HSS help -- matching Vintage Rails.

[Mononoaware]

I've got an alder Yamaha Pacifica and have been playing with pickup combos. I'd like to use two Vintage Rails wired in parallel in the SS slots, but I'm struggling to match them to a Duncan bridge humbucker. This guitar has a pickup ring, so a third single-size like the CR or VR bridge isn't an option.

The two issues are output and character. The VR are very low output, and have this crystalline "hifi" thing going on. I like that clean, slightly-modern hifi sound, but finding it in a lower-output humbucker has been challenging. Humbuckers I've tried:

-C5 (never got along with the scooped character, plus too loud)
-PGb (really bright in this guitar, like, painfully)
-59b (better, but thin and bright)

This is for blues, classic rock, and funky-fusiony stuff, so I'd like a bridge with some "sing" in it when placed under moderate-high gain (which the VRs don't handle as well). Ideas?

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: HSS help -- matching Vintage Rails.

The only other pickups that I can think of that won't be too bright and still have some of the character of the VR's would be the PATB-3 and maybe the Demon.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: HSS help -- matching Vintage Rails.

Get yourself a Lace Sensor Alumitone. As far as wide band hi-fi humbuckers go, there are no other pickups even in the discussion.

 

[Mincer]

Re: HSS help -- matching Vintage Rails.

How about the Jazz bridge?

 

[TVFV]

Re: HSS help -- matching Vintage Rails.

How about the Jazz bridge?

I second this.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[SeanK]

Re: HSS help -- matching Vintage Rails.

You might want to look in to the Custom Custom- it's got a lot of warmth and sings quite a bit with vintage tube distortion- it's got a softer mid-to-high EQ shape for a bridge humbucker and is often recommended in conjunction with the cool rails- check out this shootout with the JB here!

 

[Mononoaware]

Re: HSS help -- matching Vintage Rails.

All good suggestions. I have a Custom knocking about, so I may give the CC a try. I've used it before, but never in a bright Strat type. It could offer a decent contrast, even if it's outside the box.

JazzB I've never tried. Since the 59 sounded bright (actually, more *thin* than bright), I hadn't considered it. Was afraid it might be ear-piercing in this axe. But it might fit the VR character better.

Also: since this isn't my only guitar, I'm not worried about being uber-versatile -- I just want a bluesy/jazzy/funky axe to get me out of the high-gain rut I'm in. I play differently when the pickups are cleaner.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: HSS help -- matching Vintage Rails.

Re-reading your post, I need to ask:

What pot values are you using?

Is the 2nd (bottom) tone pot wired vintage style, or do you have it so it can roll treble off the bridge pickup?

Another thing:. The VR's are essentially humbuckers hard wired in parallel. You might like the C5 more (output-wise) if you wired it in parallel with the VR's.

I did something similar with a Washburn Mercury. I installed a pair of Carvin AP11's along with a Dimebucker. I set it up so that the default setting for the Dime was split and I used a push/pull pot to turn on full series mode for a boost. This way, the Dime blends VERY well output and tone wise with the singles in the neck and middle.

 

[Mononoaware]

Re: HSS help -- matching Vintage Rails.

Re-reading your post, I need to ask:

What pot values are you using?

Is the 2nd (bottom) tone pot wired vintage style, or do you have it so it can roll treble off the bridge pickup?

Another thing:. The VR's are essentially humbuckers hard wired in parallel. You might like the C5 more (output-wise) if you wired it in parallel with the VR's.

I did something similar with a Washburn Mercury. I installed a pair of Carvin AP11's along with a Dimebucker. I set it up so that the default setting for the Dime was split and I used a push/pull pot to turn on full series mode for a boost. This way, the Dime blends VERY well output and tone wise with the singles in the neck and middle.

Good question. The Pacifica comes with 500k 1 master volume/1 master tone. That's a little bright with the true singles (came with SSL-1s and C5 in the bridge), but not bad. For some reason, though, I dig the 500k with the VRs.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: HSS help -- matching Vintage Rails.

Yeah. I could see the VR's working well with 500k pots. Maybe teying a resistor in line with the bridge pickup (to simulate 250k pits) would work.

 

[Artie]

Re: HSS help -- matching Vintage Rails.

You might like the C5 more (output-wise) if you wired it in parallel with the VR's.

This is exactly what I was going to suggest. Many Duncan humbuckers take on a whole new character when wired parallel. The Invader, wired in parallel, is an example of a killer "vintagey" pup hidden in another. Others would work too.

 

[dystrust]

Re: HSS help -- matching Vintage Rails.

You might want to look in to the Custom Custom- it's got a lot of warmth and sings quite a bit with vintage tube distortion- it's got a softer mid-to-high EQ shape for a bridge humbucker and is often recommended in conjunction with the cool rails- check out this shootout with the JB here!

+1

The CC is my favorite humbucker for a Strat bridge position. It's full without being too hot and the high end is just soft enough to avoid icepick.

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: HSS help -- matching Vintage Rails.

I'd suggest to use the PG bridge humbucker with a 330k resistor wired between the humbucker's hot wire and ground. It will be warmer with the load resistor, and if its too warm you could try 510k instead. Apart from that, part of the brightness may be caused by setting the humbucker too low and too far away from the strings.