Humbucker for H/S/S Strat

guitarfishbay

I have an S/S/S US Standard strat.  It currently has Dimarzio Areas - Area 67 neck and middle, and Area 61 bridge.  It is the one from this thread http://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/6480/which-of-these-strats-would-you-rather-have/p1

I've decided to put a full size humbucker in the bridge and keep the Area 67s in neck and middle.

What can people recommend for someone who wants the following:

• Not too high output (I don't tend to like loud or bassy guitars)
  
• Not too polite EQ wise (I like mid forward gritty/crunchy sounding guitars as opposed to smooth ones)
  
• Preferably available in white
  

Guitar specs are US standard Strat, Alder body / Rosewood Board.  Callaham trem block and saddles.  Dimarzio Area 67s in neck and middle.

Amps: Mesa Rectifier V30 cabs (2x12 / 4x12), Mesa Roadster or Laney Ironheart head.   I'm not lacking in available gain, I just need the right voicing from the pickup

I guess I'm ruling out the Duncan 59 and C5 due to my experiences with them in a poplar strat - just far too polite and smooth, and the C5 had way too much bass.  Likewise I didn't like the Custom unless it was in a dark guitar and backed off a bit (my US strat isn't particularly dark).

Whether it helps or not my favourite sounding guitars are Les Pauls with Gibson PAFs - BB3 or 57 classic +.  I'm well aware a strat won't do that but that kind of crunchy, not too high output tone is what I like most.  

I'm guessing I'll want to go a bit hotter than PAF but not too hot, I haven't tried a Custom Custom but I do have a JB with A2 and it is miles too hot for what I want, good fun though!  Most of my pickup swapping experiences have been with Duncans, but I'm open to suggestions for anything else.

Thanks

guitarfishbay

FWIW I returned the trem to floating and the guitar sounds more strat like again across all the pickups.  All the pickups sound better to me this way, but I still don't like the 61.  Having weighed up converting back to S/S/S or keeping it noiseless and putting in a bridge humbucker putting in the humbucker makes most sense.  I don't see myself using a bridge single coil any time soon but having the option of a humbucker trem guitar would be nice.

Fusionista

Got a Lace Chrome Dually or BKP Crawler

grungebob

Dimarzio paf pro should do it. A bit of a mid push to them but not too hot either.

mike_l

I have a Bulldog in my Jackson. copied and pasted from the @bucker recs thread.

I've got a Bulldog Extremist (from @Van_Hayden), with an Alnico5 magnet, rather than ceramic in the bridge of my Jackson. Same spec as @Clarky uses.

Nice, mid-rangy punchy sound. Not overly powerful, but not wimpy. Fantastic all-round pup. I've used the same guitar for doing Floyd and Metallica covers.....

I'm sure it'd do funk, blues, metal, pop etc without any problems.

Failing that @TheGuitarWeasel should be able to help.

guitarfishbay

grungebob said:

Dimarzio paf pro should do it. A bit of a mid push to them but not too hot either.

I guess this is fairly up my list, I've only ever tried one in an Ibanez PGM but I thought it sounded pretty cool.

grungebob

I have one in the neck position of a jaguar and it's been a revelation,no more mud just a very usable articulate tone clean or dirty. It even sounds the business with the jags rhythm circuit engaged!

Catthan

Suhr SSV

fretmeister

Pearly Gates

oddball

Dimarzio Tone Zone - sounds great in my HSS

jedhemsley

i have a BKP nailbomb. Plenty of grit, surprisingly versatile. The higher output does mean more volume drop off unless you set it low, but also means a better split tone. 

steamabacus

I've got a Duncan Screamin' Demon in an HSS - it works well for me.
I had a JB in it before but, like you, found it too hot a pickup.

The Screamin' Demon, despite it's name, is slightly hotter-than-PAF but definitely not 'high output' - it's around 10k I think. It matches up well with single coils as well.

bertie

depends what you want from Pos 2 ...........if you want "that quack" still,  you'll need to split the HB, so you'll need a split that balances with the middle p/up.  Or use quite a low output HB,  but my experience with low output HBs is "lack of top/bite"

Ive got a JB-Jr,  that balances quite nicely with a texas vintage in the middle, when split

breakstuff

Do you need to change any of the pots to put a humbucker in the bridge? I put an Irongear steam hammer in one of my strats and it sounded really muddy so I too kit out and put it in my partscaster ( 1 humbucker,I volume, no tone) and it sounded ten times better.The strat had the usual 250k pots and the partscaster 500k.I know humbuckers are supposed to work better with 500k but am unsure which of the 3 pots on the strat to change,if any.

guitarfishbay

Crikey, was it really January when I first started looking in to this?

I've been playing my Strat again tonight, I've hardly touched the thing in months but have hit a bit of a block on the mix I'm working on so this is propracstination (if that makes sense lol!?).  I'd forgotten how much I loved playing this guitar.  I impulse bought a s/h Dimarzio BC-2 today because it was in white and I've played a Tone Zone in a Strat before and liked it, despite on paper it being the opposite to what I said I want I've got moderately high hopes it'll have been worth the shot at the price.  Since I started the thread Ive grown to quite like the PRS HFS in my CU22 so am open to trying hotter pickups again.  

Guess I'll need to decide if I'm sticking with 67s in the neck and middle, or trying the 61 in the neck so the volume drop isn't as much from the BC2 in the bridge.  I'll update the thread again as and when I've had a go on the BC2 bridge regardless!

..I've heard a whole 3 Smashing Pumpkins songs, which is more Slayer songs than I'd heard when I bought the Kerry King EQ.  I hadn't heard a lot of Pantera until after I'd bought a Crybaby From Hell either.  I just seem to pick up signature gear from artists I'm not familiar with or so it seems!

littlegreenman

DiMarzio Fred.

Does Modern and Vintage tones, depending on your vol/tone settings and has the option for a high pass filter switch so you don't lose any treble backing the volume knob off.

I've used one in a Strat, and in a proper JS and never been disappointed

Dave_Mc

grungebob said:

Dimarzio paf pro should do it. A bit of a mid push to them but not too hot either.

+1

rossi

I think I would go with the JB trembucker .It splits nicely as its fairly hot .I know its maybe too hot for you but it does split well and match the rest .I will  probably go for a Pearly or Dimarzio PAF in my next  HSS and not worry about the coil split  at all .I still think its best to treat humbuckers and singles as two different pickups if you get my drift .

hubobulous

Another vote for the Fred, or Paf Pro. Very well suited to your needs. If hotter, even the Evo could be worth trying.

Fez

Oil City Nightfighter would be my first thought.

stevenguitars

Vote for the old trusty Pafpro here