Pickups for HSH strat


the fool
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Joined: 11/14/03
Posts: 436
the fool
Registered User
Joined: 11/14/03
Posts: 436
03/03/2004 3:18 am
Whats a good pickup combination for a strat with an HSH configuration? I'm thinking of full shreds but I dont know what to put in the middle.
"Lets see… well I play the guitar and when I'm not playing the guitar, I think about playing the guitar. My other favorite instrument, is the guitar and if I aspired to play any other instrument, it would be the guitar...

I can’t sing so I sing through my guitar. So when the sound guy says: “Your guitar is too loud!” I think: "Why does he never say that to the vocalist?"
# 1
Hammurabi
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Joined: 09/23/03
Posts: 1,679
Hammurabi
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Joined: 09/23/03
Posts: 1,679
03/03/2004 6:03 am
That depends entirely what you'll be using it for. I personally would go with DiMarzio.

Neck- Air Norton, if you like John Petrucci this should sound familiar
Middle- Fast track 2. Rawr. :)
Bridge- X2N

Will it sound like a strat? You bet your little dog's arse it won't. If you want a stratish sound or your playing style is different from mine you'll be better off trying out as many options as possible to find what works for you.

If you would rather a more treble-heavy tonal balance, which is probably the case since you're looking at a duncan shred model, I would recommend something more like this (also DiMarzio, because those are awesome)-

Neck- PAF Joe
Middle- Chopper
Bridge- PAF Pro

If you don't like such high output pickups, I would recommend something like-

Neck- EJ Custom neck
Middle- YJM (what yngwie uses) or a HS-2
Bridge- Humbucker From Hell or EJ Custom bridge

Hope that helps. If you're set on seymour duncan probably not. :)
"If one has realized a truth, that truth is valueless so long as there is lacking the indomitable will to turn this realization into action!"
-A.H.
# 2
the fool
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Joined: 11/14/03
Posts: 436
the fool
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Joined: 11/14/03
Posts: 436
03/03/2004 4:23 pm
what about seymour duncans- are they any good? this is my first time trying hot output pickups. I have no idea what good hot pickups are out there. I plan to retrofit my strat with them just to have something different because my lp has low output pus on them.
"Lets see… well I play the guitar and when I'm not playing the guitar, I think about playing the guitar. My other favorite instrument, is the guitar and if I aspired to play any other instrument, it would be the guitar...

I can’t sing so I sing through my guitar. So when the sound guy says: “Your guitar is too loud!” I think: "Why does he never say that to the vocalist?"
# 3
Hammurabi
Registered User
Joined: 09/23/03
Posts: 1,679
Hammurabi
Registered User
Joined: 09/23/03
Posts: 1,679
03/03/2004 6:51 pm
Duncans are good, it just depends on personal preference. I like DiMarzios, you might like duncans, look around and see what works best for you.

What style of music do you play? Judging from your interest in the full shred model I think dimarzio would definitely be worth looking into. Dimarzio's artists include Yngwie, John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert, Satriani, Vai, people like that. Seymour duncan's artists include papa roach, blink 182, faith hill, and incubus. I think it's safe to say dimarzio is more of a shredder's weapon of choice (with exceptions).
"If one has realized a truth, that truth is valueless so long as there is lacking the indomitable will to turn this realization into action!"
-A.H.
# 4
the fool
Registered User
Joined: 11/14/03
Posts: 436
the fool
Registered User
Joined: 11/14/03
Posts: 436
03/07/2004 8:42 pm
i play anything. its just my classic 57s are only good for classic rock. i need something hotter for heavier stuff. do u know of any guitar model that has this pus so i can try them at the guitar store?
"Lets see… well I play the guitar and when I'm not playing the guitar, I think about playing the guitar. My other favorite instrument, is the guitar and if I aspired to play any other instrument, it would be the guitar...

I can’t sing so I sing through my guitar. So when the sound guy says: “Your guitar is too loud!” I think: "Why does he never say that to the vocalist?"
# 5
Hammurabi
Registered User
Joined: 09/23/03
Posts: 1,679
Hammurabi
Registered User
Joined: 09/23/03
Posts: 1,679
03/07/2004 9:21 pm
I don't know what models have which pickups, but if you go here there is a section 'guitars' that lists a bunch of very nice guitars which come stock with dimarzios.

Make sure you try everything possible, it may be that duncans or EMGs or PRS or something else might work better for you. Even for shredding Michael Angelo Batio uses duncans and he's definitely one of the more skilled guitarists alive today.

For multi-role the first thing I would do is decide if you want a more vintage or modern sound and for which pickups and go from there. It's also important to remember that vintage does not mean 'quiet' or 'soft', one of my favorite bridge pickups is a dimarzio air zone and it's a 'vintage' version of the tone zone. After that decide what kind of tonal balance you want for each pickup and what kind of DC resistance and resonant peak you want. As soon as you have that figured out you'll probably be down to a handful of similar options to pick and chose from.
"If one has realized a truth, that truth is valueless so long as there is lacking the indomitable will to turn this realization into action!"
-A.H.
# 6

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