Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

[Dave Z]

Fender offered a few years back, American series with the Diamondback humbucker and Tex-Mex pickups; Mahogany body, rosewood fretboard. For a strat, that mahogany and rosewood is gonna be warm anyway and I find the stock pickups middy and, though sweet, kind of lacking character and harmonics.

(BTW, I already have a mahogany strat in HH with a JB/Jazz mix so have a good rock&roll guitar there, and I have a SSS maple neck with the Almico IIs so got good old time strat tone covered.)

What I'm looking for: a HSS setup that retains some strat vibe in the singles but with a cleaner less middy sound than the Tex-Mex with some grind and harmonics when crunchy. I've found Duncan's pickups always to have character, just not sure what singles to pair with their humbucker lines. I tried the pickup selector but it always came back with the same combos, 59/Custom with vintage singles, Pearly Gates with Antiquities (and the JB with customs..already have a JB git and not what I'm looking for)

I'm a bit concerned the 59/custom is going to be too dark; the sound sample sounds cleaner than the JB but the EQ chart shows a ton of mids and bass, very JB-like. I don't want another JB. But the PG paired with antiquities? Seems like it'd overwhelm the antiquities volume wise.

Anyone paired the PG with singles they like? TIA!

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

SSL-1 and the flat pole SSL-2 have the classic, chimey/glassy Strat tone. There's a reason this wind hasn't changed in forty years.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

The C/59 hybrid is more open than thick. The stock A5 version can sometimes be thought of as scooped, as both it's parents are like that even without the hybrid combing effect.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

The Hybrid isn't dark at all. The 2 pickups it is built out of, the 59 and Custom, are wide open- not many mids at all, but tight low end and sparkling highs. I love the Hybrid in an HSS setup- I wrote a blog about how I use mine (and my choices for the other pickups).

 

[Dave Z]

Re: Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

SSL-1 and the flat pole SSL-2 have the classic, chimey/glassy Strat tone. There's a reason this wind hasn't changed in forty years.

For real, and you wonder why they don't show up in the wizard. They're A5 magnets, so will contrast well with the A2pros int he other strat. Now to figure out which humbucker...

 

[Dave Z]

Re: Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

@Mincer -- I have to agree from the tone sample on the pickup info page. I'll look around for some more samples of the Hybrid. Good blog BTW, I have S1 switching in the strat now and I was going to keep that (if I could figure out how Fender wired it) but your approach is tempting.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

I love the Hybrid but haven't used one in a Strat yet. The 59B might also be worth considering for a mahog Strat. A vintage output classic that ought to pair really well with a pair of SSL-2s.

 

[Dave Z]

Re: Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

I love the Hybrid but haven't used one in a Strat yet. The 59B might also be worth considering for a mahog Strat. A vintage output classic that ought to pair really well with a pair of SSL-2s.

Agreed, after listening to a bunch of clips on YouTube, the 59 w/SSL2s is where I'm going. Nice open sound. I was thinking PG but it's got a lot of honk. thanks all for the input!

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

Agreed, after listening to a bunch of clips on YouTube, the 59 w/SSL2s is where I'm going. Nice open sound. I was thinking PG but it's got a lot of honk. thanks all for the input!

I think going with an A5 humbucker at the bridge was a wise choice to match the SSL2s.
IMO the humble 59B doesn't get as much love as it deserves.

 

[Adieu]

Re: Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

An American strat... with Mexican pickups...and a mahogany body.... ok

Uh.... trade it for a japanese or american alder/maple/maple and don't look back?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

Mexican pups?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

Agreed, after listening to a bunch of clips on YouTube, the 59 w/SSL2s is where I'm going. Nice open sound. I was thinking PG but it's got a lot of honk. thanks all for the input!

The 59 is a *great* bridge pickup. I think it will work well.

 

[rockinroyle]

Re: Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

I have 2 ssl2's and the 59/custom hybrid in the bridge position of my wannabe strat Jackson performer. Alder body and rosewood fret board. These are dark woods tone wise and I was concerned about darkness as well. It made me go against popular opinion and went with a 500k vol and tone pot for each. I also went with a slightly higher tone cap. I play it through a fender hrd IV with the bright switch on bass 5.5 and mid and treble 10. I don't find this combo to be too bright but I'll admit if I want a more classic tone from any of the 3 pickups I have my tone down around 50-75%. As long as you set the height of your pickups properly you can get the sound you are looking for plus some room to go higher if need be.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[LesPaulPlayer001]

Re: Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

I have a pearly gates in my LP and some single coils in a strat and te PG is much of a hotter output. But you could lower it a little bit, it would give you an amazing tone in that strat for sure. That and what ever single coils would suit you best. My choice is proably the Stacks and for traditional single coils the Antiquity Texas Hot. That combo would be great for a Texas sound. Although you could get a antiquity humbucker as well, it is slightly less output than the PG.

 

[\m/(00)\m/]

Re: Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

I have this exact guitar and opted for the 59/Custom hybrid in the bridge, and antiquity surfers in neck and middle. The 59/C took a little more tweaking in this guitar than it did with my Hamer, but I'm glad I did. It gives a nice open, medium output sound in full humbucker mode, and blends surprisingly well with the antiquities. I love the combo

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Need more air in a HSS mahogany strat

I sold one of these earlier this year (American Select Strat, red/black.) Loved the Screamin' Demon in mine - the Diamondback was fine, the Tex Mex singles were eh.