Pick Up Recommendation For a Strat??

[dmnall]

Well I am asking because I would like to upgrade my pickups in my 85/86 MIJ Fender Strat 62 reissue.. I bought this guitar back in 97 with A pair of Hot Strat SD pickups and a Hot Rail in the bridge, but with my Jcm 900 SL-X 2100 it seems that the Strat does not have enough output to get the tone I want with out running an o/d pedal to get the tone that even my gibson les paul studio's stock pickups... I know the single coil humbuckers are not going to be as high out put as a humbucker. I was thinking of getting either a set of emg single coil like the SA or the sd Blackout single coils but I prefer to get something higher output Passive with out having to run a 9 volt or pair of 9 volt batteries in this guitar.. I already have 2 guitars running emg actives *92 Jackson Professional Rhoads Pro has 2 emg 81s and my 2004 ESP LTD MHB400 has 81/85 combo*... So I prefer to no have to run an o/d pedal in front of the amp since it does have a ton of gain... I play mainly death/black/thrash metal.. Any Suggestions??

Thank you,
Charlie

 

[jeremy]

Re: Pick Up Recommendation For a Strat??

welcome to the forum!!

so you have hot strat single coils in the neck and middle?

the hot rails is about as high output as you are going to get in a single coil size bucker. how close is it to the strings? raising it pretty close is fine. its also more than just output, a fullsize bucker senses more of the string giving a wider tone.

using an od pedal does more than just increase the gain/output hitting the amp.

 

[Southbound Suarez]

Re: Pick Up Recommendation For a Strat??

Once I had a set of the SD Hot strat stack pups and hated them BUT they were installed in my first custom made strat guitar made by a local luthier. This luthier used a hard rock maple body with a birdseye maple neck and ebony slab board. The luthier should have known better than to use a hard rock maple strat body. The sound and tone were totally dead.
I'd advise using the Seymour Duncan JB in a SC version pups, which are basically like a slightly hot wound PAF in a SC space. I loved the HB version of the Jeff Beck model, and I'm sure that you would love them too.

 

[dmnall]

Re: Pick Up Recommendation For a Strat??

welcome to the forum!!

so you have hot strat single coils in the neck and middle?

the hot rails is about as high output as you are going to get in a single coil size bucker. how close is it to the strings? raising it pretty close is fine. its also more than just output, a fullsize bucker senses more of the string giving a wider tone.

using an od pedal does more than just increase the gain/output hitting the amp.

Hello Jeremy,
Thank you for the welcome. Yes I have Hot Strat scs in the Neck and Middle *I like the clean tone they produce*.

The Hot Rail, I was adjusting it closer to the strings I had about 1/16th of an inch but it did not really change, maybe a little bit more bite but still not enough to call it good. How were the 90s Hot Rails compared to the new hot rails?

I have read that the active pups like the sc Blackouts, can achieve the full out put of a regular blackout, which I would not be opposed to even though the blackouts and bo metals sound too woofy compared to emg 81s...

Once I had a set of the SD Hot strat stack pups and hated them BUT they were installed in my first custom made strat guitar made by a local luthier. This luthier used a hard rock maple body with a birdseye maple neck and ebony slab board. The luthier should have known better than to use a hard rock maple strat body. The sound and tone were totally dead.
I'd advise using the Seymour Duncan JB in a SC version pups, which are basically like a slightly hot wound PAF in a SC space. I loved the HB version of the Jeff Beck model, and I'm sure that you would love them too.

Hello Southbound Suarez,
Does the jb just sound that much better?? I will look into them and see what my friend, who is sponsored by SD, can get me.. I just prefer to make this strat as high output with out having to alter the body for a full size humbucker though...

Thank you again,
Charlie

 

[jeremy]

Re: Pick Up Recommendation For a Strat??

the jb jr isnt going to be hotter than the hot rails, unless you have a neck version in the bridge or something like that.

the 90's hot rails is basically the same as a modern one. there is a duncan designed pup called the scortcher or something like that, model hr101, that is a hotter hot rail. might be able to find it at gc

 

[Southbound Suarez]

Re: Pick Up Recommendation For a Strat??

Hello Jeremy,
Thank you for the welcome. Yes I have Hot Strat scs in the Neck and Middle *I like the clean tone they produce*.

The Hot Rail, I was adjusting it closer to the strings I had about 1/16th of an inch but it did not really change, maybe a little bit more bite but still not enough to call it good. How were the 90s Hot Rails compared to the new hot rails?

I have read that the active pups like the sc Blackouts, can achieve the full out put of a regular blackout, which I would not be opposed to even though the blackouts and bo metals sound too woofy compared to emg 81s...



Hello Southbound Suarez,
Does the jb just sound that much better?? I will look into them and see what my friend, who is sponsored by SD, can get me.. I just prefer to make this strat as high output with out having to alter the body for a full size humbucker though...

Thank you again,
Charlie

Charlie;
I can only vouch for the HB version of the JB HB pup, which to my ears had a slightly overwound PAF tone. If you like this scenario in a HB pup, I would say it would be a very safe bet for you. You could get the classic PAF tone with enough edge to cut through when necessary but smooth enough when you back off of on your guitar volume or picking style. I just noticed that the JB Jr. has ceramic magnets and the JB Model HB has Alnico V magnets. Not being one for ceramic magnet pups, you may want to hold off unless Seymour can make the JB Jr. in a single coil with A5's or A2's. Another option, years ago I had a set of SSL-4 Quarter Pound Flat SC's and each had a tap halfway through the pup wind with toggle switches. The sound was like having (3) P-90's in a strat, and if this was too much then you could roll down the volume or tap any one or more of the pup windings to closer approximate a true strat tone. The Quarter Pounders were gutsy just like real P-90's without having too much midrange. I hope this helps out.

 

[dmnall]

Re: Pick Up Recommendation For a Strat??

Hello Jeremy,
So the duncan designed scortcher had higher out put then a regular Hot Rail.. Interesting..

Southbound Suarez,
I will look into those Quarter Pounders and see how they compare..

Thank you both for the responses..

Thanks again,
Charlie