What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

[Monsta-Tone]

I just bought one of these: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...15xD9fVNoIJGdrD3mFjKEjQ&bvm=bv.98476267,d.cGU
I got the red one with Duncans and maple fretboard.

It's the LTD Elite, which means that it will never be worth anything and it has the Floyd Rose 1000 series instead of the OFR.
I don't care. It was almost $1,000 cheaper than the E-II with the OFR.

The Custom in the bridge sounds really raw and aggro, I like it!
The STK-S4 in the middle is punchy and sounds great as well.
The STK-S4 in the neck feels a little underpowered compared to the other two pickups.

I'd like to stay with Duncan if I can.
What pickup would you guys recommend that sounds like a fat, hot Strat?
I never believe the tone chart or the Tone Wizard. It just seems like sometimes the recommendations are not at all what I am looking for. Granted, sometimes it might be.......

The Tone Wizard is suggesting the Lil 59 or Hot Rails neck.
I had a Hot Rails neck in a basswood Ibanez that I got from Frank Falbo years ago. It was really dark and muddy in that guitar, but in an alder super Strat with maple fretboard, it might just be what I am looking for. Although it is as far from a Strat sound as the Custom is.........

Anyway, I play lots of cleans, lots of medium distorted tones, and lots of incredibly distorted tones.
I want clarity, note definition, and harmonics.
Guess it doesn't really have to sound like a Strat since I have a couple of Strats........

 

[Diego]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

YJM neck.

 

[guitarSQUIRELL]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

I have STK-S6 Custom Stack Plus in my ibanez and it sounds really well. When combined with the JB in the bridge in position 2 on the 5- Way switch it has a really nice start like sound.

 

[Artie]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

A Cool Rails might do the trick. Nice and punchy. Hotter than a single, but less than a Hot Rails.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

I just bought one of these: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...15xD9fVNoIJGdrD3mFjKEjQ&bvm=bv.98476267,d.cGU
I got the red one with Duncans and maple fretboard.

It's the LTD Elite, which means that it will never be worth anything and it has the Floyd Rose 1000 series instead of the OFR.
I don't care. It was almost $1,000 cheaper than the E-II with the OFR.

The Custom in the bridge sounds really raw and aggro, I like it!
The STK-S4 in the middle is punchy and sounds great as well.
The STK-S4 in the neck feels a little underpowered compared to the other two pickups.

I'd like to stay with Duncan if I can.
What pickup would you guys recommend that sounds like a fat, hot Strat?
I never believe the tone chart or the Tone Wizard. It just seems like sometimes the recommendations are not at all what I am looking for. Granted, sometimes it might be.......

The Tone Wizard is suggesting the Lil 59 or Hot Rails neck.
I had a Hot Rails neck in a basswood Ibanez that I got from Frank Falbo years ago. It was really dark and muddy in that guitar, but in an alder super Strat with maple fretboard, it might just be what I am looking for. Although it is as far from a Strat sound as the Custom is.........

Anyway, I play lots of cleans, lots of medium distorted tones, and lots of incredibly distorted tones.
I want clarity, note definition, and harmonics.
Guess it doesn't really have to sound like a Strat since I have a couple of Strats........

IME, those p'ups balance quite well, both tone- and output-wise.

I think the neck p'up is connected with a cold solder joint somewhere in the circuit or maybe a faulty switch. I'd look there first, rather than another p'up.

HTH,

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

If I were you I'd try a STK-6 Custom Stack Plus, they are still quite Straty but dead quiet and ballsy as all hell! They also sound great, probably better running off a 500K pot! The problem with H/S/S or H/S guitars is most of the time Humbuckers sound better with 500K pots and singles with 250K's, so you kinda have to make some kind of compromise, normally choosing a pot for the pickup that you use most, sometimes you get lucky & the Humbucker you are using works better when running off a 250K pot but the Custom is not one of them! 500K pots, Custom 5 in the bridge, STK-4 in the middle, & a Custom Stack Plus in the neck will sound awesome! It should give you the tone your looking for from your neck without holding back the Custom 5 in the bridge @ all!!!

 

[elelpe]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

It shouldn't be underpowered like that. But if you want a more powerful pickup than a normal STK-S4 should be, you have plenty of choice and some are already mentioned. I'd suggest Lil Demon. It sounds really similar to its HB sibling, which is awesome in the neck for clean, crunch and distortion.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

Thanks guys! It's my anniversary, so I might not be able to open it up today, but I will definitely check the solder joints!
I thought it was odd that the neck would be so much less loud than the middle since they are the same pickup. It just sounds weak and muffled.

If I still don't like it, I'll definitely be on the lookout for a used STK-S6, Lil 59 or Lil Demon!


