Pickup suggestion

[stratguy23]

What pickup would you guys recommend for an ash Strat? It has a Flyod Rose bridge. I play classic rock and hard rock. Basically stuff like Led Zeppelin to Alice In Chains. Ampwise, I just got a new Divided By 13 that is voiced sort of like a Tweed Fender. To help, I have owned a Crawler for over 3 years, so I will compare what I want to that. The Crawler is a great pickup, but I want something different just to have different flavors of distortion. So, I would like the pickup to be crunchier than the Crawler and not as smooth, also it would be nice to have a little more high end (but not a lot). It would be nice to have comparable output to the Crawler, but a little hotter may be nice. Also, if possible, I would like it to still be sort of vintage voiced and not super modern sounding. I don't really care for a lot of metal guitar tones. Thanks!

[Telerocker]

Abraxas will deliver a more output then the vintage-BKP's, still sounds vintage but more open then the Crawler (which has more compression). I think it's a very balanced pickup that will do well in brightes sounding ash guitars. Btw, I have the Crawler in a swampashstrat and I know what you mean. I like it though, but next time I will get something more in the vintage(hot)-range, cause they sound more open and crispy. The Crawler is quite middy and sweet sounding. Great for solo's though, but the Abraxas will deliver that tone too with a bit more air in the topend.

[stratguy23]

Cool, thanks for the info! I definitely like the Crawler a lot, but I'm looking for something different. You're right, it does sound great for solos though. I would agree it's a little more compressed than I like. I was thinking a Mule in the neck for this guitar (it is a hum-single-hum routed Strat), and I don't know which singlecoil.

[Slartibartfarst42]

I confess I'm a bit stuck on this one  :?

The only one that's hotter that I think has a chance of working is the Holydiver, other than that I'd look at something in the Vintage Hot range. The Black Dog is the one that leaps out to me or the Abraxas if you like things a little smoother. You seem decided on the neck pickup, though the EQ looks a little bright for a Strat so an Abraxas in the neck might also be an option. To match your humbuckers I'd imagine either an Irish Tour or Slowhand for the middle, though I know little of either of them.

[ericsabbath]

holy diver

maybe a nailbomb, but that might be overkill

[stratguy23]

I'm not dead set on the Mule, I've just heard great things about it, so I figured it would work, but I suppose you may be right, most people use them in Les Pauls, so it may be too bright for a Strat. How compressed is the Holy Diver? I agree with the above poster that the Crawler is a little more compressed than I would like.

[ericsabbath]

it's quite crunchy for alnico and very middy, but I wouldn't say it's compressed

[stratguy23]

Hmm, I may get that then, sounds very interesting.

[darkbluemurder]

What a coincidence - I am currently looking to replace my recently picked up set of Crawlers in a PRS-style swamp ash guitar because I find them too dark and too compressed. I wanted a brighter tone with less output in a pickup which still would split well. I was looking at VHIIs but Tim recommended either the Abraxas or the Emerald.

But since you want more and not less output than the Crawler the Holydiver would be a good choice.

Cheers Stephan 

[stratguy23]

Well Tim suggested a Rebel Yell, so I will probably go with that, although all this talk about the Holy Diver definitely has me interested in that though. Oh the choices...

[ericsabbath]

the rebel yell advice makes perfect sense as well
more high end than the diver, not as compressed and not as modern sounding

the diver would deliver a thicker tone, though

[Telerocker]

Interesting. Would the RY not be on the bright side for an ash-strat?

[Slartibartfarst42]

I'd have thought so too. I was told it would be too bright in my guitar so I can't imagine it would be significantly better in an ash-Strat.