Low Output Humbucker Set For Strat?

Maggot

Maggot

New member
What's a good couple of Humbuckers to put in a Strat? I want low-medium output, nice and warm with a lot of clarity when played clean. I don't really care about getting the classic humbucker vowely lead sound (but I do play a lot of lead) or splitting them, but I'll want some crunch when overdriven. I'm doing this because I play solo singer-songwriter shows and my strat doesn't provide enough body, but I also play with a band and I'll want clean to crunchy to messy. I play on the bridge pickup or middle position with the guitar's volume maxed about 90% of the time.

I'm thinking Seth Lover, 59 or Pearly, but I don't know how these would sound on a Strat.
 
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Re: Low Output Humbucker Set For Strat?

I'd go with a 59/Jazz, or a 59 set, or for a bit more output, a Custom in the bridge.
 
Re: Low Output Humbucker Set For Strat?

Would a Seth Lover in the bridge and a APH-1 in the neck work?
 
Re: Low Output Humbucker Set For Strat?

JB_From_Hell said:
Screamin Demon or 59 bridge, jazz or 59 neck?
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Yes! I would not go for a Seth Lover in the bridge because the Seth Lover is not available is wider Fender style polepiece spacing. I would go for a Jazz neck or 59N with the bridge pickup being a 59 Trembucker or a Screamin Demon Trembucker. Lew
 
Re: Low Output Humbucker Set For Strat?

With the more limited choice of HBs available for the Fender spacing, you might want to do this so that you can "design" the tone. One way to start is with a lot of highs. You can get more highs by connecting the two coils in parallel. Then you can keep the 250K pots, and also the level is not too high. Then you add capacitance across each pickup until you get the tone just the way you want. (values like a few hundred pico farads). You can play with the capacitance values outside the guitar, if you have the volume and tone all the way up. Just make a little box with a short cable to the guitar and plug your regular cable into the box and amp. Then when you get the sound you want, you put the Cs inside the guitar. Another way is to throw out the normal tone control and replace it with a switch for selecting different Cs, as the guy in Germany recommends,
 
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Re: Low Output Humbucker Set For Strat?

Wow - San Rafael, that sounds complicated. I was planning to just drop them in with a 3-Way switch & pots. I think even if Seths were 1st choice, a set of PGs or 59s won't kill me. Lew, I noticed that you have a Strat with a PG and a 59. Is the PG in the neck or the bridge? How does it sound for straight ahead guitaring?

By the way, for anyone who knows, is TB spacing more important in the bridge than the neck? This is a Mexican guitar that's fairly narrow spaced for a Strat.
 
Re: Low Output Humbucker Set For Strat?

Maggot said:
Wow - San Rafael, that sounds complicated. .
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Yeah, sorry about that. I have trouble resisting the temptation to encourge people to really customize the sound of their guitar!
 
Re: Low Output Humbucker Set For Strat?

Lewguitar said:
Yes! I would not go for a Seth Lover in the bridge because the Seth Lover is not available is wider Fender style polepiece spacing. I would go for a Jazz neck or 59N with the bridge pickup being a 59 Trembucker or a Screamin Demon Trembucker. Lew
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I've played a Strat with a SL in the bridge, and I didn't notice any spacing issues, at least as sound went. I also thought it sounded phenomenal. And this was when I was back in my "more distortion is always better" phase!
 
Re: Low Output Humbucker Set For Strat?

I like the C-5 and 59 for strat bridge pickups. Tremspaced. The C-5 has a nice deep bottom end, but the other frequencies are clear and vintage-like.
 
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