Strat Pickup help

[OdgeUK]

pcorn: I'm building a Strat.The Ash body and Maple, reverse headstock neck are being finished and will be arriving on my doorstep shortly.

I'm modelling the appearance of the guitar on this:

But am choosing the pickups based on one of my favorite guitarists, Audley Freed. It's having a JB. Jr in the Bridge and Texas specials in the Mid and Neck.

Anyone know two things:

1) Will I still be able to get a single coil sound when in the first 'in-between' position, mixing the mid pickup with the Jb Jr?

2) Do I need a 250k volume pot or a 500k for this pickup config?

I'd ideally (wouldn't we all?) like a crunchy Van Halen, GnR, ACDC sound when on the bridge but get a Hendrix/SRV twang when in the in betweens.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Strat Pickup help

welcome to the forum!!

if you want a more traditional notch tone, split the jb jr in the #4 position
i would use 250k pots

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Strat Pickup help

It depends on how bright the guitar is -- every piece of wood is different -- but since you're going with a maple fingerboard it will likely be more on the bright side.

So unless this individual guitar turns out to have a bit darker than average tone naturally, I second the 250k pots recommendation.

 

[OdgeUK]

Re: Strat Pickup help

Thanks Guys, so you think splitting the JB Jr. will make position 4 more 'Stratocaster-y'. Thought so. Got to be better than Position 4 being a mix of the JB.Jr on full and a Texas special.

I couldn't help but notice this thread though:

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/printthread.php?t=12404

Any thoughts?


Oh.....and here's the latest pic of my custom Strat. Can't wait to take delivery of this and wire the baby up!

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Strat Pickup help

Cool idea! I"m with the other guys, go with 250K pots, and split the JBjr if you want quack in pos. 4.

Luke

 

[jeremy]

Re: Strat Pickup help

in general std strat wiring has no tone control on the bridge pup, that will give you more high end. if it isnt enough then worry about changing pots later. my guess is the 250k will work fine

 

[OdgeUK]

Re: Strat Pickup help

Thanks peeps! 250k it is then. And I can always try a 500k later. Not exactly expensive are they?

:fing2:

 

[OdgeUK]

Re: Strat Pickup help

Here's what Kinman says:

20) I'm mixing Strat pickups and a bridge Humbucker, what pot value do I use?
Single coils and Humbuckers require different pot values. What I suggest is to have 2 Volume pots, one for the Humbucker and another for the Single coils. Connect the bridge Humbucker to it's own 500K volume pot from one side of the switch and the Strat pickups with their own 250K volume pot to the other side of the switch so as to be independent of the Humbucker (except in pos 2 where bridge and middle are mixed). The third pot can be a Tone control for either the Humbucking pickup alone OR the Strat pickups. I will provide a special wirogram with a 2 pickup set for this purpose when requested.

 

[midnite_man]

Re: Strat Pickup help

how about using a tone-blender pot that can blend the neck s.c. in the #5 pos. with the bridge pup, or for that matter can blend in the bridge pup's tone into the middle s.c. as well at #3. Just make the middle pot the main control for tone, especially if your going to use 250K as your value for all three pickups. Install the tone-blender pot in the bottom cavity.
Just a thought....I use them in my Strats.
....Bob

 

[OdgeUK]

Re: Strat Pickup help

how about using a tone-blender pot that can blend the neck s.c. in the #5 pos. with the bridge pup, or for that matter can blend in the bridge pup's tone into the middle s.c. as well at #3. Just make the middle pot the main control for tone, especially if your going to use 250K as your value for all three pickups. Install the tone-blender pot in the bottom cavity.
Just a thought....I use them in my Strats.
....Bob

Bob, I'm liking the sound of that but not completely sure I understand. Do you mean like the 'Spin-a-Split' mod
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/techtips.shtml

 

[Simon_F]

Re: Strat Pickup help

Here's what Kinman says:

20) I'm mixing Strat pickups and a bridge Humbucker, what pot value do I use?
Single coils and Humbuckers require different pot values. What I suggest is to have 2 Volume pots, one for the Humbucker and another for the Single coils. Connect the bridge Humbucker to it's own 500K volume pot from one side of the switch and the Strat pickups with their own 250K volume pot to the other side of the switch so as to be independent of the Humbucker (except in pos 2 where bridge and middle are mixed). The third pot can be a Tone control for either the Humbucking pickup alone OR the Strat pickups. I will provide a special wirogram with a 2 pickup set for this purpose when requested.

My guess is this was written with a full size bridge humbucker in mind, where a 500k pot would be more appropriate. The SD single-coil-size humbuckers like the JB Jr are (as far as I understand) designed to work with 250K pots, as the concept behind their design is that you can just drop them into a Strat without any other modifications being required. I had a Lil '59 in the bridge position of my Strat for a while and it was plenty bright enough with a 250K pot. I wired it so it was split in the #4 position, though I found the middle single coil tended to dominate the split Lil '59. You may not hit this issue as the JB Jr is higher output than the Lil '59.

Another wiring option I thought about (but didn't get around to) was installing a push/pull pot to switch the bridge mini bucker between series and parallel wiring, instead of splitting it in position 4. The parallel wiring would give a lower output single-coil-type sound that you could use on its own (position 5) or combine with the middle single coil (position 4). Total of 7 different tones.

 

[midnite_man]

Re: Strat Pickup help

Bob, I'm liking the sound of that but not completely sure I understand. Do you mean like the 'Spin-a-Split' mod
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/techtips.shtml

Actually, I'm referring to a wiring set-up that comes originally from Lindy Fralin's website:
http://www.fralinpickups.com/images/blendschem2.jpg
I know that Lew aka-in-this-forum/Lewguitar could probably hook you up with a new pot, pre-wired, and some instructions on how to install it in a Strat.
IMO, I think it's a handy little piece of electronics with the way it can taper the guitar's tone with an easy spin of the knob.
Something to think about.....but PM Lew if you want to try it out.
...Bob

 

[midnite_man]

Re: Strat Pickup help

I just wanted to add that I go along with keeping the control pots value at 250k. That JB Jr. is going to be bright enough as it is, let alone pumping another 250K through it with a 500k pot.
If you were to go with the tone-blender mod I wrote about, you're going to have only one tone-pot anyways, because the t-b pot will take the place of your bottom tone-pot. So, for the sake of the s.c.'s you're also putting in, you'd need to keep the value at 250k. You'll also probably tweak your pots with some capacitor changes that can help to fine-tune your desired tone a little more.

For what it's worth
....Bob

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Strat Pickup help

I have to disagree about splitting the JB JR. IMO, the JB JR. will not get the truly classic M&B Strat tone when combined with the middle pickup whether split or not. It's a great pickup for overdriving your amp and for soloing, but it does not have the classic Strat single coil tone and splitting it won't really get that tone either...closer maybe, but still far from the real deal.

I'd go with another single coil pickup as the bridge pickup and if you want one with higher output that will help push your amp into overdrive more easily than a 6-6.5K single coil would, I'd go with a Duncan Twangbanger.

It'll push your amp harder for overdrive and because it's a true single coil you'll get a more accurate classic Strat M&B tone when the Twangbanger is combined with the middle pickup.

Lew

 

[OdgeUK]

Re: Strat Pickup help

I'd go with another single coil pickup as the bridge pickup and if you want one with higher output that will help push your amp into overdrive more easily than a 6-6.5K single coil would, I'd go with a Duncan Twangbanger.

Too late! I've got the JB Jr in my grubby mitts! Can you really get the attack and fullness of a Humbucker from this Twangbanger?