I tried a bunch of strats today but I still can't decide HSS or SSS

[ledzepp29]

Hey whats up I was tryin strats today for like an hour and a half. I tried them through a marshall dsl 100 and 4x12 and through a hot rod deville. Since I'm not familiar with strats and am used to les pauls I found the rhythm tone on the SSS really....well not good but the lead tone was very cool. I liked the rhythm tone much better on the HSS strats. i tried one american HSS and like 3 MIMs. One of the MIMs I played and sounded almost identical to the american and the neck was very very similiar...lets just say the USA was not worth the 400 more except the bridge looked nicer. I bet if I got the MIM and upgraded the pickups and bridge it would sound better. The main reason I want a strat is for the middle and neck single coils (bridge is undecided) and for the wammy bar. I still can't completely decide either SSS or HSS. I also played the players deluxe strat and it was very cool but the rhythm tone was unimpressive. I'm leaning toward the HSS because kevlar3000s clips were one of the main reason I started lookin at strats and he used I beleive a HSS so that would make sense by the way thanks kevlar3000! (that last part sounded like a infomercial testimonial! haha)

 

[some_dude]

Re: I tried a bunch of strats today but I still can't decide HSS or SSS

I'm a big fan of H/S/S Strats. I like the lead and clean work you get off the neck singles, and the high gain rhythm tone from the bridge humbucker.

Besides, it sounds like H/S/S is what you prefer........


I hated the bridge on the MIM Strat (the little metal S saddles buzz together at times). I put a set of Graphtek saddles on it, and it plays great. As a bonus, you're hand doesn't get caught on the screws like they do on the stock saddles.

 

[Artie]

Re: I tried a bunch of strats today but I still can't decide HSS or SSS

Having just acquired my first HSS guitar, its quickly becoming my favorite. However, I think an HSS and an SSS are two different guitars. I'ld rather have one of each in a less expensive version, than have to choose between one or the other.

 

[ledzepp29]

Re: I tried a bunch of strats today but I still can't decide HSS or SSS

next time I go I'm gonna pick out the best sounding (affordable) SSS, HSS and hell a tele too. then I will A/B them all together and decide which one is more useful.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: I tried a bunch of strats today but I still can't decide HSS or SSS

Here's my .02...

H-S-S works the best out of any pickups config. I've tried before. Especially with a blend control (Torres engineering has one).

For heavy stuff, the humbucker has to be there (the meat and substance makes it better than a single coil IMHO). It makes perfect sense to have it in the bridge position.

With single coils, they can either be alone, or thickened up a bit with the blend knob (adding the humbucker to the single coils). This allows for some great inbetween tones.

If you really miss the single coil bridge position, get something like a Joe Barden Two-Tone where split it sounds exactly like a single coil so you won't have to sacrifice anything.

So there you go. One configuration and it does the job of what some people may buy two guitars for. Not only that, but it also allows for some great, unique and usable tones.

I haven't yet converted my tone knob on my Grosh to a push/pull, but that will be my next project, I'm sure mixing the neck single coil with a split bridge will yield something cool.

Just a little something to think about

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: I tried a bunch of strats today but I still can't decide HSS or SSS

A H-S-S Strat sounds like the ticket for you? But if you do go for the
S-S-S you can always put a Duncan Mini Strat Bucker in there. I've
got a Lil' 59er in one strat . Sounds Awesome !!

 

[StratTom]

Re: I tried a bunch of strats today but I still can't decide HSS or SSS

But if you do go for the S-S-S you can always put a Duncan Mini Strat Bucker in there. I've
got a Lil' 59er in one strat . Sounds Awesome !!

Let's not forget about the hotrails :headbang:

 

[Young Angus]

Re: I tried a bunch of strats today but I still can't decide HSS or SSS

HSS for sure man, much more versatility

 

[nuntius]

Re: I tried a bunch of strats today but I still can't decide HSS or SSS

Chris pretty much nailed it.

 

[Quencho092]

Re: I tried a bunch of strats today but I still can't decide HSS or SSS

can you get quack in the 4th position with a HSS, or is that only possible with an SSS

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: I tried a bunch of strats today but I still can't decide HSS or SSS

can you get quack in the 4th position with a HSS, or is that only possible with an SSS

With the right pickups, absolutely. I get quack from the [neck and middle Wagner SR single coils] and the [middle SR single coil and Dark Burst humbucker]. Having a bridge humbucker does nothing to it, I can nail SRV flawlessly.

 

[fusion101]

Re: I tried a bunch of strats today but I still can't decide HSS or SSS

Well if u do what chris suggested and get the Joe Barden Two-Tone and whene its split mixed with the middle u''ll get your "quack"

 

[ledzepp29]

Re: I tried a bunch of strats today but I still can't decide HSS or SSS

ya, I love that quack you get from the bridge and middle on an SSS strat, which I can't do with the HSS. I saw a guy playing at the blues festival (fellow floridians know what I'm talkin about) with an SSS (well what else?) through a cranked plexi and his tone was awesome it was actually pretty heavy too, so I know that good tone is available with SSS. O ya another question, since I'm not too familiar with strats could someone tell me what position on the selector switch(pickup combinations) of an SSS acheive that famed strat "searing lead tone" that we all know. My quess is its the bridge and middle, again I didn't get that great of an idea of strats tones because these 2 people were jamming together really loud in the store. also an SSS combination would give me that super quacky clean tone needed for ska and reggae.

 

[ledzepp29]

Re: I tried a bunch of strats today but I still can't decide HSS or SSS

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!! i was just checking out the specs of the MIM standard HSS on the fender web site and I looked at the pickup switching and this is what it said:
5-Position Blade, Special Switching:
Position 1. Full Bridge Humbucker (No Tone Control)
Position 2. Front Coil of Bridge Pickup and Middle Pickup (Lead Tone Control)
Position 3. Middle Pickup (Lead Tone Control)
Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickups (Lead and Rhythm Tone Controls)
Position 5. Neck Pickup (Rhythm Tone Control)
thats awesome!!! when in the second position it splits the coils on the humbucker and mixes it with the middle pickup!!!! i did not know this, I'll have to test this again.
there was never a question of if i like bridge singles better than HBs it was that I didnt wanna sacrifice that middle/bridge single combo.

 

[Biu]

Re: I tried a bunch of strats today but I still can't decide HSS or SSS

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!! i was just checking out the specs of the MIM standard HSS on the fender web site and I looked at the pickup switching and this is what it said:
5-Position Blade, Special Switching:
Position 1. Full Bridge Humbucker (No Tone Control)
Position 2. Front Coil of Bridge Pickup and Middle Pickup (Lead Tone Control)
Position 3. Middle Pickup (Lead Tone Control)
Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickups (Lead and Rhythm Tone Controls)
Position 5. Neck Pickup (Rhythm Tone Control)
thats awesome!!! when in the second position it splits the coils on the humbucker and mixes it with the middle pickup!!!! i did not know this, I'll have to test this again.
there was never a question of if i like bridge singles better than HBs it was that I didnt wanna sacrifice that middle/bridge single combo.

That's how I wired my Ibanez, and it's a pretty cool setup, though a lot of people seem to like full-on Humbucker+Single-Coil in that notch position.

Oh, and if you DO decide by some freak accident to go S-S-S, there's always stacked humbuckers