The Best HSS Pickup combination for strat?

[jeefatt]

Hi,

Looking for your recommendations for the best Humbucker - Single - Single combination for a strat.

I have a Fender strat with Text Mex single coils, and a Fender DiamondBack humbucker, but looking to change them.

I am kinda interested in the Seymour Duncan's JB, but what single coils would be great to match it with?

Suggest me any HSS combination ok guys!! Maybe you could also give us a famous guitarist's sound as a sample too.

Cheers!

 

[HarrisonYeo]

wad kind of tone are u lookin for?

 

[jeefatt]

kinda a hard rock sound... like bon jovi, skid row, AIC, etc... or suggest to me

anyone knows what Skid Row's guitarist pickup combination?

 

[rimuel]

scotti hill's? strat you mean?

from what i remember,the black strat with the white pearloid pickguard was equipped with lace sensors.not sure which particular model.

 

[jeefatt]

yeah, i think he uses a Lace Sensor too... how bout the humbucker?

 

[jeefatt]

So, anyone got any more good suggestions?

 

[Ized]

i prefer snake sabo. i think a dimarzio paf would be a good bet.

 

[jeefatt]

Ok,... i've got recommendations for SD JB and Dimarzio Pafs... what single coils hould i match em with?

 

[ShredCow]

I wouldn't go with the JB or any humbucker that is too high output.

In today's context - you got pedals and amp that have so much gain... you really don't need high output pickups unless you have a need to play certain specific genres - e.g. fusion-ish legato playing (which can also be done on low output pickups) or heavy heavy metal (and that can be done on low output pups too).

While high output pickups do have certain plus points - I find the negatives far outweight them. Moreover, like what I said, we have all the gain we need from other sources, and that just demolishes one of the major reasons for high output pickups.



For dimarzio - and dimarzio only - you can compare their pickups with the output rating. A PAF Pro has what... 300 mA output? Try to find single coils in the 100-ish region. Cruisers, Areas, etc etc.

You can go higher or lower - you'd just have to tweak pup heights to accommodate the differences - but i believe a pickup has to be set at a certain height or its missing the point/purpose (of the pickup).

 

[penguin]

if ur gonna fix up a jb, then 2 hotrails would be compatible.

other than that u can try paf pro(or some mid out out pus) and HS3,JYM
or duncan 59 or the stk series singles..


well actually the list goes on ...haha...

btw ur guitar is it maple neck/fretboard and swamp ash body?

 

[Danelectrico]

For bridge pickups, personally i've never found a JB to have too much gain. To me I've always found it a decent pickup, suitable for rock, takes to drives nicely, cleans are alright, splits pretty well. That been said, I don't think you can go wrong with a recommendation and a custom wound option from the guys at High Order Pickups or Has Sound. If you have patience and faith to get one of those, you wouldn't be disappointed.

I've never liked any Dimarzio humbuckers I've tried unfortunately.

For neck and middle, if you like noiseless pickups and a traditional strat sound, a Dimarzio Area 61 and Area 58 respectively would be really good for that application. Otherwise Suhr pickups sound great - at least the V60LPs. Really good stuff.

Duncan Hot Rails are ridiculously hot, I wouldn't put them on anything other than the bridge and even then I don't like them. The Vintage Rails are very mediocre and low gain, I quite like the Cool Rails pickup in the neck for a really humbuckerish fat tone...but it's not like a traditional strat neck pickup at all, no. More like having an ES-335 in there instead. Quite nice for jazz if you turn the tone down on that selection, and great with drive for a really huge warm neck tone.

 

[Whitestrat]

I wouldn't go with the JB or any humbucker that is too high output.

In today's context - you got pedals and amp that have so much gain... you really don't need high output pickups unless you have a need to play certain specific genres - e.g. fusion-ish legato playing (which can also be done on low output pickups) or heavy heavy metal (and that can be done on low output pups too).

While high output pickups do have certain plus points - I find the negatives far outweight them. Moreover, like what I said, we have all the gain we need from other sources, and that just demolishes one of the major reasons for high output pickups.



