School me on Duncan's line of Strat pickups

[misterwhizzy]

A couple of years ago, I bought a beautiful blue Fender player Strat with the intention of using it for Iron Maiden type things. I swapped out the pickguard for a HSS Warmoth guard and put in a JB for the stock bridge pickup. I don't know if it's my wiring or the pickup itself, but it's quiet in every position but in-series bridge humbucker mode. (Is this position one or five?) Don't really care, though.

That's not really the issue, though. I think I want to go back to having this just sound more like a traditional Strat, even though I don't really know how to describe that tone. But it won't work for me with any significant amount of gain, because the first knob keeps my hand from resting on the bridge to mute the strings. For what it's worth, I think I'm really just interested in a single-coil bridge or putting the stock pickup back in there, which I never really gave a serious shot to, since I bought it with the intention of making it a Super Strat.

I have experience with most of Duncan's humbuckers, but literally zero single coils. Can you break down which Duncan Strat pickups you have experience with and what you like or do not like about them?

 

[CK71]

I have used the ssl-52 in all positions. Those were generally excellent pickups for me in that they were bright yet well balanced eq wise. The 2 and 4 position were very good for the quack tone. I rarely used the bridge position by itself as most single coil bridge pickups I find overly thin and bright. As far as gain goes, I liked them best with low gain or a muff style pedal.

The next set I used were the ASP-2's in all positions. They were warmer than the ssl-52 being all alnico II. I think I favored the neck position the most as I liked the tone. The 2 and 4 positions also quacked well. My experience with the bridge position was similar to the ssl-52. I preferred the 52's better with gain than the aps-2's These two sets I used in the same guitar.

I then upgraded to a new strat and used a set of stra-bro 90's from the custom shop. These were fire breather's compared to the other sets I have used. They did really well with gain and had a very satisfying clear sound. I also liked the more powerful bridge pickup. Surprisingly the bridge and middle position quacked really well. My main issue with these is that no matter how I adjusted them I couldn't get an eq balance I liked. The neck was always way too dark for me compared to the bridge. However, I really loved the middle pickup in this set, which under gain reminded me of a pear jam like tone.

Currently I have an ssl-6 in the bridge. I like this the best. It does cleans and gain very well. I also now have an ssl-2 in the neck. Going from the bridge to the neck doesn't have a drastic of an eq change and mixes well. I have put the aps-2 in the middle (I gave away the 52's, which I would have used instead).

Anyways I hope that this is helpful and of course ymmv.

 

[GuitarStv]

I don't like staggered pole designs - I know it's traditional, but they make the strings unbalanced with each other.

The SSL-2 is exactly what I want to hear from a neck and middle pickup. In the bridge I don't get along with lower output strat sounds as much - I like quarter pounders or SSL-6 there.

 

[Mincer]

Decide first if you want hum-cancelling or not...that will narrow it down further. Also, what is your ideal Strat sound?

 

[Chistopher]

Antiquity 2 Surfers, especially with the overwound bridge, are the sound that immediately jump into my head when I picture what a Strat sounds like. Those things are great

 

[misterwhizzy]

The neck and middle pickups sound just fine to me and aren't noisy to me at all, so I don't think I need hum-cancelling. As far as ideal Strat sound goes, I'm still not perfectly sure. That was kind of the point of the thread. The forum gives me the options and what they like best and why, and I make a decision or choose to go back to stock. My only caveat is that it has to rock.

 

[Mincer]

Id suggest an SSL-6 if you want it to rock, but still have some Strattiness.

 

[IMENATOR]

​* SSL-1 Advertised as vintage chimey tone, and it is. Neck is sweet, it has a vintage Strat sound I really like, I dont feel like I need to try anything else. Neck+middle has the quack, middle is also a great tone. The bridge is what can be tricky even for some Strat lovers. SSL-1 in the bridge gave me a fantastic Eric Johnson clean/crunch/lead but you really have to tweak the eq to avoid a harsh treble, then once you get that the neck may not sound as great as it can. I think you really want to try the SSL-1 if you love Strat sounds. Many people in this form claim the STK-S7 in the bridge is a good solution if you want to tame that high treble in the bridge and still sound vintage, I have not tried it.

* SSL-6 It is the flat poles version of an SSL-5. This has less treble than an SSL-1 so don't expect it to sound like a traditional Strat. It is not a louder SSL-1 so don't aproach it like that. I am currently using it in the middle of an HSH guitar with an Alnico ii Pro in the neck, I split the HB in notch position and it is a very different but absolutly fantastic kind of quack, louder and works better with gain than quack of an SSL-1. Not it is not vintage Strat quack (which I think is also a great sound but does not work that well for me when I add too much gain. I can see why Charvel is using it in their Shredder guitars, it works well with humbuckers because of its output and EQ.

Demo with SSL-5 in bridge

Demo if SSL-6 in the middle. Hear those notch positions quacky and clear unger gain. Beware position 3 of the switch is not the SSL-6 in isolation, in fact Charvel used it in that guitar just for the quack in positions 4 and 2.

* STK-S6 - This is a stacked single coil, it is advertised as similar to an SSL-5 but noiseless so it is my option for high gain. Right now I have one in my Strat bridge position with couple of SSL-1 neck and middle, David Gilmour's territory, it is a very versatile compbo cause you can go from vitage Strat neck to a rock sound from the bridge, just like the SSL-5 this STK-S6 is very versarile. Originally I used it for many years in the neck in HSS configuration with a DiMarzio Paf Pro bridge and SSL-1 middle, so versatile guitar as I only had one guitar back then .

