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Author Topic: Humbucker for Strat  (Read 3923 times)

Alfi27

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Humbucker for Strat
« on: September 26, 2018, 04:13:56 PM »
Hi fellas,

One should have thought that I had a better clue what to get after all the guitars and pickups I have owned, but I'm having some difficulties mostly because my rig has changed so drastically that I cannot really trust my old impressions, on top of the fact that old impressions are not that trustworthy to begin with.

Anyway, I have an alder/maple MJT/Warmoth Strat with basically a Mule (wound by Bulldog pickups, former BK employee) in the bridge which sounds great, but it is a bit like a cross between a humbucker and singlecoil, like a slightly fatter, hum cancelling singlecoil. To put it briefly it lacks a little bit of balls and a bit of anger/aggressiveness, I absolutely love how my Les Paul sounds with the Suhr Thornbucker set which is both ballsy, aggressive but still open. So I want to get a bit of that Les Paul push into the Strat, which I think the Crawler could be able to do but I'm not sure if it's aggressive enough. On the other hand the VHII is definitely aggressive enough, but I'm afraid it will lack a bit of balls and drive. I was also suggested the Black Dog by Ben, the Strat is a little dark so I think it could work very well!

I do love EVH's tone but it's not really what I'm going for this time, something more like Green Day's Dookie tone. He uses the JB, and after doing loads of research BK doesn't really have an equivalent to that, but I figured that I don't really imagine Billie Joe nerding about potentiometer values so he probably did and maybe still runs it with a 250k pot. Which brings me to the Holydiver, which with a 500k pot probably would equal the JB with 250k, but my previous experiences with it hasn't been that good. It was too smooth and rounded from what I remember, but like I said; completely different rigs. The 800 is also quite aggressively voiced which does help.

Anyone who has experiences with preferably two or more of the mentioned pickups, but any experiences are welcome of course!

Cheers.
« Last Edit: September 26, 2018, 05:25:21 PM by Alfi27 »
BKs: Black Dog (b), Riff Raff (b), HSP90 Nantucket (b).

Telerocker

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Re: Humbucker for Strat
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2018, 11:30:56 PM »
Did you consider humbucker sized P90's, like a Nantucket or the hotter Supermassive? You could think about the Abraxas too, which is in fact a hotrodded Mule.

About the Crawler. Tonight we've played in our studio (just rehearsel) with the band. I brought my trusted RV50MKI head with a ported 1x12 cab (V30) and my HSS swampashstrat/maple neck/ebony board with a Crawler in the bridge. I could easily get the tone from Guano Apes - Open Your Eyes. You have to dial in your amp a bit different with the Crawler. I like the splitted sound too, nearly tele-esque.

Unless your strat is very dark sounding, you could consider the Crawler. I prefer the Crawler to the VHII in my HSS Fender Am. Series. It's richer, juicier, easier to play somehow. And it cleans up well too. Maybe the Crawler is just a perfect match with this particularly handmade  strat (made by Patrick Eggle etc..).
Mules, VHII, Crawler, MM's, IT's, BG50's.

darthphineas

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Re: Humbucker for Strat
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2018, 06:29:44 PM »
Nailbomb alnico

Telerocker

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Re: Humbucker for Strat
« Reply #3 on: September 28, 2018, 12:04:27 AM »
Mules, VHII, Crawler, MM's, IT's, BG50's.

Dave Sloven

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Re: Humbucker for Strat
« Reply #4 on: September 28, 2018, 01:01:31 AM »
I found a video of a Black Dog in a Strat, usefully compared with a Black Dog in a Les Paul.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90d7FQXJkWc
BLACK HAWKS
IMPULSES
COBRA-T
WAR PIGS
STOCKHOLM
COLD SWEATS
MIRACLE MAN
TRUE GRIT

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Telerocker

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Re: Humbucker for Strat
« Reply #5 on: September 29, 2018, 09:02:54 AM »
I found a video of a Black Dog in a Strat, usefully compared with a Black Dog in a Les Paul.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90d7FQXJkWc

I hear more Bogner Blue than the Black Dog. Dunno, it's kinda useful in this vid, but not impressive.
Mules, VHII, Crawler, MM's, IT's, BG50's.

dean_fry

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Re: Humbucker for Strat
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2018, 04:38:56 PM »
I just ordered a Juggernaut for my Strat 🙈 :shocked:

Yellowjacket

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Re: Humbucker for Strat
« Reply #7 on: October 05, 2018, 06:14:09 AM »
I just ordered a Juggernaut for my Strat 🙈 :shocked:

Aw man, that thing is going to CRUSH!!!!

Alfi27

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Re: Humbucker for Strat
« Reply #8 on: October 07, 2018, 10:10:03 PM »
Thanks chaps, actually I scored a dirt cheap Suhr Aldrich off Ebay on Friday, hopefully I'll get it tomorrow! Lately I have grown to appreciate the current humbucker actually, so if I don't love the Aldrich it will at the very least give me an indication whether I should go vintage or contemporary. I have had Aldrich's in loads of guitars but most of them were Suhrs, and it was quite a long time ago.

Congrats on the Juggernaut! I actually replaced a set of Aldrichs with Juggs in a Suhr Modern some time ago. At the time I replaced pickups all the time without even paying proper attention to the stock pickups, I started asking for advice on pickups before I got the guitar and always ended up losing a lot of money when I sold the guitar and pickups... I still prefer to put in the exact pickups I want in guitars I'm going to keep, but they must have spent a certain amount of time in my possession first!
BKs: Black Dog (b), Riff Raff (b), HSP90 Nantucket (b).