For dimarzio - and dimarzio only - you can compare their pickups with the output rating. A PAF Pro has what... 300 mA output? Try to find single coils in the 100-ish region. Cruisers, Areas, etc etc.

You can go higher or lower - you'd just have to tweak pup heights to accommodate the differences - but i believe a pickup has to be set at a certain height or its missing the point/purpose (of the pickup).

JB is considered high output??? I thought is considered mid?

Anyways, speaking of low putput pickups, I'm dying to try the EJ Customs... Any thoughts?

P.S. The PAF Joe/FRED combo is currently my fav! In a hardtail/odd wood combo guitar, it's awesome!:mrgreen:

 

[ChanMin]

with all the lollars, fralins and mojo boutique handwound-by-blind-nuns stuff being sold today... im really tempted to just go with the staple passive choices, dimarzio tonezone (or equivalent) and matching singles (maybe yjm?) ...

im putting together a alderbodied strat, maple neck with s.s frets , routed for H/S/S
im hoping for it to do richie sambora and maybe even heavier stuff... some metal maybe? but its gotta give good cleans for the funky stuff....

anyone got any tried and tested combinations?

 

[KennethC]

with all the lollars, fralins and mojo boutique handwound-by-blind-nuns stuff being sold today... im really tempted to just go with the staple passive choices, dimarzio tonezone (or equivalent) and matching singles (maybe yjm?) ...

Wahahahahhahahaa you snuffed me for trying those Dimarzio Virtual Vintages!!

Bro, your suhrs were awesome la, honestly. Dun need to look for blind nuns type...try the Suhr FLs + DSV.

And yep, JB is mid output...has quite a bit of compression going on, but def not what I'd term as high output.

 

[ChanMin]

hahaha.. well the vvs... really not very nice ma.. i had them before...
tonezones and yjms ive had before also.. and were really nice for what i was playing back then...

however.. i do believe the DSV+ and suhrs fl would rock...
lemme install the FLs in my diy relic to see if i like em first.... my v60lps are going into my shell pink... the lollar blondes on it really not my thing (i tried my best to tweak liaoz)
hur hur hur... massive strat mod season is here.

 

[ShredCow]

JB is considered high output??? I thought is considered mid?

No leh. On SD website it is stated high output.

 

[ShredCow]

im putting together a alderbodied strat, maple neck with s.s frets , routed for H/S/S
im hoping for it to do richie sambora and maybe even heavier stuff... some metal maybe? but its gotta give good cleans for the funky stuff....

anyone got any tried and tested combinations?

Didn't Richie Sambora use a dimarzio PAF Pro in the bridge?


Check out high order though. Slightly cheaper than a Dimarzio and there's definitely more character to the pickups for some reason. Maybe the blind-nun thing works?

And try Bill Lawrence... L200s match very nicely with a PAF-ish output humbucker. They also have a beaaautiful harmonic bloom when playing at louder volumes. And @ usd40 for one... thats like... 1/2 the price of a dimarzio.

 

[KennethC]

hahaha.. well the vvs... really not very nice ma..

Ya but u said this to me, "Huh, you want Dimarzios ah...what u gonna put in there? HS1/HS2???!?" *followed by evil guffaw*

hahaha, anyway bro I'm sure those Dimarzios are good too...else the pros wouldn't be using 'em. I'm looking forward to trying out ur modded strats!

 

[ChanMin]

the hs1,2 and 3 and yjm rawks la... but i really wont see you using them bro haha.. its soooo MALMSTEEEEEN \m/,

 

[Whitestrat]

with all the lollars, fralins and mojo boutique handwound-by-blind-nuns stuff being sold today... im really tempted to just go with the staple passive choices, dimarzio tonezone (or equivalent) and matching singles (maybe yjm?) ...

Honestly, you're right. I'm actually just too laxy to go tone hunting with all those choices which are so hard to get conventionally. I'd rather find something easily available, and work with it... Like the FRED. heh... I'm so happy with it, I might replace all my Steve's Specials with it...:mrgreen: