Lindy Fralin Baseplates for strat??

['59]

I, like many others, have a Strat with a single coil bridge. I hear adding a baseplate will thicken things up, and LF sells them for cheap.

Any of you guys tried them? How will it affect the bridge position as well as b+m?

 

[jeremy]

ive used them and i like it on vintage output bridge pups. it does fatten things up a bit, not a huge change, but noticeable for sure and i like what it does. one of my main strats has antiquity ii jaguar pups in all positions. neck in the neck, bridge in the middle, and bridge with a baseplate in the bridge. it sounds fantastic

 

[treyhaislip]

ive used them and i like it on vintage output bridge pups. it does fatten things up a bit, not a huge change, but noticeable for sure and i like what it does. one of my main strats has antiquity ii jaguar pups in all positions. neck in the neck, bridge in the middle, and bridge with a baseplate in the bridge. it sounds fantastic

This has been my experience as well. Really helpful for the bridge position in Strat pickups—all of mine have them.

 

[ErikH]

Yup. I put one on a stock Squier Classic Vibe 60's Strat bridge pickup with noticeable improvement. Definitely worth it.

 

[Mincer]

I've never experimented with baseplates, so now I have to.

 

[treyhaislip]

I've never experimented with baseplates, so now I have to.

I’ve only tried it with more “vintage” style Single Coils. I’ve seen some baseplates offered as double thick for higher output single coils—have never tried the double thickness and not sure how much of an impact it will have. I have tried steel and copper baseplates—both achieved the desired effect for me.

 

[Chistopher]

It doesn't make them microphonic?

 

[ErikH]

Nope. There’s wax on one side and you install it by using a hair dryer or carefully use a heat gun on low to melt the wax while holding it to the bottom. Let it cool, connect the ground wire per the instructions and done.

 

['59]

Would it be closer to a tele if I stacked two of them on top of eachother?

 

[freefrog]

Would it be closer to a tele if I stacked two of them on top of eachother?

Steel baseplates have two effects: they increase the inductance and promote eddy currents. Both make single coils fatter and flatter sounding.

Now, too much steel under the rod magnets might alter the magnetic field in a detrimental way.

But all depends of the mass involved so the only way to know is still to try... If you do it, feel free to report your experience here, thx in advance.

 

[Ewizard]

I like the baseplates on the bridge position. It isn't a night-and-day change, but it is noticeable. It won't take you from not enough to enough, but it will take from from not enough, to just not quite enough. It does add some attitude, a little bit of balls, and a small bump in output. Again, not so much that it takes you from not enough to enough, but it gets you in the ballpark. If you are worried about microphonics, a blow dryer, and some candle wax will do ya. Simply melt some candle wax to the baseplate on the side you intend to stick to the pickup. After it hardens, place it on the pickup as desired and reheat until the wax flows. Let it harden again ( 10-15min ) and check to see that it is firmly attached. If it is, install and rock on.

On a set of ssl-1s, I found the bridge to be very thin and ball-less. I got a bridge plate and it certainly added some balls and a little bit of gain. Not enough to get you all the way there, but it certainly became more authoritative. It makes sense why the popular option is SSL1's in the middle and neck position, with an SSL5 in the bridge. An SSl1 in the bridge with a baseplate gives it a Tele-like grunt that has a slightly lower output than a comparable Tele pickup.

 

[GuitarDoc]

I too have not experimented with different baseplates, but now I know that there is that option and what it can do. Possibly useful info for the future.