Demo with STK-S6 in neck position

Demo with STK-S6 in bridge

* STK-S10 neck - The Yngwie Malmsteen "YJM Fury" model. If I had to compare this with the STK-S6 I would say the STK-S6 is a bit more Stratty while the STK-S10n is better for lead tones, this one really sing with high gain, the attack is there. Unlike the DiMarzio HS-3 the YJM Fury neck has enough output for an HSS configuration was long as the humbucker is not too loud. This one has staggered poles. I sold it to try other pickups, I kind of regret it now, would be great for an HSS rock oriented guitar.

Demo of YJM Fury

If your fretboard radius is vintage like 7.5 in then the staggered SSL-1 or SSL-5 sound like the best option. If your fretboard radius is 9.4 in or falter then SD states the flat poles options are what they recommend. In my personal experience an SSL-1 in a 9.5 radius will work but you may need to adjust the hight for the treble strings but is doable. For me SSL-6 or STK-S6 which have flat poles did not need to rise for the treble strings as far as I remember.



My personal summary:

* For modern radius flat poles make sense and made my life easier. Staggered poles are doable but needs a bit of attention to twaking for treble strings.

* SSL-2 set for vintage Strat tones. If neck is too bright for you then try an SSL-6 or some variation with less treble and more output.

* SSL-6 plays well with humbuckers because of its extra output and reduced treble. Great sound for notch posotions.

* STK-S6 is SD noiseless in SSL-5 territory.

* STK-S10 neck YJM Fury. Probably my favourite neck lead sound of anything I have tried from Seymour Duncan.

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[misterwhizzy]

^That's an extremely informative post. Thank you.

 

[donaldr]

I don't know much about Duncan single coil offering but I have a STK-S4 neck and STK-S7 bridge in an LTD Strat and they are what I was thinking about a good modern Strat sound. I can play anything with that Strat. Unknown secret but wire one of your tone knob to the bridge pickup.

 

[Artie]

As much as I love my STK's, Hot Rails, and Cool Rails, it's hard to beat the Livewire Classic II's. I don't know why they quit making them. Noiseless and "Stratty."

 

[jeremy]

the stk line is great for noiseless passive strat pups. i do notice a difference between them and a ssl1 for example, but its not huge and the stk line gets the tone as good as any ive found.

the hot rails, cool rails, red devils, lil 59, lil sd, ducks, and vintage rails all sound great but dont nail the classic strat tone to me.

ive heard the livewire classics artie mentioned sound like a loud, noiseless scooped strat set. eq wise the blackout singles are kinda the opposite and are more mid forward than most strat pups. still sounds like a strat, just not much like a vintage one

 

[misterwhizzy]

My original plan has a fatal flaw. I can’t for the life of me find where I put the original pickguard, and I really don’t want to add $30 to the price of a pickup. I think I’m going to put in a 59 I have laying around and see where that gets me. If I’m still not jiving with a bridge humbucker, I’ll revisit things.

 

[marcello252]

But it won't work for me with any significant amount of gain, because the first knob keeps my hand from resting on the bridge to mute the strings.

I'm a huge strat lover but I can't stand that volume knob so close to the bridge too , even if I don't play metal.
All my strats have only two knobs, a general volume and a general tone, I use the original pickguard with just two knobs or I drill a hole in a middle position within two existing or I use a custom pickguard with no pot holes and I drill it my self, here there are three examples

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[El Dunco]

the stk line is great for noiseless passive strat pups. i do notice a difference between them and a ssl1 for example, but its not huge and the stk line gets the tone as good as any ive found.

the hot rails, cool rails, red devils, lil 59, lil sd, ducks, and vintage rails all sound great but dont nail the classic strat tone to me.

ive heard the livewire classics artie mentioned sound like a loud, noiseless scooped strat set. eq wise the blackout singles are kinda the opposite and are more mid forward than most strat pups. still sounds like a strat, just not much like a vintage one

Sounds like the blackout strat set is what I’m after considering how many mods and extras to get extra mids out of a strat have been around since it was invented. The Clapton circuit to the EMG-SPC. I like the idea of the versatility with the jumper hooked up to a switch or push pull to go from all the sounds you would want from a stock strat to a thicker lead tone you’d expect from a humbucker that compliments how comfy a US strat is to play.

 

[jeremy]

the clapton thing is cool, i had a setup with stsk4n, stks4m, stks7 with that circuit and it was great but maybe not for metal. that guitar got stolen years ago so unfortunately. the blackout singles with the spc is a great setup! my spc is an old one so not sure how to wire in the newer ones but im sure its not that hard

 

[marcello252]

the clapton thing is cool

didn't you find it a bit too much nasal? I tried it once but to my ears, mmh, so so

 

[jeremy]

i dont love it with the lace or fender noiseless pups, i liked it much better with the duncan stacks. it can be a bit nasal, for lack of a better word, but i found it to be very amp dependent. also, i found it didnt like most drive pedals. straight into a tweed deluxe, i thought it was great

 

[marcello252]

straight in to a tweed, through a wah, is Clapton 100%, his ability to play with the volume only is a bit underrated

 

[donaldr]

My original plan has a fatal flaw. I can’t for the life of me find where I put the original pickguard, and I really don’t want to add $30 to the price of a pickup. I think I’m going to put in a 59 I have laying around and see where that gets me. If I’m still not jiving with a bridge humbucker, I’ll revisit things.

The Pearly Gates and the Screamin Demon are also two humbuckers that are going well with single coils.
Here's a video of SSL-1 with Pearly Gates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggTyXwkwQx8
Here's a video of SSL-1 with Screamin' Demon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yusDUUUAaNw
And a seconde one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-xkwOtdvRM