Strat Pickup choice

TADodger

Question for Strat players, or anyone with a view actually; 

Following on from some of the threads lately about strat acquisitions @BRISTOL86 etc I have GAS for a Fender Strat that will replace my G&L Tribute s500, but I keep changing my mind about which pickup configuration to go for.

Having decided that the Elite is probably not for me (I think too complicated and likely a touch heavy) I am leaning towards an American Pro, but cannot decide on HSS or SSS. Elite was an option for the options S1 provided.

Also, I then read that @Alnico (I think) has an American Pro and changed the standard pickups for noiseless ones as per the Elite (although not the Fender N4 pickups clearly).

Help me decide please......

If it helps, I generally like classic strat tones from SSS but felt that HSS might give more options. I have listened to plenty of  Fender Strat reviews on new and historic or reissue pickups on YT but still cannot decide if HSS is the way to go. 

Alnico

I fitted Seymour Duncan Classic Stack Humbuckers into my American Pro.
I loved the pickups it came with but I don't like 60 cycle hum.
These are all the "Strattyness" of a Strat but almost completely silent, they're great.
They're maybe just a little hotter than the ones that came out but not in the way that a normal, side-by-side-twin-coil humbucker is, the second coil just cancels noise. It's still absolutely a single coil sound and a very nice one too.

I paid £80 per pickup but I'm VERY pleased with them and they'll stay in the guitar now permanently.
This guitar will be at the forum Jam Session and almost certainly it'll get caught on video and sound footage.

@TADodger ........if you're close enough to Bedford to pop in you're more than welcome to come and try my Strat before you go and buy pickups?
No problem, just let me know.

http://i.imgur.com/qcVjYvD.jpg

BRISTOL86

TADodger said:

Question for Strat players, or anyone with a view actually; 

Following on from some of the threads lately about strat acquisitions @BRISTOL86 etc I have GAS for a Fender Strat that will replace my G&L Tribute s500, but I keep changing my mind about which pickup configuration to go for.

Having decided that the Elite is probably not for me (I think too complicated and likely a touch heavy) I am leaning towards an American Pro, but cannot decide on HSS or SSS. Elite was an option for the options S1 provided.

Also, I then read that @Alnico (I think) has an American Pro and changed the standard pickups for noiseless ones as per the Elite (although not the Fender N4 pickups clearly).

Help me decide please......

If it helps, I generally like classic strat tones from SSS but felt that HSS might give more options. I have listened to plenty of  Fender Strat reviews on new and historic or reissue pickups on YT but still cannot decide if HSS is the way to go. 

For me HSS was a no brainer. It's my only guitar and gives me that bit more flexibility than SSS. 

As an aside I love the Texas Specials in the Am Special.

guitarfishbay

To an extent it doesn't matter which you buy, so long as you know how it is routed undeneath.  

I'm not up to date on the latest models, but the previous American Standards were routed H/S/H.  I bought mine as S/S/S but I have a bunch of guards for it now, the majority of the time I'm using it with a bridge humbucker.

With that in mind, you can just buy whichever is the best guitar, and can change the pickup configuration at a later date.

Alnico

guitarfishbay said:

To an extent it doesn't matter which you buy, so long as you know how it is routed undeneath.  

I'm not up to date on the latest models, but the previous American Standards were routed H/S/H.  I bought mine as S/S/S but I have a bunch of guards for it now, the majority of the time I'm using it with a bridge humbucker.

With that in mind, you can just buy whichever is the best guitar, and can change the pickup configuration at a later date.

Good point.
I should have said my American Pro is routed HSH.

TADodger

Good point @guitarfishbay. when I saw @Alnico's change I did think why don't I just change the pickups on my G&L, but the pick guard isn't the same as a Fender and so not so easy to get (but could be made) although it is a swimming pool route. 

@Alnico I know that your SD's are designed to cancel hum and not to provide side by side type tones, but do you have a view on a trad HB in a start bridge (is it different enough with the right output SC in place?).

TADodger

@Alnico - A very kind offer, I'm in Rugby so not that far from Bedford.

Alnico

TADodger said:

Good point @guitarfishbay. when I saw @Alnico's change I did think why don't I just change the pickups on my G&L, but the pick guard isn't the same as a Fender and so not so easy to get (but could be made) although it is a swimming pool route. 

@Alnico I know that your SD's are designed to cancel hum and not to provide side by side type tones, but do you have a view on a trad HB in a start bridge (is it different enough with the right output SC in place?).

If you fit what I'd call a "Proper" humbucker in the bridge, you can coil tap it but it somehow doesn't sound quite the same and I actually really like the sound of this bridge SC but as I've said before, with these pickups I've got it seems to sound better at louder volumes than quiet. Only a wizzo tech would be able to tell you why I'm afraid, my knowledge of this is quite limited.
The traditional Humbucker in the bridge position gives it MUCH more growl and turns a Strat into something very different but at the flick of a switch, on the other pickups, you're back to being a strat again.
Among many others, I know that @not_the_dj has this in his American Special and has gigged that set up a lot. He'd tell you more about it than I could. I've personally never had one but I've played a few and it's a VERY good set up for playing rock and blues, among other things. If you're not really into the bridge sound of a Strat with an SC there then it's a brilliant thing to do with a Strat. I'm not keen on how it looks though, I think the slanted bridge pickup kind of defines a Strat's looks but that's just aesthetics and not important if you're only concerned with sound. It wouldn't bother a lot of people and some it would do, myself included.
I got very lucky with these SD's and I bought them on the strength of a couple of YT demo's but I am VERY happy with them and the noise cancelling is frankly stunning. You don't know it's a Strat until you start playing!

