Need advice on new pickup for my strat!

Zarg

Zarg

New member
Hi everyone!

I have a HSS Strat that I absolutely love, but the distorted tone isn't quite there yet.It sounds great clean and plays amazing.

Alder Body
Maple Neck
Rosewood Fretboard

I need a new humbucker. The current one is a standard humbucking from Fender, it sounds too thin for my taste. It sounds tinny.
I usually don't downtune and if, only to C#. I play metal but don't want a ton of distortion, rather medium gain and a very clear pickup. I like mids, should sound chunky and thick without the bass getting mushy or flobby. Output should be medium too, high is alright too because I only use amp distortion. I play in a band so it should be able to cut through.

So far I thought about the DiMarzio Dominion. I had it before and it was really good. Any other ideas? I dont care what brand really. Only Problem is that the Humbucker right now is attached with 3 screws... I saw some aftermarket pickups before with holes for 2 screws per side, that would be a plus.

thank you in advance! cheers!
 
Re: Need advice on new pickup for my strat!

Before the flood of suggestions that you get a Seymour Duncan TB-5 or one of its variants come pouring in...

What are in the neck and middle? Do you plan on keeping them? How do you use them?

What do you want out of position 2 (bridge+middle) of the 5-way?
 
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Re: Need advice on new pickup for my strat!

Hi! thank you for your answer.
I hope it's not the guitar itself that sounds like this because I really really like how it feels and how it resonates, it instantly got me feeling a connection to it. it's MIM btw, so maybe the stock ones are kinda crappy in those? I had a USA strat before with the atomic Humbucker and it sounded great.

to your questions: it has just standard singlecoils in the middle and neck but I only use them while playing clean. I don't usually switch pickups in the middle of songs, so I really don't care if it fits in with the other ones or not. neither with position 2. I just want a great overall sound on the bridge pickup.

thanks!
 
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Re: Need advice on new pickup for my strat!

The Custom 5 is great overall tho. Ekspecially as a 1st bridge pickup.
 
Re: Need advice on new pickup for my strat!

My suggestion is the 59/Custom Hybrid. It handles many tunings well, there are mids, and the lows remain tight. It also retains some touch-sensitivity. Remember, though, SD & Fender's pickups are out of phase, so you will have to reverse the phase of whatever SD humbucker you get.
 
Re: Need advice on new pickup for my strat!

I love the sound of a JB in an alder Strat, but it's not for everyone.

I'm not familiar with the Dominion, so I can't be of much help. It looks like it's a pretty hot and fast pickup with a warm round high-end, strong mids and a clear bottom end due to a hot wind, ceramic magnet and DiMarzio's high inductance patent. My best guess at a similar pickup from SD would be a Black Winter or Invader; perhaps a Parallel Axis Distortion if you want a little bit of definition on the top end.

If you don't want to put a third hole in your pickguard for a two-screw pickup and have the other two exposed, I'd just get a new one.
 
Re: Need advice on new pickup for my strat!

gregory said:
Before the flood of suggestions that you get a Seymour Duncan TB-5 or one of its variants come pouring in...
Click to expand...

:lame:

Let me stop you right there. My mans need a Custom Custom. :D

Like he asked, it is medium-high output, has a tone of mids, can handle down tuning. The bass can be mushy in certain setups though.

I do agree with you however, that a member of the Custom family is always recommended with little regard to what the player wants in a guitar. I tend to think of them as always being able to pull, with the right magnet, at least a 6 out of ten in any guitar. They may not be the best option, but they will *never be a bad one.
 
Re: Need advice on new pickup for my strat!

60% is a D-, but I hear what you're saying and even agree with you for the most part. A pickup from the Custom family is definitely not a bad choice.

You can also play the mag swapping game with a JB, but if you want the sound of a PAF then it's not the wind you want.
 
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