Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

[EddieVN]

I’ve got a strat with hot rails in the bridge and neck, and want to upgrade the stock single coil in the middle position for something a bit posher. I’m after something relatively high output that still sounds tasty when clean, not too dark or P90ish sounding, and quite mid-heavy. I like to hear the pick attack, love growly mids when around the break-up point, and am not intending to use it for anything ultra high-gain… that’s what the hot rails are for. I guess I want a good mid-heavy overdriven blues sound, but something which doesn’t sound too honky when clean.

I’ve listened to some sounds samples and so far I like –

Bare Knuckle Slow Hand
Lace Alumitone
Seymour Quarter Pounder
Dimarzio Virtual Vintage Heavy Blues 2

Also the Lace Sensor range of noiseless single coils… although they have a baffling array and I haven’t managed to listen to sound samples of each

Am very open to any other suggestions. Bear in mind this is a single coil in middle position only. Thoughts?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

Welcome to the forum!

Is hum cancelling important, or do you want it to be a single coil? The Custom Flat is a great choice, as is something hum-cancelling, like the Parallel Axis Stack or the Hot Stack.

 

[EddieVN]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

I’m looking for single coil only.

Hadn’t considered the custom flat – I’ll listen to some samples. Looks like the kind of thing I’d be after…. Slightly gutsier classic strat sound

Thanks

 

[Jacew]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

I’m looking for single coil only.

Hadn’t considered the custom flat – I’ll listen to some samples. Looks like the kind of thing I’d be after…. Slightly gutsier classic strat sound

Thanks

I really like SSL-5 in the middle. Perfect combination of growl and bright lead tone.

EDIT: It's the staggered version of custom flat.

 

[EddieVN]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

Really liking the sound of the Custom flat. What are the pros and cons of staggered vs non-staggered? On the website it says staggered is for more curved fretboards... mine feels like a pretty bog standard strat radius... what do you think? Also, if twinning with humbuckers should I get reverse-wound or normal?

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

RW/RP affects which coil you want to coil split to. I believe RW/RP allows you to split to the slug coils without noise, but someone might need to fact check me on that.

And the stagger of the pickup affects string to string output, it was more important in the olden days due to how they made strings, but now a days it has more to do with tone. Staggered pickups have less chance of you accidentally overpowering the bass strings with your pick attack, they also for the most part have a smoother high end than their flat counterparts. Maybe a bit less bass and presence too. I prefer staggered for the middle of an HSH.

Have you considered the STK-S4 or STK-S7 for the middle?

 

[gregory]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

Staggered will give you a very prominent G string (if plain) and quiet B string. I would hardly call that a smoother high end. Flat stagger gives you better string balance unless you have a small fingerboard radius and a wound G string. Too much bass is tamed by simply adjusting the pickup down on that side.

RW/RP affects which coil you want to coil split to. I believe RW/RP allows you to split to the slug coils without noise, but someone might need to fact check me on that.

No. RW/RP is North, so you get hum if you combine it with a slug coil of standard Seymour Duncan humbucker which is also North unless you flip the magnet (or run it out-of-phase).

SSL-6 is your best bet if you want more mids and output but still want to retain the basic Strat characteristic.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

Staggered will give you a very prominent G string (if plain) and quiet B string. I would hardly call that a smoother high end.

I guess that's about right, but I can fix that by changing individual string height. It might just be me convincing myself I hear less high end.

To be totally honest I usually just use staggered because behind a band the differences are hardly even there and I think that staggered looks cooler. It's aesthetics for me more than anything.

 

[gregory]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

Staggered can work very well for chords, depending on how you voice them. Single note work under mid-gain, forget about it.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

I generally go with flat if there is a choice; I use a plain G with larger than a vintage radius.

 

[gregory]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

The difference between flat and stagger is nowhere near as massive as the impression given by zealots from either camp.

That you can't sound like SRV without a vintage stagger is patently absurd.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

The difference between flat and stagger is nowhere near as massive as the impression given by zealots from either camp.

That you can't sound like SRV without a vintage stagger is patently absurd.

Didn't you know that it's impossible to sound like Hendrix without a reverse stagger? Even though he ran it through a Fuzz Face, which has boatloads of compression?

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

I gave up on vintage stagger several years ago. Never buy them now. I got sick of string volume differences and fighting stratitis warble. I only use more modern staggers or flat.

 

[EddieVN]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

OK thanks guys, this is all good stuff. Leaning towards the Custom Flat SSL6. Any thoughts on the Quarter Pound in middle position?
Annoyingly, most demos - official and on youtube - concentrate on the bridge setting, and occasionally go to the neck, never the middle, so I'm kind of working blind here (or deaf...) !

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

Quarter Pound is a hotter pickup with a heavier, less stratish tone. I'd say it's about halfway between a Strat pickup and a P90 tonewise. It's definitely a good choice if need beef in every pickup, but it doesn't have the "tasty while clean" you were looking for. It is a common middle single to pair with Hot Rails though.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

^ This is a good description. I think it is darker than the Custom. Less single-coil-ish. Barkier. I am making up words. But you get the idea.

 

[EddieVN]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

Right, that settles it. Custom it is. Thanks guys

 

[SJ318]

Re: Strat middle single coil. Opinions please.

Hi,
I've said this before, of the single coils that I like, but only come staggered, I just turn them 180 degrees and it becomes a flat stagger on the the top 4 high strings, and the low E and A are loud anyway, so the poles wind up lower on the lower strings, which, to me, gives it a great balance. Instant Jimi Hendrix style pickups.
I had to remove some wood, not much, to make room for the wire part of the pickup, but I will never sell my guitars so it is a moot point. I do this to all my staggered single coils. Usually my Strats and Tele (1) have been routed so turning mine around is no big deal at all, only had to do that once.
Steve Buffington