Best thick and loud sounding single coil bridge pickup for an EOB strat - must be white

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It has a Seymour Duncan JB Jr Humbucker in single coil format

I find it is thin-sounding

I love the neck strat pickup sounds generally, and they are not too bad on this one either, but would want more like an overwound PAF type of sound on the bridge, that can do Santana and Vai sounds 

Any ideas?
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  • paulnb57paulnb57 Frets: 3044
    My current favourite Strat bridge pickup is a Bare Knuckle Sinner, neck pickup with metal backplate, but at the bridge....
    Stranger from another planet welcome to our hole - Just strap on your guitar and we'll play some rock 'n' roll

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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11790
    edited April 2021
     I was thinking of a seymour Duncan Hot-rails

    but looking at the manual for the EOB strat, you'd need to solder in the pickup to a small computer-plug-connector

    I did that years ago on a Fernandes that had a sustainer, it was beyond my skills to do a good job
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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11790
    paulnb57 said:
    My current favourite Strat bridge pickup is a Bare Knuckle Sinner, neck pickup with metal backplate, but at the bridge....
    ahh, sounds interesting but probably compatible with this application
    the sustainer installation manual says it must be a high output humbucker
    I'm wanting more mids for this if I did it

    btw I just fitted a Kinman Nine-O to the bridge of one strat: sounds like the beefiest, loudest tele pickup ever
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  • steamabacussteamabacus Frets: 1258
     I was thinking of a seymour Duncan Hot-rails

    but looking at the manual for the EOB strat, you'd need to solder in the pickup to a small computer-plug-connector

    I did that years ago on a Fernandes that had a sustainer, it was beyond my skills to do a good job

    Could you not simply cut the cable an inch or two from the plug and solder to the snipped cable ends? Tidy up with shrink wrap.

    The Hot Rails is certainly fat but I find it can be a bit too bloated in the lower mids and lacking in top end sparkle. I put one in my Ibanez Blazer for some gigs I depped in a mate's punk band a few years back - I resorted to a treble bleed resistor across the volume pot and backing volume off a notch or two whenever I had the Hot Rails in full series humbucker mode in order to get a bit of top end cut. Worked ok but I probably had it more often in parallel humbucker mode (also a useful sound - more akin to the tapped single coil mode).

    I love the full sized SD Screamin' Demon in the bridge of a strat-style guitar. They do a 'mini' Screamin' Demon as well. I've not tried it but I think ICBM is a fan.
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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11790
     I was thinking of a seymour Duncan Hot-rails

    but looking at the manual for the EOB strat, you'd need to solder in the pickup to a small computer-plug-connector

    I did that years ago on a Fernandes that had a sustainer, it was beyond my skills to do a good job

    Could you not simply cut the cable an inch or two from the plug and solder to the snipped cable ends? Tidy up with shrink wrap.

    The Hot Rails is certainly fat but I find it can be a bit too bloated in the lower mids and lacking in top end sparkle. I put one in my Ibanez Blazer for some gigs I depped in a mate's punk band a few years back - I resorted to a treble bleed resistor across the volume pot and backing volume off a notch or two whenever I had the Hot Rails in full series humbucker mode in order to get a bit of top end cut. Worked ok but I probably had it more often in parallel humbucker mode (also a useful sound - more akin to the tapped single coil mode).

    I love the full sized SD Screamin' Demon in the bridge of a strat-style guitar. They do a 'mini' Screamin' Demon as well. I've not tried it but I think ICBM is a fan.
    yes, a mid-air solder was my thinking too

    Ibanez blazer - that takes me back - my first decent electric (got nicked from a mate's car sadly), 

    I had a hot rails in the neck of a stat once, that was a mistake
    I'm still weighing up this idea - def prefer a meatier tone for use with a sustainer. As it is the tone control doesn't work properly yet, need to replace that, which would make life easier too
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  • CasperCasterCasperCaster Frets: 760
    edited April 2021
    The Fernandes Sustainer does need a reasonably hot humbucker to drive it. The SD JB Jr or SD Hotrails will do it. Also look at the Dimarzio Fast Track 2 and Sugar Chakra. If you use a Dimarzio you'll need to flip the phase i.e. hot as earth and earth as hot. 

