Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

It's a Demon Neck in the Neck, which could be a good choice for the OP to use in the Bridge if it isn't too weak, though it might be too warm.

I can see why Dave recommended it for the neck spot, even though it doesn't really sound like a single coil.

Any good demos would be appreciated!

I went back and added some more comments about the SLSD-1N in previous posts.
 
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Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

gregory said:
I worked with forum regular, Christopher, a little over a month ago on a Lace set...
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/sho...tried-the-Lace-Sensor-Rainbow-or-Hot-Gold-Set

For the bridge are there any additional qualities you are looking for to help narrow your search?
Click to expand...

gregory said:
I worked with forum regular, Christopher a little over a month ago on a Lace set...
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/sho...tried-the-Lace-Sensor-Rainbow-or-Hot-Gold-Set

For the bridge are there any additional qualities you are looking for to help narrow your search?
Click to expand...

I'm not too familiar with stacked/rail pickups, so I'll compare to what I've used. The FS-1 fattened up the bridge and removed the harsh treble, but it sounds a bit dead as a result. I want a full, open sound - closer to a vintage humbucker I suppose, at least as close as you can get in a single coil size. Some high end sizzle, enough muscle to push my amp a bit, but still clean up a bit. I nearly bought a Lonestar Strat instead of this one, so that's a point of reference.
 
Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

I'd ask Christopher about the Lace Light Blue. The Emerald in the neck is going to be very similar to your Texas Special.

As you go higher in the Lace series you get darker. I don't think the Blue is what you want. Maybe a Hot Gold 13k, but I don't think it sounds like a humbucker.
 
Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

onlytwin said:
The FS-1 fattened up the bridge and removed the harsh treble, but it sounds a bit dead as a result. I want a full, open sound - closer to a vintage humbucker I suppose, at least as close as you can get in a single coil size. Some high end sizzle, enough muscle to push my amp a bit, but still clean up a bit. I nearly bought a Lonestar Strat instead of this one, so that's a point of reference.
Click to expand...

It sounds to me like you are describing the chopper. Its not quite the same as a real vintage humbucker because the ceramic magnet seems to give it a more modern edge and pick attack. Apart from that I think its as close as you will find in a single coil size humbucker.

For your neck and mid, there are a few DMZ options based on what you wrote.
1) Pro 54 Neck, Area 61 middle. I think this will do what you want. I don't expect it to quack much.
2) Pro 54 Neck, Area 58 middle. Versatile combo, although the neck tone is quite warm for a strat. It has some quack in position 4 but its not like a vintage strat. I have used this combo and I like the clean tone in position 4.
3) Area 61 Neck + middle. You have to decide if you like the Area 61 tone or not. Its got a kind of sizzle tone which appeals to some players and not others. I don't know if its right for you or not.
 
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Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

Satch Track in the bridge:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qifgdTZ61Uw

EDIT:
...and it has more than enough output for the Injector Neck which is a hot pickup (the Injector Neck being as hot as the FS-1)! As a side note, I chose an Injector Neck to put in the bridge of a Strat to pair with vintage-output neck and middle pickups. I chose it because it had identical figures to the FS-1. It works amazingly well in providing tons of output and warmth to the bridge without sounding fat. The dynamics are amazing.
 
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Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

The chopper is in between a SC & HB. Lacks the bottom end of a full HB in the bridge & lacks the chime of the SC for the neck. Depending on how the amp EQ controls are set, it can be made to lean more towards either side though. The Satch Track will have less lower mids & slightly les compressed, making it a better choice for the neck than the bridge in comparison with the chopper but there isn't a big day & night between the two though.

However, what would be closest to a PAF in a SC package in the bridge spot from Dimarzio is the Pro Track. It's still bit more modernish sounding though. After that there is the ANS, BC1 for more modern EQ.

Now having said that, if your strat is routed for swimming pool route then I would get a HSS pickguard & place an actual full size humbucker there.
 
Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

The relaxed mids and increased dynamics is exactly what will make the Satch Track sound and feel more like a traditional vintage humbucker in the bridge. It will not give you the narrowed focus and rough edges that are present with the Chopper.

On the other hand, the Pro Track is too warm and smooth, yet still has that prominent midrange that is similar to the Chopper.
 
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Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

OP, I read your post and was wondering what sort of sounds from artists do you like? I play the same stuff as you and would suggest the ol' ssl-1, ssl-1 and ssl-5 combo.
 
Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

The SSL-1s are bright, vintage Strat, not warm at all and the SSL-5 is, quite literally, Duncan's answer to the FS-1. I'm sorry, but I just don't see how that set addresses the OP's wishes.
 
Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

gregory said:
Satch Track in the bridge:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qifgdTZ61Uw

EDIT:
...and it has more than enough output for the Injector Neck which is a hot pickup (the Injector Neck being as hot as the FS-1)! As a side note, I chose an Injector Neck to put in the bridge of a Strat to pair with vintage-output neck and middle pickups. I chose it because it had identical figures to the FS-1. It works amazingly well in providing tons of output and warmth to the bridge without sounding fat. The dynamics are amazing.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the links, those definitely help. It seems like a good option. I seem to be getting mixed signals on the Chopper from people here.

Hank- said:
Now having said that, if your strat is routed for swimming pool route then I would get a HSS pickguard & place an actual full size humbucker there.
Click to expand...

Yeah, maybe I should have gone HSS in the beginning to save myself the trouble. I'll keep that option in mind. The only thing that puts me off is the ridiculous price of a legit tortoise shell pickguard, but maybe I could find a cheaper option.

