Single-coil pups for mahogany body guitar

[dreamist]

I have a H-S-S mahogany body, bolt-on maple neck, rosewood fingerboard guitar. It's fixed bridge with string-through-body. The stock pickups are generally warm sounding.

I'm thinking of replacing the humbucker with SD Custom 5. Now I think I have to get a matching pair of single coils, too. I'd like to get a strat-type sound (bright, stinging, bell-like/glassy, and, yeah, I know mine is mahogany 8) ). So, I'm thinking of getting SSL-1 or APS-1 to go with it. The problem is Custom 5 is a high-output pup, and SSL-1/APS-1 are low-output. I'm not going to split coil on Custom 5, so it will be Hum+Sing at position 4. Do you think it will blend well?

And what do you think about pairing APS-1 and SSL-1? I mean SSL-1 in the neck and APS-1 in the middle.

Or do you have a better match for the Custom 5?

 

[ShredCow]

You'll have a problem getting a stratty tone out of your guitar. Its going to be tough, but I suppose you can try to emulate.

Bill Lawrence?

 

[fgl]

closest U gonna get to strat sound is class of 55 in all three pos or maybe Virtual Vintage 54 .... dimarzios

 

[jony]

HSS is always a compromise with output.

In my opinion, pickup output balance is blown out of proportion. Disparity is fine. Of course not to huge extents.

In anycase, A Custom 5 in the bridge will not overpower the single coils anymore than a JB humbucker would. In fact the extra power from the bucker' can be used as a musical tool.

For a Stratty sound and considering its a mahogan bodied guitar, I'd say go with the SSL-1 in both middle and neck.

Do you play leads on the neck though? SSL-5 will be smthg to look at for its higher output which would be slightly more pleasing.

More information about your amp and pedal setup and playin style would help.

 

[ShredCow]

Woudl this be viable?

Your high output humbucker when in parallel (or split dependingo n preference, parallel for me coz the tone wouldnt' sound too thin and its hum cancelling) will be the same vol as your Singles.

You will have a mini toggle switch lah

So when soloing, flick that siwtch bridge pup, YEAH!!!

 

[edo83]

HSS is always a compromise with output.

In my opinion, pickup output balance is blown out of proportion. Disparity is fine. Of course not to huge extents.

I think i'll have to strongly disagree with the compromise portion, it's all about balancing the output of the pickups and adjusting your rig. Go catch Timmons on his records and listen :wink:

 

[dreamist]

Thanks for all the input so far. Please keep them coming.

Actually, my guitar is Godin Exit 22. The stock pickups sound fine, and they blend quite well. I mean, it retains volume very well when changing from humbucker to single coils. I especially like the position 4 where the humbucker blends with the middle single coil.

The single coils sound OK, but they lack sparkle. They sound a bit like nylon string guitar, if you know what I mean. I think it is in part because of the rosewood fingerboard. So I'm in search of a pair of pickups that could shine through it with sparkling clean.

How is that DiMarzio? There's no sound clip on the website.

As for your recommendation for SSL-5, I listened to the sound samples. It's has a bit of midrange, which I think could turn into fat instead of sparkle on my guitar. Something that sounds like SSL-1 but higher output would be nice, I think.

And what about SSL-2? I don't quite understand the difference between staggered and flat. Care to elaborate?

PS: I could not put any switch on my guitar. It's a plain solid body without pickguard, and I don't want to drill any hole on it.

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

if you like to add brightless to the single coil, perhaps can swap out the pots to a higher value one. Not too sure on the godin, but in a usual strat, 250k pot is the usual standard for single coil, changing it to a 500k or 1mag pot, it can make it really piercing bright.

In a way, its much cheaper than changing the pickup. If after changing the pots and not satisfy, then perhaps can try the pickup changing.

imho

 

[dreamist]

That's an interesting idea. My guitar uses 250K pots. If I'm going to try it, which one do I have to replace, volume, tone, or both?

 

[ShredCow]

Do the vol first, try a 500k pot.

But IMO, while changing the pot values will make the overall tone brighter, it doesn't add "sparkle"... If you get what I mean. Nonetheless, my idea of what's sparkle is probably something contrived from my imagination. :lol: Give it a go... no harm!

 

[WiZaRd]

I currently have 2 ibanez SA, both HSS n fixed trem. One's with the SSL-5 at neck n JB at the bridge. Middle stock and the other SA is fitted with Breed at bridge and Cruisers coils neck and middle ...Edo's old SA. 8)

I had the SSL-1 at the neck b4. It has the very sweet vintage chimy single coil tone. Very sweet sounding but the output is very low and i cant seem to blend it well with the JB(yes i know JB's output is friggin high).I changed to the SSL-5 later. Happy with it. It's a little different from the SSL-1. Less vintage sounding but fatter.

The Cruisers on my other SA are on a mahagony body fyi. Very empty sounding to me. Zero EQ and Zero characteristics. Brings out the original guitar tone alot.. 8)

 

[jony]

And what about SSL-2? I don't quite understand the difference between staggered and flat. Care to elaborate?

Staggered vs flat polepiece designs
The pole stagger was designed to balance string volume back in the 50's also to compensate for the charactersitics of amplifiers of the day.
Today, string designs have obviously changed but the polepieces have not. I suspect this is due to people still enjoying the way thos staggered pickups sounded even with today's string sets. Thus the Seymour Duncan company still does release their pickups in staggered pole configurations.

Tonewise, The staggered poles with today's string sets sound chimier and airier whilst the flat poles have more mids and less chime to the sound.

Based on personal experience, the bridge pickup tends to like flat poles because the position in itself tends to be pretty bright and thin sounding. While the middle and neck slots can take staggered pole models.


Cheers 8)