Incoming little 59, educate me.

regan

regan

New member
I have a little 59 strat bridge on the way for my s-s-s strat.
Anyone got any tips for pot values & potential wiring solutions?
If I get a push pull pot how does the lil '59 sound in tapped single coil will it balance well with the other single coils in the middle?
Is there a way to get the bridge humbucker & neck together?

Any other tips gratefully received
 
Re: Incoming little 59, educate me.

Hook it up in every which way you can imagine and see what works for your needs.
 
Re: Incoming little 59, educate me.

Here's the diagram for bridge pickup on so you can get neck/bridge or all 3.

switch_f_bp-809x1024.jpg

For pot values, I think there's a big improvement in sound if you move at least one step brighter from all 250. 500k volume and leave the tone at 250 - More definition and glass.
 
Re: Incoming little 59, educate me.

I use 250k for the pots. If you can, source a Fender S1 switch to wire the Little 59 for either splitting or parallel (whichever you like). I think it is easier to use than an push/pull.
 
Re: Incoming little 59, educate me.

A Little 59 is pretty dark sounding (not at all like the tone of a full sized 59). It definitely sounds better with a 500k vol pot. If a push/pull pot is too cumbersome to use, you can get a push/push pot which works the same as the S1 but it is probably a bit cheaper and a lot simpler to wire.
 
Re: Incoming little 59, educate me.

I was gonna say 500k pots, and it will maybe be ok tapped with the others. That's the problem with tapping classic HB's, they are around 7k, which means 3.5 k compared to the basic start pup. It might be a little light.

Hot pickups always match best when split. But might be fine.Play with the height.
 
Re: Incoming little 59, educate me.

GuitarDoc said:
A Little 59 is pretty dark sounding (not at all like the tone of a full sized 59). It definitely sounds better with a 500k vol pot. If a push/pull pot is too cumbersome to use, you can get a push/push pot which works the same as the S1 but it is probably a bit cheaper and a lot simpler to wire.
Click to expand...

I'm hoping it is a little dark tbh, the present pup is way too bright & shrill, I'll order a 300 & 500 & try both.
 
Re: Incoming little 59, educate me.

Aceman said:
I was gonna say 500k pots, and it will maybe be ok tapped with the others. That's the problem with tapping classic HB's, they are around 7k, which means 3.5 k compared to the basic start pup. It might be a little light.

Hot pickups always match best when split. But might be fine.Play with the height.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm guessing a split would sound a lil wimpy compared to the middle pup, coil splitting would be a bonus sound, by no means a deal breaker if it only sounds great in hb mode
 
Re: Incoming little 59, educate me.

The LIL59 is just a flipping great pickup!!! Strat, Tele, or other, it doesn't matter, the things just preform!!!

I had a lil 59 bridge with a couple of Antiquity's in the neck and middle slots of my 1954 R.I. & it was probably the best Strat guard I ever made? Which is kinda funny because it happened quite by accident! I had a bunch of loose pickups kicking around along with a bunch of parts (guards, pots, caps, Etc.) so I decided to try and consolidate some of them by building a couple guards and some harnesses one afternoon when I was bored.

I put the lil 59 in the bridge with the Antiquity's in the neck & middle & I hooked them up to a plain old 50's style harness that I built out of some 250K pots and a ceramic dime capacitor. Afterwards I picked up all that stuff and stuffed it into a box where it sat for a couple years!

Eventually I sold the guard & vintage single coils for Strat that I had that guitar loaded with. I remember wanting & buying the pickups to make a everything axe guard but it was going to be a week or whatever before they arrived so I thought I'd toss that "parts guard" in it for the mean time. I think I played about 3 chords before I ran & cancelled my order for the Everything Axe pickups & that guard stayed in the guitar from there out!

I sold it about a year ago & hindsight being 20/20, I really regret it!!!

I e
 
Re: Incoming little 59, educate me.

Yeah, I think if the Little 59 had a different name, it would be more popular. To me, it has its own thing going on, and isn't quite like a 59. It is more open than the Hot Rails, and a great choice if you want more power with an open sound, which single coils sort of fail at (and Hot Rails weren't designed for). Some people like it in parallel better than split.
 
Re: Incoming little 59, educate me.

Mincer said:
Yeah, I think if the Little 59 had a different name, it would be more popular. To me, it has its own thing going on, and isn't quite like a 59. It is more open than the Hot Rails, and a great choice if you want more power with an open sound, which single coils sort of fail at (and Hot Rails weren't designed for). Some people like it in parallel better than split.
Click to expand...

I absolutely like it better in parallel better.
 
Re: Incoming little 59, educate me.

Mincer said:
Yeah, I think if the Little 59 had a different name, it would be more popular. To me, it has its own thing going on, and isn't quite like a 59. It is more open than the Hot Rails, and a great choice if you want more power with an open sound, which single coils sort of fail at (and Hot Rails weren't designed for). Some people like it in parallel better than split.
Click to expand...

yes. there are a few "little" or "junior" single-space-sized humbuckers that could benefit from it's own name.
 
Re: Incoming little 59, educate me.

It arrived & I fitted it a couple of days with the existing pots.
I won't need to replace any pots, caps etc it worked & sounded beautifully in the existing circuit.
The bridge sounds great now it doesn't sound unbalanced or overpower the 2 single coils, all 5 positions are now more than usable.
overall I'd give it an 11/10 & I'm loving a strat for the 1st time
 
Re: Incoming little 59, educate me.

Wow! Success! Can we see a pic of it in the guitar?
 
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