    If you want to leave your existing pickup stock (to reinstall at a later date?) but want to 'cut and splice' to install the new pickup you could visit a RC model shop or search ebay for a 'LiPo balance cable' . These use the same 2.54mm pitch XH series JST (Japan Solderless Terminal) connectors as the Fernandes system. The metal part is crimped to the wire, and like similar connectors the metal part is barbed, so can be removed from the plastic shroud of the plug by depressing the barb with a pin and then withdrawing the wire. So hot and earth for the existing bridge pickup could be carefully removed from the four pin connector and replaced with two appropriate wires from a LiPo balance cable to which you splice your new pickup. And if you did get the phase wrong.you'd.only need a pin to be able to swap the wires at the four pin connector. 

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  • digitalscreamdigitalscream Frets: 26460
    Hot Rails are pretty characterless, in my opinion. They've got the output, but they're so generic it makes my brain itch.

    Based on what you want, I'd say the best option is a Red Lace Sensor - it's like the best bits of single coils (the definition and extra "something" when you hit it hard) with the best bits of a humbucker (girthy sound, and output).
    <space for hire>
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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11790
    Hot Rails are pretty characterless, in my opinion. They've got the output, but they're so generic it makes my brain itch.

    Based on what you want, I'd say the best option is a Red Lace Sensor - it's like the best bits of single coils (the definition and extra "something" when you hit it hard) with the best bits of a humbucker (girthy sound, and output).
    interesting, how high is the output?
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    If you’re finding the JB Jr ‘thin’ then you’re going to need something really pretty high-output, not like a hotter PAF at all. That isn’t really that compatible with a Vai-type sound, he actually uses quite a bright pickup tone. I’ve got Evos in one guitar and they’re really not that high-output or thick at all. I have a DiMarzio Chopper in the bridge of another one and that’s in the same ballpark for tone, but lower output.

    The red Lace Sensor suggestion is good - I once heard someone playing Santana’s ‘Smooth’ with a USA Strat with one, with the tone control turned down it really nailed it... admittedly with a Tube Screamer and a Mk series Boogie as well!

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11790
    ICBM said:
    If you’re finding the JB Jr ‘thin’ then you’re going to need something really pretty high-output, not like a hotter PAF at all. That isn’t really that compatible with a Vai-type sound, he actually uses quite a bright pickup tone. I’ve got Evos in one guitar and they’re really not that high-output or thick at all. I have a DiMarzio Chopper in the bridge of another one and that’s in the same ballpark for tone, but lower output.

    The red Lace Sensor suggestion is good - I once heard someone playing Santana’s ‘Smooth’ with a USA Strat with one, with the tone control turned down it really nailed it... admittedly with a Tube Screamer and a Mk series Boogie as well!


    I bought a Harley Benton PRS custom 24 clone, and last week replaced the pickups with a pair of Hot Rod pickups:
    Racer and HFT (HFT | Eternal GP (eternal-guitars.com))

    The HFT is an overwound Alnico 5

    Our most popular replacement humbucker. With a dc resistance of 11.5k ohms this pickup is the daddy of vintage modified bridge humbuckers. Loud yet warm, the Alnico 5 magnet gives a richness and power that makes it a stonking pickup that works well for most types of music and excels for advanced rock styles popularized by EVH onwards.
    A5 mags. 11.5k output.
    Strange you should mention "Smooth":
    I was playing with it and enjoying doing some soloing over Smooth and some other tracks on that album (strangely some of that album has appeared in my 17 year old daughter's playlists recently, which is usually more modern non-rock stuff - so was reminded of the album)

    Anyway, I was really liking the way the 11.5k A5 was working with my AxeFx3 Vai and other high gain patches for playing Santana style

    When I tried again with the EOB, it was disappointing 

    I think I got into this frame of mind 2 weeks ago with those EMG Hot 70 pickups on that Harley Benton baritone, passive but with preamps on the pickup - the bridge was ceramic, neck was Alnico, they were very good for 70s/80s rock sounds

    Normally I get low-wind alnicos on humbuckers, I love the extra feel (Or even replace the neck one for a P90), but for the full-on rock sounds, these Hot 70 pickups were better than just adding another OD pedal

    I think I'd use the EOB sustainer for those 70s/80s rock tones (remixed for 2021)
    Something like that HFT, or the Hot 70 but in a single coil size could work. Less treble and more mids than the JB Jr I think.
    I'll have a play with a graphic EQ to quantify what changes I want
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  • exocetexocet Frets: 1948
    edited April 2021
    If you’re happy with a soldering iron, why not try tuning the response of some of your existing pickups? Soldering low value capacitors across the output of the pickup will move the resonant peak - higher values move peak lower giving a beefier tone. This certainly works well with single coils - cap values in range 500pF - 1.2 nF. It’ll be different values with a Humbucker.

