Suggestions for an HSS Superstrat

[Ark Vader]

Hello all,

I have an HSS Jackson Dinky that's already equipped with Pearly gates in the bridge, hot rails in the middle, and vintage rails in the neck. It sounds great, but I'm about do start another big modding project that will involve graphtech piezos, and I have a strong feeling that I'm going to need to really rethink these pickups in order to get them to sound good together.

The Pearly Gates are quite hot and very bright. Good for gigging, and they combine FANTASTICALLY well with the hot rails in the middle (just the perfect amount of "chunk" and bassy-mids while still being clear and bright in the mix). On the other hand, the hot rails and the vintage rails really do not combine well at all. It's almost unusably muddy, although I can mitigate some of that by messing with the pickup heights. It's a difficult balancing act, since getting the right pickup heights to make these two pickups play nicely with each other ends up making them sound worse on their own.

Aside from position 4 (vintage rails + hot rails), the rest of these tones are fantastic. The guitar is already quite versatile as it is, but it's probably going to be a bit too harsh and too hot to work well with piezos, and the one thing this guitar really CAN'T do now is soft, bright, non-harsh clean tones. I still want to be able to have a guitar that is screaming hot when I want it to be, and I like that it CAN get bright with high gain (doesn't have to be as bright as the pearly gates, the hot rails in the middle do a good job of striking the right balance), but it's going to need some other configurations that are a little cooler to cooperate better with the rest of the pickups also.

My plan is to throw a JB in the bridge, vintage rails in the middle, and cool rails in the neck. The JB is pretty much the sound I'm going for in terms of high gain stuff, and the vintage rails in the middle will have a lot of versatility and are the most likely to play nicely with the piezo. Then there is the neck, which, frankly, I would just re-use the hot rails and put them in the neck, but I've heard that the hot rails get a bit muddy in the neck compared to the cool rails. I'd rather do this if I can (would save me money), but I also like the way that the cool rails sound in the neck, so it's probably a safe choice.

Wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions for HSS pickup configurations before I start drawing up the schematics and the plans for all of this. It's going to be a fairly intensive project and I'm going to need to order the parts well in advance. Has anyone had experience putting some of these pickups together, and are there any gotchas I should be considering before I go ahead with the project? Is there other popular combinations of pickups for HSS guitars that I might have missed? (always somewhat subjective, I know)

Many thanks in advance,
Happy hot rodding.

 

[Mincer]

Welcome to the forum!

The Cool Rails is sort of the opposite EQ than the Hot Rails. It is bright, and the closest I can compare it to is the Jazz. Since the Jazz and JB go well together, it might be a good option. Piezos are bright sounding, too, so the big decisions are 1. do you want the neck to sound like a single coil or humbucker and 2. what kind of EQ do you like in the neck?

 

[Ark Vader]

Welcome to the forum!

The Cool Rails is sort of the opposite EQ than the Hot Rails. It is bright, and the closest I can compare it to is the Jazz. Since the Jazz and JB go well together, it might be a good option. Piezos are bright sounding, too, so the big decisions are 1. do you want the neck to sound like a single coil or humbucker and 2. what kind of EQ do you like in the neck?

Ah, thanks for the advice. I mostly want the neck to sound like a single coil (or at least to be able to play nicely with clean tones). The problem with the hot rails now is that they sound excellent when the volume is turned up, but they have a tad bit too much grit to really go with acoustic tones very well on cleaner tones. I imagine it would be more pronounced in the neck if that effect is already noticeable in the middle (though I LOVE the tone of the hot rails in the middle when the gain is turned up), which is why I was planning on going for the cool rails in the neck.

 

[beaubrummels]

You could try a splitting combination for position 4 using one coil of each. Might sound better.

For a complete replacement set, I've already got my eyes on the Lari Basilio set for my HSS. Sounds like you are set on the JB / rails combo. Cool.

