Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

[de_dUKe]

1999 American Fender Stratocaster In Ash In Translucent Vintage Blonde, Maple Neck, Locking Tremolo, In Original SSS Condition
Line 6 Flextone II Modelling Amp With Floorboard

So guys, yeah its true.. I'm looking for a bridge trembucker to transform my pure and virginal single coil Stratocaster into a snarling chugg-a-bug beast. Listen to stoner rock mainly, but liking more metal and drop D/C tuning stuff lately.

But there are so many options for a bridge pickup. Obviously most roads lead to the JB and coming from a SC setup this would have me sounding like Keith Merrow in minutes, to my trebled-out ears at least.!! But I fear the JB won't be enough and sounds kinda dated for my tastes. I wanna get right up to the pearly gates of Djentland with this pickup. )
I thought i had actually found the sweet spot when I heard the Custom as it seems to sit nicely in the middle ground. It also cleans up nicely, but I've realised I'm much more interested in the crunch, grind, chug and sustain. I will be splitting the coils anyways so I'll get some kind of clean tone from that or whatever I settle on in the middle and neck.
So its a matter of finding a heavy bridge ceramic pickup I think, that won't be a harsh ice field in the highs, that's has crunchy mids and deep lows to balance out the bright Strat. Is this the way to go and is this even possible with my setup.?
Also the aesthetics of the guitar are somewhat important too. I'll be getting a white pickup where possible. This thing is so damn pretty that even any black pickups will need a nickle/gold cap to hide them away. Tbh if the Invader had come with a cover option I would have probably dropped one in before now and been done with it, but that thing is so fugly.

Here's what I've considered so far:

Duncan Custom, Duncan Distortion, Duncan Invader, Parallel Axis 2b, Black Winter or X2N, D Activator, Tone Zone, Crunch Lab, 500t, DF etc...
I'm from the UK so IronGear are a nice cheap option (Steam Hammer, Metal Machine) and then there's BKP (Holy Diver, Nail Bomb).




Many thanks in advance for all your suggestions guys....

 

[Mincer]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

Welcome to the forum!

My vote is for either the Custom (a more 90s-era open sound) or a Pegasus (a very modern, percussive, chuggy sound with huge lows and articulate highs). You should be able to order both in white from your local UK dealer.

 

[ColeJustesen]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

I have a Jackson Stars Soloist that is an ash body, maple neck-through design that I loaded with an F-Spaced DiMazio Super 3. That is straight up awesome, tons of mids, tight low end, and just enough top end that is subdued by being over wound. Couldn't ask for a better pickup for ash in my opinion. I just installed a Parallel Axis Distortion in my mahogany Jackson Stars Soloist and that thing has an awesome growl, ripping mids, but is very bright. It is a cool pickup, but I think the DiMarzio Super 3 would be a better choice.

Cole

 

[de_dUKe]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

Two great suggestions I didn't fully consider with the Super 3 and the Pegasus..

Both seem perfect for the job...full sounding and aggressive.. :headbang:

Thanks guys..

 

[de_dUKe]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

Anymore opinions :bigeyes:

 

[Demanic]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

If you want to keep it single size in the bridge, Dimarzio Fast 2.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[de_dUKe]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

..wanna go full humbucker for sure..(trembucker) ..and a pretty phat one at that..


..been looking into the Crunch Lab today and also contemplating modifying the Duncan Invader by either painting, stripping or chroming the pole pieces to smarten it up a bit..) Love the tone, not the look.)

 

[Demanic]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

Don't forget the Alternative 8.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[de_dUKe]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

..all things considered.. and I've really put the mileage in trying to find the best all-round pick up choice in tone and colour options and I think I'm going with... the DUNCAN DISTORTION. After all the searching the answer was maybe right under my nose the whole time it seems..!!

..so some final input from you guys before I take the plunge would be great.. the right kind of tone for a metal Ash Strat..? highs not too harsh..? low end is deep enough.? enough strong mids..?

