Suhr SSH+ in a Les Paul?

[SweetClyde99]

I impulse bought a Suhr SSH+, and I’m trying to figure out what I should do with it. I’ve heard these do pretty well in Les Pauls, unlike JBs, which are supposed to be in the same ballpark. Does anyone have any experience with with an SSH+ in a Gibson?

On a related note, if anyone knows how Suhr color-codes their pickup wires, that would be helpful too, as I’ll have to wire it up to a quick connect cable to install it in my Les Paul.

 

[man-in-moon]

I haven’t tried that pickup. But I have used the thornbuckers and the Aldrich bridge in Les Paul’s. I really liked all 3. The SSH+ is next on my list to try.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I'm not familiar with the SSH+ model either; I know it's quite hot and it's been a hit in superstrat types.

I have a double-screw DSH (not the +), originally good in a Les Paul-ish axe but now even better in a 25½" SSH.
Regular DSH is hotter than vintage but less powerful than a Custom or JB, or the Plus version of course.
Clear, articulate & modern sounding yet also fairly smooth & sweet. The + will have more muscle and more honk.

Also have an SSV neck which I like; to me it's not unlike a 59N: crisp and deep and not especially vintagey in character.

Suhr humbuckers use the same wire colors as Duncans:
Black is hot, green is ground, red & white are joined together (or grounded for coil splits).

 

[SweetClyde99]

I do have an HSS Strat with a Dimarzio AT-1 in it that’s a bit dark. I might try the SSH+ there first before I go through the hassle of soldering on a quick connect adapter for it to fit thr Les Paul.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

AT-1 is full and dense, rich rather than airy. It has nice body up high on the neck but not a lot of sparkle.
I bet you'll find the SSH+ to be comparable in output yet a lot more open & well-defined.

One thing about the Suhr SS and DS hums I've owned is that they have an almost hi-fi kind of clarity to them.
Excellent string-to-string separation and they handle drive well - less mud than most, even at high gain.
I would expect the SSH+ to share those qualities.

I believe the AT-1 is descended from the dicontinued Breed; they're designed to fatten thin-sounding trem guitars.
They do that very well indeed. But many guitars don't need that kind of thickening.

 

[SweetClyde99]

Yeah, I like the AT-1 a lot. It really fills out the Strat and gives the low end a satisfying thump that it was missing with other pickups I’ve tried in it. I just wish it had a little more high end. I can EQ around the issue, but I don’t like having to change a bunch of amp settings when I switch between guitars. I’ve actually considered trying to remove the virtual vintage stuff from the AT-1 so it puts out a bit more high end, but I haven’t thought of a good way to ensure it’s easily reversible with no damage to the pickup yet.

 

[Teleplayer]

Have a look at the signature guitar used by Andy Timmons. The body shape and layout is based on the Ibanez body style from the early 90s. The important thing to mention is the bridge humbucker is positioned closer to the bridge than most of today's HSS Strats.

If the SSH+ doesn't work in the Les Paul, its a good candidate for Superstrats obviously. It has a bit more dynamic response than the AT-1, but with some similarities otherwise.

 

[Archer250]

Suhr pickups are like PRS pickups. They're designed to just work and to obediently sit and stay in a mix.

They'll just about work in any guitar, IME. That being said I never heard one in an LP, but I have heard them in a variety of other different instruments

 

[hamerfan]

This guy did a good write-up in the Suhr humbuckers

https://www.mylespaul.com/threads/suhr-ssh-pickup-opinions-anyone.453476/

 

[SweetClyde99]

I put the SSH+ in the Les Paul this weekend, and I’m feeling pretty good about it so far. That hi-fi clarity is no joke, but rolling down the tone knob a bit got me into treble response territory I was more familiar/comfortable with. The mids are great, and it maybe be a little light in the low end, but what’s there holds together well and it nice and tight. I didn’t notice any frequency spikes anywhere that were grating on me. I usually don’t like having to play with the tone and volume knobs to get the sound I want out of a pickup, but I was pretty happy with what I was hearing when I got it dialed in, so I’ll live with it for a while and see how it goes.