Middle Single coil for Mark Halcomb set

[BeKindRewind]

If I wanted to put a set of Alpha / Omegas in an HSH guitar, what's the perfect middle pickup to go with that ? Keeping with the theme of clarity and growl these pickups seem to be known for. Would a cool rails be a good choice? What kind of sound would I get in the in between positions on a 5 way switch with alpha Omegas and a cool rails ? Any other suggestions ?

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[daenius]

Re: Middle Single coil for Mark Halcomb set

Cool Rails is actually a humbucker, is this what you want?

This also depends on the wiring of your guitar. Are positions 2 and 4 wired to be split coil from the neck and bridge humbuckers + middle single coil? Or is it just humbucker + middle single coil? Figuring out what wiring you have under the hood is more important right now otherwise you'd end up with sounds you're not expecting.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Middle Single coil for Mark Halcomb set

Yeah, the Cool Rails doesn't really sound at all like a single coil. It sounds closest to a Jazz humbucker. Any single coil, vintage-output Strat pickup will do the clean & clear thing, but at the expense of output. The Classic Stack might be a good choice, though.

 

[ToneFiddler]

Re: Middle Single coil for Mark Halcomb set

clarity and Growl? Screamin Demon Pops to my mind. also available as lil' Version as neck/middle and Bridge.
But i don't know the other two PUs so i can't say if they match Output and tone wise

 

[Bowtomecha]

Re: Middle Single coil for Mark Halcomb set

I don’t think you need a single coil in the middle that growls. You get plenty of that from the Omega. The Alpha is pretty bright and clear for a neck humbucker. You should go for something that pulls back the attitude of this pickup set. I think something along the lines of a dimarzio true velvet or Seymour Duncan ssl1 would be nice when used in conjunction with these pickups. Not many players use that middle position alone.

 

[BeKindRewind]

Re: Middle Single coil for Mark Halcomb set

Thanks for the replies.

To make my objective more clear. I am planning to pare down my guitar collection to basically 2 guitars. A 6 string HSH and a 7( or 8 string) HH that I can be happy with instead of the 15 guitars I own now. It won't be easy but I'm getting older, I have kids and I just don't have room for them all anymore.

With the HSH, I want something that's a bit of a Swiss Army knife that can get lots of tones. I thought the Alpha/Omega would be a nice choice because it seems like the most "unique" sounding pickups I've seen in a long time. I am not a fan of periphery but mark is an incredible player and I really love the tone he is getting in the product videos on the site. Especially the clean tones; they're dark and delicious and unlike anything I've ever heard.

I just want something different than the same old tones I've been playing with my whole life. I want something unique and different sounding but still good. I just need the perfect middle pickup to accentuate these. I did want my middle positions to sound Stratty, but again, this is not a necessity because I am going for uniqueness now. Maybe something a lil' different would be cool. Long as it sounds really different than the humbuckers on their own, I want a variety of tones. I was only thinking cool rails because I'd heard they sound good in the split position.

But I do plan to use the middle position a lot , on its own. I was a Strat player for many years and I do dig the pure single coil sound. I'm a bit worried an SSL1 is too weak to truly match with the Alpha/Omega, and again.. also a bit worried it won't be "unique" enough - I've been playing SSL1's for 15 years already, although I do love the hell out of them. Again I'm not dead set on having a Fender sound, I'm into anything as long as it sounds nice clean, and it's different than the humbuckers on their own so i can get good variety. So based on this description does that help anyone give some more suggestions ?

P.s. to answer one of you who had asked, it's Ibanez auto split, so 2 and 4 are splitting to the inner coils of the humbuckers. That's my preferred split method

Cheers
-michael

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[bloughlin16]

Re: Middle Single coil for Mark Halcomb set

Thanks for the replies.

To make my objective more clear. I am planning to pare down my guitar collection to basically 2 guitars. A 6 string HSH and a 7( or 8 string) HH that I can be happy with instead of the 15 guitars I own now. It won't be easy but I'm getting older, I have kids and I just don't have room for them all anymore.

With the HSH, I want something that's a bit of a Swiss Army knife that can get lots of tones. I thought the Alpha/Omega would be a nice choice because it seems like the most "unique" sounding pickups I've seen in a long time. I am not a fan of periphery but mark is an incredible player and I really love the tone he is getting in the product videos on the site. Especially the clean tones; they're dark and delicious and unlike anything I've ever heard.

I just want something different than the same old tones I've been playing with my whole life. I want something unique and different sounding but still good. I just need the perfect middle pickup to accentuate these. I did want my middle positions to sound Stratty, but again, this is not a necessity because I am going for uniqueness now. Maybe something a lil' different would be cool. Long as it sounds really different than the humbuckers on their own, I want a variety of tones. I was only thinking cool rails because I'd heard they sound good in the split position.

But I do plan to use the middle position a lot , on its own. I was a Strat player for many years and I do dig the pure single coil sound. I'm a bit worried an SSL1 is too weak to truly match with the Alpha/Omega, and again.. also a bit worried it won't be "unique" enough - I've been playing SSL1's for 15 years already, although I do love the hell out of them. Again I'm not dead set on having a Fender sound, I'm into anything as long as it sounds nice clean, and it's different than the humbuckers on their own so i can get good variety. So based on this description does that help anyone give some more suggestions ?

P.s. to answer one of you who had asked, it's Ibanez auto split, so 2 and 4 are splitting to the inner coils of the humbuckers. That's my preferred split method

Cheers
-michael

Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk

Have you considered going to the Custom Shop and asking for a middle single coil that's complementary to the Alpha/Omega's EQ curve? I know it'd be pricey for just a solitary single-coil pickup, but they A/O set sounds so different from every other pickup in the SD line that I feel as though you're not going to find a currently available option that blends well with them.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Middle Single coil for Mark Halcomb set

I'd actually think that an STK-S4 would blend well, give you a good middle single coil sound that is higher output than an SSL-1. And it is hum-cancelling.

 

[BeKindRewind]

Re: Middle Single coil for Mark Halcomb set

I'd actually think that an STK-S4 would blend well, give you a good middle single coil sound that is higher output than an SSL-1. And it is hum-cancelling.

You still think so? Cool , I checked out some clips and gotta say it sounds pretty great. Like an SSL 1 with less harsh high end. I like the sound of it and it'll work, and be cheaper than the custom shop option(though that's a tempting idea too). So I'm definitely considering it .

Question though ; do I want the Middle( RWRP) model, considering it is going in an Ibanez with a 5 way auto split ? Pos. 2 and 4 are the inner coils of the humbuckers being split with the middle Single coil. Just wanna make sure I get the right one.

Also do you know if the covers are removable/replacable ? Not a big deal , but if I have the option.. well it won't match well with the looks of the Alpha Omegas so id rather throw a generic black cover on it. It looks like either way, I'll have to modify it a little bit , since my guitar is direct mount. I'll also have to Dremel the edges of the legs round on the Alpha Omegas too.

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[Mincer]

Re: Middle Single coil for Mark Halcomb set

The covers are glued on, and you'd want to order the non-rw/rp one if you are using it with humbuckers. You might contact SD directly to see if they could do a cover that matches. It might fit in the Shop Floor Custom program. Call or email SD directly to see if it does.