Strat positions 2 and 4 with buckers?

[Banekiller01]

I love Strats. So many classic, heritage tones. The tones that i really like that are iconic are the funk/blues tones in positions 2 and 4. In the bridge and neck, however, I like a humbucker. If i wire the guitar so that position 2 is the inner coil of the bridge and the middle, and so that 4 is the inner coil of the neck and the middle, can I get those incredible tones that you could get on a SSS Strat in 2 and 4?

 

[AlexR]

Re: Strat positions 2 and 4 with buckers?

Kind of...I mean a strat pickup is approx 6k, but half of a humbucker might not be quite that much. Also the bar magnet + poles isn't equal to magnetic polepieces.

So you'll get close-ish

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: Strat positions 2 and 4 with buckers?

I recently converted this guitar from SSS to the HSH you see above. I loved the tone from the singles, but I needed more power and output. The switch down at the bottom splits the humbuckers and adds in the middle single coil

It's good, but it's nowhere near the sound of a good SSS strat.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Strat positions 2 and 4 with buckers?

Stag Mags with "auto split" wiring.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Strat positions 2 and 4 with buckers?

In my experience you can get close to that tone by splitting a humbucker, but it's not the same. "Close enough for live" as I like to say.

 

[IMENATOR]

Re: Strat positions 2 and 4 with buckers?

I think it really depends on selecting the right pickup, some demos claim the screaming demon splits quite well. Personally I tried spliting Jazz/JB and I was trying to get the quack with a sc in the middle. Currently I have a real HSS (ok, neck is stacked but I wired auto split) and I like the quack much better for neck+middle now. Also picking the rigth pickup for the middle makes a difference, my HSH was a stock sc, my current HSS is an SSL-1 which I really liked.

Also I know some people use the duckbucker in the middle, I have never used that but looks like an interesting pickup to try with HBs, I do not know if you should split your HBs when using the duckbucker. I think that is gonna be my next pickup to get and and set my strat back to HSH.

 

[Pierre]

Re: Strat positions 2 and 4 with buckers?

You can get pretty close. Closest pickup I tried in the bridge position that split well with a single coil was the APII 'bucker (I have SSL1s).
I'd love to try SSL5s with one of the Customs... Could be scorching hot.

I've got my Strat wired so that position 4 (bridge + middle) automatically splits the bridge humbucker. Position 3 is also the neck + split 'bucker in parallel.
The bridge humbucker also has an individual volume control, so I can balance things out if required. Very versatile wiring but it requires a megaswitch.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Strat positions 2 and 4 with buckers?

You can get pretty close. Closest pickup I tried in the bridge position that split well with a single coil was the APII 'bucker (I have SSL1s).
I'd love to try SSL5s with one of the Customs... Could be scorching hot.

I've got my Strat wired so that position 4 (bridge + middle) automatically splits the bridge humbucker. Position 3 is also the neck + split 'bucker in parallel.
The bridge humbucker also has an individual volume control, so I can balance things out if required. Very versatile wiring but it requires a megaswitch.

I think it's better to match hot humbuckers with vintage singles for splitting. See my SD Blog post for my explanation why.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Strat positions 2 and 4 with buckers?

Why not just leave it SSS? Problem solved.

 

[Pierre]

Re: Strat positions 2 and 4 with buckers?

I think it's better to match hot humbuckers with vintage singles for splitting. See my SD Blog post for my explanation why.

Agreed, since the half of a 'hot' bucker will match the vintage single coil.
My Strat has a ~12k 'bucker and ~6k singles. Volumes aren't perfectly matched, but with HSS you can't get everything, it's all a compromise. Resistance doesn't mean much when pickups don't match, but in this case it's indeed about as close as it gets when the 'bucker is split.