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

Dave_Mc

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 haven't tried the JB Jr, but assuming it's similar to the regular JB, agreed. I think the Evos are kind of a ceramic take on Paf Pros, which Vai used before them (plus the bridge pickup is a fair bit hotter whereas there's only one version of the Paf Pro which is used in both positions usually). Pretty bright, pretty scooped, pretty clear, and not as hot as you'd think.

ToneControl

JCA2550 said:

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?

the tone is wired off the volume pot, and works on all 3, but is the wrong value, it's 500k, and by then the signal has gone through a preamp, and so the tone only works between 0 and 1. I need a replacement 25k or 50k pot for it.

ToneControl

CasperCaster said:

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. 

the details are here: Fender_Ed_O_Brien_Stratocaster_0140192305_SM_REV_A_11-08-2017.pdf (fmicassets.com)

it looks as though the middle and bridge pickups go into the same plug
I can see your point, but it sounds tricky with my skills
Looking at the diagram, I think they have done mid-air in line soldering on those cables?

ToneControl

CasperCaster said:

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. 

thanks for the suggestion, I went to look at the DiMarzio site
there are 5 above 300mV
3 of them are 4.0 on treble, 2 are 5.0, so slightly more: the Super distortion 2 and Fast track 2

Does the treble affect the sustain that much?

ToneControl

I bought some seymour duncan hot rails, should have more mids and not as bright

CasperCaster

Does the treble affect the sustain that much?

If the bridge pickup is particularly dark the Harmonic mode can sound a little weak, or take a little longer for the note to 'catch', particularly when playing high up the neck, but it will still work. Scooped sounding pickups, and/ or a pickup with insufficient output are the main problems with the Sustainer. 

ToneControl

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 just looked at the EOB spec sheet
for bridge pickup it says

DUNCAN JB JR MID SJBJ-1N WHT

surely that means the lower-wound 10k neck pickup version? Rather than the 15k bridge one
I'll find out soon when I get the pickup out

ICBM

ToneControl said:

I just looked at the EOB spec sheet

for bridge pickup it says

DUNCAN JB JR MID SJBJ-1N WHT

surely that means the lower-wound 10k neck pickup version? Rather than the 15k bridge one
I'll find out soon when I get the pickup out

Yes. Why would they do that...?

ToneControl

ICBM said:

ToneControl said:

I just looked at the EOB spec sheet

for bridge pickup it says

DUNCAN JB JR MID SJBJ-1N WHT

surely that means the lower-wound 10k neck pickup version? Rather than the 15k bridge one
I'll find out soon when I get the pickup out

Yes. Why would they do that...?

Only thing I can think of is if EOB wanted a crisper bridge sound

ToneControl

ToneControl said:

ICBM said:

ToneControl said:

I just looked at the EOB spec sheet

for bridge pickup it says

DUNCAN JB JR MID SJBJ-1N WHT

surely that means the lower-wound 10k neck pickup version? Rather than the 15k bridge one
I'll find out soon when I get the pickup out

Yes. Why would they do that...?

Only thing I can think of is if EOB wanted a crisper bridge sound

I just opened it up
It is indeed the neck version of the JB Jr

ICBM

ToneControl said:

I just opened it up

It is indeed the neck version of the JB Jr

In that case I would suggest the bridge one . If it was me I would probably try that one in the middle position...

ToneControl

ICBM said:

ToneControl said:

I just opened it up

It is indeed the neck version of the JB Jr

In that case I would suggest the bridge one . If it was me I would probably try that one in the middle position...

I'd agree other than that the neck pickup is not a normal strat one, it's the sustainer inducer, running as a pickup, so doesn't have a proper strat SC feel. For that reason, the middle pickup - which I usually ignore - is the only real SC pickup

I may as well put a Kinman in the middle since I have some knocking around

ToneControl

So I fitted a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails (bridge) in the bridge position,
and a Kinman Big-Nine-0 (middle) in the middle position

the bridge pickup is now perfect (for me) for sustainer-driven lead playing
The mid pickup is so loud! louder than neck or bridge

Other problem is that the Kinman is the opposite polarity, so in between positions sound thin. tbh I don't like in between much, but might try another pickup here - the spare JB Jr, or a Fender SCN