 

[Mincer]

Ah, thanks for the advice. I mostly want the neck to sound like a single coil (or at least to be able to play nicely with clean tones). The problem with the hot rails now is that they sound excellent when the volume is turned up, but they have a tad bit too much grit to really go with acoustic tones very well on cleaner tones. I imagine it would be more pronounced in the neck if that effect is already noticeable in the middle (though I LOVE the tone of the hot rails in the middle when the gain is turned up), which is why I was planning on going for the cool rails in the neck.

Splitting little humbuckers, even one of each doesn't sound that great to me. Also, wouldn't splitting a Vintage Rails give you only 3 strings?

If you want it to sound like a single coil, avoid both the Hot & Cool Rails. Go for something like a Classic Stack, which sounds great in the neck position, and is dead quiet, too.

 

[Ark Vader]

Splitting little humbuckers, even one of each doesn't sound that great to me. Also, wouldn't splitting a Vintage Rails give you only 3 strings?

If you want it to sound like a single coil, avoid both the Hot & Cool Rails. Go for something like a Classic Stack, which sounds great in the neck position, and is dead quiet, too.

vintage rails are great without being split. I like the sound of them, and am planning to put them in the middle to cover the clean single coil sounds that will be needed to play nicely with the piezo.

My main concern with the neck is just making sure it isn’t muddy. I wouldn’t mind throwing my hot rails into the neck, but I’ve heard mixed opinions on whether it sounds good.

 

[beaubrummels]

Mincer knows

 

[Mincer]

vintage rails are great without being split. I like the sound of them, and am planning to put them in the middle to cover the clean single coil sounds that will be needed to play nicely with the piezo.

My main concern with the neck is just making sure it isn’t muddy. I wouldn’t mind throwing my hot rails into the neck, but I’ve heard mixed opinions on whether it sounds good.

Well, if you already have the Hot Rails, just throw it in the neck and see if you like it. Many people think it is muddy, but just as many don't. It doesn't sound like a clear single coil, though. It is more buttery and smooth than bouncy like a grand piano.

 

[Ark Vader]

Well, if you already have the Hot Rails, just throw it in the neck and see if you like it. Many people think it is muddy, but just as many don't. It doesn't sound like a clear single coil, though. It is more buttery and smooth than bouncy like a grand piano.

That's where I'm leaning at this point. Worst thing that can happen is that I need to replace it again.

I'm totally fine with the humbucker sound (I love the sound of hot rails in the middle where they are at now), and am planning to put the vintage rails in the middle to get a more single-coil-esque sound (I know they aren't real single coils of course, but they have that sound). I primarily just need one pickup that has that cleaner sound.

 

[Mincer]

Well, a Cool Rails is a cleaner sound (than Hot Rails) but it sounds like a clean, clear humbucker.
The Classic Stack Plus is a cleaner, clearer sound (than the Hot Rails) that sounds like a great single coil.

 

[MikeS]

I ran a CRn (neck) with a VRn (middle) in a strat for many years. The two paired very well together. I never ran those with a JB, but if you're concerned with balanced output across the 3 pickups, the JB might give me some pause. If output imbalance doesn't bother you, the JB's EQ curve should play well enough with the CR and VR.

The CRn is still a personal favorite of mine. If you're looking for clean and a little bright but not necessarily single coil chimey, it's hard to go wrong with a CRn. It's warmer than the VR. Both the VR and the Jazz are brighter than the CR to my ears.

 

[Ark Vader]

I ran a CRn (neck) with a VRn (middle) in a strat for many years. The two paired very well together. I never ran those with a JB, but if you're concerned with balanced output across the 3 pickups, the JB might give me some pause. If output imbalance doesn't bother you, the JB's EQ curve should play well enough with the CR and VR.

The CRn is still a personal favorite of mine. If you're looking for clean and a little bright but not necessarily single coil chimey, it's hard to go wrong with a CRn. It's warmer than the VR. Both the VR and the Jazz are brighter than the CR to my ears.

Thanks for sharing, this helps a lot. The balance was pretty much precisely what I was concerned about, great to hear that they go well together in yours. I'm pretty much considering the exact same setup.