..the SUPER 3 is still a great shout, maybe too high output and 80's sounding.. CUSTOM seems a little bright in the highs.. PEGASUS isn't available in white.. CRUNCH LAB is awkward to source here atm.. BLACK WINTER is well, black.. ALTERNATIVE 8 seems thin-sounding in comparison.. INVADER is good tonally but ugly..

..many thanks to all concerned..

cheers.. :arms:

 

[jeremy]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

when i first started playing a guy i knew had the distortion in the bridge of his strat and it crushed. always loved it in a strat for heavy tones

 

[ColeJustesen]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

I had a Distortion in a super Strat style body and it was awesome. It was made of poplar, not ash though. It was stellar! It also worked well with the two Little '59s in the neck and middle. I have a distortion in an ash Yamaha Pacifica 912 and from that I can say you will get all that you were asking about, but the highs can be aggressive and harsh. So if you go that route, spend some time carefully adjusting that pickup height.

The Distortion is a fantastic pickup. Maybe look at the Parallel Axis Distortion then also. I lie its high end better than the regular distortion, but the rest of it won't disappoint sound wise too.

Cole

 

[de_dUKe]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

..thanks for the positive input guys..

..yeah the PATB-2 was on my shortlist from the start for its tone and compatibility with my guitar, but it only comes in black and because of its odd shape cannot be capped. Shame cos I can get a cheap one here atm.

On the subject of a better high end, how does the CUSTOM high end stand against the DISTORTION in your opinion.. Seems a little more icy than the DD.. The reason I ask is I've just watched this video and the CUSTOM low/mid chugs are off the scale..) It just has something else going that the other passives don't.. I guess it's more clarity/definition coming thru.. It's a 7 string demo so not completely relevant:-

DISTORTION sounds great on that video too imo..

 

[ColeJustesen]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

The Distortion top end to me is less appealing than what I have heard in the Custom, that said almost everything else about the Distortion I like better than the Custom. I do like the Custom's tight low end better than the Distortion though. The Custom does have some great low mids to it though. I actually pulled the TB-5 out of my Jackson Stars Soloist that I mentioned above in favor of the Super 3... The Custom won't ever go back in that guitar; the Super 3 works much better for it with my amps.

This video might be more relevant to your setup..

Cole

 

[Progbusters]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

metal muff into a SS Bass amp

with your readily available pickup from seymour duncan like the jb

 

[de_dUKe]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

So... I did get the Duncan Distortion and it rocks hard...!! Absolutely loving the crispy chugging this humbucker brings. Coming from single coils this is just night and day. The power and clarity is amazing and it's driving me to play better already. So many mistakes were being hidden in the noise swell of the overdriven singles.

I can't put my guitar down atm..) It's like having a new girlfriend. A few hot and dirty hours go by together, I have a quick break then we're straight back into it. She's tighter than a ducks butt. I'm trying really hard to impress with my technique and the whole experience is so fresh and exciting. It's pure lust atm and so much humbucker love right now..:kabong:

BUT... she isn't perfect. I can see that the highs are a little harsh for me. And she's a little too 'thin' in general. And there's the heavy pick attack sound. I'm also not sure I need all this output either for my solid state amp. I can dial the volume to 9 or the tone to 9 to tame the highs and also find that 'G' spot when it's still cutting. Sounds awesome..But I know I could have better.

As suggested by some of you, the Custom and the Super 3 would have been better informed choices. You guys really know your stuff and I should have listened better. My instincts were to go with the Custom originally but my guitar buddy wanted me to go all hog with the Invader so the Distortion was my middle ground compromise.
I haven't tried it with a 250k pot because I don't wanna tame anything and I don't think I could live with it knowing it's being held back the whole time from its full potential. :yourock:

So my question is what will I lose going from DD to DC.? Cos I'm loving the tight chugs and the bite and clarity and sustain and the rudeness. How will it change for lower tunings.? But what I need from her is a little more warmth, roundedness, less screams and a bigger bottom..!! :flowers1:

This sounds like the Custom to me, am I right..? I can exchange for it for another Duncan only.

