Texas Specials vs SSL

[JB_From_Hell]

I have what I think is a set of Texas Specials in my Strat. How would an SSL-5/SSL-1/SSL-1 set (or other common SD singles) compare?

I like the Texas Specials quite a bit and have no plans to change them, but I do have another Strat style that needs an upgrade. The guitar with the Texas Specials has a rosewood board, American standard bridge/saddles, and the other has maple and a vintage bridge.

 

[DreX]

Re: Texas Specials vs SSL

I have Texas Specials in one Strat and SSL-1s in another, and will have SSL-5's in another within a day or two, so I can't speak to those yet personally. The Texas Specials are somewhat compressed and peaky (would look like a steep mountain instead of a short, wide hill if it were graphed out), I like them a lot for what they do. The SSL-1's are like super clear vintage tone, with more quack and more dynamic range in terms of pick attack. The only common grievance with SSL-1s is that that are rather bright, they are easily the brightest SD vintage single coil, the Ant I & II, the five-two, the APS-1 are all darker pickups. In terms of brightness, the Ant II seems to be the most "middle of the road" vintage output pickup. I definitely recommend complimenting a Texas Special set with a second Strat that's lower in output and less pronounced in the higher frequencies.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Texas Specials vs SSL

You are probably wise to leave the Texas Specials exactly where they are.

For the maple neck and vintage style bridge guitar, pickups with a rounder treble response would make good sense.

My personal choices would be APS-1 or -2 (appropriate for fingerboard radius) in the neck and middle positions. The Twangbanger beefs things up in the bridge position, adding a hint of Tele twang - especially via a No-Load tone control.

The other pickup set that I would recommend is the Fender Super 55 Split Coil calibrated set. Just ditch the cheesy Fender covers and fit your own preferred colour.