SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

HSH is the most versatile I've tried, I have no problem with the middle pickup getting in the way at all, the pick shouldn't go down that far past the strings unless maybe when doing a pinch harmonic, but even then that usually doesnt sound good right over the middle pickup in my experience.
I really want to try a HSS guitar that I like, but sadly I've never found one. That is another pickup configuration that I really want to like but just never found the right guitar with that (I don't like strats, or fat strats).

I've got to have a humbucker in the bridge position though.
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

H-S-H for me. I LOVE flexibility; my switch arrangement has 17 sounds.

You can get a hot middle pickup and lower it if it's in your way. Mine doesn't normally get in the way unless I'm "digging" the blues or using fingers for country "snapping".
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

my HSH with a 5-way, push/pull, and on-off-on minitoggle gets me me 16 combos and any combination of 2 coils is humcancelling ... very cool
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

I'm thinking about trying HHS (single in neck). I put a H in the neck, but it didn't give me the tone IU was looking for. It was too bassy & dull. Put it in the middle and I liked it a lot. Now I'm thinking mid & bridge H to get the gibson tones, but keeping the fender S neck sound

But you don't see this combination very often. Indeed, Strats are routed for HSH, but not HHS. Why is this?
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

H-S-S is my favorite in superstrats.

Regular strats is just mainly SSS.
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

Watch videos of gigging pros who play a strat on tour with a rock or pop artist. THE most useful all in one is the HSS strat. Neck can do a lot, including Stevie Ray. Bridge can get a harder "Gwaaaa" tone with a Marshall or distortion box and is not ice-picky. The in-between sounds are definitely there (with the right HBer).
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

one more vote for the H-S-H, you can get those heavy sounds and still in the middle position that clear fingerpicking pickup, best for accompanying someone i think, neck is too bassy for that
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

No one said bucker or p90 at the neck...

For me and based on my little experience:

SSS:
Cool for the notch positions and the neck.
The bridge alone doesn't do a thing for me.

HSS:
Better than SSS, the bridge becomes uselful.

HSH:
Forget about spliting and having SSS it will never be the same thing, just close.

HH:
Goodness, you can split to have a different sound, all that jazz.

HS:
Call me biased but until recently I had never tried such a thing. Now? Best thing ever. Good tones and versatility.

SSH:
Never tried it and asides from Carmine I've never even seen it being used.
Regular Single at the bridge... not for me.

SH:
Never tried it.

Single pup (irrelevant of type) at the neck XX?: On most guitars I've tried thats where I spend most of the time so, to me, it's the best.

As for you question 2 vs 3 pups, I think Zerb hit the head on that one (as usual). For me less is more... just not to the point of a single bucker in the bridge LOL

EDIT: Forgot to say nothing of this applies to Esquires, that brige pup is schweet.
 
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Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

It's up to what you want. Try out a bunch of combinations and see what works for you. Right now, the only ones I've tried are H/H, S/S/S, and S/S/H.

I've been eyeing H/S/H recently, in basswood.

It's all good though. To me, each combination has its good and bad. Even then, if you're really worried about string pull, you can go with alnico 2 magnets (which should have less pull compared to alnico 5 or ceramic).
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

I like the classic S/S/S, or the same with a bridge humbucker, for the specific reason that a split humbucker, or a tapped humbucker, or a parallel HB, or split HBer coils on at the same time through a super switch, simply doesn't nail the sound of a Fender type SC alone, or in notch positions with other pickups. There is no substitute. These other solutions might be good sounds, but they don't nail it.

At times having a HBer in the bridge position is nice and very usefull, but I don't find a good bridge single coil useless.

I like having the option of some kind of neck pickup, be it a HBer or a SC (a SC is usually better in the neck position), even if I end up using a bridge pickup almost exclusively in some higher gain situations.

I don't find my SSS or HSS guitars lacking suffciant sustian. In such a case it would not last long in my stable.
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

H or HS for me.I like to have more wood on my guitar ,and the neck PU is allmost obsolete for me.27 frets and a single coil in the neck gives me a nice thick clean tone maybe ,but i can get it with a good EQ too.so i would stick with a single Humbucker.With coil tapping.!
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

I like S/S/S and HS the most. I also really enjoy SH Thinline Teles.. mmm

Neck humbuckers, except in hollowbody guitars, do absolutely nothing for me.
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

HSS w/ a 5 way switch is my favorite. soon to have it on both of my electric guitars. Rock On!
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

LSP said:
SH:
Never tried it.
Click to expand...