Diego:
I thought the YJM was low output? Am I confusing it with a different pickup?

Thanks again,
Andy

 

[dotsdad]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

STK S7 is a little hotter than the S4 for more of an SRV type sound

 

[guitarSQUIRELL]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

Thanks guys! It's my anniversary, so I might not be able to open it up today, but I will definitely check the solder joints!
I thought it was odd that the neck would be so much less loud than the middle since they are the same pickup. It just sounds weak and muffled.

If I still don't like it, I'll definitely be on the lookout for a used STK-S6, Lil 59 or Lil Demon!


Diego:
I thought the YJM was low output? Am I confusing it with a different pickup?

Thanks again,
Andy

Happy Anniversary BTW

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

Happy Anniversary BTW

Right on, thanks! It's a little stressful, recent death in the family, lost a $200,000 job and have to scramble to find work for my employees, but still good! 14 years of her putting up with my eccentrifugal force!

 

[Diego]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

Hey man! You'll pull things off, you have the right attitude.

I tried the Duncan YJMs and they're medium output for sure. I think his old Dimarzios were very low output.

 

[B2D]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

STK S7 is a little hotter than the S4 for more of an SRV type sound

That's what I was gonna say - here's a good demo of it.

 

[IMENATOR]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

STK-S7 haven't tried but that is what they recommend for a bit hotter than S4
STK-S6 Advertised as similar to SSL5 (or SSL6 as it has flat poles?). I used to pair it with a JB and does have a straty sound that can keep up with JB output and if you do autosplit for notch position it does a really good quack, lots of guys in this forum like this to match a higher output humbucker and you can listen to it in Charvel HS demos.

My personal favourite so far is the STK-S10n, the YJM Fury neck. Fatter single coil kind of sound and quacks good with my SSL-1 in the middle, it works in my HSS with a JB and it really shines on gain. In my opinion it is the one that allows my HSS to be versatile as long as you are willing to use your middle pickup for more traditional single coil sounds. If you really want that strat neck magic for cleans or just mild overdrive it may not be what you are looking for. By the way I started to like the cleans of this pickup better when I dropped my cube and started using a tube preamp for cleans.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

Thanks guys! I'm opening the guitar today to see if anything is funky with the wiring.
If the wiring is all good, I'll definitely be looking around for something new.

I really like the S7 vid, thanks.

I'll have to check some vids out for the S6 and the YJM!
It needs to be able to have stellar cleans (doesn't have to be pristine Strat cleans), very articulate but warm, and sound great with distortion.
Sometimes......more distortion than is necessary in almost any situation.....I bought an Archon 25 and the thing just screams! I sold my K-Tre the day the Archon showed up!

 

[IMENATOR]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

If you liked that S7 video just keep in mind the guy is using push/pull up in the intro, I think he is just switching to split mode to get a true single coil.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

Well....
I opened the guitar up. There were in fact two crappy solder connections. The neck and middle on the selector switch.
I resoldered them, and changed the tone cap from a .01 to a .022 Orange Drop.

It still sounds underpowered and underwhelming. I raised the neck pickup up a little and that helped tremendously, but the poles were so close to the strings that I got ghost tones with my distortion settings.
I had to lower it back down.

Now I'm on the search for an STK-S6 or S7. I'm hoping that a little hotter output will mean I can lower it down enough to not drag the strings down.

 

[guitarSQUIRELL]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

Well....
I opened the guitar up. There were in fact two crappy solder connections. The neck and middle on the selector switch.
I resoldered them, and changed the tone cap from a .01 to a .022 Orange Drop.

It still sounds underpowered and underwhelming. I raised the neck pickup up a little and that helped tremendously, but the poles were so close to the strings that I got ghost tones with my distortion settings.
I had to lower it back down.

Now I'm on the search for an STK-S6 or S7. I'm hoping that a little hotter output will mean I can lower it down enough to not drag the strings down.

I have heard Manypeople here say something dealing with anORANGEdrop cap. What is the difference with an orange drop cap and a standard like you would get at Radio Shack like a .47?

 

[Artie]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

I have heard Manypeople here say something dealing with anORANGEdrop cap. What is the difference with an orange drop cap and a standard like you would get at Radio Shack like a .47?

It's not the brand name. It's the value. Orange Drop is just a cap made by Sprague. And you don't want a .47. You might try a .047.

 

[guitarSQUIRELL]

Re: What Duncan STK pickup sounds really Strat like but is hotter than STK-S4?

It's not the brand name. It's the value. Orange Drop is just a cap made by Sprague. And you don't want a .47. You might try a .047.

Yeah. That's what I meant. I'll get mine at radio shack lol. Caps are caps, right?