Slightly hotter pickups for Squier Standard?

skinslapper

skinslapper

New member
Howdy y'all,

I've recently ventured into the world of strats from my long term love affair with Gibsons and I'm really impressed with my Indo Squier Standard.

Being a Gibson guy, I couldn't resign myself to the standard wiring so all my pickups now have concentric pots for vol and tone on each. I've also joined the bridge pickup to the far pole on the switch so I can blend the neck and bridge pickups together. I'm loving the tones I'm getting through my Rockerverb 212.

Anywho, despite how much I love the sounds in my beast, I'd really like to get a bit more sustain and feedback into the mix, so if anyone could recommend a set of flat, single coils that would keep the sweetness but give me a bit of a lift, I'd very much appreciate it. I'm leaning towards the texas hot custom atm but, any suggestions would be great.

Cheers.
 
Re: Slightly hotter pickups for Squier Standard?

The texas hots arent particlarly loud. Why not a set of SSL-6's? They are non staggered SSL-5's that David Gilmour uses.

If you are dead set on antiquities i would go with surfer II's, killer puppies but still on the mild side of strat pups.
 
Re: Slightly hotter pickups for Squier Standard?

Its kinda hard to tell what actual tones you are after. Do you want vintage strat? Modern tones? Texas Blues?

You can turn almost any set of vintage strat singles into flat stagger if you just heat the polepiece for a second with a soldering iron and press down or up on it with a screwdriver handle. I've done it to dozens of sets and never had one problem.
 
Re: Slightly hotter pickups for Squier Standard?

Mr. B said:
You can turn almost any set of vintage strat singles into flat stagger if you just heat the polepiece for a second with a soldering iron and press down or up on it with a screwdriver handle. I've done it to dozens of sets and never had one problem.
Click to expand...

DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK

You might have had luck doing it but many others have not. The windings sit on the magnets when you push on them there is a real chance that you could break the wire inside turning your pickup into a paper weight.

Much easier to just buy flat stagger to begin with.
 
Re: Slightly hotter pickups for Squier Standard?

+1

I only attempt to reposition rod magnet polepieces when they are installed through plastic bobbin forms that have a tubular "wall" between the top and bottom bobbin faces. e.g. Fender American Standard and Tex-Mex single coils.
 
Re: Slightly hotter pickups for Squier Standard?

I'm going to suggest a non-pickup solution: You love the sound - don't eff with it!

Duncan Pickup Booster
Seriously transparent compressor
 
Re: Slightly hotter pickups for Squier Standard?

Thanks for all the replies so far. I did flatten the poles in my stock bridge and neck pickups. The G string lept out like a face hugger and I could barely hear the high E or B before I flattened them.

The number 1 thing I love about my strat tone, are the dreamy bends I get with the tremolo. No Gibson in the world can make that happen. I love the sparkly, cutting highs I get reminiscent of John Frusciante at low gain, the round, hendrix arpeggio tones at high gain. I like to riff at high gain on the bridge pickup and get a harsh, White Stripes sound; then add the neck pickup, roll off some highs from the bridge and I get good squishy Black Keys tone. I"ve been looking into the ssl-6 but I'm concerned they'll be too hot, plus I like the clang I get from (what I imagine is) the alnico 5 magnets in my stock pickups. I want to leave the bridge pickup sounding more cutting, lo-fi and twangy and add fullness with the neck pickup when necessary. I'm chasing some lush, effortless feedback and maybe some more prominent pinch harmonics without it getting too harsh. Maybe what I'm after is a set of overwound, alnico 5s. I see SD doesn't offer these and I'm sure he has his reasons but experimentation is what this game is all about. I came across these online http://www.guitarfetish.com/Premium-Overwound-Alnico-Strat-Pickups-Our-Best-Hot-Set_p_630.html any thoughts?
 
Re: Slightly hotter pickups for Squier Standard?

skinslapper said:
I"ve been looking into the ssl-6 but I'm concerned they'll be too hot, plus I like the clang I get from (what I imagine is) the alnico 5 magnets in my stock pickups. ?

I'm chasing some lush, effortless feedback and maybe some more prominent pinch harmonics without it getting too harsh. Maybe what I'm after is a set of overwound, alnico 5s
Click to expand...


What are you talking about? The SSL6's have A5's in them. You say you are after overwound a5's that is exactly what the SSL5's and SSL6's are!

Look at the overall tone of a pickup not what mags they have in them. Mags can interact differently with different winds.
 
Re: Slightly hotter pickups for Squier Standard?

More beef & sustain? I like the Quarter Pounders. Still Strat-ish, but with lots more output. If you don't want to jump that high and output, try the Custom Flat set. Both will be an improvement over the stock pickups.
 
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