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Author Topic: HSS new build  (Read 1059 times)

Stimpy

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HSS new build
« on: June 27, 2011, 10:52:20 PM »
Well I bought a lovely neck ages ago (large CBS reverse headstock birdseye maple)
but never got around to fitting it to an old body I had laying around.
Now the other half has decided she'll buy me a nice custom body, so warmoth here I come.

So I've decided on an alder reverse route body with a maple cap and want a HSS layout.

So what pickups. Note I will be adding a clapton style mid boost to the mix.

If it were to be a fully single coil guitar it would be Apache's but will they go with a Humbucker?

Tones I'm looking for.
Hendrix/Trower
Clapton
Jeff Beck
David Gilmour
For the single coil sounds

Gary Moore
Joe Bonamassa
Santana

For the Humbucker sounds

I know the Humbucker sounds are all Mahogany Les Paul sounds.

Amp is a Sansamp PSA 1 pre (so most bases covered)
TC G-System
Boogie 50/50 Power amp
2 X Marshall 2x12 Cabs
And the usual suspects for OD pedals (tube screamer, Nova Drive, Fuzz face)

Any suggestions, note the mid boose so the pickup can be lower powered for vintage single coil
sounds, but I don't want them to sound too shrill when mid boost is engaged (think modern clapton sound)

Cheers all

« Last Edit: June 28, 2011, 09:58:17 AM by Stimpy »

Telerocker

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Re: HSS new build
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2011, 11:32:16 PM »
With all this maple I would go for an Abraxas/Irish Tour-set to keep things balanced. The Abraxas splits great and will deliver enough mids in a bolt-on guitar. I have a Crawler/IT-set in my HSS swampash-strat and it covers lot of musicstyles. The Crawler has more output and sounds a bit more compressed then the Abraxas.
Mules, VHII, Crawler, MM's, IT's, BG50's.

Kiichi

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Re: HSS new build
« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2011, 11:38:38 PM »
Well let me just throw in the Mule, great vintage hb, very versatile. Tends to be warm and soft, though can do a lot more if you want it too. Great for those Santana and Moore sounds I recond (though moore used  the PG Blues)
I think it would fit great with single coils as it will be fitting, but be a nice different flavour.
As it is rather dark it should work great with the mid boost (my neck one does anyways).

Though if I had to go off and think that you may be installing 250k pots (no wiring expert), the mule might be too dark even with the boost. Don´t know much about the vintage alternatives, but if you want it a bit hotter, I believe there is somewhat of a hotter, brigter mule, though I´m not sure of the name right now^^
Even further, but I believe very attractive, is the Rebell Yell. It would give you the correct amount of brightness (rather bright PU, but I still do a mid boost in a Ibbie S with 500k pots to bring that extra rock dirt, warmth and thickness). Great PU, also versatile and has enough vintage character to satisfy you I believe.

Single Coil wise, I´d settle for the Irish Tour. Great single, will give you what you wish for. If you weren´t boosting the mids too much perhaps the slowhand even, but it is rather middy anyways.
BKPs in use: 10th set / RY set / Holy Diver b, Emerald n / Crawler bridge, Slowhand mid MQ neck/ Manhattan n
On the sidelines: Stockholm b / Suppermassive n, Mule n, AM set, IT mid

Bonamassive5150

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Re: HSS new build
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2011, 09:45:03 AM »
Just to give you a heads up, the Clapton mid boost circuit uses a 50k volume pot-  Yes that is not a typo- it is 50k.

I'm not sure how that a will effect the bridge HB.

Look at the MK1 USA Sambora Strat (HSS version circa 94' pick ups in this guitar were  a PAF Pro and two Texas specials)
which had the 25db clapton boost circuit in it too, and see how they got around it.  if the value is too big on the Vol pot ,the mid boost over loads produces a howling sound-

as pick up recommendation-  i have an alder/maple/maple CBS HSS Str*t with a Floyd-  i would definitely go with the IT's in the middle and neck

Bridge p/up  i have a VHII-  which is great and open, vintage enough-  and reacts well to boosted mid's

Stimpy

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Re: HSS new build
« Reply #4 on: June 28, 2011, 10:05:45 AM »
Cheers for that info.
The Mid boost I have is not the Clapton one, but a circuit that comes after the volume and master tone control.
I'm thinking 350K pots as a compromise between single coil and humbucker. It will take the edge off the humbucker but as it's a bright sounding body hopefully it will compensate (althoough the single will be brighter)

Having listend to the sound clips I'm almost thinking Mule + ITs although the apaches do sound very nice.
Do the ITs produce a nice 50s twang?

I won't be splitting the Humbucker on it's own, just split bucker+middle pick up in position two on the five way.

I already have a Rebel Yell in my Music Man (mahogany) Axis and a JB in my rosewood board strat so have the more contempory sounds covered

Telerocker

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Re: HSS new build
« Reply #5 on: June 28, 2011, 12:37:07 PM »
Cheers for that info.
The Mid boost I have is not the Clapton one, but a circuit that comes after the volume and master tone control.
I'm thinking 350K pots as a compromise between single coil and humbucker. It will take the edge off the humbucker but as it's a bright sounding body hopefully it will compensate (althoough the single will be brighter)

Having listend to the sound clips I'm almost thinking Mule + ITs although the apaches do sound very nice.
Do the ITs produce a nice 50s twang?

I won't be splitting the Humbucker on it's own, just split bucker+middle pick up in position two on the five way.

I already have a Rebel Yell in my Music Man (mahogany) Axis and a JB in my rosewood board strat so have the more contempory sounds covered

In that case I would opt for a VHII, which does well too in bolt on guitars. The IT's can twang, but sound different then the Apaches. They're bright enough though.
Mules, VHII, Crawler, MM's, IT's, BG50's.