Jack-of-All trades strat.

Hi. I've been planning on buying an American strat (as soon as I get the cash), and am kind of planning on making it my only guitar.

One of my thoughts was to have 3 completely different pickups.
I want a very low response pickup that would almost sound like an acoustic, a thick, sensitive, lace sensor-type pickup for slow-melodic leads with lots of reverb. I also want a chunky pickup for doing some nice distorted rythm, like one of those "humbucking" single coils.

I want to know if anyone has tried something similar to this, and if so any thoughts on this as far as brands, of pickups, pots, etc...Or just tell me I'm an idiot cause it'll never work.

Anyway, all responses are really appreciated.

Hey have you checked out the new S1 pickup switching that is available now from Fender. Don't know much about it, but its really supposed to add alot of versatility to the strats that it comes on.

Hope this helps

The s-1 switch turns on the bridge pickup in positions that it is not normally turned on in.

Depending on the music your playing will determine your pickup choice. I would go with a Strat Hot Rails ( seymour duncan ) for the bridge ( VERY chunky and responsive, I have one in my Tele. It is in fact a humbucker that fits into a single coil slot. I would recommend splitting it so you can get single/humbucker sound out of it.)

Neck go for a jazz pickup maybe? Low response, good for acoustic type stuff. But the problem is, it might not sound good for chunky rythm on the neck and I don't know how it will sound with overdrive.

The middle pickup is a gamble. I'd leave that one alone until you really know what you want.

If I may say, on a personal note, I would not recommend buying an American Strat, especially if your changing pickups. In my experience ( and many others on here ) the mexican Fenders are just as good as the Americans. I would say, buy a mexican strat and then do all this stuff to it. It is very possible to make it do everything you want. I'd try to find one with a locking tremolo. Then change out the pickups to what you want. If you are getting humbucking pickups than I'd split them. For this you need to change your tone and or volume pots ( up to you ) or you can use toggle switches.

Thanks, you don't know how helpful this is. I'm not concerned about doing chunky rythm with the neck pickup, so that's not an issue.
Is there any specific year or model of mex's that are preferred?
Also, any kind of advice on pots if I need to change them?

Well, generally the older the mexican the cheaper it is. But you might as well buy it new. I would go with a standard Strat with locking trem.

If you want to split the coils on the humbucking pickups then your going to need to either install toggle switches or push/pull pots. The push pull pots can be substituted for your 2 tones and volume control. Meaning, you can have the tone controlling tone as well as being able to move up and down to control how the humbucker is going to sound. I think you'll need DP/DT push pull, 500K pots. The DP/DT I am sure about, but the 500K I am not. I think it is preferred that either volume or tone use 250K and the other uses 500K. Check that with a guitar tech.

Thanks for the responses.
The bridge pickup on my current crappy strat copy sounds way too trebley. Will a humbucker in the bridge of the mexican be really trebley, and can I add a tone control for that pickup?

1) Yes you can add a tone control for it. Personally, I would just swap the tone control for the middle and move it to the bridge.

2) If you change the pickup, it will sound like the pickup, not like the pickup that was in there. Just because its a MIM strat does not mean all pickups will sound trebly in the bridge. And that Trebly sound is the strat-single coil sound.

If your bridge pickup sounds too trebley to you... use it in the switch position that runs the bridge and the middle pickups... I personally wouldn't want a strt with 3 different pickups that were that different from each other... but I can see why someone would. I would suggest looking at a MIM fat strat... you can pick one up for about 350 USD or so. But thats not saying you will def. like the pickups in it. Go to a Guitar Center or other guitar shop and play a bunch of strats to get a feel for which ones fall into place the best with what you want. Try to play it on an amp similar to the one you use regularly so you don't mistake amp tone for guitar tone.

The problem with putting the bridge pickup on with the middle is it takes away from that bridge sound. This is a totally different sound. I would say go for what you want and if your changing pickups I think all the advice you need is right here.

What are those fat strats like? Do they have a thicker, tele-like tone?
And how come they're so much cheaper? I'm kinda thinking about getting one.

Tele's, if anything are not "fat". They are the total opposite, they are super thin. You have to beef it up on your own.

There is nothing wrong with buying a fat strat, but let me ask you this...If you are changing pickups anyway then why buy a fat strat?

Unless of course you get a humbucker in a single coil body.....

OK,I was somewhat in the same position you were in,with all the pick up options and what to get or what would give me the best options to get one guitar to,like you said use as an "Jack of all trades Guitar" But I ended up going with The DiMarzio's and Installed The Fast Track 2 in the bridge,Fast Track 1 in the middle,and The Chopper in the neck,Then changed the stock pots to 250K Push/Pull Tone/Volume Pots and got a very noticible difference in the five way selector switch and not to mention the push/pull tone/volume pots gives me even more options from spliting humbuckers too single coils,But the guitar gives me the all round sound to play what i want,But Maybe One Day I will Change out the Fast Track 2 in the Bridge to Replace with The DiMarzio Super Distorion Which Supposedly Gives More Bass But For Now I Like What I Have and It is My Go To Guitar In My Collection...