Need heavier pickups in a Strat.

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kaligula11

New member
Hi, I want to change bridge and neck pickups in my HW1 Strat but I'm really unexperienced with pickups. I want them to be able get some serious heavy sound but on the other hand I use clean sound often as well. My guitar is HW1 Fender Stratocaster with hss routing, alder body and rosewood fingerboard. For the bridge I was thinking about JB and Hot Rails, but I'm afraid JB isn't heavy enough and Hot Rails' cleans aren't clear enough. Guess HR will fit my neck. So generally I have a problem with the bridge pickup. Distorted sound has to be heavy, with good harmonics. And it has to cut through. Clean sound can't be muddy, has to be clear (I think splitting is necessary). Full-sized and single coil-sized humbuckers are welcome.
 
Re: Need heavier pickups in a Strat.

Try something from the Custom family, as a full sized bucker in the bridge. That should give you a good base to start from.
 
Re: Need heavier pickups in a Strat.

The JB can get pretty heavy, from my limited experience with the it (both positions in a friend's set-neck alder V).

You're right about the Hot Rails though, cleans aren't the greatest. Never tried splitting or parallel though.
 
Re: Need heavier pickups in a Strat.

If you'd rather avoid swapping pick guards, I'd go with a Distortion in the bridge (set to auto split) and a Cool Rails in the neck.
 
Re: Need heavier pickups in a Strat.

JB isn't heavy enough? Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman used JBs on the classic Megadeth albums. I find the JB to be a great pickup for heavy stuff. I have one in my Jackson SL3 (HSS like yours) and I've just ordered another for my Jackson Kelly.
I think you'll find it heavy enough for anything you want.
 
Re: Need heavier pickups in a Strat.

I've had great luck with the PATB-1 in the bridge of my strat. I stuck an A8 mag in there and like it even better now.
 
Re: Need heavier pickups in a Strat.

i might actually be tempted to try something like the clapton mid boost kit. when its clean is still sounds nice and stratty but when you dime that thing its straight up LP heaven.
 
Re: Need heavier pickups in a Strat.

I don't know, I happen to be of the thought that a JB sounds good depending on what kind of guitar you've got and what you're running it through.

I had a JB in a Les Paul copy and it sounded downright terrible. No explanation as to why. I heard someone play it with a similar guitar and he infinitely blew me out of the water.
 
Re: Need heavier pickups in a Strat.

if you try the JB and it doesn't seem thick enough...try the CC...but the JB should be plenty thick...
 
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