STK's or YJM's ?

[SDK2]

HI all,

I’m looking for some advice on pickup selection. I’ve watched and read ton of reviews, but still wanted to post this in the forum also.
I’m looking to change the pickups on my strat. I’m planning to play blues and Rock, maybe some neo-classical stuff. No band in particular. I like the sound of the SSL-s therefore I’ve been looking in to the stacked noiseless versions of those. I’ve also read that the YJM’s can be good for blues and rock also.
I’ve been looking into the following options:

BRIDGE: Custom Stack Plus Strat STK-S6
MIDDLE: Classic Stack Plus Strat STK-S4m RWRP
NECK: Vintage Hot Stack Plus Strat STK-S7

BRIDGE: JB Jr. Strat SJBJ-1b
MIDDLE: Classic Stack Plus Strat STK-S4m (RWRP)
NECK: Custom Stack Plus Strat STK-S6

BRIDGE: Hot Stack Strat STK-S2
MIDDLE: Classic Stack Plus Strat STK-S4m (RWRP)
NECK: Custom Stack Plus Strat STK-S6

BRIDGE: YJM Fury Strat - bridge
MIDDLE: YJM Fury Strat - middle
NECK: YJM Fury Strat – neck

BRIDGE: YJM Fury Strat - bridge
MIDDLE: Custom Stack Plus Strat STK-S6
NECK: YJM Fury Strat - neck

Any advice /thoughts?

Keep in mind that I have an Ibanez with these pickups so I don’t want to end up with something that sounds similar:

Bridge: Jason Becker Perpetual Burn
Neck: Parallel Axis Original

 

[Mincer]

Re: STK's or YJM's ?

Welcome to the forum!

I am a huge fan of Classic Stack Plus seties, but I think here you'd be better off with a full-on YJM set. It was built for overdrive, and while the Stacks do overdrive well, I always thought the YJMs were a little better at it. Add in the fact that you do some neo-classical, then you'd be all set.

 

[SDK2]

Re: STK's or YJM's ?

Thanks for the comment. If you forget the neo-classical part which of the first three variations makes most sense? I think i'm leaning towards the one with the JB J. in the bridge.

 

[IMENATOR]

Re: STK's or YJM's ?

Thanks for the comment. If you forget the neo-classical part which of the first three variations makes most sense? I think i'm leaning towards the one with the JB J. in the bridge.

When I had only one guitar and I really wanted versatility I had my HSS as JB/ SSL-1/Fury neck and it really worked for me. I don't have a sound clip.

The Custom Stack Plust STK-S6 in the neck is a nice option too, it balances well with the JB and lots of people in this forum had recommended this pair. You could find this combo as the stock pickups of some 2014 and 2015 MIM Charvels, some sounds below. IMHO Fury neck wins for soloing, the Custom Stack plus wins for the strat quack. As I like soloing with the neck pickup Fury is my favorite but it the Custom Stack plus is a really good one too.

JB + Custom Stack Plus clean
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZmZX-5SBY4

JB + Custom Stack Plus dirty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0N_zegGJTg


If you do auto split wiring then the regular SSL-1 in the middle will give you noise canceling quack in notch positions

 

[Open lane]

Re: STK's or YJM's ?

I haven't tried all but the YJMs but i will tell you, i love the YJMs and they're a lot more versatile than i expected them to be.

 

[SDK2]

Re: STK's or YJM's ?

My only concern with the Fury is that it has very high DCR 25.5K compared with all the others : JBJ/15.2K and STK-S6/14.5K , STK-S4m/8.6K. If i put it in a set with any other pickup it will overpower it in 2/4 position. In your config can you hear the SSL-1 at all in 4th position? Also isn't it better to have the most powerful pickup in the bridge and not neck ?

 

[Mincer]

Re: STK's or YJM's ?

Don't go by the DCR for a measure of output. I never noticed that the YJMs were higher output than other singles or stacks. The JB Jr is a much different sound that has little to do with a Strat, and the output is pretty high. If that is the sound you like (80s hard rock), then go for it. It does that sound really well, but versatility isn't its strong suit.

 

[Liam1963]

Re: STK's or YJM's ?

I have a set of YJM's in a Strat and I love them!

 

[Masta' C]

Re: STK's or YJM's ?

My only concern with the Fury is that it has very high DCR 25.5K compared with all the others

VERY common mistake.

Contrary to the many players regurgitating this perception across the internet, DC resistance, for most intents and purposes, does NOT directly equate to output. For example, a 9.7K pickup is NOT necessarily "hotter" than an 8.5K pickup, even of similar construction, although many believe that.

A lot of the blame is on the manufacturers who offer only DCR specs with which to compare their designs, instead of agreeing on a more universal method for reporting actual output specs. Sadly, providing DCR alone paints a very blurry picture in the real world and causes a lot of confusion.

BTW, despite the very few instances when you can compare DCR to roughly estimate the relative output difference of two pickups, DCR is even LESS of an indicator of how much relative output there will be when you are comparing completely different designs. Such as, in your case, the JB Jr (side-by-side mini coils) vs. the YJM (stacked coils) vs. the SSL-1 (traditional single coil), etc.

 

[SDK2]

Re: STK's or YJM's ?

Thanks . The more and more i read about it the more and more i got convinced in it. Just needed someone to confirm it.

 

[SDK2]

Re: STK's or YJM's ?

Thanks all for the comments. Based on them and some further thoughts i've revised my pickup selection and posted it in a second thread.
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?313526-Best-combo-b-n-YJM-STK-SLSD-1

Thanks again.

 

[IMENATOR]

Re: STK's or YJM's ?

Don't go by the DCR for a measure of output. I never noticed that the YJMs were higher output than other singles or stacks. The JB Jr is a much different sound that has little to do with a Strat, and the output is pretty high. If that is the sound you like (80s hard rock), then go for it. It does that sound really well, but versatility isn't its strong suit.

Agree, not versatile by itself. In the HSS config the JB for hard rock and metal it rules, the middle for mild overdrive and cleans, the neck for mild overdrive and cleans and soloing of course.