TADodger said:

@Alnico - A very kind offer, I'm in Rugby so not that far from Bedford.

That's maybe an hour away.
I'm right by Bedford Train station.

PM me and arrange something, I'll have it all set up and ready for you.
I've got a BOSS GT100 and a Marshall CODE 25 so you can pretty much emulate whatever sound or amp you want from those and my place is totally noise friendly so you can play almost as loud as you like.

Let me know, I'm free most days except Thursdays.

digitalscream

I'm rather partial to the Red Lace Sensor - when you can't choose between HSS and SSS, that's probably one of your better options. It's nice and single-coil-y when you roll off, but has tons of grunt when you bring it all in.

You also have the option of switching to a single coil if you don't like it (which isn't an option on HSS without replacing the whole scratchplate).

Mind you...another good option is the SD Little '59. That would probably be my second choice

not_the_dj

My American Pro is all stock, and it's SSS. I also have a MIM HSS with Oil City Pick-ups (blitz spirit humbucker and stone stone singles IIRC) 

The HSS set up does make it really versatile and for the rock covers band that humbucker got a lot of use.

I went for the SSS American Pro Strat as I just wanted that classic arrangement, but to be honest I do tend to have it on the neck pick up most of the time! 

stratman3142

My main guitar is an HSS Strat - an old American Standard model. For gigging it was the only guitar I used and it gave me all the sounds I needed with the stock pickups. I'd just take along my Les Paul or PRS as a spare but they almost never got used.

I'm not currently gigging and, if it was just for home recording use, I might choose an SSS Strat, if I've got other guitars with humbuckers.

Alnico

not_the_dj said:

My American Pro is all stock, and it's SSS. I also have a MIM HSS with Oil City Pick-ups (blitz spirit humbucker and stone stone singles IIRC) 

The HSS set up does make it really versatile and for the rock covers band that humbucker got a lot of use.

I went for the SSS American Pro Strat as I just wanted that classic arrangement, but to be honest I do tend to have it on the neck pick up most of the time! 

Col,

Do you not still have the black American Special with HSS?
Or am I getting hazy and that's the MIM?

The one you had at Walsall Jam in '15?

not_the_dj

Alnico said:

Col,

Do you not still have the black American Special with HSS?
Or am I getting hazy and that's the MIM?

The one you had at Walsall Jam in '15?

That's a Mex. Upgraded trem (blade runner), locking tuners and pick-ups.

Alnico

not_the_dj said:

Alnico said:

Col,

Do you not still have the black American Special with HSS?
Or am I getting hazy and that's the MIM?

The one you had at Walsall Jam in '15?

That's a Mex. Upgraded trem (blade runner), locking tuners and pick-ups.

Ahhh.

In that case @TADodger ,..........that's the one I meant and I can vouch for how good it sounds, especially at rock stuff.

TADodger

Thanks for all the information. I do lean towards the SSS Strat as I am a home player, but wanting to do more starting with the Quad Studios Jam. 

Are the standard pickups in the American Pro good enough to not want to change quickly (unless you don't like 60 cycle hum), in which case would you still go for an American Pro and change pickups or is it worth going for an Elite?

Alnico

TADodger said:

Thanks for all the information. I do lean towards the SSS Strat as I am a home player, but wanting to do more starting with the Quad Studios Jam. 

Are the standard pickups in the American Pro good enough to not want to change quickly (unless you don't like 60 cycle hum), in which case would you still go for an American Pro and change pickups or is it worth going for an Elite?

The pickups in the American Pro are excellent.
If you don't mind the hum, they're definitely worth keeping in there IMO.

TADodger

@Alnico - thanks I feel that an SSS American pro is calling...... but what colour??

not_the_dj

TADodger said:

@Alnico - thanks I feel that an SSS American pro is calling...... but what colour??

I went for classic sunburst for mine..

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/95295/ngd-straty-goodness#latest

Alnico

TADodger said:

@Alnico - thanks I feel that an SSS American pro is calling...... but what colour??

I knew I wanted Olympic white and rosewood right from the start.
It wasn't until later on I hit on the idea of putting black plastics on mine but now I have, I can't imagine it any other way, I truly love this guitar.

It's such a personal thing, what colour really does it for you?

TADodger

@not_the_dj - that looks lovely. My s500 is a sunburst with rosewood. I don't have a black guitar yet so fancy the black with mint PG and maple neck this time.

Alegree

Wait until I release my Chameleon humbucker then you have HSS, SSS and P90SS available in a HSS format