Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: jazzycian on May 05, 2012, 10:18:16 PM

Title: what HSS Combination Should I Get?
Post by: jazzycian on May 05, 2012, 10:18:16 PM
Hello all.
I am going to get a HSS set and I'm just not sure which ones to get. I play through a jtm45, a fender 5e3 and a 5f1champ. I would play a lot of classic stuff, Hendrix and the like. What would you guys suggest?
Title: Re: what HSS Combination Should I Get?
Post by: Telerocker on May 06, 2012, 01:27:38 AM
Hi and welcome here!

Single coils: it depends on the question how woody you want it. I have Mother's Milks and Irish Tours in my two HSS-strats. The MM's are woodier and cleaner, genuine sparkling early sixties-strattones. Instant Frusciante. They're great for blues too. IT's are hotter, grittier, have more bass, less 'bells' then MM's, but clean up very well. I can get close to Frusciante-tones. I would pick IT's for Hendrix-stuff and classic rock.

Humbucker: Pick something that splits well and has enough beef in a strat like a Crawler, Abraxas (a bit more airy and less hot then the Crawler) or even a VHII that does perform very well in strats.

I paired a Crawler with the IT's and a VHII with the MM's. The latter maybe not the obvious combo, but works well and splits good too. The Crawler is fat with a roundend topend, but not dull or lacking treble. Really growls when pushed. Tones above the 12th fret stay ballsy. Cleans up very well and splits very well with the middle-IT. I have it wired the way I can use the full Crawler with the middle-IT or splitted via push-pull.

The VHII is balanced in a strat (enough mids due to the offset coils), great pickup for all kinds of rockmusic, very touchsensitive, articulate, really screams when pushed. Cleans up to a near singlecoil vocal quality. I really love this pickup.

Bottomline: you'll be dead safe with a Crawler/IT's or an Abraxas/IT's or a VHII/IT's combination.
Title: Re: what HSS Combination Should I Get?
Post by: jazzycian on May 06, 2012, 12:44:41 PM
Thanks very much for the reply. I was thinking Irish tours for the singles so that has just made my mind up. Ill have a think about which humbucker to go with them. The VH2 looks good
Title: Re: what HSS Combination Should I Get?
Post by: TheyCallMeVolume on May 06, 2012, 02:42:22 PM
Yeah I think I would go for a VHII in this application.
Title: Re: what HSS Combination Should I Get?
Post by: Telerocker on May 07, 2012, 12:23:49 AM
Thanks very much for the reply. I was thinking Irish tours for the singles so that has just made my mind up. Ill have a think about which humbucker to go with them. The VH2 looks good

Both are great, but different pickups. The VHII simply rocks, I must admit.
Title: Re: what HSS Combination Should I Get?
Post by: PhilKing on May 10, 2012, 11:55:57 AM
I have a couple of sets that you might like for what you play.  My first choice would be Stormy Monday and Sultans, I have a Ceritone JTM45 amp and they sing through it.  Really nice harmonic feedback when you want it and great clean tones when you need them.  If you want a little more push, then I have a set with a VHII & Mother's Milks.  This set can also give you some very nice split coil tones.
Title: Re: what HSS Combination Should I Get?
Post by: Telerocker on May 10, 2012, 11:37:50 PM
I have a couple of sets that you might like for what you play.  My first choice would be Stormy Monday and Sultans, I have a Ceritone JTM45 amp and they sing through it.  Really nice harmonic feedback when you want it and great clean tones when you need them.  If you want a little more push, then I have a set with a VHII & Mother's Milks.  This set can also give you some very nice split coil tones.

Good to hear someone else has the VHII/MM's-combi.  :)