software

Ok, I'm buying a strat from Xssive, it will have a single humbucker and a single volume knob. I plan to install a push/pull voume knob so I can split the coils of the humbucker for 2 different unique sounds.
21 frets - maple neck - rosewood fretboard - alder body
So, which pick-up do you think I should go with.

will be playing hard rock, metal, etc... standard and drop D tuning.
Fender M-80 Solid State Half-Stack

Screamin demon. Great for rock/metal. I have one in my Ovation strat and play through an M-80 pro head as well. Basically the same set up that you have. Alder, maple/rosewood. I have a JB jr (middle) and APS-1 with the demon and love the tone from this guitar.

Thanks for the suggestion Scooter.

Another pick-up idea is the EMG 89..... sounds like it would work well with the push/pull pot.. What do ya think?

Rock On

I have an 89 in the bridge on my BC Rich platium pro.

Sounds horrible for anything on lite drive or clean.
But if you never play without heavy distortion, go for it.

Other than that, i would suggest the JB or C5. Youll get alot more versitility.
So go for the JB.

Blues Trembucker...it's the most versatile bridge pickup in the Duncan lineup.

JB... It's great for metal and Hard Rock and also has a pretty decent split tone. But cleans aren't too good neither full or split. If cleans are important for you then get a 59', cleans will be great and you'll only need to push your amp a bit harder to get the same amount of overdrive with a great tone too. The counterpart is that split will be weak and the overdriven tone won't be the same...

I've got a Custom in the bridge wired to a push-pull pot for series/parallel that has a really fat series sound, plenty of bass and mids and really drives the amp nicely. The parallel sounds give a very chimey clean sound also. I haven't tried the JB but with the Custom I can set all the EQs at 5 and the natural tonal output of the pickup itself still gives a good sound!

Totally depends on the neck and middle single coils. If you're going vintage, like the SSL-1 or 2 (or theAPS-1 or 2) then the 59 Trembucker would be my recomendation.

When you switch to the bridge pickup, you'll still get a big jump in volume though.

A long time ago, I asked Seymour this question and he told me to use a Jazz Neck humbucker and put it in the bridge position to balance nicely with neck and middle vintage output single coils.

Any hotter than 9K and that bridge humbucker would sound way to loud for my tastes when used with vintage output Strat single coils.

But that's just me. You'll doubtless here from younger and more modern players here who will suggest JB's and other hot humbuckers.

I tried the JB in my Strat and I tried it with neck and middle single coils pickups that were 20% overwound compared to vintage Strat pickups.

When I'd take a solo on the JB and then switch to the neck pickup to play chords, the neck pickup was so quiet by compared to the JB that I barely touched my volume knob to bring it down for rythym. I didn't like that.

I switched to a 59 Trembucker and liked that alot better.

Fender uses a pickup similar to the 59B (the alnico 5 Pearly Gates ) in thier S/S/H Strat...makes sense to me.

None of the above.

I vote for a Blues Saraceno or a Custom.

I'd go with Lews suggestion - a 59 trembucker. Anything with more output than that will totally overpower the single coils. I have a 59 in the bridge of my strat and I have to drop it pretty low to get it to balance with the single coils. I find that is a very versatile pickup - its easy to get EVH type tones and when you turn the distortion off it still sounds nice

I better just clear this up for a few people who are a little unclear on the gutiar I'm working on here.
It has a single humbucker... and nothing else. It's not an HSS, it's just an H.
Therefore the Blues Trembucker might not be enough of what I'm looking for...
Anyway, that'll help people give more advice, so have at it.
Rock On

Get a Invader, and you got Tom DeLonge's old guitar. Well it really depends, if you play lead and do crazy solo's, stay away from the Invader. Go with the Custom or the JB.

I'm leaning towards the JB, but I'm interested to see if anybody thinks the Dimebucker would work well at all in this guitar....
So, what do ya think?
Rock On

Dime, baby!

You've read my description, right?


Originally Posted by JB_From_HellDime, baby!

You've read my description, right?

Yeah I read your description and was waiting for you to post (was gonna PM you, but I was patient). So, with the push/pull pot can I split the dime for a more quot;single coilquot; sound?

Single humbucker strat... as in... the only pickup...
I... as usual... will plug the Custom/59 Hybrid... hooked up with a coil tap using the Custom coil(just above 7K) for a really nice jangly tone to compliment the full humbucker sound.

i gotta say man...try a custom custom...i just bought tattooedcarrots white with blue racing stripes strat and it came with a custom custom in the bridge and a 500K pot no tone...and this PU rocks! it has a nice full sound...not thin (i find the JB to be a tad thin in alder but perfect in mahogany) and it also has a nice amount of edge to it when you dig in...also pinch harmoinics seems to scream out with no problem from it as do regular harmonics....since i play punk and metal mostly this thing works perfectly for me in alder! if not a custom custom i'd say try the dimebucker since i'm told it's cleans are better than a JB and it has a touch more low end to it also.

-Mike

I Vote for the Full Shred.

Xssive, Kevin, thanks for the ideas.... I'm kinda pulled between the Dimebucker and the JB right now, Good thing I've got plenty of time to think about it...
The guitar will definetly rock, and I will have you guys to thank for it.
Rock On

The Custom kills for Metal and hard rock and still has great cleans, better than the JB, I think.