software

hi guys, im new to the whole world of pickups so i could use some advice. Right now im playing a fender strat ultra which has an ebony neck and a h-s-s pickup config with lace sensors( which i dont really like) and has a coil tap switch for the hum pup. i was thinking about putting coolrails or hotrails inthe neck and mid but wasn t sure what to put in the bridge. i was thinking a jb or custom custom maybe but im not sure how they would blend with the single coils. im mostly a metal head but i want a versatile sounding guitar so it doesnt get pigeonholed into certain sounds. 2 more questions: does output affect anything other than how loud a pup is such as say clarity? how do pots affect the pups and how would i know which ones to use? thanks.

IMO, the JB would be a good compliment for the Hotrails in the neck if you are seeking some versatility... it covers most stuff from nice cleans to really hard distorted stuff and is more treble orientated than the middy/(bassy) HR
Both, the HR and the JB have more output than normal single coils, which means that you won't hear so much of the single coil in the combined positions...
Also, high Output Pups tend to overdrive amps at lower gain stages, which mainly means you'll have to turn down the volume to clean up the sound...
The higher the pot value, the treblier the sound
generally, SD recommends 500k for humbuckers and 250k for single coils

1 to all that stuff above. For a versatile pickup in bridge that can do metal very well the JB would work great.

thanks for the advice but what about the middle pup and should i maybe consider a less hot bridge as well to even things out across the board? im still kinda torn between using hot rails or cool rails on the singles though. what are the upsides for both?

welcome to the forum!!

i think a hot rails neck, cool rails middle, and jb would be a higher output versitle setup. youll lose some quack and stratty flavor but youll still have nice clean and dirty tones

should i get the jb in a trembucker model? my strat has a fender floyd bridge which doesn t seem to be quite like the floyd roses that people usually think of but it is a locking trem system. i dont use the trem but i might set it back up for a little whammy fun.

bro, an H/S/S strat, with a JB/CR/HR set up, is the most metal guitar ever. I'm gonna do this set-up when i get my hands on a Jackson or Charvel.........

I don't care if it's one of those blue floral-print strats. it'll murder.

-X