software

can someone give me a review of the hot stack (in neck or middle position)? I'd like to know all the info i can about this pup. Also how does it sound split? I am considering replacing my HR101 in the neck of my ESP and this is one that i'm considering. The only other pickup in the guitar is a JB (sh-4). this is a guitar like mine only i got the blue one.

thanks in advance.
The Hot stack is a very good pickup but I don't suggest it for the neck position. Anyway, you just asked for a review. This is a middle output pickup (high output considered as a single coil pup). It will give you smooth distortion, not as grainy as a humbucker would but really full bodied and longlasting. It will sound like a hotrodded Strat. Imagine a pretty tight pure single coil sound or somethimg like that anyway.

well, the sound you describe is pretty much what i'm going for. you see, it's a 24.75 inch scale with 24 frets, which places the neck pup right where the middle pup would be on a strat. i was also looking at the classic stack but i'm not sure if the pole pieces would line up. I also like the sound clips on the SD site for the hot stack.

The hot stack neck pickup is glassy and keeps that single coil tone, with a little more output. I have a strat hot stack in a tele neck and it's definitely one of my top favorite tones from my collection.
The hot stack bridge is a nice pickup but it does lose a bit of the single coil twang. That may or may not work for certain players. It has more midrange.

Here's a strat hot stack in the neck position of a tele. The bridge pickup is a custom shop bg1400.
Hot stack neck, bg1400 bridge
Here's a pair of hot stacks in a tele.
tele hot stacks pair

You say how does it sound split but it is a single coil so it can't be split. (correct me if im wrong)


Originally Posted by Nite_Maresz_25You say how does it sound split but it is a single coil so it can't be split. (correct me if im wrong)

It's technically 2 coils, but the purpose of the 2nd coil is noise cancellation. I don't think that it makes much sense to split this type of pickup.

It makes sense to split it if you're using it in combination with another coil that is rwrp. Then the combination is humbucking, and you get greater output (tone? punch?) by disconnecting the dummy coil.

good point jester

i will be matching it up with a JB which will be able to split. I still want noise cancellation when i have them both on and split.

thanks everyone.


Originally Posted by skyydogg01i will be matching it up with a JB which will be able to split. I still want noise cancellation when i have them both on and split.

I have used some of the other SD stacked pickups and what they offered was a Power Boost mode which was not humcancelling. The blue sheet that came with the pickups showed you how to wire up the pickup to go from humcancelling to Power Boost mode, but to make things complicated it also reversed the polarity of the pickup. But that shouldn't be a problem if you are mixing it with a JB (you might have to reverse the wiring or magnet on the JB to get all position- I dunno!) With two vintage tele stacks I ended up using two 3PDT switches to correct the phasing problem.

I don't know if any of that applies to your Hot Stack but good luck anyway!

thanks guys, you've been a big help. now i just needa sell some stuff