Custom Deluxe Stratocaster 2011 HSS pickup replacement

[LaoTzu]

Hi this is my guitar http://www.guitarvillage.co.uk/productdetail.aspx?pid=10647 im looking to make this my main guitar that i could do many things with. from a function band to session work to my originals. i really want a beefy neck pickup something that sounds like srv. a hot rodded neck pickup. i was recommended the irish tours and a hold diver setup. i was thinking of possibly getting the irish tours with a baseplate. what does the baseplate actually sound like and what does it do technically. what would it sound like to have the baseplate on the neck and just the middle without and the bridge without. or all three with. how many notches on the tone scale does the bass increase by? and do anyone recommend any other pickups for my mode of musical transportation. as for the bridge i like something hot but not metal sounding. ( too much gain not clarity on the notes.) i like to be able to do pinch harmonics easily and have clarity and sustain. my eq with my setup has always been alot of bass to carry the notes. maximum mids because guitar is a mid instrument and backed off treble or less than the bass. i find that this approach to guitar brings out the true sound of a guitar. everything sounds alive. too much treble makes my ears hurt so i dont like to give that to others.  as for the original pickups they are jimi hendrix designed single coils. but there designed not wound by a master. so they still sound not right, the neck isnt hot enough and the middle has more output than the neck. the bridge has too much punch that you can rip the front end of the speaker cone or thats what it sounds like.

any help would be appreciated.

[Slartibartfarst42]

The Holydiver would be an awesome pickup in that guitar and I'd pair it with Trilogy Suites. It's what I have in my guitar and it's an incredible combination. You'll find reviews for both posted here and I assure you, it's a killer combination that is very versatile. Trilogy Suites especially cover a vast range of styles.

[LaoTzu]

i like the eq range but the idea of it being compressed on the single coils isnt what im going for since i have a compressor anyway. i like it to be more "open" sounding. and i want to get nice out of phase sounds too.

[Telerocker]

The IT's or Mothers Milk will nail that SRV-tone for sure. The Diver is middy with a rounded topend. Great leadtones from this one. I have the Crawler and IT's in my superstrat and that's a good combination too. Te IT's delivers the Fender-quack. The Crawler has serious output, but sounds more vintage then the Diver. It has some compression which I like, throaty mids and a round topend, but does not sound dull or muffled in the upper registers at all. Very balanced pu. The HD is a bit more contemporary sounding and will do metal too, The Crawler is more classic rock, bluesrock and hardrock-orientated.

[LaoTzu]

The IT's or Mothers Milk will nail that SRV-tone for sure. The Diver is middy with a rounded topend. Great leadtones from this one. I have the Crawler and IT's in my superstrat and that's a good combination too. Te IT's delivers the Fender-quack. The Crawler has serious output, but sounds more vintage then the Diver. It has some compression which I like, throaty mids and a round topend, but does not sound dull or muffled in the upper registers at all. Very balanced pu. The HD is a bit more contemporary sounding and will do metal too, The Crawler is more classic rock, bluesrock and hardrock-orientated.

thats good to know it depends if i want to go contemporary or vintage. its like session work versus private. i.e session (contemporary) vintage (original sounds). interesting. i was advised by the guy on the phone from bkp helpline. just would like some more opinions. and sound clips! because even tho the demos are good you can hear the pickup changes constantly. rather than focused on the highs and lows of one pickup.

[Telerocker]

With the right rig even Mules do metal well. If you like the Diver, know that it cleans up very well, so it should be versatile.

[LaoTzu]

The IT's or Mothers Milk will nail that SRV-tone for sure. The Diver is middy with a rounded topend. Great leadtones from this one. I have the Crawler and IT's in my superstrat and that's a good combination too. Te IT's delivers the Fender-quack. The Crawler has serious output, but sounds more vintage then the Diver. It has some compression which I like, throaty mids and a round topend, but does not sound dull or muffled in the upper registers at all. Very balanced pu. The HD is a bit more contemporary sounding and will do metal too, The Crawler is more classic rock, bluesrock and hardrock-orientated.

whats the main difference between mothers milk and irish tours. and are the mothers milk based on john frusciante?

[Telerocker]

The MM's deliver early sixties Fender tones, so def. Frusciante. I can nail those tones easily with IT's too, just by rolling the vol.knob a tad back.

[LaoTzu]

can anyone explain baseplates. what frequencies do they push and by how much. lets say if the eq was 5/5/5 where would the baseplate push these figures?