Which STK in the bridge?

[SabbathFan0220]

I recently got a set of 3 Classic Stack Plus (STK-S4) singles for one of my Strats, but I'm pretty sure I'm looking for something hotter in the bridge. I'm going for a hot vintage Gilmour kind of tone. The Strat has an alder body, one piece maple neck, and vintage style trem.

Which of these combos do you guess would be best?

Option 1:
Classic Stack Plus (STK-S4) neck
Classic Stack Plus (STK-S4) middle
Classic Stack Plus (STK-S4) bridge

Option 2:
Classic Stack Plus (STK-S4) neck
Classic Stack Plus (STK-S4) middle
Vintage Hot Stack Plus (STK-S7) bridge

Option 3:
Classic Stack Plus (STK-S4) neck
Classic Stack Plus (STK-S4) middle
Custom Stack Plus (STK-S6) bridge

Option 4:
Vintage Hot Stack Plus (STK-S7) neck
Classic Stack Plus (STK-S4) middle
Custom Stack Plus (STK-S6) bridge

The thing that has me skeptical about Option 4 is the fact that the neck pickup is hotter than the middle. Is this ever done, or is it always lowest output in the neck and highest in the bridge?

 

[SabbathFan0220]

Re: Which STK in the bridge?

If the neck pickup can be hotter than the middle pickup, I could also use the bridge position STK-S4 in the neck...

Something else to consider.

Thanks guys.

 

[Despair]

re: Which STK in the bridge?

There's 3 common approaches to pickup output in strats:

Vintage nut: Use same output in every position, and adjust height to compensate. Not ideal, since you have to compromise on either tone or output level. Given reactionary tendencies of your average guitarist, this is sadly more common than it should be on technical merits.

Graded: Use hottest pickup in bridge, coolest in neck. Usually done with graded sets. Gives the most even volume from position to position.

Quack: Hottest in bridge, coolest in middle. This gives the most quack in the 2 & 4 positions. Many strat players almost never use the middle pickup by itself, and many of those who do use it for the cleanest/brightest sounds.

Since a lot of people solo in the neck on a strat, a slightly hotter neck pickup makes a lot of sense. I'd probably go with the 4th option, especially since you mention Gilmour tones. You might even want to look at the Hot Stack Plus in the bridge. Some of the best Gilmour lead sounds I've heard have been done with an SSL-3 Hot Strat, and the Hot Stack Plus is it's noise-cancelling variant.

Bridge pickup in neck, middle in middle, and picking up Custom or Hot bridge pickup wont give quite as strong a neck soloing sound, but should work too.

Another thing to consider is tone control. Most people find that even a hot bridge pickup can be too bright in a strat, so either move the middle tone control to the bridge (middle for brightest or don't use it...) or share the middle tone control with the bridge.

 

[SabbathFan0220]

Re: Which STK in the bridge?

Thanks, Despair. Anyone else?

 

[JohnnyGuitar]

Re: Which STK in the bridge?

Despair more or less summed it up. It's better to put the coolest pickup in the middle if you're going for more quack. Look at previous threads about the stacks, there's a lot of info.

I use the set you've specified in Option 3:
Classic Stack Plus (STK-S4) neck
Classic Stack Plus (STK-S4) middle
Custom Stack Plus (STK-S6) bridge

I like the Cusom Stack a lot. I'm not going for Gilmour tones but I think this pickup gets them sometimes even without being asked to. AFAIK the SSL-5, which this pickup is based on was designed for DG - so the tone is there.

A hotter, "overwound" neck pickup gets you great fat tones, that's what you get in HW1 Strats... I prefer something cooler and more resonant. It's not better or worst, just different.

 

[SabbathFan0220]

Re: Which STK in the bridge?

Thanks, JohnnyGuitar. The STK-S6 in the bridge sounds great. Since I want to be able to use the neck for super clean stuff too, option 3 might be just right.

 

[SabbathFan0220]

Re: Which STK in the bridge?

Bump...any other opinions?

 

[mom]

Re: Which STK in the bridge?

How does the Custom Stack Plus compare to an actual ssl-5 as far as presence and treble response? Is it darker?

 

[Despair]

Re: Which STK in the bridge?

How does the Custom Stack Plus compare to an actual ssl-5 as far as presence and treble response? Is it darker?

The Stack Plus series are supposed to lose as little sparkle to the hum cancelling as has ever been managed. Someone from Seymour Duncan mentioned that using the tapped (non-humcancelling) mode was indistinguishable from the original version of the pickup for one of the series, and I doubt that changes from model to model.

 

[Brucifer85]

Re: Which STK in the bridge?

Reviving this thread!

Im curious to know all these years later what the OP decided on and what the results were and whether or not he is still using whichever combination he chose.

I am in the same boat at the moment that he was all those years ago.

I picked up a limited edition hardtail Start and I'm wanting to swop out the pickups for noisless ones.

I was thinking along the lines of his option no.2 or no.3

I want to keep the neck and middle closer to the traditional Strat sound but with a slightly hotter bridge for when using distortion. However I'd still like the bridge to sound clean with no breakup when playing clean. I worry the STK-6 may be a little too hot and ruin the cleans.

Can anyone comment on the STK-6 vs STK-7 in terms of how they sound both clean and when using distortion?

Thanks.

 

[Artie]

Re: Which STK in the bridge?

I use the set you've specified in Option 3:
Classic Stack Plus (STK-S4) neck
Classic Stack Plus (STK-S4) middle
Custom Stack Plus (STK-S6) bridge

Me too. Love it. The only thing that bumped it out of my #1 favorite Strat spot was a set of Livewire Classic II's. (But it's still good.)

 

[Brucifer85]

Re: Which STK in the bridge?

Me too. Love it. The only thing that bumped it out of my #1 favorite Strat spot was a set of Livewire Classic II's. (But it's still good.)

Hey.

How did you find the STK-6 when it came to cleans? Were they very clean like a traditional Strat pickup or did they have some grit to them? Thanks.

 

[stevie_bees]

Re: Which STK in the bridge?

I'm currently using option 2 in my G&L Legacy with a Clapton mid-boost fitted. All the Strat tone I need plus the bonus of the pushed mid-boosted tones.