Strat Quack

[hamerfan]

I know its discussed to death in this forum, but i like to add something.
My attitude towards strat was to buy a balanced set, i had the ssl-1 set, a Haeussel Blues set and the Fender Texas Special set, DiMarzio True Velvet and some singles. I wasn‘t to keen on a ‚all the same vintage style set‘ but tried that too with Fender/Squier stock sets.
Some years ago i read: „You’ll notice that in all the sets listed below, the middle pickup is wound with significantly weaker than the neck. This unusual configuration reflects my conviction that a weaker middle pickup makes for better quack and cluck in the #2 and #4 positions for us Notch-Only players (those who rarely if ever use the middle by itself).“ The offered sets have a 1.2 difference between bridge and middle.
By mating different pickups out of my drawer i also got big difference between bridge and middle. 7.4 to 6.2 both 42awg. And lo and behold, it quacks like there is no tomorrow.

Just sayin....

 

[Artie]

I like Strat quack too. I was even thinking once of doing one of my "cheap" Strats with a toggle that just did N/M & M/B. Could be cool.

 

[Mincer]

I've heard ideal quack sounds with rw/rp middle, as well as equal middle pickups, too. It really depends on the player, the amp, and what you are playing. A good player playing 'what we would expect to hear' can get that sound out of many kinds of sets.

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

I know its discussed to death in this forum, but i like to add something.
My attitude towards strat was to buy a balanced set, i had the ssl-1 set, a Haeussel Blues set and the Fender Texas Special set, DiMarzio True Velvet and some singles. I wasn‘t to keen on a ‚all the same vintage style set‘ but tried that too with Fender/Squier stock sets.
Some years ago i read: „You’ll notice that in all the sets listed below, the middle pickup is wound with significantly weaker than the neck. This unusual configuration reflects my conviction that a weaker middle pickup makes for better quack and cluck in the #2 and #4 positions for us Notch-Only players (those who rarely if ever use the middle by itself).“ The offered sets have a 1.2 difference between bridge and middle.
By mating different pickups out of my drawer i also got big difference between bridge and middle. 7.4 to 6.2 both 42awg. And lo and behold, it quacks like there is no tomorrow.

Just sayin....

That advice you're quoting about the Middle pickup should be lower output than the Bridge and Neck pups, matches up well to another popular advice/tip that says to set the height of the Middle pickup significantly lower than the Bridge and Neck pups.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Interesting. I never realized that the middle pup should be lower or have less output to get the best quack. Now I need to try it in some of my strats.

 

[PFDarkside]

That advice you're quoting about the Middle pickup should be lower output than the Bridge and Neck pups, matches up well to another popular advice/tip that says to set the height of the Middle pickup significantly lower than the Bridge and Neck pups.

I’ve lowered the middle pickup just to get it a little further away from the pick/strings and I have noticed a difference in “quack” as well. Since this is a preference and not an absolute, I think those that like position 2/4 tone would be rewarded with the time spent playing with a lower output middle and playing with the height.

Ive also noticed mixing magnets gets a nice, complex sound. One of my Strats has an APS-1 in the neck and a SSL-1 in the middle/bridge. The N/M position is a little reminiscent of John Mayer’s N/M on Continuum. The rumor is that the Black Strat is A3 in the neck and A5 in the middle and bridge.

 

[ICTGoober]

Back in the 80's one of my apprentices built a Strat loaded with a pair of mini-humbuckers from a Gibson SG in the bridge and middle positions. I was astounded when he was able to get that Strat quack by wiring the pickups out of phase.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

My experience is you need a bright middle pickup, so a weaker one makes sense.

This is also true of single coil size humbuckers.


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[Adieu]

Mathematically speaking, what IS the original strat quack, anyway?

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Mathematically speaking, what IS the original strat quack, anyway?

Originally Strats could only operate one pickup at a time. It wasn’t until people jammed the switch in between two pickups that the quack was born.

Contrary to popular belief, the pickups are not out of phase, but any time you combine two pickups you get notches and peaks when their signals combine.

If you actually switch the middle pickup out a phase, and use a .05mF cap in series to sort of put it half out of phase, you combine the two sounds and there’s no quack. I have one of my guitars setup with that phase switch. (I’m not a fan of that Strat quack.)