This is a great setup using a Stag Mag in a Tele, with the neck split as its normal mode. Like this:

Tele_HS.jpg
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

Any ideas on how the sound of the mid & bridge on a HHS Strat would differ from a Gibson-style guitar?

I know the pickups aren't spaced the same (among other issues--wood, etc), but that seems like maybe the best way to replicate Gibson & still have the Fender Neck sound.
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

If I had to pick just one, it would be S at the neck. Beautiful.

But I have an HSH, and I get great sounds at every position, and split.
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

Since I play quite a wide range of different music styles, I'd find use for pretty many different setups (except those with only one pickup) there is - almost all have their use, the guitar as a whole is what counts.

Versatility is a nice thing to have, but in most of the guitars I've tried, that have i.e. H-S-H with coil taps and million other switches doing this and that, have been big disappointments. Yes, there are a lot of sounds, but only a few that truly work - if even them, depending on the guitar's other preferences (was that the right word...?). Quality over quantity.

Ok, maybe I'm not a big fan of H-S-H. If I need a neck humbucker sound on some track, the track doesn't yell for a middle pickup sound (for a reason I don't know, it's just so) - and the coil-tapped neck hb+mid sc just doesn't do the same as a neck sc + mid sc, I prefer a Strat for that. Plus the H-S-H guitars are usually those undynamic all-the-same-sounding heavymetal axes I just couldn't care less of... But that's another debate. :)

Stratocaster is The Thing for me soundwise. I just love a good one's versatility and especially the response to my picking style. So S-S-S has all the options I need, but H-S-S usually covers my initial needs better, since the traditional strat's bridge pickup sound is usually a bit too... hmm... "brittle" (?) and thin to me. And I use the mid+bridge combo quite rarely compared to the other positions. Yet there is a NICE exception: I just don't miss the bridge humbucker on my Powerhouse Strat for a certain reason found behind the lower tone knob... ;) Awesome guitar, btw. Haven't found a better one for me yet.

H-H works great with LP (of course) and jazz boxes etc., and also works on many other lamtops (depending on the top wood) I've tried. Just haven't found the right neck hb yet to my Ibanez to suit my needs (true single coil sound when tapped and a hb sound articulate enough)... :( I can barely manage with the original hb when overdriven, but it's clean sound is terrible - except that it's excellent for funk rhythms (and such) coil-tapped, both overdriven and clean. That's the reason I've kept it...

Then there are the Tele things. Those facinating robust gadgets that can punch your head off - without overdrive. That's what I miss and lack, the mid boost on the Strat don't do it. So should I say S-S too? In Tele's case, it works. Except for the traditional Teles' neck pu alone, not that awesome sound and feel to play IMO. Jaguars and Mustangs... Well no thanks. Maybe something with P90's. They just haven't done it for me - yet, I guess.

Long post... :nervous: New to the forum - gotta lot catching up to do. :laugh2:
 
Re: SSS vs. HSS vs. HSH vs. SSH vs. HH vs. HS vs. SH

I've tried SSS, HH, HSS, HSH, and my current favorite setup is HS, Humbucker at the bridge and single coil at the neck. This guitar has a 3-way (rotary switch) and a push pull coil tap in the volume knob, for 5 combos. (Neck S, Neck S + Bridge H, Neck S + Bridge S, Bridge H, Bridge S, great palette!)


I DO have a problem hitting the middle pickup because I'm very heavy with my right hand and I "dig deep" on the strings, so HS is great for me.

The way I see it, you got the bridge humbucker for chug-chuggity-chug-chug-chug, you got the neck single coil for SRV-style blues, you got Both for a really great lead tone (fat bell like bottom with high end sustain - I really like this!) Neck single + bridge "single" for a great rhythm tone (think AWB) , and bridge "single" for blues rhythm playing, "vintage" tones, etc.

I'm hooked on HS!
 
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