Versatile setup for Indie and Alternative rock

[borgercat]

Hello, i’ve been browsing some duncan pickups for my hss strat, and was wondering if anybody could help me with feedback about the pickups i’m planning to use. I play garage and indie (The White Stripes, The Black Keys, The Strokes). I’ve heard that some of these bands use Teles for their sound, so if you can recommend pickups that have twang it would be great! I also play more high gain stuff like Smashing Pumpkins, QotSA, and also sometimes clean stuff like The Smiths and Mac Demarco.
The possible setups i’m considering are:
Neck:
SSL-2 or APS-2
Middle:
SSL-6 or SSL-3 (not sure if the ssl-3 is too hot)
Bridge trembucker: (I’d like one with good split coil tone)
TB-4
TB-5
TB-16
My strat has a poplar body with rosewood fingerboard. Any advice is welcome!
EDIT: what volume pot do i use? 250 or 500 K? There is going to be a 250k tone for middle and neck and one 500k for bridge tone

 

[TVFV]

Re: Versatile setup for Indie and Alternative rock

Ssl-2 in the neck and middle and a TB-16 in the bridge. It's a starting point at least.

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[Golem]

Re: Versatile setup for Indie and Alternative rock

Try a USA g&l legacy hss. The bridge is a JB and the neck and middle are pretty much clones of the SSL 2. That will give you a good idea of whether those pickups meet your needs.


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[borgercat]

Re: Versatile setup for Indie and Alternative rock

Cool. I was wondering if a TB-59 would have enough output for QotSA style gain. I was thinking about getting one of those because Rivers Cuomo has one in his strat but not sure about its low output

 

[TVFV]

Re: Versatile setup for Indie and Alternative rock

Cool. I was wondering if a TB-59 would have enough output for QotSA style gain. I was thinking about getting one of those because Rivers Cuomo has one in his strat but not sure about its low output

If you have the right amp or pedal for QotSA you'll be fine.

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[chadd]

Re: Versatile setup for Indie and Alternative rock

Ssl-2 in the neck and middle and a TB-16 in the bridge. It's a starting point at least.

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I've got a TB-16 and a pair of APS-1 with a 500k volume and 250k tone. My main band plays all 90s rock and I feel comfortable using it for anything that we do.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Versatile setup for Indie and Alternative rock

The 59 can do 90s rock, no problem. So can the 59/Custom Hybrid. These are both great choices. You might have to boost the gain a bit with the 59, but not a ton.

 

[borgercat]

Re: Versatile setup for Indie and Alternative rock

And for a tele “in the middle” position, which is better? APS-2 or SSL-2? I’ve seen that neck tele pickups have alnico 2 magnets, so the APS-2 is better?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Versatile setup for Indie and Alternative rock

That depends on if you want a brighter sound or not. A Five Two is also a great choice.

 

[borgercat]

Re: Versatile setup for Indie and Alternative rock

I was thinking about one of those, but they’re staggered. Which one is brighter and which one is warmer? Planning to install a neck pickup on switch to get that bridge and neck sound

 

[Mincer]

Re: Versatile setup for Indie and Alternative rock

I was thinking about one of those, but they’re staggered. Which one is brighter and which one is warmer? Planning to install a neck pickup on switch to get that bridge and neck sound

Well, the APS is warmer than the Five Two, which is warmer than the SSL-2. I am not a fan of the staggered poles on the Five Two, either...but it could be ordered with flat from any SD dealer. But it is a great sounding pickup despite the stagger.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Versatile setup for Indie and Alternative rock

I want to try an APS set again; I had a set in a guitar for a while that I never bonded with. They really just seemed especially dull and weak, but I may be more amenable to that now that I have most of my singles at pickguard level.

Still if I wanted a "kind of rounded-off single coil" and already wanted to play Billy Corgan, I'd go with some sort of Lace Sensors.

 

[chadd]

Re: Versatile setup for Indie and Alternative rock

I want to try an APS set again; I had a set in a guitar for a while that I never bonded with. They really just seemed especially dull and weak, but I may be more amenable to that now that I have most of my singles at pickguard level.

Still if I wanted a "kind of rounded-off single coil" and already wanted to play Billy Corgan, I'd go with some sort of Lace Sensors.

With a 500k pot, they aren't dull at all. Admittedly, I like ss warmer tone than most people, too

 

[borgercat]

Re: Versatile setup for Indie and Alternative rock

So a 500k volume pot would be good? And what caps would you reccomend? im thinkin 1 tone bridge (500k) and 1 middle and neck (250k)
EDIT: what are the main sound differences in split mode of the TB-4 and TB-16? Also the TB-16 splits to the custom coil, is that one rw/rp? Im planning to get a rw/rp neck for noiseless bridge and neck, but how can i also get noiseless bridge and middle without sacrificing noiseless neck and middle?

 

[Adieu]

Re: Versatile setup for Indie and Alternative rock

Basically 1 humbucker and 1 hot single coil are needed