HB advice for an HSS strat

[alexwong0702]

My HSS Strat has had so many HB's in it....

JB - too much c--ked wah tone
SD Custom - Loved the mids and high's, just wish the low end was a bit looser
SD Custom Custom - Super cool saggy blooming low end but lacked precision and top end too rounded off
Suhr Thornbucker+ - Sounded like a big single coil to me. An odd one. Wish I still had it to try again
SD PG - Not enough grunt
SD Custom 5 - Great for lead, no mids to crunch

So what I want is something like the ceramic SD Custom with all those mid harmonics and an open top end that doesnt feel rolled off, but with a bit more of an organic slightly looser low end. I've also been spoilt by the stunning mids the Ragnarok can produce but that's probably going to be too modern and hot for this guitar.

Is a Rebel Yell or Holydiver likely to suit this guitar?

The guitar is on the bright side for a Strat

[darkbluemurder]

It depends whether you want the humbucker to match with the singles in output - then go for a lower output humbucker - or whether you want the split humbucker to match with the singles in output and don't mind the output boost when going to the full humbucker - then go for a medium or high output humbucker. That is however just a basic guideline as you have not told what single coils you are using in this guitar.

Some BKPs I have experience with:

- True Grit bridge: medium output, comparable to a SD Custom 5 but brighter and less low mids
- VH II bridge: hot PAF output, quite bright depending on the guitar. If you found the PG to not have enough grunt, PAF types would not be my first choice.
- Abraxas bridge: medium output, strong midrange
- Rebel Yell bridge: medium output, stronger high midrange
- Crawler bridge: medium output, very warm tone
- Holydiver: medium to high output, some say it is BKP's take on the JB but I don't hear many similarities. The Holydiver has more low than center mids but not to the extent it gets unbalanced. For a bright guitar this could be an excellent choice. The low end is not overly tight.
- Nailbomb: high output, also strong midrange.

To address your specific question on your pre-selection: of those two I would choose the Holydiver for a bright guitar. The output difference is immaterial.

Cheers Stephan