Many thanks Guys..

 

[ColeJustesen]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

What you need doesn't sound like the Custom to me. While the Custom has mids, it doesn't have them like the Distortion. Fullness isn't just lows, mids will fatten things up too. While the Custom feels like it has a tighter low end, it doesn't sound bigger than the Distortion. I would say adjust the height of the Distortion, specifically on the high strings, as well as the pole height. That pickup has some sizzle, but it can be dialed back with height adjustment. Also, you could always solder in a resistor to lower the ohms of the volume pot instead of having to replace the whole pot.

Cole

 

[gregory]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

You mentioned wanting to split the bridge pickup. How did that work out?

I would have recommended a Custom 5. A 250k volume would probably have still been OK, but maybe not ideal; still better than single coils with a 500k, I think.

 

[baritone]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

A hot bridge humbucker pickup is a necessity for me; I have played a buch of different ones over the years, and I pretty much enjoyed all of them, but I didn't notice huge differences with heavy distortion. Just last week, out of curiosity, I sat & watched some YouTube videos comparing high-output bridge humbuckers (Duncan, Dimarzio, Bare Knuckle, others). What I noticed is that the difference, using heavy distortion is so tiny. The 3 "Custom" pickups from SD have a bit more treble than the others, and the 2 which hit the sweet spot of midrange blast I really enjoy are the JB & the Distortion, just like I have always preferred in real life. But if I was shopping for a new bridge pickup, I would do fine to pick a name from a hat, since the rest of the tone comes from playing technique & heavy distortion.

Ober the years, I have also noticed that the JB Jr. & Hot Rails emphasize noticeably different midrange frequencies, but both of them serve my needs perfectly.

That Keith Merrow video posted by Cole in post #13 was one which I watched.

 

[devastone]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

So my question is what will I lose going from DD to DC.? Cos I'm loving the tight chugs and the bite and clarity and sustain and the rudeness. How will it change for lower tunings.? But what I need from her is a little more warmth, roundedness, less screams and a bigger bottom..!! :flowers1:

I don't want to totally go against what Cole said, but I would say that the Custom does have more bottom and roundness, and a little less sizzle on top, so I would say it may be what you are looking for. Although I would agree that you should probably play with adjusting the DD some before totally giving up on it.

It's funny that you final 2 choices, other than the DD, came down to the Super 3 or the Custom, I've used both and they are some of my favorite pickups, but they really aren't that similar. The S3 is a lot of fun to play and is really tight, and while the treble is rolled off some, it has a lot of harmonic content with gain. The Custom on the other hand is more open although still tight and has plenty of high end, but again, not as much sizzle as the DD.

 

[de_dUKe]

Re: Wanna Play Metal On An Ash Strat.. HSS.. With SS Amp.. Really..??!

Thanks for the input guys..

I will definitely work on the PUP height again tonight concentrating on the high end and see if I can calm the highs somewhat. I did spend a lot of time initially setting this up and got the feel for finding the sweet spot between 'over distorted', being too close to the strings and the 'lifeless' feel of being too far away. I was looking for that 'cutting point' and found it but the pickup is pretty level so I shall angle it away from the high strings.
I may also actually try the 250k volume pot I have if this is indeed a component / setup issue.

I haven't got around to splitting the coils yet as I wanted to get the humbucker setup properly first. Will deal with all the single coils after this. 2 separate volume pots and an S-1 switch or Fender HM Strat style toggle switch I think if it's easy enough to pull off.

But as I said the Distortion when I EQ it correctly and dial back the harsh edge it absolutely rocks with heavy and quacky djenting, Slayer-esque screams and enough metal to fill a scrap yard.
The Super 3 and Custom are both suggestions from people on this thread, along with some others and would both have worked well with this guitar. I just thought the Custom may be a little fuller sounding and not quite as edgy as the Distortion (now I've gone the Duncan route) which may be more suitable to an ash Strat, but I'm certainly no expert and would be really grateful and responsive to your ideas. :headbang: