SSS pups for strong leads on tube amps?

Duffy1949

Duffy1949

New member
I want to get a nice set of Duncans to hit the preamps on my tube amps strongly enough to produce good single note leads with sustain and body, not thin.

I am thinking of SSL1 staggered, Alnico II Pro staggered, and SSL5 staggered. The SSL5's seem like they would be great.

The SSL1's might be a little thin?

I have some Alnico II Pro's in a two different teles and I really dig these pickups. I'm not knowledgeable enough to know if they would produce the good single note leads that I'm looking for and the depth of body to the sound.

Any advice that might help me out from your "personal perspective". Everything is subjective, I know, and I can handle the subjective part myself; so I'm looking for your personal perspectives and experiences, not comments on how everything is subjective. After all everything is subjective, but I'm trying to get some feedback from people's personal experiences themselves and how they found one or another of these pickup sets.

Thanks for considering my request for useful info. I'll make my subjective observation "after" I get the pickups. I just need a headstart or some decent advice based upon what worked for you.
 
Re: SSS pups for strong leads on tube amps?

Are you open to single coil sized humbuckers? Hotrails/Cool Rails sounds amazing through tube amps...will definitely give you strong leads with lots of sustain and definitely not thin.
 
Re: SSS pups for strong leads on tube amps?

I have a set of Antiquity Texas Hots, Antiquity Surfer, Alnico Pro II's, Fender Texas Specials & EMG SV w/spc control. The Texas Hots provide the fullest single notes for soloing in my opinion. Not to be off subject but I also find having a rosewood board on the strat makes a big difference. Never tried the SSL5's but have heard great things about them and they may get you there also.
 
Re: SSS pups for strong leads on tube amps?

treyhaislip said:
Are you open to single coil sized humbuckers? Hotrails/Cool Rails sounds amazing through tube amps...will definitely give you strong leads with lots of sustain and definitely not thin.
Click to expand...

This also....have used Dimarzio Cruiser, Air Norton & Tone Zone single coil size and they sound incredible. TZ S in the bridge is about as thick a tone you can get. Also no noise.
 
Re: SSS pups for strong leads on tube amps?

The SSL-1s are better at clean styles- they won't be pushing much of anything, but are great at what they do. I would recommend the SSL-5 or Quarter Pounnd. If you want more of a humbucker sound, go with Rails, but if you want to stay with singles, the SSL-5 will do it well.
 
Re: SSS pups for strong leads on tube amps?

SSL5'S should be good then, for what I want. Hot enough but single coils.

I read that the Alnico II Pro's are also full and beautiful sounding. I like them in my MIM tele and Fender Nashville Tele.

I just think that something like the SSL5's might do the job even better.

I have Texas Specials, Lindy Fralin "hot vintage", and stock Am STD pickups in my Fenders, and stock pups in my Squier Classic Vibe 50's strats. I think my CV50's gold anniv. strat has the same CV stock pups but don't know for sure.

The Fralin's are very nice and clean, as are the Tx Spcls.

I have Fat 50's in a cheap Squier STD that I should move to a nicer strat, maybe my gold CV Anniv. Strat. It is a great guitar.

Maybe the Fat 50's in a good strat will give me strong, full single note leads. But the SSL5's might be more satisfying.

With sss guitars there are a lot of different specialized pickups available it seems, without even looking at noiseless ones.

I have a set of Fender vintage noiseless pickups in my Walnut stained Squier Tele and they sound muted and humbucker'ish.
 
Re: SSS pups for strong leads on tube amps?

the ssl1s won't push hard enough.
They are very good pickups don't get me wrong, but if you want something that pushes harder the ssl5 as mincer said.
 
Re: SSS pups for strong leads on tube amps?

+1 to the Fender Fat 50s recommendation. My main guitar is a Strat loaded with them and I play thru a tube amp ;) The neck and middle are the epitome of Strat tone IMHO--crystal clear cleans with bell-like tone but can take any amount of gain you throw at them.

Only issue I have with the Fat 50s set is that the bridge sounds a bit thin and weak...waiting on a Seymour Duncan Custom Shop build to replace the bridge in my Strat.
 
Re: SSS pups for strong leads on tube amps?

If you want a single coil that can really kill the guy with the ball get an SSL-3. My pick for what you want is the SSL-5, I have it in the bridge of one of my strats and it is a great pickup.
 
Re: SSS pups for strong leads on tube amps?

Alnico IIs certainly can produce great sounding leads..they really won't push the amp much, but they don't have the icepick highs either. They sound wonderful with a small amount of gain from a non-master volume tube amp.
 
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