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[Mincer]

It isn't just a sound, but a style of playing that Strat that accentuates the quack. You wouldn't identify it as quickly if a jazz player were to use it, or with a ton of preamp gain.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

It isn't just a sound, but a style of playing that Strat that accentuates the quack. You wouldn't identify it as quickly if a jazz player were to use it, or with a ton of preamp gain.

Back in the 70s it was used a lot with distortion. Like in the solo on What You Gonna Do by Pablo Cruise and other similar funky bands.


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[Ascension]

I know its discussed to death in this forum, but i like to add something.
My attitude towards strat was to buy a balanced set, i had the ssl-1 set, a Haeussel Blues set and the Fender Texas Special set, DiMarzio True Velvet and some singles. I wasn‘t to keen on a ‚all the same vintage style set‘ but tried that too with Fender/Squier stock sets.
Some years ago i read: „You’ll notice that in all the sets listed below, the middle pickup is wound with significantly weaker than the neck. This unusual configuration reflects my conviction that a weaker middle pickup makes for better quack and cluck in the #2 and #4 positions for us Notch-Only players (those who rarely if ever use the middle by itself).“ The offered sets have a 1.2 difference between bridge and middle.
By mating different pickups out of my drawer i also got big difference between bridge and middle. 7.4 to 6.2 both 42awg. And lo and behold, it quacks like there is no tomorrow.

Just sayin....

Agree with this 100%!

 

[Ascension]

It isn't just a sound, but a style of playing that Strat that accentuates the quack. You wouldn't identify it as quickly if a jazz player were to use it, or with a ton of preamp gain.

Yep agreed. The Silverado Washburn USA is the first real Strat toned guitar I have owned in a few years. Really made me have to work on my technique to be able to accurately get that traditional Strat tone out of it.

 

[Ascension]

Back in the 70s it was used a lot with distortion. Like in the solo on What You Gonna Do by Pablo Cruise and other similar funky bands.


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Not just the 70's i LOVE the sound of my Swamp Ash bodied Silverado with the Surfer II's through my PRS Archon for melodic stuff. The way it responds to touch and how the notes bloom is addictive for high gain solo work!

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Interesting. I never realized that the middle pup should be lower or have less output to get the best quack. Now I need to try it in some of my strats.

FYI: I'm not personally vouching for its effectiveness. Merely stating that i've seen numerous endorsements of that technique by others when doing my research on "what creates quack". I personally haven't tried that lower-the-middle-pup hack myself because I want an uncompromised Position 3 tone. And, i've been lucky enough to get decent enough quack in Position 2 and 4 without having to resort to trying that.

 

[Mincer]

Back in the 70s it was used a lot with distortion. Like in the solo on What You Gonna Do by Pablo Cruise and other similar funky bands.


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Oh I get it. You hear it in fuzzed-up Steely Dan, too. Exceptions to every rule, I guess. Most of the time when you hear that quack, though, it tends to be accompanied by a certain kind of playing that I associate with that sound. That isn't a bad thing- it is one of the reasons many people pick Strats is that sound.

Except Blackmore, that never used it.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Oh I get it. You hear it in fuzzed-up Steely Dan, too. Exceptions to every rule, I guess. Most of the time when you hear that quack, though, it tends to be accompanied by a certain kind of playing that I associate with that sound. That isn't a bad thing- it is one of the reasons many people pick Strats is that sound.

Except Blackmore, that never used it.

Yes, that’s the new quack.

Blackmore never used the middle pickup. And he didn’t do the in between stuff. So no quack. Just bridge or neck for him.

I’m in my 60s, so when I started playing Strats only had three way switches. So I didn’t do the quack either.

And for whatever reason I find it annoying.


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[hamerfan]

Since i am about to rewire to of my strats, i will try 2 different approaches. With a „all the same set“ i will wire the middle pickup with a separate volume pot. Then it should be possible to lower the volume on the middle pickup alone. With the balanced set ( non rwrp!) i will swap the middle and the neck pup.

 

[Artie]

When it comes to Strat quack, it's hard to beat this Bryan Adams vid at the 2:35 mark. (I know. There's a lot of processing here.)