Author Topic: Middle Position Pickup (Read 4270 times)

indysmith · « **on:** March 25, 2006, 03:00:02 PM »

Okay, i have a H/S/H guitar and a H/S/S guitar, and i never ever use the middle single coil by itself on either. Does anyone else use it that way? what kind of sounds do yu use it for? do you use it for clean or dirty? I'm gonna play around with it today and see if i can make good use of my middle position...
Also, are there any famous songs that were played exclusively using only the middle position singlecoil? any players who favour it?
I've only ever used it with one of t'other pups...
thanks,
Indy

froglord · « **Reply #1 on:** March 25, 2006, 03:20:12 PM »

Yeah, I've though about this too, although it's been a long time since I used my S/S/S Squier Strat (is it overkill to pimp such a cheap guitar with BKPS? Answers on a postcard...). The middle pickup doesn't have the treble of a bridge pickup or the roundness of a neck unit.

One idea is to rewire position 3 so it gives bridge and neck single coils (tapped if necessary) in parallel. This is a great pickup combination for rhythm playing. However, you'd need to use a five-way megaswitch - a normal blade-type pickup selector can't do it.

crispsandwich · « **Reply #2 on:** March 25, 2006, 03:24:03 PM »

I think the Edge favours the middle pickup quite a bit. I use mine on it's own for doing Vai-esque clean stuff and for a great crunch tone with a slightly overdriven amp when I'm picking open chords. I've got a Mother's Milk and it's a truly splendiferous pickup ;). Combined with my Trilogy Suite neck or coil tapped Nailbomb bridge, I get amazing 'n between' tones. Unfortunately I can't record you any clips 'cause I've just sold the Toneport, but once I have an amp I'll make a video and post it on here.

-Danny :)

indysmith · « **Reply #3 on:** March 25, 2006, 03:24:07 PM »

Quote from: froglord

Yeah, I've though about this too, although it's been a long time since I used my S/S/S Squier Strat (is it overkill to pimp such a cheap guitar with BKPS? Answers on a postcard...). The middle pickup doesn't have the treble of a bridge pickup or the roundness of a neck unit.

One idea is to rewire position 3 so it gives bridge and neck single coils (tapped if necessary) in parallel. This is a great pickup combination for rhythm playing. However, you'd need to use a five-way megaswitch - a normal blade-type pickup selector can't do it.

that idea crossed my mind as i was typing actually - might not be a bad thing to give a go...

Towards the idea of pimping ur strat - why the hell not? just keep buying new parts for it until its not a squire anymore, lol. thats the beauty of squire strats - if yu like strats, yu never have to get a new guitar, yu can just invest in it, pimping it harder and harder until it ceases to be a hunka junk and begins being a custom beauty...

indysmith · « **Reply #4 on:** March 25, 2006, 03:27:45 PM »

Quote from: crispsandwich

I think the Edge favours the middle pickup quite a bit. I use mine on it's own for doing Vai-esque clean stuff and for a great crunch tone with a slightly overdriven amp when I'm picking open chords. I've got a Mother's Milk and it's a truly splendiferous pickup ;). Combined with my Trilogy Suite neck or coil tapped Nailbomb bridge, I get amazing 'n between' tones. Unfortunately I can't record you any clips 'cause I've just sold the Toneport, but once I have an amp I'll make a video and post it on here.

-Danny :)

Sounds good - i'll be having a go at that kinda stuff, then! Hopefully soon i'll have a BKP in the middle of my main guitar and i might be tempted to use it more often :P The "in between" tones yu get in pos.2+4 are indeed awesome - can't beat that sound for open cleans, or crunchy blues...

Elliot · « **Reply #5 on:** March 25, 2006, 04:19:05 PM »

Little Wing - Jimi Hendrix - that is the classic middle strat coil tone.

I use middle all the time, in fact most of the time - It does clean things really well.

I prefer it to the bridge of a SSS strat. I always tone down the bridge by adding some neck (via a Rothwell neck adder) into the sound to take out the bite of the bridge. But in those circumstances the bridge just sounds like the middle coil, so I stick to the middle coil.

Searcher · « **Reply #6 on:** March 25, 2006, 04:23:28 PM »

I use the middle pickup for a brighter sound than the neck when I don't want it as hot or bright as at the bridge. I guess that's the obvious answer. :) It's where I go for a SRV-type sound.

dave_mc · « **Reply #7 on:** March 25, 2006, 04:33:52 PM »

I use my middle pickup for bluesy-srv-type stuff, like searcher.

blue · « **Reply #8 on:** March 25, 2006, 08:24:51 PM »

on my strat ish guitar i mostly use the middle single coil, unless i want a lot of distortion, then i head for a humbucker as you kind of lose that single coil spank then. i find the middle absolutely fantastic for funky rock rhythm, like if jimi played for aerosmith! and for lead it gives a tone that's got more body than the bridge pickup and more grit than the neck. if you listen to the strat riffing at the start of gary moore's scars album, that's the kind of sound i'm talking about.
as soon as i get around to installing my irish tours in my eggle i suspect the middle pickup sound will probably put me in hospital! all i need is one free day...

Brow · « **Reply #9 on:** March 26, 2006, 02:42:31 PM »

I think SRV used the middle SC of his Strat on 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' from his Texas Flood album.

I sometimes use the middle Irish Tour on my HSS Strat when playing cleaner stuff.

38thBeatle · « **Reply #10 on:** March 26, 2006, 10:37:41 PM »

I use the middle pup a lot too. I haven't always done so but certainly since the Apaches were installed. As has been said above, both Jimi and SRV used it- both would switch to or from it to add variety to a solo on occasions- I find myself doing it a lot these days though sadly my playing is not in the same league of either of those two gentlemen.

indysmith · « **Reply #11 on:** March 26, 2006, 11:04:10 PM »

Nawwwww i can't get any good sounds out of my middle position, lol. It always sounds.....well - shite to be honest!
I'll need an irish tour in there i suspect to get any sounds similar to hendrix or SRV (who are actually a couple of my favourite guitarists). 8)

carlaz · « **Reply #12 on:** March 27, 2006, 02:45:32 PM »

Quote from: indysmith

Quote from: froglord
Squier Strat (is it overkill to pimp such a cheap guitar with BKPS? Answers on a postcard...).

why the hell not? just keep buying new parts for it until its not a squire anymore, lol. thats the beauty of squire strats - if yu like strats, yu never have to get a new guitar, yu can just invest in it, pimping it harder and harder until it ceases to be a hunka junk and begins being a custom beauty...

+1! If your Squier plays well (neck feels good, that sorta thing), then you can hardly go wrong by upgrading the electronics. You could consider upgrading some of the basic/simple hardware, too, like the bridge, or nut, or tuners. Along with the electronics, those are places that makers skimp but that you can fix up easily. Of course, if the neck and such are a heap of junk, don't bother. But I shouldn't think the average Squier was that bad!