Secret Agent for HSH middle pickup?

Hello.

I'm using a PRS S2 Singlecut Standard.

I'm using it with an SD Jazz/JB, and I'm getting some pretty decent single-pickup tones with the coil split. The JB, in particular, has high output, so splitting it produces a decent sound without any special adjustments. For the Jazz pickup, I'm getting a decent sound by connecting a 2.2K resistor to the tap.

The only desired things is that I can't achieve a Strat-like sound by connecting it in parallel with the middle pickup. This is because there's no physical middle pickup.

I was considering adding a middle pickup, but the unique pickguard shape and screw placement made it difficult to install, and even if I did, I thought it wouldn't look very appealing, so I gave up.

Then, the Secret Agent pickup caught my eye.

https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/...o-guitar-pickup-installation-the-secret-agent

This pickup was developed by Brad Paisley for his Esquire Signature model. Reviews seem mixed, but many say it works well. Most importantly, because there's no other viable alternative, I'm considering installing it under the pickguard of my singlecut.

My concerns are twofold: first, the middle position, not the neck position. Second, because the instrument is similar in construction to a Les Paul, the strings are higher from the body than on a Telecaster.
Because of these issues, I'm concerned about the volume balance between the pickups.

I'd like to ask you what you think about this. Has anyone actually used it in a similar way? I'm not particularly interested in the tone shape of this pickup or how similar it is to a Strat or Tele pickup. After all, my instrument's single pickup mode is already different from a typical single-pickup tone. I'm just curious about the volume difference between the pickups. I expect some difference, but I'm worried it might be significantly different than expected.

The best option would be to buy a separate guitar with three single pickups, like a Strat. However, having purchased a guitar with a single pickup several times and then sold it second-hand, I'm reluctant to buy a separate single pickup guitar. For me, I realized that a single pickup guitar was just a "good additional option if it's just there."

I'd appreciate your feedback.​
 
What is the distance your middle position from the top of the body to the underside of the strings? I am thinking that will be the biggest issue here for a good volume balance.
 
Cool idea. I'm thinking of doing something similar with my single-bridge-pup Peavey Rockmaster, using a Lil Screamin' Demon, which should be hot enough to handle the distance from the strings. Remember . . . you don't have to use an actual Secret Agent.
 
The big benefit of the Secret Agent is the size, but if you can fit any normal pickup there, your choices open up.
 
Sorry for the very late reply.
First of all, thank you for everyone who responded.


What is the distance your middle position from the top of the body to the underside of the strings? I am thinking that will be the biggest issue here for a good volume balance.

The height from the pickguard to the strings is about 8.5mm.
The pickguard is about 2.5mm thick, so I'd say it's about 11mm.
The only Telecaster I currently own is a Jim Root Telecaster, so I'm not sure what the string height from the body of a traditional Telecaster is.

Considering that the pickup is positioned in the middle, not the neck, I think it would need to be lower than a Telecaster to have any chance of success. I could probably make a built-in booster for middle pickup, but I don't want to go that far.



Cool idea. I'm thinking of doing something similar with my single-bridge-pup Peavey Rockmaster, using a Lil Screamin' Demon, which should be hot enough to handle the distance from the strings. Remember . . . you don't have to use an actual Secret Agent.

I've considered use other pickups, as you mentioned, but there are two problems.
First, I'm looking for a SSS Strat-like sound, so a humbucker pickup wouldn't suit my desired sound.
Second, as you can see in the photos of this instrument, the pickguard screw is in a very awkward position.
It overlaps with the pickup mount screw, and if I were to route the pickup to the pickup wings for mounting, it would likely remove the pickguard screw mount point.
The Secret Agent doesn't have wings for the mounting screws, so there's no need to worry about chipping away the pickguard screw mount points.




The big benefit of the Secret Agent is the size, but if you can fit any normal pickup there, your choices open up.

As mentioned above, the mounting screw locations of typical pickups are likely to overlap with the pickguard screw locations of this guitar.

middle.webp
 
What if you didn't use screws to put the pickup there? Like foam tape or something which wouldn't use screws.
 
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