Re: Looking for a strat set . . .
Not sure if you have already gotten a set yet or not, but I will fill you in on my recent adventures. I bought a set of SSL-1's about a year ago. To me, these are the closest to a real strat sound I have ever gotten. Bright, spanky, bit twangy even and they had the nasally quack in the #2 & #4 positions. My only gripe was that the bridge was a little weak and thin compared to the other two pickups. I purchased a steel backing plate and that actually helped add some girth and mute the high end a touch. Just enough that it would at least play well with the other pickups now. Overall, the SSL-1's are my favorite set of strat pickups I have ever played through. They have the bite, the quack, the spank and with a little work can balance out well and just sing.
I wanted to get what I figured was an even more vintage sounding set and went with the ANT II's Surfer set. I was under the impression that they would be bright, well balanced, and Straty. To me, they are not..... They are kinda dark and the neck is VERY full and almost too boomy. They don't have that bite I had hoped for. Perhaps no-load tone pots and or 500k pots would get me there? I have considered using a capacitor in series with the neck pickup to reduce the low end a little which I think may also get it where I want it. That being said, the bridge balances perfectly and the middle is probably the best sounding middle pickup I have ever heard. Not too bright and not too dull. BUTTTT, the Bridge is too dark and overall the set is just a tad on the dark side. As a set though, they are very well balanced and sound like a set, the challenge for me is tuning them to get what I FEEL is right.
So, if you go with the SSL-1, I think it may behoove you to go with the SSL-5, Five-Two, or the Twang-Banger bridge though if you want a more balanced volume and sound. I essentially have a Twang-Banger now sans the extra output. The SSL-5 seems to be the favorite ( essentially the David Gilmour option ) and I think the Five-Two might just be the in-between of all the options. Not having used either of those I can't say 100% though. I know that the SSL-1 in the bridge is just a bit weak, and a bit too bright and thin. But it has that spank, twang and bite that you want in a Strat pickup.
If you go with the ANT Surfer II's, you will be happy with the overall balance and sound, but you may find it too dark if you want a bright set of pickups. I think the neck is a tad on the boomy side and the bridge a tad too dark, but with a small amount of tuning the set as a whole can be made to be the bee's knees. The middle pickup is where it's at though, it is simply the best sounding middle pickup I have ever heard. I think with the changes to the other pickups it will scale well with them and fit right in. If I had to desert island choose between the two, I would go with the SSL-1's. They are the most Straty sounding set I have come across. Not the best per see, but certainly has that sound.
