pick ups for Charvel MIJ strat

[herbychimp]

Just bought a cream MIJ Charvel strat in excellent condition and need to upgrade the pups. Stock pups are lifeless. I am torn between 3 x sc with something slightly beefier in the bridge or going the whole hog with hum-cancelling sc sized humbuckers. So far I have considered 3 x quarter pounders (what is the difference, tone + output wise with SSL-4 and the other SSL models?) The everything axe set is quite appealing but not sure about the JB. The guitar is already very bright. (Alder body / maple neck / r.wood board). Have also considered Dimarzio (my experience is limited to a Kramer with Paf-Pros which I liked.) Anybody like to comment on the SD sc sized hum paired upwith some Area 67s?

Open to any suggestions on this. Playing through Marshall dsl 401 and various pedals. Not really interested in a metal sound but rather 70's - 80's rock. (Badlands ect and some blues)

Finally. Any one have experience with the Tremel-no?

 

[DMyers77]

Re: pick ups for Charvel MIJ strat

Just bought a cream MIJ Charvel strat in excellent condition and need to upgrade the pups. Stock pups are lifeless. I am torn between 3 x sc with something slightly beefier in the bridge or going the whole hog with hum-cancelling sc sized humbuckers. So far I have considered 3 x quarter pounders (what is the difference, tone + output wise with SSL-4 and the other SSL models?) The everything axe set is quite appealing but not sure about the JB. The guitar is already very bright. (Alder body / maple neck / r.wood board). Have also considered Dimarzio (my experience is limited to a Kramer with Paf-Pros which I liked.) Anybody like to comment on the SD sc sized hum paired upwith some Area 67s?

Open to any suggestions on this. Playing through Marshall dsl 401 and various pedals. Not really interested in a metal sound but rather 70's - 80's rock. (Badlands ect and some blues)

I've had really good luck the 3 SSL-1's in my strat. I get classic late 50's/ early 60's strat sounds, and with an OD pedal, can get a pretty good hard rock tone out of them. I'm using a Callaham pickguard shield combined with the stock shielding paint that Fender installed at the factory, and the hum is minimal.

When I used to play through a DSL 100W and 4x12 loaded with Vintage 30's, I found the stock Fender single coils too thin and wimpy. I ended up using Texas Specials for the neck/middle and a Hot Rails in the bridge to get the amp to sound how I wanted. The band I was in played anything from Blues to 80's Rock/Metal.

I've always found the hum-cancelling single coils to be missing something. The last one's I tried were the Virtual Vintage 2.1 and 2.2. They were good, but not 100% true single coil tone. SSL-1's sound much better than those, and much better than Texas Specials.

I've read that both DiMarzio's Area pickups and Duncan's Classic Stack Plus pickups sound and feel much closer to true singles... but I haven't tried them. If you want hum-cancelling, I'd go for either of those for the neck and middle, and a Little '59 for the bridge. You could also try a Hot Rails if you want something hotter in the bridge.

Finally. Any one have experience with the Tremel-no?

Does the guitar have a Floyd Rose, or a vintage-style bridge? The Tremel-no, I beleive, is designed to make a recessed tremelo act like it's flush against the body.

If you have a vintage-style tremelo, there is no need for it. You can simply add a couple of springs to fix the bridge to the body.

If you want to float the bridge, but not have the guitar go out of tune if you break a string, and be able to do double-stop bends without the pitch lowering, then install a Hipshot Tremsetter. IMO, it's a much better option.

 

[copperheadroads]

Re: pick ups for Charvel MIJ strat

hey herbychimp ...one thing you my want to watch out for is most of the older MIJ charvels with single coil pickups dont have a triangle shape bobbin
like this

there is a ton of charvels with single coils like this

so the average single coil will not fit, they are kind of routered the shape of a strat pickup cover

 

[Stef]

Re: pick ups for Charvel MIJ strat

I've had really good luck the 3 SSL-1's in my strat. I get classic late 50's/ early 60's strat sounds, and with an OD pedal, can get a pretty good hard rock tone out of them. I'm using a Callaham pickguard shield combined with the stock shielding paint that Fender installed at the factory, and the hum is minimal..

+1 - no shielding (only on the backside of the pickguard) though, but the there's still no hum
SSL-1's work great with alder and old NMV marshalls cranked
I'd check the fury set if I were you, or HS-3's

 

[herbychimp]

Re: pick ups for Charvel MIJ strat

Thanks for everything so far!!

The pick-up shape thing is a worry. How would I know what would fit and what wouldn't . Any seymour experts out there can tell me what would fit? Otherwise I imagine that my local guitar shop is going to need to get his router out!

 

[DMyers77]

Re: pick ups for Charvel MIJ strat

Does your guitar look like the one copperheadroads posted? Or does it look like a strat with a pickguard?

You can see all strat pickups here, with pictures. Click on the one you like, and you can click on "Dimensions" to see if it will fit.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/stratocaster/index.php?page=all

Thanks for everything so far!!

The pick-up shape thing is a worry. How would I know what would fit and what wouldn't . Any seymour experts out there can tell me what would fit? Otherwise I imagine that my local guitar shop is going to need to get his router out!

 

[herbychimp]

Re: pick ups for Charvel MIJ strat

Yeah, it ressembles a slightly smaller strat with a pickguard. Thanks for the link - I will take a close look

 

[DMyers77]

Re: pick ups for Charvel MIJ strat

Yeah, it ressembles a slightly smaller strat with a pickguard. Thanks for the link - I will take a close look

OK, pull the pickguard. If your guitar has triangular cutouts for the pickups (or larger) then you are good with any Duncan you want.

Worst case scenario, I'm sure that the custom shop would wind you any of their pickups with any baseplate you wanted/needed.

 

[jimlp]

Re: pick ups for Charvel MIJ strat

Check out the Dimarzio Virtual Solo for the bridge slot, it is a single coil sized stacked humbucker that output wise rivals a P-90. The Virtual Solo is mid heavy though so it may or may not be your thing. For the middle and neck slot I have used Dimarzio Area 58's, They are a convincing replacement for a traditional single coil but hum free. They darker with less vintage chime than say the Area 67's but they take gain much better IMO.

 

[herbychimp]

Re: pick ups for Charvel MIJ strat

Thanks for all the advice.

I have been checking previous posts and I think that a combo of SSL6 (bridge) and SSL 1 or SSL 2 (what is the main difference?)in neck and mid maybe for me. Niether of these appear to have the triangle base so I should be ok for fitting. Can anyone tell me what the difference would be between the SSL5, SSL 6 and SSL 7 (quarter pounder)?

Had a little rethink on this one that I would like people's opinion on..

Most of the posts seem to be advising the best route for a very 'strat' like upgrade. This is great and is one of the two routes that I was considering for this guitar. Having checked out the routing there seems to be no issue (only a square cavity underneath the scratchplate!) If I wanted to go down a rockier road (H/S/S) a la Jake E Lee ( ia m going to fix the bridge - what kind of combination would people suggest?

I heard that Jake E Lee had a JB coupled with 2 x super d s/c - could I get the same effect with a s/c sized humbucker? Would the tonezone be the dimarzio equivalent of the JB?