, 250k in the tone spot. I had converted it to master tone.

Yes, full size bucker is what I want.
 
Re: Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

The 250K tone pot is the culprit. You'd probably like the JB and Custom Custom alot better if you tried them with a 500K tone pot. That 250K tone pot is allowing alot of treble to leak to ground. Lew
 
Re: Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

Johtosotku said:
If you want something thick, fat and powerful give the Dimarzio Tone Zone a shot. It can be a bit loose and a bit dark but there's no denying it's positive attributes.
Click to expand...

Not a bad suggestion, I was about to suggest the Breed. I love Duncan pups, but they are different sounding than Dimarzios. What you're looking for is specifically what dimarzio does. They kind of cater to the humbucker strat guys.
 
Re: Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

Xeromus said:
Not a bad suggestion, I was about to suggest the Breed. I love Duncan pups, but they are different sounding than Dimarzios. What you're looking for is specifically what dimarzio does. They kind of cater to the humbucker strat guys.
Click to expand...

I'm really a Les Paul kind of guy who owns a strat that he wants to sound like a Les Paul.:27:
 
Re: Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

BBQLS1 said:
I'm really a Les Paul kind of guy who owns a strat that he wants to sound like a Les Paul.:27:
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The Blues Saraceno gives a Strat sort of a PAF/Les Paul vibe but it's not really a high output pickup...if you want high output look into one of the other parallel axis trembuckers
 
Re: Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

BBQLS1 said:
I'm really a Les Paul kind of guy who owns a strat that he wants to sound like a Les Paul.:27:
Click to expand...


Me too. I've got a nice Les Paul but I never play it. When I want that tone I reach for one of my Strat with humbuckers.

I have Strats with:

EVH/78, Duncan Custom, Custom Custom and 59B.

Those are the humbuckers I like in a Strat for a Les Paulish tone.

But I use them with 500K pots.

Lew
 
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Re: Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

the guy who invented fire said:
The Blues Saraceno gives a Strat sort of a PAF/Les Paul vibe but it's not really a high output pickup...if you want high output look into one of the other parallel axis trembuckers
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that output is or isn't what I need. I think I'll try the tone knob first.
 
Re: Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

the guy who invented fire said:
The Blues is not a really hot pickup but it was made to add Les Paul style beef to a Strat...I think it does the job!
Click to expand...

I've ordred them for guys but never heard one! Have to give one a try.

I just picked up a couple of MIJ Fender Strats with Japanese humbuckers that will need replacing. One single HB and one with two HB's.

Lew
 
Re: Help with a Strat Bridge pup.

I really dig Blues's tone, especially on Hair Pick. I might try one out after I get the tone knob replaced. Heck, I might like the custom custom back in it after I change the tone knob. I was thinking about two 59's in my PRS.
 
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