singleplayer75
New member
I need an advice here,
Been trying to do some research on American Series singles and SD Q. Pound staggered as a possible replacement for neck and middle (RW/RP) positions in my American Series Strat. It's from 2004, alder with rosewood fretboard. I've put Fender/Schaller locking tuners on it and also a brass nut (for durability and to get some brighter tone from rosewood fretboard). I have played some old Shecter (probably the Dream Machine, so then I liked the brass nut) The bridge pup was replaced with SD Hot Rails...and it's all been very, very good. Now, I think I should get some hotter pups for neck and middle, because I like the both worlds-the blues (SRV, Hendrix, K.W. Shepperd...) and some hard rock with heavy blues too, that's the reason for Hot Rails.
I also like playing heavily overdriven solos from the neck position, it is pretty "OK" now with the stock pups, but I would like a pup that wold sound nice both clean (for bluesy stuff, position 2 and 1) and heavy. Now "heavy" means that I can cut through the mix, even play some chords, power chords, voicings, without getting muddy and losing the mids in the mix. (And without a full size humbucker). I like hearing the open E string sound (or some power chord) with enough clarity (metallic string buzz) even with using high gain in the neck pickup. If having that and the smooth and clear, singing cleans are possible with Q. Pounds - it's what I'll get. But one of the forum members warned me about QP being very noisy, too noisy when overdriven/overdriven heavily. I don't mind the single coils hum, but if that means I'd have to change my amp settings, it would interfere with the sound oh the Hot Rails...Now, about the clean tone I know, it is great (the Shecter I played had QPs or if they were stock Shecter pups-similar enough) but I didn't play it through an overdriven amp..strange enough considering it was in the store I actually worked in for quite some time...So if not the Q Pounders, what then? Maybe some Texas Specials, SSL-3, DiMarzio HS-3,Tex Mex...? No mini humbuckers, (except for the HS-3), only single coils, that's something I'm sure of. It would have been helpful if I could find some stock Am. Series pups specs, but just couldn't find any. I guess they're about 7K...
Is there anyone who would actually know how would the Q. Pounders sound clean/overdriven in comparison to Texas Specials? Or what if I'd wire the Q. Pounders tapped, maybe that's a good idea? I have to go over to the store to try out some Strats with different pup combinations vs. the Q. Pounds, that would really do some major help, in the meantime all suggestions are most welcome!
Thanks!
Been trying to do some research on American Series singles and SD Q. Pound staggered as a possible replacement for neck and middle (RW/RP) positions in my American Series Strat. It's from 2004, alder with rosewood fretboard. I've put Fender/Schaller locking tuners on it and also a brass nut (for durability and to get some brighter tone from rosewood fretboard). I have played some old Shecter (probably the Dream Machine, so then I liked the brass nut) The bridge pup was replaced with SD Hot Rails...and it's all been very, very good. Now, I think I should get some hotter pups for neck and middle, because I like the both worlds-the blues (SRV, Hendrix, K.W. Shepperd...) and some hard rock with heavy blues too, that's the reason for Hot Rails.
I also like playing heavily overdriven solos from the neck position, it is pretty "OK" now with the stock pups, but I would like a pup that wold sound nice both clean (for bluesy stuff, position 2 and 1) and heavy. Now "heavy" means that I can cut through the mix, even play some chords, power chords, voicings, without getting muddy and losing the mids in the mix. (And without a full size humbucker). I like hearing the open E string sound (or some power chord) with enough clarity (metallic string buzz) even with using high gain in the neck pickup. If having that and the smooth and clear, singing cleans are possible with Q. Pounds - it's what I'll get. But one of the forum members warned me about QP being very noisy, too noisy when overdriven/overdriven heavily. I don't mind the single coils hum, but if that means I'd have to change my amp settings, it would interfere with the sound oh the Hot Rails...Now, about the clean tone I know, it is great (the Shecter I played had QPs or if they were stock Shecter pups-similar enough) but I didn't play it through an overdriven amp..strange enough considering it was in the store I actually worked in for quite some time...So if not the Q Pounders, what then? Maybe some Texas Specials, SSL-3, DiMarzio HS-3,Tex Mex...? No mini humbuckers, (except for the HS-3), only single coils, that's something I'm sure of. It would have been helpful if I could find some stock Am. Series pups specs, but just couldn't find any. I guess they're about 7K...
Is there anyone who would actually know how would the Q. Pounders sound clean/overdriven in comparison to Texas Specials? Or what if I'd wire the Q. Pounders tapped, maybe that's a good idea? I have to go over to the store to try out some Strats with different pup combinations vs. the Q. Pounds, that would really do some major help, in the meantime all suggestions are most welcome!
Thanks!
