Suggestions for a Bridge Pickup on HSH setup (with Lil Pearly Gates & WLH neck)

[Bo-Hawk]

I originally had a Custom 8 in the bridge in a strat and it sounded really good (but a tad too hot), but I found that pickup works better in a different guitar.

I will be keeping a Lil Pearly Gates in the middle and a WLH in the neck.

I was thinking of using SNS in the bridge and that is the direction I am leaning, but also perhaps doing a Custom 4 or Custom 5 with a UOA5.

Guitar specs: Strat with Alder body, Vintage style trem with brass sustain block, Roasted maple neck with Pau Ferro fretboard.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Mincer]

Maybe look at the 59.Custom Hybrid. It is a little hotter than most PAF-types, but that makes it a great bridge pickup when blending with other PAF pickups. Plus they sound great in alder strats with vintage trems.

 

[jeremy]

the sns should be a good match, and i really like the custom with an uoa5 magnet. either should match the wlh neck, which i think is a fantastic pup

 

[eclecticsynergy]

+1 on a Custom with UA5.
Custom Custom is often great in Strat types too.
I'm also a big fan of the Hybrid but never had one in a Strat myself.

 

[Bo-Hawk]

Maybe look at the 59.Custom Hybrid. It is a little hotter than most PAF-types, but that makes it a great bridge pickup when blending with other PAF pickups. Plus they sound great in alder strats with vintage trems.

How does the 59/custom hybrid sound to your ears? I heard a bunch of YouTube clips and it reminds me of the Gibson 490s, which I didn't really care for.

 

[Demanic]

the sns should be a good match, and i really like the custom with an uoa5 magnet. either should match the wlh neck, which i think is a fantastic pup

+1

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

 

[Mincer]

How does the 59/custom hybrid sound to your ears? I heard a bunch of YouTube clips and it reminds me of the Gibson 490s, which I didn't really care for.

It sounds like a good PAF, just slightly louder. Not nearly as bland as the 490 set, which I actively don't like.

 

[jeremy]

i dont really hear the hybrid as very paf like, brighter and more hi-fi. great pup in the right guitar though. i really wanna try one with an a2 mag

 

[BenPerkins]

How about:

59 bridge
WLH bridge
SNS bridge

Either way, that’s going to be one smoking guitar.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

i dont really hear the hybrid as very paf like, brighter and more hi-fi. great pup in the right guitar though. i really wanna try one with an a2 mag

Hybrid with UA5 is sweet IMO; should be great with an A2. Some have tried it that way and liked it.

The OP just wants something with less push than the Custom 8, something that'd suit an alder Strat.
Custom Custom loves Strats - I bet a Hybrid/A2 would, too.

 

[Bo-Hawk]

The OP just wants something with less push than the Custom 8, something that'd suit an alder Strat.

To clarify, I am looking for something that works great with the Lil Pearly gates (bridge version) in the middle position and a WLHn in the neck.

The Custom 8 sounded great, but was definitely a little too hot.

From the clips I did listen to, The SNS sounds like a good fit, but then again they are just clips with different equipment.

A Custom Custom or a Custom 4 is an option as well as the Custom UOA5. Anyone have experience with magnet swapping with these and compare them to a SNS?

From what I read so far, I feel the 59/hybrid might have too much high end with an alder body and the brass sustain block (I had issues with my alder flying v being too ear piercing).

 

[eclecticsynergy]

59/C is indeed a fairly bright pickup, and while it's even sweeter with an A2, it remains fairly bright even then.

Never owned the SNS bridge myself.
Still, I suspect it might not be quite strong enough to balance with a bridge pickup in middle position.

 

[Ascension]

How does the 59/custom hybrid sound to your ears? I heard a bunch of YouTube clips and it reminds me of the Gibson 490s, which I didn't really care for.

My experience with the Hybrid is that they are bold and brash punching far beyond what the specs will make you think they will. They feel hotter than a Custom Custom or a Custom 5 and are pretty unique.
I would recommend a Perpetual Burn in that set up myself. These have become one of my favorite bridge humbuckers from Duncan. Very clear and articulate under gain but still sweet and splits very very well with a single coil. I actually swapped a PB with a Hybrid for a short time then went right back to the PB in a super Strat. Many will refer to the PB as a JB light but I don't get that comparison at all. To me the PB is a very good overwound PAF with a modern twist. All the touch response and expressiveness of a PAF but bigger and more aggressive sounding than any PAF.

 

[Ascension]

59/C is indeed a fairly bright pickup, and while it's even sweeter with an A2, it remains fairly bright even then.

Never owned the SNS bridge myself.
Still, I suspect it might not be quite strong enough to balance with a bridge pickup in middle position.

Agreed on the Hybrid being on the bright side.
On the SNS I love them in a set but have found for me they don't play well with most other pickups. The feel and attack is just to different in particular when used with a A5 pickup. Have had 2 sets of SNS's and really liked them both but flat did not care for the SNS bridge I had with anything other than the SNS neck. Still have a SNS set in my Carvin AE 185 and wish I had pulled the other set out of my Carvin ST 300 before I sold it now.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Agreed on the Hybrid being on the bright side.
On the SNS I love them in a set but have found for me they don't play well with most other pickups. The feel and attack is just to different in particular when used with a A5 pickup. Have had 2 sets of SNS's and really liked them both but flat did not care for the SNS bridge I had with anything other than the SNS neck. Still have a SNS set in my Carvin AE 185 and wish I had pulled the other set out of my Carvin ST 300 before I sold it now.

A4 really is its own thing. I've liked it in a 59N paired with an A5 Marshallhead bridge.
But I agree about bridge position: A4 only really seems to feel right with either A3 or another A4 at the neck.

 

[chadd]

SNS is kinda flat sounding alone in the room, It sounds great in a mix, though. It might feel a little anemic compared to the other two pickups you have chosen. Personally, I'd go with a bone stock custom.

I've used pretty much every magnet I could get my hands on in a custom and had SNS set in a PRS S2 for a year or so.

 

[Bo-Hawk]

I decided to try out a Custom with an A4 magnet in it and pair it with an EMG SPC mid booster and a lower the capacitor to 0.015uf Capacitor. Then try an A2 if I don't like it.

 

[jeremy]

im a big fan of the spc, should work well with the c4