Pickups for highway

[fazul]

Hi all, this is my first time in this forum.

I have a fender stratocaster highway HSS, and I wolud like to change its pickups.

First, I want to play rock and blues, like Jeff Beck, Gary Moore, Mark Knopfler or David Gilmour.

Then, I am thinking in a SH-4 JB for brigde position, Is it a good option? In this case, what do you advice for neck and middle position? Are Cool Rails suitable?

Thanks very much for your advices

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Pickups for highway

A pair of Surfers would do well.

 

[fazul]

Re: Pickups for highway

I have searching on the forum and I have read SH-4 JB is usually used for playing metal or hard rock. What I really want to know is if this pickup is usefull for rock or blues.

 

[stevie_bees]

Re: Pickups for highway

I think the JB will be fine, coupled with a pair of Surfers, or even SSL-1's if your budget doesn't stretch that far. Maybe a '59 might suit in the bridge?

 

[fazul]

Re: Pickups for highway

Do you know what Seymour Duncan Pickup is equivalent to Fender Custom Shop Texas Special?

Thanks

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Pickups for highway

There really isn't anything quite like the Texas Special. If that's the tone you liKe, get the TS's.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Pickups for highway

I put yesterday a Lonestar (neck and middle TS and a PG+) set into a Squier strat. Great SRV for plenty and the bridge really rocks (btw the A5 in the pearly Gates is great!).
For the Knopfler/Gilmore thing i would go with the Surfers or the new stacks

 

[fazul]

Re: Pickups for highway

Thanks for your answer.

And do you suggest Surfers with SH-4 JB? Surfers belong to Antiquity Series, isn't it?

 

[shogunlegend]

Re: Pickups for highway

jb is just fine for blues. hell, seymour duncan himself used one in his king tone blues song.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Pickups for highway

a jb in the bridge with 250k pots can be a cool tone for blues and rock. thats what jeff beck had when he did 'cause weve ended as lovers' and will do a pretty good gary moore tone with the right overdrive. for mark knopfler or gilmore aps1's or ssl1's would be good choices from the regular line. either of the antiquity strat pups would sound great too.

if it were me, i would put two antiquity texas hots or two aps2's in the neck and middle with a pearly gates trembucker in the bridge. the pearly gates matches up nicely with a pair of classic toned single coils.

 

[fazul]

Re: Pickups for highway

Jeremy, thank you for your answer. I think I will go to SH-4 JB because I want to sound like Jeff Beck, and exactly 'cause weve ended as lovers' is one of favoritest songs. But I am not sure yet, if the good way is surfer for singles to obtain a good combination.

What is ypur opinion about SCR-1 (neck) and SVR-1 (middle) with JB?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Pickups for highway

very versatile. at one point i was running a cool rails/vintage rails/hot rails combo and it covered lots of ground

 

[Richard]

Re: Pickups for highway

Right now in my American Strat I am running 2 surfers and a JB and i love it. My brother is runnin 2 ssl-1s and a jb jr. in his mexi strat and he loves it as much as my american. The 250k pot really smoothes the jb out and it does bluse just fine.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Pickups for highway

Jeremy, thank you for your answer. I think I will go to SH-4 JB because I want to sound like Jeff Beck, and exactly 'cause weve ended as lovers' is one of favoritest songs. But I am not sure yet, if the good way is surfer for singles to obtain a good combination.

What is ypur opinion about SCR-1 (neck) and SVR-1 (middle) with JB?

The cool rails in the neck has BIG swelling bass compared to a real single, IMO, but does get a very cool tone. Haven't messed with a Vintage Rails but once and I thought it sounded pretty good.

In my strat I've got Alnico 2 Pros and a CS bridge pup, but the Alnico 2 Pros might be a bit too smooth for you. In the regular line the SSL-1 is the closest to new vintage 50s strat pups. The Surfers are the well used A5 50s strat pups.

If you want that JB tone then the JB pup with a 250K pot is the way to do it.

Luke

 

[fazul]

Re: Pickups for highway

Thanks all for your interesting advices, I think I will go to SH-4 JB and two surfers for N and M. I will tell you my feeling when I have them.