    What’s the value of the volume pot? Does it share the neck pickup control or is it dedicated I.e does the bridge pickup “see” 250k or 500k? Lowering the value of pot will also flatten the resonant peak - you can add fixed value resistors into a 5 way switch to decrease the effective resistance that the bridge pickup sees when engaged.

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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11790
    exocet said:
    If you’re happy with a soldering iron, why not try tuning the response of some of your existing pickups? Soldering low value capacitors across the output of the pickup will move the resonant peak - higher values move peak lower giving a beefier tone. This certainly works well with single coils - cap values in range 500pF - 1.2 nF. It’ll be different values with a Humbucker.

    I like the idea, but I'd need to remove the strings and the scratchplate between each trial, so too labour-intensive for me sorry!
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  • exocetexocet Frets: 1948
    exocet said:
    If you’re happy with a soldering iron, why not try tuning the response of some of your existing pickups? Soldering low value capacitors across the output of the pickup will move the resonant peak - higher values move peak lower giving a beefier tone. This certainly works well with single coils - cap values in range 500pF - 1.2 nF. It’ll be different values with a Humbucker.

    I like the idea, but I'd need to remove the strings and the scratchplate between each trial, so too labour-intensive for me sorry!
    Yep, you are quite correct there - although when I did it on a Strat, I simply attached a couple of “flying leads” so that I could experiment without going through the stringing / unstringing  etc between changes of cap value.

    Another vote for a Chopper T here, I have one on a Telecaster and it’s rather good - beefy, but with character. 
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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11790
    exocet said:
    exocet said:
    If you’re happy with a soldering iron, why not try tuning the response of some of your existing pickups? Soldering low value capacitors across the output of the pickup will move the resonant peak - higher values move peak lower giving a beefier tone. This certainly works well with single coils - cap values in range 500pF - 1.2 nF. It’ll be different values with a Humbucker.

    I like the idea, but I'd need to remove the strings and the scratchplate between each trial, so too labour-intensive for me sorry!
    Yep, you are quite correct there - although when I did it on a Strat, I simply attached a couple of “flying leads” so that I could experiment without going through the stringing / unstringing  etc between changes of cap value.

    Another vote for a Chopper T here, I have one on a Telecaster and it’s rather good - beefy, but with character. 
    oh no, another rabbit hole:
    DiMarzio do loads of models:

    Rail Hum Canceling Strat | DiMarzio


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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11790
    how about this one:

    Sugar Chakra™ | DiMarzio

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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11790


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  • CasperCasterCasperCaster Frets: 760
    edited April 2021
    ToneControl said:

    oh no, another rabbit hole:
    DiMarzio do loads of models:

    Rail Hum Canceling Strat | DiMarzio


    Actually not as many choices as you might think (I suggested the Fast Track 2 and Sugar Chakra previously). 

     I'll reiterate my comment from last night. If you want the sustainer circuit to work properly you need a HOT bridge humbucker. It isn't simply a case of using whichever pickup you like the sound of, you need to take the fact it is a Sustainer guitar into account, and if you wish to stay with a single coil sized humbucker you have limited choices as to what will have sufficient output to drive the sustainer circuit effectively. You also need to consider the tonality of the pickup. Scooped sounding pickups do not work well. Particularly dark sounding pickups do not work well. You need something with enough mids and enough treble and enough output. Many of the Dimarzio rail pickups are unlikely to drive the sustainer effectively. Those with low to medium outputs won't work, so write off the Cruisers, Fast Track 1, Chopper. Assuming they meet the tonality requirements, anything with an output greater than 300mv (Dimarzio's scale, not mine) should work. Those in the 250-300.range might work if the AGC gain control on the sustainer circuit board is maxed, but I wouldn't guarantee it. 
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    ToneControl said:

    I like the idea, but I'd need to remove the strings and the scratchplate between each trial, so too labour-intensive for me sorry!
    Just solder two long wires on and lead them out from under the pickguard so you can experiment with the guitar fully assembled. It will add a bit of noise but that won't matter for testing.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • JCA2550JCA2550 Frets: 431
    Just a thought, how is the tone control hooked up on the EOB Strat? If it's the usual Fender set up it will work on the middle and neck pups but not the bridge one. If you take the tone off the middle pup and run it on the bridge, that might offset some of what you're perceiving as thinness?
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  • andy_kandy_k Frets: 818
    DMZ Tonezone? I have tried most of the Duncans in my teles, and Tonezone is the best by far.
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