What neck humbucker for a 59/Custom Hybrid?

[TimmyPage]

Hey all, some of you may remember that I had plans to switch my strat to an HH a little while back. Well, I bought all the parts, the pickguard, knobs, pots and a switch. Aaand then I went on a relatively expensive vacation and realised I couldn't justify purchasing pickups that month without losing my ability to pay rent or eat. In the meantime I started listening to clips of the SH-16 and I've really fallen in love, it sounds super clear, versatile and pretty much everything I'm looking for in a pickup (and should be a solid change from the honkiness and weird compression of my PATB-3... great pickup that I'm just absolutely sick of).

So what neck humbucker would suit it? It would be replacing a Cool Rails (Im changing pickguards). In my band I mainly play jazz, soul, a bit of blues. My own compositions are sort of.. ambient stuff which kind of ranges from Bill Frisell to Isis influenced things, and prog in the vein of Opeth and Porcupine Tree. I'm looking for something in the vintage-ish range that can sing under a lot of gain too. It's going in an Alder Hardtail strat with a rosewood fretboard. Guitar is pretty even sounding, but being a hardtail it sounds a lot more solid and less 'bouncy' than a regular routed strat. Therein lies the problem; it means that scooped sounding neck pickups end up sounding extremely dead in this guitar (as did the cool rails, I noticed as I started playing with gain sounds again) so the 59n is definitely out, I'm definitely looking for something more lively. I also don't really have the facilities or equipment at all here for mag swaps, nor is there a simple way to get them from where I live so I'd prefer a stock pickup suggestion if at all possible.

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Re: What neck humbucker for a 59/Custom Hybrid?

Hm, something with an A2?

 

[elelpe]

Re: What neck humbucker for a 59/Custom Hybrid?

In my band I mainly play jazz, soul, a bit of blues. My own compositions are sort of.. ambient stuff which kind of ranges from Bill Frisell to Isis influenced things, and prog in the vein of Opeth and Porcupine Tree. I'm looking for something in the vintage-ish range that can sing under a lot of gain too.

A broad range, huh? I'd say Full Shred. I won't hesitate to go with Phat Cat though.

 

[blueman335]

Re: What neck humbucker for a 59/Custom Hybrid?

Hm, something with an A2?

Ah, how about something with an A5, that'll be more like the bridge. The '59/Custom hybrid is pretty bright, and a neck PU that's fairly warm is going to give you the '498T/490R effect' which frustrates many players: it's so hard to get one amp EQ setting that sounds good for both PU's. I'd pair it with a '59N or Jazz.

 

[TimmyPage]

Re: What neck humbucker for a 59/Custom Hybrid?

A broad range, huh? I'd say Full Shred. I won't hesitate to go with Phat Cat though.

I've been hearing good things about the full shred neck, though what do you think of the accusations that it's kind of sterile? Again, I think this guitar really needs a lively pickup to push it.

Ah, how about something with an A5, that'll be more like the bridge. The '59/Custom hybrid is pretty bright, and a neck PU that's fairly warm is going to give you the '498T/490R effect' which frustrates many players: it's so hard to get one amp EQ setting that sounds good for both PU's. I'd pair it with a '59N or Jazz.

Yeah you are right there. I'm just worried that the lack of mids in the A5 pickups might, again, leave it sounding kind of dull. I've had that issue with this guitar for a while, even when it was full of single coils, the SSL-1's ended up sounding really dull.

I heard some clips earlier of the PGn that sounded amazing, and I know it has a reputation as a bright pickup with some bite/liveliness, would it be a suitable match? (I know it's A2, contrary to what you just suggested)

 

[Aceman]

Re: What neck humbucker for a 59/Custom Hybrid?

A 59

 

[blueman335]

Re: What neck humbucker for a 59/Custom Hybrid?

I've been hearing good things about the full shred neck, though what do you think of the accusations that it's kind of sterile? Again, I think this guitar really needs a lively pickup to push it.

Yeah you are right there. I'm just worried that the lack of mids in the A5 pickups might, again, leave it sounding kind of dull. I've had that issue with this guitar for a while, even when it was full of single coils, the SSL-1's ended up sounding really dull.

I heard some clips earlier of the PGn that sounded amazing, and I know it has a reputation as a bright pickup with some bite/liveliness, would it be a suitable match? (I know it's A2, contrary to what you just suggested)

A5 PU's have more mids in the neck slot, due to the increase in string energy there. PGN's are pretty rounded in warm woods (more 'lively' in brighter woods); it's PGB's that are fairly bright.

Full Shred in the neck is a good option if you want something more aggressive.

 

[Scott Marceau]

Re: What neck humbucker for a 59/Custom Hybrid?

For the most articulation and clarity in the neck I always like the Jazz model.

 

[elelpe]

Re: What neck humbucker for a 59/Custom Hybrid?

I've been hearing good things about the full shred neck, though what do you think of the accusations that it's kind of sterile? Again, I think this guitar really needs a lively pickup to push it.

Well, someone's sterile is someone else's precise/transparent/no color. That's what I can think of it. I don't know exactly what you mean about lively. Does it mean 'character' as opposed to sterile?

 

[dvanburen]

Re: What neck humbucker for a 59/Custom Hybrid?

For the most articulation and clarity in the neck I always like the Jazz model.

yep.^ ^ and a 59n with a5 can be scooped in some guitars. To the OP: i know you are not into mag swaps or customizing pickups but mag swaps are cheap and easy and you can really fine tune your sound with that option available. Seymour Duncan does it himself, as do most pickup designers. He has the same exact pickup (coils, winds) with different magnets only and calls the pickups completely different names. And they have completely different sounds... Because once you swap mags, they become completely different pickups.