SSL-5, Twangbanger or Antiquity Custom bridge paired with SSL-1

[soham]

Hello again.
First, I'll just explain my rig to make things more specific and then I'll go into my dillema.

Guitar: Fender Road Worn 60s Strat (SSL-1s in the neck and middle and the stock Tex Mex bridge with a DCR of 7.2k)
Amp: Blackstar HT Club 40
Pedalboard: basically no ODs/boosts, etc I get all my gain from the amp's OD channel.

Music Genre: I'll use the bridge in only rock settings.

So, having mentioned the no OD/boost pedal thing, here's my problem. On my amp's OD channel, with my guitar volume on 7-8 I get the edge of breakup drive and on 10 I get a nice overdriven single coil crunch. Nothing too heavy, just your run-of-the-mill mid-gain overdrive. What I want from the bridge pickup is basically go up to 12. I'll be using the bridge mostly for lead work.

Everyone recommends the SSL-5 but I think that would be going up to 15!
I really don't know much about the Ant Custom but a calculated guess tells me that the Twangbanger probably has just the right amount of push I'm looking for. But I've never tried any of them. Can someone help me with this choice?
Thank you.

PS: My lead tone isn't high-gain btw. Think Mike McCready's strat lead tone or post-Californication John Frusciante's lead tone gain wise.

 

[soham]

Re: SSL-5, Twangbanger or Antiquity Custom bridge paired with SSL-1

anyone?

 

[AlexR]

Re: SSL-5, Twangbanger or Antiquity Custom bridge paired with SSL-1

Well, the K readings is misleading with the ssl5 as it is a thinner wire type. In fact I think both Ant Custom and ssl5 are thinner wire which giver higher K reading without extra signal. The 10K Ant bridge I think is about like a high 7's if wound with the typical vintage strat type wire. The ssl5 is more like about mid 10's. Its hotter for sure, but think Pink Floyd type drive saturation (in fact the ssl 5 is the descendent of the bridge pickup in one of David's strats)

The twangbanger is pretty solid too. The baseplate and a2 mags help keep the treble under control, but it would struggle to be a 12 I think. Its fat for sure though.

 

[soham]

Re: SSL-5, Twangbanger or Antiquity Custom bridge paired with SSL-1

Well, the K readings is misleading with the ssl5 as it is a thinner wire type. In fact I think both Ant Custom and ssl5 are thinner wire which giver higher K reading without extra signal. The 10K Ant bridge I think is about like a high 7's if wound with the typical vintage strat type wire. The ssl5 is more like about mid 10's. Its hotter for sure, but think Pink Floyd type drive saturation (in fact the ssl 5 is the descendent of the bridge pickup in one of David's strats)

The twangbanger is pretty solid too. The baseplate and a2 mags help keep the treble under control, but it would struggle to be a 12 I think. Its fat for sure though.

Thanks a lot AlexR. My stock Tex Mex bridge is 7.2K and I feel it goes up to 11 but struggles to go beyond that. So do you think an Ant Custom bridge won't be that much different? Or will the SSL-5 be too much of a deviation from the SSL-1?
Thanks again Alex.

 

[jeremy]

Re: SSL-5, Twangbanger or Antiquity Custom bridge paired with SSL-1

the ssl5 is a great match for the ssl1 in the neck and middle

 

[RockStarNick]

Re: SSL-5, Twangbanger or Antiquity Custom bridge paired with SSL-1

Any of these would definitely sound great.

My only advice with the SSL5: personally, I think it sounds best wired the traditional way, without a tone control to the bridge. I found it a "touch" dark with 250K pots, and a tone knob wired to it... and I'm a huge fan of dark pickups.

But with the right combo of pots and whatnot, the SSL5 rocks.

 

[soham]

Re: SSL-5, Twangbanger or Antiquity Custom bridge paired with SSL-1

Any of these would definitely sound great.

My only advice with the SSL5: personally, I think it sounds best wired the traditional way, without a tone control to the bridge. I found it a "touch" dark with 250K pots, and a tone knob wired to it... and I'm a huge fan of dark pickups.

But with the right combo of pots and whatnot, the SSL5 rocks.

right now i have my bridge tex mex wired to the tone and i find it very useful. i even considered adding a base plate to make it a little fatter.
but if the SSL-5 doesn't need it then that's one less thing to fiddle with and that's always better.

 

[Ryan84]

Re: SSL-5, Twangbanger or Antiquity Custom bridge paired with SSL-1

SSL-5 for sure!

And like that dude said NO TONE KNOB.

I tried it and it removed the SSL-5's balls.

