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Hot Strat-sized pickups that look normal sound fat and nice

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2019 1:12 pm
by stevejamsecono
Alright, my Fender Lead II project is underway. Right now I'm waffling back and forth between putting a proper humbucker in the bridge vs. doing a set of hot singles that fill the same role. So, to suit my needs and in addition my ridiculous aesthetic considerations (I find hot rails weird looking, so I'd like ones that "look" real if possible) please list your recs below:

Requirements:

- A bridge and neck pickup combo that work well together
- Look vintagey with pole pieces
- Noiseless
- Hot and thick enough to have as much mids/bottom as say.. a P-90 or so.

Dimarzio Virtual Solos are looking interesting, but I'm open to more.

Whaddaya got?

Re: Hot Strat-sized pickups that look normal sound fat and nice

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2019 1:39 pm
by jvin248
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Any Strat I acquire immediately gets an Armstrong Blender mod to it, a wiring only change all the parts are stock ... Convert the second tone pot into a blender to go between classic SSS and series HSH. Regular run of the mill Strat pickups are around 6kohms but blending I can go from there on up to 12kohm humbucker output. I like it better than hard switching because maybe I only want a single coil a little thicker, maybe the full humbucker is too hot, I can dial in/out whatever I want. It's also really easy to remember what the switching does, for gigging or remembering six months later.

Stealth Super Strat....
Image
A classic SS Tele can get a 4-way switch to get series humbucking output too.

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Re: Hot Strat-sized pickups that look normal sound fat and nice

Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2019 9:05 pm
by Horsefeather
Sounds like someone hasn't yet discovered the G&L MFD pickup!

https://youtu.be/JSE0dgHRWPc

This video contrasts G&L's typical strat type pickups against their MFDs well.

Re: Hot Strat-sized pickups that look normal sound fat and nice

Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2019 7:49 am
by alexpigment
Fender Hot Noiseless Strat pickups maybe? They measure 10.4K, although I know that DC resistance is often misleading with noiseless pickups. I'd guess they sound a bit less hot than a P-90, but meet all your other requirements. For context, I haven't tried the 'Hot' version, but I have a vintage noiseless strat neck pickup in my main JM and I actually really like the sound.

https://shop.fender.com/en-US/accessori ... 92105.html

Best of all, you can get them pretty cheap on eBay or Reverb, both new and used. $100 for two new ones, or $100 for a used set of 3.

Re: Hot Strat-sized pickups that look normal sound fat and nice

Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2019 5:54 pm
by stevejamsecono
alexpigment wrote:
Tue Jul 16, 2019 7:49 am
Fender Hot Noiseless Strat pickups maybe? They measure 10.4K, although I know that DC resistance is often misleading with noiseless pickups. I'd guess they sound a bit less hot than a P-90, but meet all your other requirements. For context, I haven't tried the 'Hot' version, but I have a vintage noiseless strat neck pickup in my main JM and I actually really like the sound.

https://shop.fender.com/en-US/accessori ... 92105.html

Best of all, you can get them pretty cheap on eBay or Reverb, both new and used. $100 for two new ones, or $100 for a used set of 3.
Ooh. Could be cool. I'll check 'em out!
Horsefeather wrote:
Thu Jul 11, 2019 9:05 pm
Sounds like someone hasn't yet discovered the G&L MFD pickup!

https://youtu.be/JSE0dgHRWPc

This video contrasts G&L's typical strat type pickups against their MFDs well.
I'm certainly curious about these, I just haven't had a chance to try them in person. I'll see if they have some G&Ls at my local Sam Ash this weekend and see.
jvin248 wrote:
Thu Jul 11, 2019 1:39 pm
.

Any Strat I acquire immediately gets an Armstrong Blender mod to it, a wiring only change all the parts are stock ... Convert the second tone pot into a blender to go between classic SSS and series HSH. Regular run of the mill Strat pickups are around 6kohms but blending I can go from there on up to 12kohm humbucker output. I like it better than hard switching because maybe I only want a single coil a little thicker, maybe the full humbucker is too hot, I can dial in/out whatever I want. It's also really easy to remember what the switching does, for gigging or remembering six months later.

Stealth Super Strat....
Image
A classic SS Tele can get a 4-way switch to get series humbucking output too.

.
That's super interesting and I had never heard of that. I wish there was a way I could try it...



Honestly, I hate the rabbit hole of pickups so much. I wish I had a roadie who could just be like THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT and it would be done. Bah....