Pickup Choice Review?

[PFDarkside]

I think TB-16/STK-S4/STK-S4 would be killer.

 

[Lewguitar]

I get this. Personally, I solve this by using Classic Stacks, but I've heard great dummy coil systems (Music Man's Silent Circuit). What sounds weird to me with the rw/rp middle pickup is you go from hum to no-hum, but something small also gets cancelled in the hum. To me, it isn't a deal-breaker, but I'd rather all positions be hum-cancelling.

I wish the Classic Stacks sounded 100% as good as Antiquity Surfers. But they don't.

So I use the Surfers.

My real '63 Strat had the stock '63 pickups so no RW/RP middle pickup.

It had a little bit more "bark" to the tone that I miss from the Surfers which do have a RW/RP middle pickup.

Since a RW/RP middle pickup has opposite magnetic polarity to the neck and bridge pickups, I think it's possible that affects the overall tone because the middle pickup pulls on the steel strings differently than the neck and bridge pickups and affects the way the strings vibrate. Confuses them a little.

Just a theory!

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Okay, decision made. I'm going with two Vintage Staggered Strats (SSL-1s), conventional wound, in the neck and middle, and a 59 Custom Hybrid, coil split in the neck. And they've been ordered, so that's that.

I'm not so much a bedroom player, more a still in the wardrobe one, and neither Clapton nor Beck are returning my calls right now, so fluorescents and CRTs won't be causing any hum. My Marshall tube amp adds that all on its own

 

[Mincer]

I wish the Classic Stacks sounded 100% as good as Antiquity Surfers. But they don't.

So I use the Surfers.

My real '63 Strat had the stock '63 pickups so no RW/RP middle pickup.

It had a little bit more "bark" to the tone that I miss from the Surfers which do have a RW/RP middle pickup.

Since a RW/RP middle pickup has opposite magnetic polarity to the neck and bridge pickups, I think it's possible that affects the overall tone because the middle pickup pulls on the steel strings differently than the neck and bridge pickups and affects the way the strings vibrate. Confuses them a little.

Just a theory!

To me, the Stacks are better than the Surfers. Different ears, I guess.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Finished...

MIM Strat w/ blue flame maple top from GC
Locking Fender tuners
Seymour Duncan "Vintage Staggered Single Coil" neck and middle pickups
Seymour Duncan "59 Custom Hybrid" humbucker bridge pickup
DIY push-pull coil split w/ all cloth covered wiring, Mojo Tone brand CTS pots (250k push-pull & master volume, 250k main tone, 500k bridge tone, 0.022 cap)

 

[Mincer]

Wow, that looks great! Love the color and choice of pickups, too.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Here's the circuit diagram. If there are any obvious errors, please LMK. It might be my wiring, or it might be the diagram, IDK until anyone comments and I check it.