Advice needed on a H-S-H setup

[Shortie87]

Hi guys,

First post here so please go easy on me! I've got to the point now that my main guitar, an Ibanez RG1471 Prestige, needs a pickup upgrade badly. It's still running the stock pups at the moment. It's a basswood body, 5 piece neck with rosewood fretboard, and a fairly hefty fixed bridge. I'm wanting to stick with the H-S-H layout.

I am mostly blues/classic rock styles, but also a bit of 80s metal. Any suggestions for what might fit the bill well for me?

Thanks,

Martyn

[PhilKing]

I have a Nailbomb/Irish Tour/Nailbomb set in my Ibanez and it lets me do pretty much anything in the sounds you would be looking for.  Another option would be VHII/Mothers Milk/VHII, which would be a lower output set, but could still cover the sounds you are after.  Check out the clips to hear the pickups.  You could also mix & match.  My favourite classic rock & blues set is Stormy Monday/Sultan/Stormy Monday - all AII magnets and a great set of rock tones.

[Shortie87]

The nailbombs and Irish tour sound like a good option. I have a tele that works well for any low output needs really. How well do the nailbombs work when coil tapped?

[Shortie87]

Guys, if I was going to coil tap these, do i need a stock middle pickup or RWRP for noise cancelling?

[Afghan Dave]

RWRP for noise cancelling?

RWRP is what you need.

[Telerocker]

A Holy Diver-Irish Tour-Abraxas-neck would make it a versatile guitar. The HD covers 80's metal but is a good rockpickup too, the Abraxas-neck is great for blues and rock, as is the IT. The can get some nice splits on fourth and second position.

[Shortie87]

I'm thinking nailbomb/Irish tour/nailbomb with a super switch and 1 or 2 push/pull pots to do this



Think I've got the coils the wrong way round on the splits, but if I can do this, preferably with 1 P/P, it should do everything I need to.

[Afghan Dave]

REALLY???

You're so not going to use that but if you insist..

Why not wire it with a 3way and Duncan Doubleshot pickup rings?

[Shortie87]

REALLY???

You're so not going to use that but if you insist..

Why not wire it with a 3way and Duncan Doubleshot pickup rings?

What makes you say that? There's nothing in there that someone or other hasn't used before...

I'd rather not do that because I don't really want to use pickup rings, they're going to be pick guard mounted so...

[Afghan Dave]

That's true, it's just that alot of those positions just aren't very useful... but music can be played with anything.

http://youtu.be/8UTcvqGdOm4

[Kiichi]

I got a Ibby S series which I loaded with a RY bridge, IT middle and mule neck. wonderfully versatile combo. Rock / hard rock centered, but can do blues and metal easily, always with that bright edge (since it is a thin S series.)

If the diagram you posted I actually only got the second with the outer coils on my 5 way. Works so wonderfully and even better since I made the split PRS style (putting a resistor in series with the grounded coil so it is not completly off leaving some more fatness).

I actually regret getting a RWRP middle though. This is strongly a matter of taste but I feel the humcancelling takes something out of my tone I donīt want gone. Still my guitar with my absolute fav tones. The middle + bridge split is just a godly clean strumming sound to me.

I have another axe with a Crawler set + Slowhand combo, where I did a usual 5 way wiring with a switch to split so it is like your diagramm (only that my switch is 3 way, one extra split with resistor in there). While it my best low to mid gain combo with a lot of character and balls it all in all does not work as well as the other before mentioned set.


Ok ramble over, hope there was something usefull in there xD

[Shortie87]

I got a Ibby S series which I loaded with a RY bridge, IT middle and mule neck. wonderfully versatile combo. Rock / hard rock centered, but can do blues and metal easily, always with that bright edge (since it is a thin S series.)

If the diagram you posted I actually only got the second with the outer coils on my 5 way. Works so wonderfully and even better since I made the split PRS style (putting a resistor in series with the grounded coil so it is not completly off leaving some more fatness).

I actually regret getting a RWRP middle though. This is strongly a matter of taste but I feel the humcancelling takes something out of my tone I donīt want gone. Still my guitar with my absolute fav tones. The middle + bridge split is just a godly clean strumming sound to me.

I have another axe with a Crawler set + Slowhand combo, where I did a usual 5 way wiring with a switch to split so it is like your diagramm (only that my switch is 3 way, one extra split with resistor in there). While it my best low to mid gain combo with a lot of character and balls it all in all does not work as well as the other before mentioned set.


Ok ramble over, hope there was something usefull in there xD

I was just talking about the RWRP middle with some guys on another forum. What is it you lose when you do this exactly? Top end?

[Guitarteach]

I have a pair of rebel yells in an RG and they are absolutely superb. Brighter, more open and a real change from the rather flat, sterile ceramics that we're in before.  I have a Holydiver in the bridge of an S series but that is a lighter guitar all round. And while the HD is solid and split/parallels really well it just seems flatter, even and more 'polite' a pickup than the RYs which are quite toppy and suit me for the rockier old style 80's stuff I play.

I made the mistake though of putting too powerful and dark a middle single coil in my H-S-H (seymour Duncan quarter pounder) and if I could change it i'd go for a brighter more traditional vintage or vintage hot style pickup to get that strat vibe/tone right.

I'd consider some parallel / serial options too on the humbuckers as the tones are more versatile IMHO and the hum cancelling is helpful.

I went RWRP too on the middle single coil too - I can't really say if it sucks tone - but certainly can think the eerie quietness could make you feel something was missing with a hum cancelled single coil. It's certainly super clear for me when working with the split bridge as the previous poster mentioned.

[Kiichi]

I was just talking about the RWRP middle with some guys on another forum. What is it you lose when you do this exactly? Top end?

I actually must spend some time pondering on what exactly it is that is lost with the hum, as it is hard to say and even harder to put into words.

There is the BKP tutorial you can find here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2Z7ZIKAXTA which shows it off rather well.
I will not attempt to describe the difference at this rather late hour (at least for me), but rather just point you to the video. I have two HSH sets, one with a RWRP middle and one stock (also a p90 set also stock) and I feel the difference is well presented in this video.
If you canīt really make out a difference or do not care for it, well that is just well then.

For me I notice a difference and it is one that to me very personally just feels wrong. BKPs still make it sound awesome, but for that SC sound I get from those positions I donīt mind the hum and want that full SC response and not the one of a semi humbucker.

I do wanne emphasize again though that you should make up your own mind about it and use your ears as one is not worse than the other, it is purely a matter of taste.

Perhaps you can say the RWRP is a bit more modern in sound while the stock is more classic.

To me it just is a bit like covered vs uncovered (though I feel stronger on the RWRP/stock). While I prefer the covered look, at least on the bridge I just feel that the cover takes that little bit of life away in the sense that is makes it more round. Can be great for what I want out of the neck, but not on the bridge. Again that is just me.

[Dave Sloven]

I'm with you on this one Kiichi.  That video convinced me that when I do eventually get a SSS Fender Strat or a P90 Gibson I'd like it to have the stock wound coils.  It just sounded better all-round, more cut, more bite, more highs.  The RWRP sounded flat by comparison.  I'm not sure how that sound would fit with the humbuckers though - I guess it would depend on the humbucker. I can imagine with Rebel Yells the stock wound would be the ticket, but with some other combinations maybe RWRP would fit better with the humbuckers.  Generally though I'd say the brighter the humbucker the more I'd tend toward the stock wound