HSS strats. What bridge humbucker are you using?

fretmeister

My strat is currently SSS with a wonderful set of Lollar Blackface / Sixty Four vintage singles.
But for a bit more versatility I fancy making it HSS.

I don't want the humbucker to be particularly loud compared to the singles. I do want a full size pickup and not a single coil sized.
Something suitably vintage and sweet sounding.

So what would you put in there? 

bloodandtears

I have a PAF Pro in the bridge of my HSS Charvel.. works well with the J100s in mid/neck position...

But that said.. I just bought an Air Norton S (hot rail type) for the neck and will be buying a tone zone for the bridge in due course to match all my other guitars..

matt_sefton

Suhr Aldrich in both of my hss strats

timmypix

Vintage and sweet sounding says anything A2 or A4 PAF-ish to me, and having played around with some bridge humbuckers in my Deluxe, my favourites were definitely along those lines, although I never found an absolute winner before I changed plans.

PhilKing

I have a BKP Stormy Monday in with a pair of their Sultans.  I also have another with a VHII and a pair of Mother's Milks.  Perhaps a Lollar Imperial would be a good match for yours?

fretmeister

timmypix said:

Vintage and sweet sounding says anything A2 or A4 PAF-ish to me, and having played around with some bridge humbuckers in my Deluxe, my favourites were definitely along those lines, although I never found an absolute winner before I changed plans.

I am thinking about the SD Alnico 2 Pro.

guitarmangler

Why not try a dimarzio Hs2, Eric Johnson style ( as in not wired like a humbucker ) for general Strat duties and have the extra coil fitted on a push pull for more sprang?

Boromedic

The Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 is a great pickup as is the Slash one. However I'd go for a Thornbucker or Thornbucker+, very sweet sounding PAF type.

stonevibe

Suhr Aldrich 

KevS

I gave up the idea,,I tried,but the Pearly Gates was too dull at 250K..
As apparently most full size humbuckers will be..
I ended up putting in a Duncan JB junior on a standard 3 single coil scratchplate..
Everything running at 250k and I think it sounds pretty good..
I reduce down to 2 pots instead of 3 though,,so am limited..
I know you can solder in resistors for the single coils and use 500K pots....
That scared me off,,when I tried to get info,,it was information overload..
Lots of info to try and pick one bit of info out of,,so I wimped out,,
but I'm pleased with the JB junior so far..
I am using it with Fender American Series pickups both 5.8 K I think Alnico V..

I've tried Hot Rails and a Lil 59 before and wasn't impressed..
The Lil 59 sounded a bit Puny and lacking bass..The Hot rails sounded far too rolled off..
I found the JB Junior a balanced match both tonal balance and output wise
..A bit higher output,,not too much..A higher gear for when you want to go for it..
It works great with overdrive...
It doesn't sound as big as a full size JB though...
It is a compromise.For me a usable one though..

For a more Powerful Single coil I have a Duncan SSL 5 in another strat with Texas Specials..
It still sounds like a single coil,but fatter with a bit more output,,
not much tough,,just enough so the balance is good.....
Unless you want the strings affecting the magnets...

I find raising the pole pieces a bit and taking the JB Jr anway from the strings opened the sound up,
but somehow made it a touch fatter too..

Just re read that..You don't want a single coiled sized pickup..   Sorry...
You also look like you are familiar with all thing electrical...
Someone might get some info from my mutterings..lol

I have Lollar imperials in a guitar..
I really like them..

Lestratcaster

Mine is a HSS and I've got a JB in the bridge. Purely cos of Billie Joe from Green Day. It sounds fat, full and chunky. Its coil split too so I don't lose the single coil option for the more twangy stuff. But I would like another Strat that's SSS which is the opposite of this thread.

cbilly22

Screamin' Demon.
Don't let the name fool you, it is a slightly hotter vintage sounding humbucker. Really open sounding and reacts fantastically to volume changes and picking dynamics. Easily the best humbucker I've ever put in a superstrat.
If they had given it a less metal moniker it would sell by the truckload (probably still does!)

earwighoney

I've not used it, but I saw Alegree have a HB designed specifically to be used with Strat single coils.

https://www.alegree.co.uk/collections/dual-coil-humbuckers/products/solar-flare-bridge-humbucker

mrkb

Boromedic said:

The Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 is a great pickup as is the Slash one. However I'd go for a Thornbucker or Thornbucker+, very sweet sounding PAF type.

I have a thornbucker+ in my HSS strat and a thornbucker in my H-P90 tele - great sounding low/mid output humbuckers.

fretmeister

I'll have to investigate the Thornbuckers. They actually seem cheaper in a few places than the SD Alnico 2 Pro.

Onpar

I would seriously consider trying a Dimarzio Chopper single coil sized rails first.

fretmeister

Onpar said:

I would seriously consider trying a Dimarzio Chopper single coil sized rails first.

Got one. It's a good pickup but not what I'm looking for.

As it happens the one I have is in a scratchplate in the neck position. It's a brilliant neck pickup, better there than at the bridge I reckon.

ICBM

cbilly22 said:

Screamin' Demon.
Don't let the name fool you, it is a slightly hotter vintage sounding humbucker. Really open sounding and reacts fantastically to volume changes and picking dynamics. Easily the best humbucker I've ever put in a superstrat.
If they had given it a less metal moniker it would sell by the truckload (probably still does!)

This!

The deliberately mismatched coils make it much more open-sounding and dynamic than most humbuckers, and the output is only at hot-PAF level.

normula1

BK Mule works well as does an Oil City Forces Sweetheart. The Seymour Duncan Red Devil single coil sized HB is brilliant too.

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

fretmeister said:

My strat is currently SSS with a wonderful set of Lollar Blackface / Sixty Four vintage singles.
But for a bit more versatility I fancy making it HSS.

I don't want the humbucker to be particularly loud compared to the singles. I do want a full size pickup and not a single coil sized.
Something suitably vintage and sweet sounding.

So what would you put in there? 

My HSS guitar Lollar Blackface single coils paired with a Lollar Imperial humbucker (with coil tap). Sounds great, though it did take a bit of fettling to get the pickup heights right so that the humbucker balanced with the neck and middle pickups, but also didn't sound too weedy if I then want to use the coil split. 

fretmeister

Dontgiveupyourdayjob said:

fretmeister said:

My strat is currently SSS with a wonderful set of Lollar Blackface / Sixty Four vintage singles.
But for a bit more versatility I fancy making it HSS.

I don't want the humbucker to be particularly loud compared to the singles. I do want a full size pickup and not a single coil sized.
Something suitably vintage and sweet sounding.

So what would you put in there? 

My HSS guitar Lollar Blackface single coils paired with a Lollar Imperial humbucker (with coil tap). Sounds great, though it did take a bit of fettling to get the pickup heights right so that the humbucker balanced with the neck and middle pickups, but also didn't sound too weedy if I then want to use the coil split. 

£175 for a single humbucker is mad. I just can't do it!