HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

[Baraky]

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking about the mentioned setup.
A true single coil like the Five-Two Strat (6.6k) would be a better idea for middle instead of another QP's? So that I have a more stratty sound in positions 2 and 4?
What about hum problems? My guitar is shielded.

Having the Alt 8 (17.9k) with coil spliting, true single coil middle (6.6k), quarter pound (13.6k) with coil tapping sounds interesting.

Is Alt 8 too high even in coil splitting with this middle?

What do you guys suggest?

 

[Clint 55]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

Yes, I think you could get that to work. Ekspecially with tapping the qp and splitting the alt 8. I saw a guy on youtube with a spin-a-tap! Where he used a knob to control the amount of tap. Just thought it was interesting.

As far as noise. It depends what you use your single coils for. With shielding and grounding, you can get the single coils as quiet as hbs when playing clean. With lots of distortion tho, hum cancelling helps a lot.

So you could go: 1 push pull pot for tap the qp, 1 push pull to coil cut the alt 8, and 1 to engage neck and bridge pickups. That would be insane!

 

[Baraky]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

Yes, I think you could get that to work. Ekspecially with tapping the qp and splitting the alt 8. I saw a guy on youtube with a spin-a-tap! Where he used a knob to control the amount of tap. Just thought it was interesting.

As far as noise. It depends what you use your single coils for. With shielding and grounding, you can get the single coils as quiet as hbs when playing clean. With lots of distortion tho, hum cancelling helps a lot.

So you could go: 1 push pull pot for tap the qp, 1 push pull to coil cut the alt 8, and 1 to engage neck and bridge pickups. That would be insane!

Yea, I thought about it and sounded a great idea..wanted to know if there were any cons. I thought about turning the position 3 into neck+bridge, is it possible to do it with a push pull? How would it work, just pushing and it would engane neck and bridge like a 6th position? . So I could keep position 3?

About hum cancelling, I never made a research on that. I do play with distortion mostly, and I have a noise reduction pedal which is very good (decimator gstring II), but I really would like to install such system. What would you recommend me about this?

Thanks a lot.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

Here's the diagram for 7 way strat switching. It engages the neck and bridge pickup independent of the 5 way switch. So on positions 1 and 5 with the push pull engaged, you'll get neck and bridge together. In positions 2, 3, and 4, you'll get all 3 pickups on.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

You can narrow down your decision for neck and middle by deciding if you want stax, single coil sized humbuckers, or one of each. Generally the stax are made to emulate the tone of a true single coil. The sc sized hbs are a little different. You can kind of hear the quack going on from both coils. Seems like you can get stratty sounds out of them as well... Or more dry rockin sounds depending on which one you choose, whatever you're going for.

Stax: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDdz734Daic

Single coil sized humbucker:

 

[Baraky]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

Thanks a lot man.

I'm thinking about the Classic Stack neck and the RWRP middle; and coil splitting the alternative 8 for position 4. I want a heavy sound on the humbucker (really heavy stuff) and stratty sound for the rest. These pickups will match output and position 4 will match output with coil splitting. And will have no hum because they're stacks and a humbucker. Sounds ideal to me, what do you think? Whats your opinion in the middle pickup?

 

[Mincer]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

I am a big fan of the Five Two in the middle. I use it with a 59/Custom Hybrid, and in position 4, the Hybrid is split. sounds nice and quacky to me. In the neck is a Classic Strat Stack. I did some weird wiring with a MegaSwitch, so all positions are humcancelling, and wrote a blog about it.

 

[Baraky]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

I am a big fan of the Five Two in the middle. I use it with a 59/Custom Hybrid, and in position 4, the Hybrid is split. sounds nice and quacky to me. In the neck is a Classic Strat Stack. I did some weird wiring with a MegaSwitch, so all positions are humcancelling, and wrote a blog about it.

I read your article before, its very good, thanks. Do you think the Five Two would match a JB in coil split (custom 59 has lower output)?

 

[Mincer]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

The Five Two should certainly match the split JB. The JB split and the 59/Custom split aren't too far apart in output.

 

[Baraky]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

What do you think about a Quarter Pound RWRP for middle? It can be tapped, so it would match output with the custom stack/jb.
I mean, quarter pound has a great sound, so my middle pickup would still be useful, and I wont have to do anything for hum cancelling all positions.
My only concern would be how it would match with the bridge (jb) and the custom stack plus (neck) sound-wise. Is there anything to go wrong here?


By the way, so my plan is 1 push pull for tapping middle, 1 for splitting bridge, and 1 for engaging bridge and neck. Is it possible?

 

[Clint 55]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

Yep, that will work. It should match sound wise with the tap. It's so fat that in full power it will probably sound like another neck pickup on its own. I just put one in the bridge of my strat and I'm diggin it.

I have the same kind of idea going on in my hhh strat. I have a phat cat p90 bridge model in the middle that makes pos 2 and 4 quack nicely. But also on its own sounds like another neck pickup. It's very useful. Like an alternative to the neck humbucker.

 

[Baraky]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

Very nice Clint. I'm now looking at the pots I must buy. My guitar is the bullet strat; any push pull I put in it will require a work with a dremel? I'm going with the mini pots so that I possibly don't need to alter anything, but I fear it might be too big for the cavity.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

Uh huh mine are affinity. You will have to go to town on the cavity with a router to get push pulls to fit.

 

[Baraky]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

Really? I didnt find many ppl talking about push pulls in bullets, but I found one saying he did replace them with push pulls, not mentioning difficulties. I have no option anyway, if modification is needed I'll try. But I'll buy mini push-pulls, maybe it doesnt require (or requires less) modifications.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

Yeah go for it. I had a bullet but i don't remember how deep the cavity was in the pot area. My affinities for sure are too shallow for push pull pots. Sometimes the sellers list the dimensions of the pot and you can go measure how much space you have.

 

[Baraky]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

Yea, affinities usually are shallower whenever they can (in comparison to almost any strat). You got push pulls in your affinity?

 

[Clint 55]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

I used 3 mini switches.

 

[Baraky]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

I did think about it. Damn. Don't know what to do know. Will think about it later.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

The mini push push pot in my strat mini needs about 1 1/8 inch to fit and the cavity is 1 3/8 deep.

 

[Baraky]

Re: HSS Strat - Alternative 8 and Quarter Pound singles or true single coil middle

Would these work?

https://www.amazon.com/Uxcell-Toggl...F8&qid=1489356280&sr=8-1&keywords=mini+switch