Single Coil Neck/Middle Pickups to pair with Seymour Duncan SH11 Custom Custom

[Lampshadenoah]

I’m planning on getting a Strat HSS (alder body) and am pretty set on getting the SH11 for the bridge pickup. I want to play things like MCR, Rise Against, Green Day, etc. but also liked that it wasn’t as compressed and had more headroom than the SH4.

I’m looking for which single coils for the middle and neck would help complement that higher output bridge pickup. I basically want to use the bridge for heavier stuff, but the neck and middle to blend with it and use those for cleaner, crunchier stuff (John Mayer, Pink Floyd, other classic rock stuff).

I was thinking of the SSL-5s, but have heard in the neck it could be a bit dull and muddy. Plus, I’ve seen very few examples of/demos of the SSL-5 being used in a neck. I only see it in the SSL-5 bridge with SSl-1 neck/middle combo.

I worry that the SSL-1 will sound TOO glassy and kind of piercing to me without enough body. I’ve checked out the APS1 and they seem to be closer, but maybe not match the output of the SH11 well…

Does anyone have any ideas for which single coils would work well with the SH11 bridge, be able to play some John Mayer well enough and have enough output to be able to work with the bridge pickup?

I am hoping to keep it all Seymour Duncan if possible. Thank you!

 

[Mincer]

Welcome to the forum!

I've had success blending the Classic Stack Plus with the Custom Custom. It is hum-cancelling, so the guitar stays hum-free. The output blends well, and it sounds like a good Strat pickup should for Floyd/Mayer stuff.

 

[donaldr]

You could also try a STK-S7, a bit more output and darker than a STK-S4. I think jeremy once said it should work well with 500k pots.

I have a combo STK-S4n and STK-S7b that I really like in an LTD Strat copy.

 

[Lampshadenoah]

Welcome to the forum!

I've had success blending the Classic Stack Plus with the Custom Custom. It is hum-cancelling, so the guitar stays hum-free. The output blends well, and it sounds like a good Strat pickup should for Floyd/Mayer stuff.

Thank you for the advice! I’ve been just checking out the true singles, I haven’t even really delved into the noiseless. As someone newer into getting into pickups, besides the hum cancelling, are there any big differences/downsides to noiseless vs true singles?

 

[Lampshadenoah]

You could also try a STK-S7, a bit more output and darker than a STK-S4. I think jeremy once said it should work well with 500k pots.

I have a combo STK-S4n and STK-S7b that I really like in an LTD Strat copy.

I’m definitely going to compare those two! Thank you for the suggestion!

 

[donaldr]

Thank you for the advice! I’ve been just checking out the true singles, I haven’t even really delved into the noiseless. As someone newer into getting into pickups, besides the hum cancelling, are there any big differences/downsides to noiseless vs true singles?

Cons: maybe a little less sparkles? Cannot change the cover.
Pros: no noise?

I really like the STK-S4n and don't think it's missing much, if any. A really good single-coil sound IMHO. Same for the STK-S7, it can be as bright as I want, but it also has body that some single-coils are missing. Both a Strat and a Tele have single-coil pickups and they sound different, so same applies in this case regarding true SC vs noiseless SC. Choose according to the sound you want and not how the pickup is constructed. And why a true single-coil when you have a noiseless bridge humbucker

 

[Lampshadenoah]

Cons: maybe a little less sparkles? Cannot change the cover.
Pros: no noise?

I really like the STK-S4n and don't think it's missing much, if any. A really good single-coil sound IMHO. Same for the STK-S7, it can be as bright as I want, but it also has body that some single-coils are missing. Both a Strat and a Tele have single-coil pickups and they sound different, so same applies in this case regarding true SC vs noiseless SC. Choose according to the sound you want and not how the pickup is constructed. And why a true single-coil when you have a noiseless bridge humbucker

With the research I’ve done and demos I’ve checked out, I’m between the STK-S4 and the STK-S7 for sure. Think the STK-S7 would be bright enough? I’m leaning towards the STK-S4, but think some more body would be good for pairing with the SH11. I just don’t want it to the the type of pickup that gets too compressed and too muddy too quickly… I do really like the body in it, just don’t know how versatile it is compared to the S4.

If the S4 can keep up with the output of the SH11, I think that might be great. But, as far as splitting the middle between having body enough to not be as jarring of a difference between the bridge pickup and still being relatively stratty… maybe the S7?

I’m very torn. I guess for me, I like the S7 but am afraid it might lose too much brightness and might be too compressed where it becomes too dark and muddy. Are those reasonable fears?

Thanks for the replies and advice!

 

[Lampshadenoah]

How do we feel about this?

Bridge: SH11
Middle: STK-S7
Neck: STK-S4

That way I have the body, but the middle kind of brightens up the S7 sound, can blend it with the S4 for a little more chime and then have the S4 for the full on strat neck sound. Any reservations or improvements, in your opinion, that immediately come up when you think of that setup?

Thank you!

 

[Mincer]

How do we feel about this?

