I usually play Hard Rock with a vintage high gain tone. For that, hotter humbuckers are fine. I have been happy with a CC in my Strat. Now I'm starting to get into Surf and clean, twangy stuff more. When I play clean I like to be able to pop the low E string pretty good and have it punch right back with no farting or crunching out, say through a Fender Twin on 3. Obviously, this won't happen with a higher output pup. But I've got a '78 in there now, and even with that, it farts a little under heavy attack. A played a new Les Paul Traditional recently side by side with my Strat w/'78. The LP on the bridge '57 Classic Plus was punchy and clean through a clean amp. I was surprised my '78 crunched a little by comparison. I thought the '57 Classic Plus was similar output to the '78? Maybe the Gibson's 300K pot vs. my 500k was the difference. Anyway, what output do I have to go down to with my 500K pot to pop the piss out of my Strat with no fart/crunch? I'd like to stick with an A2 PAF, and I will use it for Hard Rock as well. Maybe something from the custom shop around 8K? What do y'all think?
output question
- Thread starter crunchboy
- Start date
Re: output question
I thought about having the CC with a push/pull pot for splitting. But I think the split sound would be too thin for a lot of things. I like the warmer, fatter sound of a humbucker, I just want it to stay clean and punchy under heavy attack. Paralel/series sounds interesting. So normally, a CC, for example runs in series? And paralel is weaker?
I thought about having the CC with a push/pull pot for splitting. But I think the split sound would be too thin for a lot of things. I like the warmer, fatter sound of a humbucker, I just want it to stay clean and punchy under heavy attack. Paralel/series sounds interesting. So normally, a CC, for example runs in series? And paralel is weaker?
Benjy_26
25's Nemesis
Re: output question
Parallel will be weaker than series, but it'll still be hum cancelling.
As far as the CC being weak when split, it's not. It's actually pretty good at emulating a vintage style strat sound when combined with a middle pickup.
If the Fender twang sound doesn't appeal to you and you want something fatter, there are a couple of options. First would be a Filtertron or Dearmond style pickup (like on a Gretsch). So far as I know, the only company making high quality Filter'trons that drop into a PAF style route without modifications would be TV Jones. Brian Setzer likes his pickups, and he has delicious twang from his Gretsch's.
Next option would be a P-90 set low. Duncans's Phat Cats, P Rails, Dimarzio's Bluesbuckers, Gibson's P-94's, and Rio's Bastard and Fat Bastard are all options.
Then we come to the odd duck pickups. Seymour has his Stag Mag and Rio has the Muy Grande. I personally preffer the Muy Grande as it's richer, ballsier, and punchier in both series and split modes than the Stag Mag. Also, Dimarzio makes 'buckers out of any two strat rails they offer. For what you want, I'd mix a Fast Track 1 and a Super Distortion S, get the wiring sorted out, and call it a day.
Parallel will be weaker than series, but it'll still be hum cancelling.
As far as the CC being weak when split, it's not. It's actually pretty good at emulating a vintage style strat sound when combined with a middle pickup.
If the Fender twang sound doesn't appeal to you and you want something fatter, there are a couple of options. First would be a Filtertron or Dearmond style pickup (like on a Gretsch). So far as I know, the only company making high quality Filter'trons that drop into a PAF style route without modifications would be TV Jones. Brian Setzer likes his pickups, and he has delicious twang from his Gretsch's.
Next option would be a P-90 set low. Duncans's Phat Cats, P Rails, Dimarzio's Bluesbuckers, Gibson's P-94's, and Rio's Bastard and Fat Bastard are all options.
Then we come to the odd duck pickups. Seymour has his Stag Mag and Rio has the Muy Grande. I personally preffer the Muy Grande as it's richer, ballsier, and punchier in both series and split modes than the Stag Mag. Also, Dimarzio makes 'buckers out of any two strat rails they offer. For what you want, I'd mix a Fast Track 1 and a Super Distortion S, get the wiring sorted out, and call it a day.
Re: output question
Thanks for the advice. My Strat has only one pickup route for a single bridge humbucker. I want to keep a humbucker in there. And I'll still be playing plenty of overdriven stuff with it. I don't need classic twang, per se, I just want the pickup to stay clean, through a clean amp with a lot of headroom, even when I strum hard. How about an Alnico Pro 2? That's like the lowest output of all the Duncan HB's. Or what about a 300K or 250K pot with the
'78?
Thanks for the advice. My Strat has only one pickup route for a single bridge humbucker. I want to keep a humbucker in there. And I'll still be playing plenty of overdriven stuff with it. I don't need classic twang, per se, I just want the pickup to stay clean, through a clean amp with a lot of headroom, even when I strum hard. How about an Alnico Pro 2? That's like the lowest output of all the Duncan HB's. Or what about a 300K or 250K pot with the
'78?
Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: output question
Jazz Bridge with a 250K pot. All the skeptics keep wasting money. All the guys who just do it, all remark at how great it is. It's pretty much the APH with an A5 magnet.
It's like a tighter, more balanced 59. If you ask Seymour what's the best humbucker for a HSS strat, he's likely to tell you just that. Fender didn't believe it, so they F'ed up with the Pearly Gates. Most other companies just went with the nasally and compressed JB.
The C5 is also good, as is the 59, and more expensive Brobucker from the Custom Shop. The Jazz Bridge kicks butt in a strat, and by using the tone control, you can tailor it's highs to taste, but the bass and mids will be perfect.
Jazz Bridge with a 250K pot. All the skeptics keep wasting money. All the guys who just do it, all remark at how great it is. It's pretty much the APH with an A5 magnet.
It's like a tighter, more balanced 59. If you ask Seymour what's the best humbucker for a HSS strat, he's likely to tell you just that. Fender didn't believe it, so they F'ed up with the Pearly Gates. Most other companies just went with the nasally and compressed JB.
The C5 is also good, as is the 59, and more expensive Brobucker from the Custom Shop. The Jazz Bridge kicks butt in a strat, and by using the tone control, you can tailor it's highs to taste, but the bass and mids will be perfect.
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