I would go for a VH2 and a pair of Mothers milk myself (or maybe Black Dog)
VH2 is vintage enough but with the ability to rock out in a totally 80s fashion
These days there is more than enough gain available with most amps , so a hot pickup isnt what is needed
Getting a good clean tone is more tricky
I like the VH2 as I feel it has a little more top and bottom than many humbuckers - but not lacking in mids either and that helps with cleans sounding good.
Yeah... VHII has been on my list too. I have one of those as a neck pickup on ESP Horizon FR-II that is neckthru with alder wing body. Paired with Miracle Man bridge pickup. I could try that one out for sure for H/S/S bridge position.
I'm with you on Mothers milk - I think it'll be the closest choice for a lot of that silky 80s strat tone
I like the Pat Pending pickups too - I just feel the MM has a little more low end
You may find using an external compressor helps though
EMG SAs have that compression and to many people epitomise that 80s sound, but passives can do it - maybe just benefit from a helping hand
I definitely love Mothers Milk and PAT.Pend.-series singlecoils, especially in my regular strats. Just like you said... it's tricky to keep things clean and tidy and way easier to add gain. That's something I have been consciously doing for the last 5 years. I used to have über-hot pickups earlier but now my absolute favorite set is BKP Stormy Monday and The Mule on Les Paul Standard :)
I also have couple of "legendary" compressors on my pedalboards (Ross grey box clone, Keeley 2-knob and MXR's original Script Dyna Comp).
I guess my "searching" is more about looking for differences. I don't want to have another '54 or '62 replica Strat but something completely different. Still I wouldn't want to have active pups eventhou that would be "the 80s again".
I have two HSS-sets:
1: MXG customstrat swampash/ebony freatboard: Crawler/IT's. Great allround set and the Crawler has the dc-resistance for a balanced split with the middle-IT.
That sounds pretty good. The bridge humbucker should be well-splittable since I dig to use those "in-between" tones. I'm definitely going to write down that Crawler as one of the choices for bridge pu.
2. Fender American Series Ash-strat: VHII and Mothers Milk with autosplit on the fourth pos (one coil of the hb/middle-sc). The MM's are a brighter and have less bass then the IT's. I like the MM's though for Frusciante-sounds. The sec. position is happening too. The VHII splits well, but this position is a little dominated by the middle-MM, since the VHII has only 9k. Nevertheless a usable sound, perhaps a bit darker then in a trad. strat. The VHII is great in a alder or ash bolt-on guitar. The offset coils provide a great rocksound when pushed. The VHII is very articulate and sensitive for pick attack. When you dig in overtones jump out. Cleans up great, with a belllike sc-vocal quality.
I agree. That was one of the main reasons why I bought VHII for my ESP's neck position. Also, Frusciante and RHCP was the reason why I've got MM's for Fender EJ Strat on a first place. Maybe I could (or should) ask Tim if he could "underwound" IT's to match up with VHII or slightly overwound MM's with Crawler? :)
For what you're after the Crawler could be a good allround humbucker. It beefs up the tone in alder and the topend is rounded, but bright enough when you find the sweet spot in the height. It has still PAF-character, but with more compression which is nice for soloing. An alternative could be the Abraxas, which has bit more chime in the topend, but still beef in the mids. Splits (14k) great too. A VHII wouldn't make a bad impression either, although the fourth position will be dominated by the middle pu.
It probably isn't a bad thing if the VHII is slightly dominated. It kinda makes the sound more original and less humbucker-y. Like I said, my quest could be easily filed under out-of-the-box type of thinking. At least when considering today's ideal sounds. 80s were just as freaky as the hair-dos and clothing :)
For the singlecoils I would look at IT's, they have a bit more weight then the MM's, but when you roll the vol.knob a tad back, they can produce early sixties-tones too. But maybe even Sultans would fit the bill. They have a mellower, hollower character that could be right for the tones you're after. Certainly for Chris Rea-stuff.
Have you fiddled with tone caps and IT's? If so, what kinda results you've got? VHII & Sultans could be one way to go for sure. Thanks for pointing those out. I have always managed to forget 'em... don't know why.
Thanks to both of you. I think I'll ditch those actives (not even consider them) for the good. Never liked 'em and not going to start any day soon. Mr. Mills should have some "instant 80s" Strat-set ready for lunatics like me :)
-Tero