I have two strats: One wire Cs69, Cs69, SSL-5

Another wired: Fat 50's Cs69, SSL-5

SSL-1's are sweet too though. I'm just a big Fender Custom Shop guy I like glassy cleans. SSL-1's are also glassy but with more mids/fatter rounded tone.

 

[soham]

Re: SSL-5, Twangbanger or Antiquity Custom bridge paired with SSL-1

SSL-5 for sure!

And like that dude said NO TONE KNOB.

I tried it and it removed the SSL-5's balls.

I have two strats: One wire Cs69, Cs69, SSL-5

Another wired: Fat 50's Cs69, SSL-5

SSL-1's are sweet too though. I'm just a big Fender Custom Shop guy I like glassy cleans. SSL-1's are also glassy but with more mids/fatter rounded tone.

That's the Gilmour setup right? I've been looking at Fender Sig Gilmour videos and I feel the SSL-5s are the way to go. Thanks a lot guys. (Y)

 

[koshikas]

Re: SSL-5, Twangbanger or Antiquity Custom bridge paired with SSL-1

That's the Gilmour setup right? I've been looking at Fender Sig Gilmour videos and I feel the SSL-5s are the way to go. Thanks a lot guys. (Y)

gilmour selection of pickups in black strat would be "Fat 50's Cs69, SSL-5". if u are interested in clones of gilmour's loaded pickguard or strat for that matter, here are links a fellow member posted few days ago.

I figure I would pass these along to anyone interested, no affiliation. This store also makes a replica of the #1 strat

http://www.ebay.com/itm/920D-Custom...s-/200927036019?pt=Guitar&hash=item2ec82f4273
affordable version of the black strat

http://www.ebay.com/itm/920D-Custom...327?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item19e49c36ef
loaded pickguard from the black strat

 

[Ryan84]

Re: SSL-5, Twangbanger or Antiquity Custom bridge paired with SSL-1

That's the Gilmour setup right? I've been looking at Fender Sig Gilmour videos and I feel the SSL-5s are the way to go. Thanks a lot guys. (Y)

Yup that's the Gilmour setup. The SSL-5 also sounds nice and still quacky clean when you combine it with the middle pickup. I am never able to bond with super low output/thin ice picky bridge pickups. I just don't see the point at least for my playing style. With single coils I like the low output pickups in the neck and middle only.

With an SSL-5 I can even get great hard rock borderline metal tones if I needed them live. I mean, I'm not saying it does what the JB humbucker does in my other two guitars I put it in, but close enough to get by in a pinch on tracks.

Just for future reference, Amazon sells individual Fat 50's (neck), CS69 (same for all positions). So never feel like you have to buy a whole set to put one pickup in a certain position.

 

[soham]

Re: SSL-5, Twangbanger or Antiquity Custom bridge paired with SSL-1

I am never able to bond with super low output/thin ice picky bridge pickups. I just don't see the point at least for my playing style. With single coils I like the low output pickups in the neck and middle only.

You know that's what I realized as well. I set my amp up pretty trebley so my neck pickup is trebly as it is. So a bright vintage pickup is just too shrill in the bridge. So a darker pickup like the SSL-5 is most probably exactly what I need.

Just for future reference, Amazon sells individual Fat 50's (neck), CS69 (same for all positions). So never feel like you have to buy a whole set to put one pickup in a certain position.

TBH I love my SSL-1s (neck and middle). I doubt I'll ever change my neck pickup. But I might be tempted to trade the middle SSL-1 with a CS69. That would be close enough to the Gilmour set anyway right? Not that I need to NAIL his tone...

 

[soham]

Re: SSL-5, Twangbanger or Antiquity Custom bridge paired with SSL-1

Yup that's the Gilmour setup. The SSL-5 also sounds nice and still quacky clean when you combine it with the middle pickup. I am never able to bond with super low output/thin ice picky bridge pickups. I just don't see the point at least for my playing style. With single coils I like the low output pickups in the neck and middle only.

With an SSL-5 I can even get great hard rock borderline metal tones if I needed them live. I mean, I'm not saying it does what the JB humbucker does in my other two guitars I put it in, but close enough to get by in a pinch on tracks.

Just for future reference, Amazon sells individual Fat 50's (neck), CS69 (same for all positions). So never feel like you have to buy a whole set to put one pickup in a certain position.

Just wanted to get some closure on this thread and tell you guys that I'm going with the Gilmour pup setup with two exceptions:
1. SSL-1 instead of a Fat 50s neck
2. Rose Pickups Belle instead of a CS 69 middle (since I don't really use the middle much and everybody who's bought a pickup from them seems very happy).