As far as the volume difference, I'm not concerned about this. I actually kinda like having some volume difference on one of the pickups on my guitar because they can make it easier to get different sounds on stage reliably without having to eyeball the volume knob. I still like to have the other two balanced with each other, but having one that is a little quieter isn't a problem for me. (I tend to use it when I need softer sounds, sometimes it sounds more natural when the pickup isn't as hot to begin with as opposed to having to use the volume knob and bringing it down to 3. Especially when I need to switch quickly during a gig and can't really hear myself through the monitors to know where the volume is at.)

I'm very curious to see how the vintage rails and the JB will combine together. Haven't really seen anyone try this. The volume difference will be enough that it will mostly be the JB that will be dominating, but it'll be interesting to see what the vintage rails sound like on top of it.

There is still a small possibility I'll just leave the hot rails in the middle and the vintage rails in the neck, and will just replace the Pearly Gates and add in the JB for the bridge. I think I'd much prefer the cool rails/vintage rails/JB setup, but I do have to admit, I'll miss the sound of those hot rails in the middle. Having hot rails in the middle is a ridiculously versatile sound for higher gain stuff, but it doesn't work very well for lighter clean things, hence the idea to move the vintage rails to the middle (and since the hot rails might be a bit excessive in the neck, those would get replaced with cool rails).

Well, a Cool Rails is a cleaner sound (than Hot Rails) but it sounds like a clean, clear humbucker.
The Classic Stack Plus is a cleaner, clearer sound (than the Hot Rails) that sounds like a great single coil.

​I have heard about the classic stack from others before as well, might have to check it out to see how I like it. I will say, all of the demos I've seen of the cool rails in the neck sound great.

 

[Ark Vader]

Update: I took my guitar to the shop and ended up deciding on the JB in the bridge, vintage rails in the middle, and hot rails in the neck. I may or may not decide that I like the hot rails there, but I've heard very mixed opinions on it (with some people loving it and others not liking it). So much of this is preference that I figured it was worth a shot to see how I liked it before trying a different pickup.

If it ends up being too mid-heavy or muddy, I'll throw cool rails or a little 59 in there, but it can't hurt to try this first (I love the hot rails anyway). Many thanks for all of the suggestions and advice, you guys have been very helpful!

 

[Mincer]

Come back and let us know how this project turns out!

 

[Clint 55]

You can stick a cap in the series connection of the hot rails to cut some bass. Or after the whole thing to cut a lot of bass. Should make it snappier like the cool rails.

 

[jeremy]

hot rails neck in parallel is a great option as well. i love the series sound for fat solos but parallel is great for chording or clean passages

 

[Juanhanglo]

Dimarzio makes a bunch of rail pickups as well.

I really like the satch track.

 

[Ark Vader]

You can stick a cap in the series connection of the hot rails to cut some bass. Or after the whole thing to cut a lot of bass. Should make it snappier like the cool rails.

I may try this. I usually just offset the pickup heights to compensate for this (worked great when the hot rails were in the middle, was able to get a very balanced tone out of it), but it waits to be seen whether more will be necessary in the neck. I may give your suggestion a try, I'll see how it sounds once the pickups are installed (I generally like heavy neck tones anyway, but there is a fine line between heavy tones and tones that start to get muddy under gain. Really curious to see how it all turns out.)

hot rails neck in parallel is a great option as well. i love the series sound for fat solos but parallel is great for chording or clean passages

Didn't even think of that. Might try that out. I do generally like having a heavier sound in the neck, but I want to make sure it doesn't become overpowering or muddy. Did you set up a push-pull switch to switch between parallel and series?

Dimarzio makes a bunch of rail pickups as well.

I really like the satch track.

​Yea, I've looked into Dimarzios before. I've decided to stick with the Duncans on this guitar, maybe on another guitar I'll start experimenting more. I really like the results I've gotten with Duncans, mostly just re-arranging the pickups to get it to be more versatile for the piezos.

Come back and let us know how this project turns out!

​Thanks again for all of the help, I look forward to seeing how it turns out!

 

[jeremy]

yes, i used a switch to select series or parallel