TheViewFromVenus said:
OP, I read your post and was wondering what sort of sounds from artists do you like? I play the same stuff as you and would suggest the ol' ssl-1, ssl-1 and ssl-5 combo.
Click to expand...

I listen to a pretty eclectic range of indie, ambient, and prog music. Stuff like Radiohead, Mogwai, Thrice, Minus the Bear, Dredg, Manchester Orchestra, some lesser known bands like Oceansize, Hammock, Toe, and O'Brother.
 
Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

gregory said:
The relaxed mids and increased dynamics is exactly what will make the Satch Track sound and feel more like a traditional vintage humbucker in the bridge. It will not give you the narrowed focus and rough edges that are present with the Chopper.

On the other hand, the Pro Track is too warm and smooth, yet still has that prominent midrange that is similar to the Chopper.
Click to expand...

Well the Pro Track has the top end of a HB in the bridge, no single coil character there. In the neck its not quite like a normal PAF, more like a darker PAF(modernish), not really my fav for that spot, atleast not in a 22fret basswood body.

The Satch Track has the same top end as the chopper but they reduced the bass & mids on it so that it would have a little less vocal quality in the neck, kinda like lowering the number of winds from the chopper to open up the mids a bit. The overall feel of playing on it will be the same as the chopper but that added mids & bass of the chopper help it work better in the bridge than the neck for a hybrid tone. Satriani has the ST in a 24 fret neck which helps its EQ. In the bridge it would have the same hybrid problem as the chopper but even lesser bass & lower mids making it lean more towards P90 or a weak PAF that would match well with the VVs or Areas in the other positions.
 
Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

The Pro Track definitely does not have the top end of a traditional PAF-style humbucker. The design also does nothing to address the focus from the narrow aperture.

It is true that the Satch Track was designed for a 24 fret guitar. What wasn't said was that it was specifically designed to sound like a PAF Joe in a 22 fret guitar. This only helps it sound more like a humbucker in the bridge position. One would be inclined to say it would sound like a weak humbucker, but that simply isn't the case since the PAF Joe is actually louder in the bridge position than a traditional PAF-style humbucker. There is no question in my mind that it excels at sounding like a humbucker in the bridge better than either a Pro Track or a Chopper.

Again, the video I provided clearly demonstrates that the Satch Track is more powerful in the bridge position than the Injector Neck in the neck position. The Injector Neck is a much hotter than the VV 54 Pro or any of the Areas. The video also shows that the Satch Track has plenty of girth. When pitted against a powerful neck pickup it is all the more impressive.
 
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Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

The Satch Track is definitely intriguing if it sounds how you describe it. Just looking at the charts on their website it's clearly brighter than the Pro Track, similar balance to the Chopper. As it stands I'm considering this setup:

Neck: '54 Pro (or possibly a Lace Sensor, still looking)
Mid: Area 61
Bridge: Satch Track / Injector

Not sure if the Chopper will go far enough since people are saying it's more in between a single coil and HB. Is the Lil 59 still worth considering? I also sent an email to Dimarzio to see what they have to say about some of these options.
 
Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

I don't find the Little '59 to sound all that convincing as a full-sized humbucker.

Of all the SC-sized humbuckers, the one that sounds most like its big brother to me is the L'il Screamin' Demon. This makes sense since the Screamin' Demon has properties that make it less characteristic than a traditional humbucker and have slight single-coil tendencies, if you will. Because of the short hexes in one coil, there is an asymmetry between the two coils. The pickup is also quite lean and bright due to a very light wind. Not so much like a single coil, the Screamin' Demon also has a very wicked bite in the treble which was fairly well replicated in the sc-sized version. It is this bite that doesn't make it clean-up very well.

DiMarzio has been working hard on creating very usable tones using non-traditional methods for a very long time. These non-traditional methods have garnered them a great deal of success at achieving their goals. The Injectors, Area 67, PAF Joe, LiquiFire, AT-1 and Satch Track are all shining examples of this.
 
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Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

Thanks, this is all very helpful. The Lil Screamin Demon did sound good based on the recordings on the site, but I can see how it would be hard to tame.

Since I've wired the bridge pickup to the tone pot, which option do you think would work best with that? I usually roll it back a little on all my guitars, so it's worth considering. I don't know if the manufacturers account for that in their Strat pickups.
 
Re: Upgrading my Strat pickups... again. Need advice.

The Injectors, Areas and Virtual Vintage pickups were designed to use 250k pots. I'm pretty sure it is common for the middle and bridge to share a 250k tone control.

With a single-sized humbucker I would use a 500k volume and a 500k tone.

To get around the conundrum, I would use a Super Switch that loads the volume down and assigns either of the tone controls most appropriately.

If I were to use a Satch Track, Area 61, and VV 54 Pro my first attempt at wiring the controls would look like this:

1: Satch Track; 500k volume, 500k outer tone control
2: Satch Track, Area 61; 500k volume, 250k middle tone control
3: Area 61; 500k volume with a 510k parallel resistor, 250k middle tone control
4: Area 61, VV 54 Pro; 500k volume with a 510k parallel resistor, 250k middle tone control
5: VV 54 Pro; 500k volume with a 510k parallel resistor, 250k middle tone control

I'd see if there were any obvious problems and correct them. After that I would play it for a few weeks and figure out what changes could be made to address any deficiencies, inefficiencies or otherwise make better use of the controls. Let's say I always find myself turning up the tone control on 10 every time I went to position 2 and never turn it down. To address this I would hard-wire a 270k resistor in series with the tone cap for position 2. This way I wouldn't ever have to reach for the tone control and could keep it at the optimal rolled-down spot for my neck pickup, ready to turn up when needed.
 
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