Strat advice

[chadd]

I have a set of A3 pickups that I got online somewhere in one of my strats that I'm thinking of replacing and I'd like to get some suggestions. I'd like something hotter than vintage and not as likely to give me the icepick in the ears tone out of the bridge. I have another strat with a lil Demon, so I'd like to stay with something that sounds fairly strat-ish, though. I also use a Les Paul and use the strat for the stuff that the LP doesn't do well, jangly stuff like Low by Cracker or Say it Ain't So by Weezer, as well as fuzzy strat tones like Cherub Rock by Smashing Pumpkins. Noiseless would be cool, but not at the cost of character. Since I use the same amp for everything, it needs to have enough output to work with my Les Paul settings, without losing the strat character entirely.

Enough rambling, individual or set suggestions please?

 

[vinnie1971]

Strat advice

I have a set of A3 pickups that I got online somewhere in one of my strats that I'm thinking of replacing and I'd like to get some suggestions. I'd like something hotter than vintage and not as likely to give me the icepick in the ears tone out of the bridge. I have another strat with a lil Demon, so I'd like to stay with something that sounds fairly strat-ish, though. I also use a Les Paul and use the strat for the stuff that the LP doesn't do well, jangly stuff like Low by Cracker or Say it Ain't So by Weezer, as well as fuzzy strat tones like Cherub Rock by Smashing Pumpkins. Noiseless would be cool, but not at the cost of character. Since I use the same amp for everything, it needs to have enough output to work with my Les Paul settings, without losing the strat character entirely.

Enough rambling, individual or set suggestions please?

Gold foil pickups? Smashing pumpkins used Teiscos quite a bit. Black and gold foil pickups have a characteristic otherworldly tone no other pickup can match but they are low output without the icepick.

Strats don't jangle well unless you can put the middle pickup half out of phase or have the bridge and neck on at the same time.

If you want jangle then maybe some minihumbuckers, firebird pickups, filtertrons, toasters or dynasonics. There are some cool 3 minihumbucker pickups for strat about. They sound a fantastic.


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[Clint 55]

Re: Strat advice

All the true single coil strat pups are vintage output except for the custom, hot, and quarter pound. The custom and hot sound plenty stratty while the quarter pound is fat and darker.

 

[vinnie1971]

Strat advice

I have fender tex mex, which are warm but not hot,I think something like 7.2k at the bridge and 6.5k or thereabouts for neck and middle. Even with 500k pots, it is in no way shrill or ice pick. Good blues, country and classic rock pickups. I have even played alternative rock with them and they sound good.


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[Boogie Bill]

Re: Strat advice

Think about a clean boost pedal to use with thr Strat. You can match the output of the Paul, without losing the Strat character.

My secret weapon.

Bill

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Strat advice

The EP Boost is the Strat's true secret weapon!

IMO, the SSL-5/SSL-1/SSL-1 is a classic Strat combo.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Strat advice

You can also wire a switch to put the pickups in series. It gives them a boost and sounds good.

 

[chadd]

Re: Strat advice

Thanks to all for the suggestions, let me try to respond to everyone.

Vinnie - If the quarter is too hot, I may give the tex mex a shot.

Clint - Big help, the comparison between the custom, hot and quarter is what I really needed. I wasn't a fan of the quarter that I had in my tele but I'll probably give it a shot this time.

Bill - Already have a MXR/CAE MC402 on the board and use it frequently. However, it's not the right solution for this problem.

 

[vinnie1971]

Re: Strat advice

Thanks to all for the suggestions, let me try to respond to everyone.

Vinnie - If the quarter is too hot, I may give the tex mex a shot.

Clint - Big help, the comparison between the custom, hot and quarter is what I really needed. I wasn't a fan of the quarter that I had in my tele but I'll probably give it a shot this time.

Bill - Already have a MXR/CAE MC402 on the board and use it frequently. However, it's not the right solution for this problem.

Here's a sample of tex mex in my SSS strat, very low gain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGzWygr4eHE&feature=share


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[chadd]

Re: Strat advice

Messing around with the quarter pounder and it seems like it loses a little too much of the strat character

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Strat advice

Adding a switch to put the pups in series is a really good option with vintage strat pups. That way you can get the chime and jangle in single coil mode and then just flip the switch for series mode and get extra output, bass, and rockin tone. All in 1 Guitar.

 

[vinnie1971]

Re: Strat advice

Adding a switch to put the pups in series is a really good option with vintage strat pups. That way you can get the chime and jangle in single coil mode and then just flip the switch for series mode and get extra output, bass, and rockin tone. All in 1 Guitar.

I put my middle pup in series with whichever else is selected using a push pull on one of my strats with low DCR. Kind of makes a very wide range humbucker out of the neck or bridge - but retaining some quack


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[chadd]

Re: Strat advice

Series isn't going to get me where I want to go or I would have done that instead of replacing the pickup. I'm just looking for something between vintage output and the really hot stuff but it seems like there aren't many options out there.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Strat advice

There's the custom and hot. They sound stratty.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Strat advice

Yes, try a Custom in the neck and Hot in the bridge. Maybe make them tapped and add an SSL-1 in the middle for quack.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Strat advice

Is hum cancelling important? The Stack series (Classics in the neck & middle, Custom in bridge) will do it. If I ever use 3 singles, this is always my choice. Even 3 Customs will compete with your LP. If you want to stay singles, go for a Quarter Pound set.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Strat advice

Strats sound different to Les Pauls. Just like watercolour looks different to oil. Embrace it. Turn a dial or two on your amp.

 

[chadd]

Re: Strat advice

Is hum cancelling important? The Stack series (Classics in the neck & middle, Custom in bridge) will do it. If I ever use 3 singles, this is always my choice. Even 3 Customs will compete with your LP. If you want to stay singles, go for a Quarter Pound set.

Hum canceling isn't a factor in and of itself, I just need it to retain the strat character as much as is practical. I bought a QP bridge on Saturday and it sounds like poo. Unfortunately, the shop only takes cash and doesn't give receipts, so I can't do the Duncan swap program. At this point I'm probably looking at the DiMarzio SDS-1 as Duncan doesn't appear to have what I'm looking for.

 

[chadd]

Re: Strat advice

Strats sound different to Les Pauls. Just like watercolour looks different to oil. Embrace it. Turn a dial or two on your amp.

I embrace the difference, that's why I switch between the guitars. We go from song to song pretty quickly to keep the show going, stopping to fiddle with the amp isn't an option However, I don't like the harshness of the tone with the original bridge pickup and there isn't a lot I could do to dial that out anyway.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Strat advice

I don't like the harshness of the tone with the original bridge pickup and there isn't a lot I could do to dial that out anyway.

Aha. Easily solved. ssl-1(or ssl2 if you need flat poles) in neck and middle and ssl-5 (or ssl6) in the bridge. Wire the bridge pup to the tone pot via the 5 way along with the middle pup. Sounds great if you are swapping from gibson to fender onstage. I know others have already suggested this config too, so im not trying to reinvent the wheel, but i can tell you that my strat sounds great with this configuration right alongside my gibsons when swapping onstage.