Bridge: SH11
Middle: STK-S7
Neck: STK-S4

That way I have the body, but the middle kind of brightens up the S7 sound, can blend it with the S4 for a little more chime and then have the S4 for the full on strat neck sound. Any reservations or improvements, in your opinion, that immediately come up when you think of that setup?

Thank you!

Actually, that sounds pretty good....

 

[Lampshadenoah]

Actually, that sounds pretty good....

Awesome! Also, is there any sort of special wiring or anything I need for this all to work well? I’m going to be getting it all from Sweetwater and have the nut replaced with bone, the pickups installed, guitar setup, maybe some locking tuners…

Basically, do I have to tell the guy to do anything special with the install? If it’s just installed “standard” (whatever that means, I’m not sure about pickup installs), will the position between the bridge and middle be correct with the HB and the SC? I’m not sure if they have options for these SC pickups, but do I need a certain wind that works best in this setup?

Pardon my ignorance if these are dumb questions! I appreciate all the knowledge I can get about these things.

 

[Mincer]

It would depend on what you want to switch positions to do. If you want standard Strat switching, then, yeah, it is just standard 5 way wiring.

 

[Teleplayer]

I think you should ask for all 500k control pots. Otherwise the SH-11 won’t give the right tones, and the middle stk-s7 probably not as bright as you expected. You may even be tempted to disconnect the tone control from the middle pickup completely.

I’m suggesting:
500k master volume
500k Tone 1 (neck)
500k Tone 2 (middle and bridge)

Alternative suggestion for 250k volume and no bridge tone control, but I’d rather go with the previous option..
250k master volume
500k Tone 1 (neck)
500k Tone 2 (middle only)

 

[Lampshadenoah]

I think you should ask for all 500k control pots. Otherwise the SH-11 won’t give the right tones, and the middle stk-s7 probably not as bright as you expected. You may even be tempted to disconnect the tone control from the middle pickup completely.

I’m suggesting:
500k master volume
500k Tone 1 (neck)
500k Tone 2 (middle and bridge)

Alternative suggestion for 250k volume and no bridge tone control, but I’d rather go with the previous option..
250k master volume
500k Tone 1 (neck)
500k Tone 2 (middle only)

The 500k makes it brighter, right? I was thinking that. Do you think the S1 would be too bright? I’ve been contemplating that, but was afraid of the scale length and alder body making the SC too glassy where it might be unpleasant. But, if multiple people with more experience than I have think the same thing, I think I could do that!

 

[Lampshadenoah]

And yes, my concern for the S7 was it being too dark and compressed, and assumed having it in the middle might help that since it’s closer to the bridge. But, that should solve that problem for sure if I get the 500k pots

 

[Teleplayer]

It really depends on how you use the middle pickup. If you want a bluesy rock tone, a fat middle single coil can work, and it’s potentially usable for rhythm guitar parts as well. However, when you mentioned Mayer, the STK-S7 seems a long way away. If thats the target, you probably want two similar vintage-ish single coils in neck and middle - that’s the traditional way obviously.

STK-S7 isn’t a conventional choice for a strat middle p/u unless you choose it for more of a blues / rock / high gain tone. The SH-11 is in the same category IMO. From that point of view it makes sense but I haven’t tried that combination myself.

I suggest you search online for tone demos to get an idea what suits your preference best.

 

[Artie]

You may even be tempted to disconnect the tone control from the middle pickup completely.

This works great. Especially since many people never use the middle by itself. It keeps the tone controls isolated, but gives the middle a tone control in both the #2 & #4 positions.

500k Tone 2 (middle and bridge)

We just did this on a customers guitar. Works good too. Although, we did 250k because it was 3 true singles.

 

[Chistopher]

I would put the S4 in the middle and S7 in the neck. Usually for the middle I want a clean bright attacky sound, for the neck I want a rounder sound.

 

[Mincer]

Thank you for the advice! I’ve been just checking out the true singles, I haven’t even really delved into the noiseless. As someone newer into getting into pickups, besides the hum cancelling, are there any big differences/downsides to noiseless vs true singles?

The noiseless is a little louder than classic singles, and well, it is noiseless...so it will match the bridge pickup in not having hum come in when you switch to it. Actually, I'd go with 2 S4s, 500k volume, 250k tone for the singles, and 500k tone for the CC. The volume balance will be fine between all 3.

 

[Lampshadenoah]

The noiseless is a little louder than classic singles, and well, it is noiseless...so it will match the bridge pickup in not having hum come in when you switch to it. Actually, I'd go with 2 S4s, 500k volume, 250k tone for the singles, and 500k tone for the CC. The volume balance will be fine between all 3.

I’m leaning that way too. Just take some uncertainty out of the situation. I want to have more high output stuff too, but for what I play that is higher gain it’s the bridge pickup 90% of the time. Then I’ll just have some cleaner ones for other stuff. In the bridge/middle position I will have a good moderate output sound too. Feels like the versatility will be enough with just the two S4s. Waiting for some money to come in before doing this, so could be a month or two, but I’ll upload pics and of what I end up with!

As of now, I think your idea sounds the best to me. Rather not gamble with the S7 and trying to EQ out any muddiness with pots and make the S4 too harsh.

 

[Mincer]

Well, let us know how this project turns out for you!