Pickup for Hard Rock Fender Strat

C

CarlosG

Member
Hi! I have Fender Stratocaster 1994 made in Mexico, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, stainless steel frets, brass big block, blocked vintage tremolo, TUSQ neck saddle and Graph Tech string saver saddles. I have one humbucker and one volume knob. Currently is JB-A2, but he is too strong.
I love hard rock tones: AC/DC, Deff Leppard, Greta Van Fleet, Guns N Roses, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin.
I think that I need PAF. I listened to samples from official Duncan website and really like Custom Custom and Saturday Night Special tone.
What pickup do you recommend?
Thank you for your help :)
 
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Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Well, both of your choices are good. I'd say the Custom Custom, although it is one of my favorites, isn't really a PAF-type. It is too strong for a PAF, and the EQ profile is more towards mids than treble and bass. So, I'd put it between the Saturday Night Special and the Whole Lotta Humbucker set for a PAF-type tone with a little more push.
 
Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

If strongness is your only concern: Whats the resistance of your volume pot and your tone pot?
2nd thought: Did you ever think about having more tradtional strat sounds at your hand. I like the parallel sound of a JB in my superstrat very much. Briter and lower in volume, just like the position 2 and 4 on a strat.
 
Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Hi! I tried parrel, but it sound too much Strat. I have one 250k volume pot. I will try put nickiel/chrome cover and 1m pot to get more vintage and dynamic sound
 
Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

My choices would be the SNS, the WLH, the 59' model or even the new Slash bridge pickup. It just depends on what kind of flavor PAF sound you want.
 
Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Any of the PAF-styled humbuckers will work for what you want to do. Personally, I really like the Screamin' Demon, Pearly Gates +, and S Deco V in the bridge for a good all around hard rock tone.
 
Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Is JB2 is good to these tones? I don't know, buy new pickup or modify this one?
I read that low output pickups are better to this tones because have more dynamics and clarity
 
Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

I have a Screamin Demon on a strat almost identical to yours, except it's a 2006 and regular saddles. Love it for everything, most specially for the kind of music you want.. Has good clean, and can also sound a bit straty lowering the guitar volume. I use 250K volume and tone pots.
 
Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

I really like the PAF pro in the bridge of my MIM Strat.
 
Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Well, I am one of those people that thinks a JB2 isn't terribly different than a regular JB. Maybe more mids, less highs. But the upper mids are still there.
 
Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

The '59 or Screamin' Demon would be my choice.
 
Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

CarlosG said:
Hi! I have Fender Stratocaster 1994 made in Mexico, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, stainless steel frets, brass big block, blocked vintage tremolo, TUSQ neck saddle and Graph Tech string saver saddles. I have one humbucker and one volume knob. Currently is JB-A2, but he is too strong.
I love hard rock tones: AC/DC, Deff Leppard, Greta Van Fleet, Guns N Roses, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin.
I think that I need PAF. I listened to samples from official Duncan website and really like Custom Custom and Saturday Night Special tone.
What pickup do you recommend?
Thank you for your help :)
Click to expand...

What amp and speakers are you using ?
 
Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

Re: Pickup for Hard Rorck Fender Strat

I think the pearly gates would be your best bet. With a 500k potentiometer

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 
Re: Pickup for Hard Rock Fender Strat

htwheelz67 said:
or find a pearly gates plus. No one mentioned 59/cust hybrid.
Click to expand...

I was gonna mention that one but was waiting for the OP to get back on what amp and speakers he`s using. He could be using a solid state Crate practice amp for all we know , not that there`s anything wrong with that
 
Re: Pickup for Hard Rock Fender Strat

Here is the thing - Slash, AC/DC, VH, and Led Zeppelin are some pretty distinct sounds and as usual, there is not one pickup that will "do it all"

VH in a Floyded Strat = Custom Custom
Slash = A2P
AC/DC and Led Zeppelin - I'd go 59 and call it a Day

Whatever pickup you choose is gonna have some challenges with one or more of those. However...If I had to pick one, I might go with the 59, or maybe a Whole Lotta set.

But, when you throw Def Let in, now I have a different beast to deal with - DiMarzio players. A 59/Custom might be my overall choice to really push the GnR, and Def Lew. I like the ceramic of the Custom coil for my high end on AC/DC.

But as mentioned - let's talk about the amp and fx before we decide!
 
Re: Pickup for Hard Rock Fender Strat

Check out the dimarzio paf 36th anniversary set.

They are slightly hotter with a bit more mids than a regular type pad.

They work really well for hard rock and stuff.

I got my first pair a few weeks ago and am already thinking about which guitar will get them next
 
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Re: Pickup for Hard Rock Fender Strat

I have 38 guitars, 19 strats 14 with full sized buckers in the bridge ok yea I am crazy but the pups residing in those guitars are, 59,pearly gates plus, JB, P rails, custom custom, 59 cust/hybrid, GFS fat pat,tonerider ac-2,gibson 498t,dimarzio virtual hot paf, dimarzio super 3, dimarzio at-1, fender diamondback,D allen dirty cats, I am at the moment installing a dimarzio satchur8 in a contemporary strat and a set of PG-13 mini buckers in a classic vibe 50's strat. I've also used the custom, GFS VEH, frankly they all sound good, some I used a treble bleed, some I use a TBX tone control, some use 250k vol, some use 500k vol and 250k tone. Maybe its just me but I can grab any one of those guitars and play anything. I have been using a fractal axe fx ultra and axe fx 2 for years now so maybe that is it. If you have a good amp/pedals you can dial in the tone you need. Probably my 4 fav pickups are the duncan P-rails (with all switching options), dimarzio virtual hot PAF, duncan pearly gates plus and here it goes.......the dimarzio super 3, the super 3 with a treble bleed and tbx tone control just can nail anything except maybe super clean stuff but split or parallel it is NICE especially with the treble bleed with the volume dropped, turn it up and it rocks hard but better than a super dist. I think the super 3 was designed for a strat for fender before it was available aftermarket just as the pearly gates plus. If I had to choose one.......the P-rails with triple shots or all switching options, series ......big and fat, parallel pafish, p90 one of the best p90 tones and rail very usable and with a treble bleed and TBX works well.
 
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