Hello All, new member here and glad to here! I am planning on upgrading my strat and was looking for some opinions and/or info. I have strat I bought off craigslist a few years ago and it seems to be quite a mutt. The guitar seems to resonate very well and plays nice but just has a bland sound to it. I originally bought a SSL5 for the bridge position with the intention of adding SSL1s in the neck and middle, but lately I have been thinking of going another direction. I was thinking of putting SSL5 in the neck and middle and going with a JB jr in the bridge position. HAs anybody tried this combo? I know all guitars are different just looking for some opinions, tips, etc before I go ahead with the project. Thanks in advance for the responses!
SSL 5 in neck position
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DreX
New member
Re: SSL 5 in neck position
The same is true of the SSL-4, which I have a set of three of in another Strat. There seems to be a sweet spot with the A5 hot single coils where the Strat "glass" is mostly gone, but the pickup is still far from being "dark". Pickups like the SSL-1 and Ant II are fairly glassy, but StraBro 90s, Little '59 et al. are dark to the point that I have to jack up the treble on the amp. The SSL-4's or DiMarzio Red Velvets seem to hit that middle ground of sound fat and clear at the same time, that's what I'm hoping with in the SSL-5 set, with a spin-a-tap see if it will variably get the glass back and still sound convincing. I'm doing spin-a-tap with a set of StraBro's, but it's not overly usable, because as I mentioned above, I have to crank the treble on the amp with the StraBros, so once I start in on the tap, it quickly becomes much too bright with the existing amp settings.
The same is true of the SSL-4, which I have a set of three of in another Strat. There seems to be a sweet spot with the A5 hot single coils where the Strat "glass" is mostly gone, but the pickup is still far from being "dark". Pickups like the SSL-1 and Ant II are fairly glassy, but StraBro 90s, Little '59 et al. are dark to the point that I have to jack up the treble on the amp. The SSL-4's or DiMarzio Red Velvets seem to hit that middle ground of sound fat and clear at the same time, that's what I'm hoping with in the SSL-5 set, with a spin-a-tap see if it will variably get the glass back and still sound convincing. I'm doing spin-a-tap with a set of StraBro's, but it's not overly usable, because as I mentioned above, I have to crank the treble on the amp with the StraBros, so once I start in on the tap, it quickly becomes much too bright with the existing amp settings.
DreX
New member
Re: SSL 5 in neck position
I'm surprised you'd have put the SSL-5 in there if snap and chime was what you were after since the SSL-5 is not associated with those qualities to begin with. Even 500k pots wouldn't endow SSL-5's with those qualities, not if they're anything like the SSL-4. The CS 69 has both in spades, however, very scooped, very Hendrixy.
I'm surprised you'd have put the SSL-5 in there if snap and chime was what you were after since the SSL-5 is not associated with those qualities to begin with. Even 500k pots wouldn't endow SSL-5's with those qualities, not if they're anything like the SSL-4. The CS 69 has both in spades, however, very scooped, very Hendrixy.
superpete
Well-known member
Re: SSL 5 in neck position
I wasn't really looking for that, i was looking for a more powerful single to match up with an A2 59/Custom hybrid in the bridge. But they sounded so bland and flat that I then decided that snap and chime was what I wanted.
I wasn't really looking for that, i was looking for a more powerful single to match up with an A2 59/Custom hybrid in the bridge. But they sounded so bland and flat that I then decided that snap and chime was what I wanted.
thrashmonkey
New member
Re: SSL 5 in neck position
I had SSL5's in the neck and middle of my old strat. Definitely not snappy, but not muddy either. I wish I would have tried 500k pots, but ended up actually preferring the stock MIM neck pickup, really liked the SSL5 in the middle. I plan on getting a Squier 51 eventually and may give the SSL-5 if I'm able to swap pickups myself by then and can just replace it if I don't dig it.
I had SSL5's in the neck and middle of my old strat. Definitely not snappy, but not muddy either. I wish I would have tried 500k pots, but ended up actually preferring the stock MIM neck pickup, really liked the SSL5 in the middle. I plan on getting a Squier 51 eventually and may give the SSL-5 if I'm able to swap pickups myself by then and can just replace it if I don't dig it.
DreX
New member
Re: SSL 5 in neck position
So I finished the SSL-5/SSL-5/SSL-5 guitar, it's very similar all around to my SSL-4/SSL-4/SSL-4 Strat, both tapped and not tapped. I think they both make great Jazz pickups even though they're associated with gain. If you want a fat clean tone, I think they are more natural and dynamic than single coil sized humbuckers such as the Little '59. They both very far removed from the classic Strat tone, however. Some has said they're in the ballpark but I can't agree with that. Tapped, they have the right high end, but they sound far more faint and dainty than true vintage single oil, so far I've observed that in ever tappable Duncan single coil I've come across, I wish the tap point was a bit hotter in their designs. I put a spin-a-tap on the guitar though, and 50% tapped sounds great, still fatter and warmer than a traditional Strat, but with a more balanced blend of mids and highs.
So I finished the SSL-5/SSL-5/SSL-5 guitar, it's very similar all around to my SSL-4/SSL-4/SSL-4 Strat, both tapped and not tapped. I think they both make great Jazz pickups even though they're associated with gain. If you want a fat clean tone, I think they are more natural and dynamic than single coil sized humbuckers such as the Little '59. They both very far removed from the classic Strat tone, however. Some has said they're in the ballpark but I can't agree with that. Tapped, they have the right high end, but they sound far more faint and dainty than true vintage single oil, so far I've observed that in ever tappable Duncan single coil I've come across, I wish the tap point was a bit hotter in their designs. I put a spin-a-tap on the guitar though, and 50% tapped sounds great, still fatter and warmer than a traditional Strat, but with a more balanced blend of mids and highs.
n1kk
New member
Re: SSL 5 in neck position
Hi to all! I'm sorry for the bumping quite an old thread.
Is the pickup cover changeable? There's an option to buy it for a great price, but it's white when I need the black one. I'm pretty sure that this will fit my Charvel 375 Deluxe with it's flat (not triangle) slots for the singles. And yes, Charvel is H-S-S and has 500k pots.
Thanks in advance.
Hi to all! I'm sorry for the bumping quite an old thread.
Is the pickup cover changeable? There's an option to buy it for a great price, but it's white when I need the black one. I'm pretty sure that this will fit my Charvel 375 Deluxe with it's flat (not triangle) slots for the singles. And yes, Charvel is H-S-S and has 500k pots.
Thanks in advance.
