Re: Hot Rails w/ SSL-5 ?
Hey dude.
I had that exact setup in my Strat for a while. I was having an identity crisis and going thru a "hard rock" phase. hehehe.
I found that the SSL6 Strat Custom's sounded great...except NOT with 250K controls. (Neither did the hot rails, come to think of it)
I wound up using a 500K for volume, 250K for the tone for the hot rails, and a fender no-load for the tone pot for the neck SSL6.
The SSLs matched up GREAT with the hot rails. Strat-like, but way WAY warmer and punchier and fatter. But...with the no-load pot and the 500K volume pot, I could still dial in some strat-like high end when needed.
Still, those Strat Customs will never ever sound like a vintage strat pickup. Theyre way way too fat.
The SSL3 Hot, in my opinion, should only be a bridge pickup. Too many mids, too few trebles. It does make a KICKA$$ bridge pickup in a strat though. had that in there before the hot rails.
If you want to hear them, I used them to record on a friend's EP. now, the vocals are mixed WAY up, but you gotta listen for the lead guitar work. its there. (to my disappointment, not as loud as I'd like...) There's no bluesy solo goodstuff, but at least this can give you an idea of the versatility of these pickups. They sound very unique...like an strat with a serious weight problem!
www.purevolume.com/roark
On the pureplayer thing, click on each song:
"Brighter Side" 1:16 into it, you can hear the mid-bridge combo, twangy run. That's a SSL6 with HotRails bridge thru a badcat.
"Cold Rush Over" 0:15 The backgroud arpeggios are the neck and mid SSL6 thru a badcat.
"Staring at my Feet" 1:52 The bridge is the neck and mid SSL6, the funky strumming.
Since then, I've just decided to go back to vintage style specs. I got myself a SSL1 SSL1 Twangbanger set from Lew, and I can't wait to throw it in.
hope this helped even a little.
