New pickups for Strat perhaps.

[CommonCourtesy]

I posted a thread earlier in the year about this but I think it got lost when the servers went down and the old post wasn't recovered.

Anyways I have a Squier strat that I've had since I was a kid, about 13 or something, I've still got it now and have taken good care of it since, its been over 15 years! I put the Seymour Duncan "everything set" a couple of years ago and I like how it sounds, but all my other guitars have BKP in them and maybe somewhere down the line I may consider swapping them out.

I'm not 100% sure on the specs but I think its a maple neck, rosewood fretboard and I'm not sure what the wood is.

I use this guitar for clean stuff, so I want to retain that sparkly clean neck sound, and also some dirty, (can be known to go all Tom Delongey and Green Day lol). So a bit of both worlds but keeping the Strat sound.

Any recommendations on what to put in there?

[Telerocker]

I would go for an Irish Tour set with a baseplate on the brige. Best of both worlds: you have extra balls in the bridge and pickups than can handle a lot of gain, but can produce very nice cleans with classic woodiness, especially if you roll down down the volumepot a bit. 

[Kiichi]

I would go for an Irish Tour set with a baseplate on the brige. Best of both worlds: you have extra balls in the bridge and pickups than can handle a lot of gain, but can produce very nice cleans with classic woodiness, especially if you roll down down the volumepot a bit.

Yeah, the IT seems to be the go to do everything pickup in strats. A classic SC with a good pinch of magic rock dust. Brilliant cleans with heart, but add gain and another level reveals itself.

[CommonCourtesy]

What exactly do you mean by 'a baseplate in the bridge'?

I seem to like BKP's as they offer more clarity and warmth, at least in my guitars anyway.

[Telerocker]

A baseplate is a steel plate attached to the bottom of the pickup. This will add some extra bass and mids and probably attenuate the highs a bit too. Your bridgepickup will sound a tad fuller/meatier, like a good tele.

Here's a vid from our honorable forummember and superb player Nolly the Great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_lVIWPc38E

[Kiichi]

A baseplate is a steel plate attached to the bottom of the pickup. This will add some extra bass and mids and probably attenuate the highs a bit too. Your bridgepickup will sound a tad fuller/meatier, like a good tele.

Here's a vid from our honorable forummember and superb player Nolly the Great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_lVIWPc38E

Was just typing the same thing and wanted to post the video too.^^

It really is a matter of taste. The main application is to ensure that the bridge does not get too thin and trebly, but this can also apply to all other pickups. I for one am very tempted by the idea of a strat with a Pat Pend set with all baseplates.

IIRC the original Fender prototypes had these on all pickups but it was cut due to cost reasons.

[Telerocker]

A baseplate is a steel plate attached to the bottom of the pickup. This will add some extra bass and mids and probably attenuate the highs a bit too. Your bridgepickup will sound a tad fuller/meatier, like a good tele.

Here's a vid from our honorable forummember and superb player Nolly the Great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_lVIWPc38E

Was just typing the same thing and wanted to post the video too.^^

It really is a matter of taste. The main application is to ensure that the bridge does not get too thin and trebly, but this can also apply to all other pickups. I for one am very tempted by the idea of a strat with a Pat Pend set with all baseplates.

IIRC the original Fender prototypes had these on all pickups but it was cut due to cost reasons.

Deep apologies! 

[CommonCourtesy]

Ah! Cheers for the assistance guys, and the link, there's definitely a difference in fatness when the baseplates are in on the video. I might just add it to my bridge as opposed to all 3 pickups if I switch them out.

The Irish Tour seems quite high 'hot' output though? Wouldn't that turn my strat into a Jim Root sig haha

[Telerocker]

Ah! Cheers for the assistance guys, and the link, there's definitely a difference in fatness when the baseplates are in on the video. I might just add it to my bridge as opposed to all 3 pickups if I switch them out.

The Irish Tour seems quite high 'hot' output though? Wouldn't that turn my strat into a Jim Root sig haha

No, it just an overwound Mother's Milk: a bit more bass and mids and a little less treble. Also a slightly less woodiness, but if you roll down the volumepot just a bit you are in the Mother's Milk-terrority. I have both and both are great, but the IT's deliver to goodies for a lot of styles. The Mother's Milk is a bit brighter and may I say a little leaner overall?

[CommonCourtesy]

So the Mother's Milk is more trebley and higher output? Or similar? I am looking to do all styles really on the guitar, just the most frequent tend to be sparkly cleans, or to the other extreme, punchy overdrive. But there's the stuff in the middle too, bluesy "Keef" type playing, AC/DC crunchy tones, high end funky 16th's and indie stuff!

[Telerocker]

So the Mother's Milk is more trebley and higher output? Or similar? I am looking to do all styles really on the guitar, just the most frequent tend to be sparkly cleans, or to the other extreme, punchy overdrive. But there's the stuff in the middle too, bluesy "Keef" type playing, AC/DC crunchy tones, high end funky 16th's and indie stuff!

Mother's Milk is less hot than the Irish Tour. IT does most of the styles you mention, for AC/DC I would back of the tonepot just a bit. For cleans, funk, pop, blues(rock), indie and rock, these are great BKP's. I play in a coverband and do nearly everything with IT's, however I have a Crawler in the bridgeposition for heavier styles (classic rock, hardrock).

[CommonCourtesy]

I see, well maybe sometime in the future I may get into a function band where Strats tend to be a good all-rounder, as well as my teaching so the IT sounds ideal, I could even mix up the 3 pickups if I wanted, so a sparkly clean neck, a nice middle and gnarly bridge!