Members Jimmy25 Posted January 2, 2012 Members Share Posted January 2, 2012 On my Fender 57 Reissue Stratocaster MIJ Since 1993, it has all the original pickups that's supposed be on this model. The pickups has never been changed. Personally, I figured I like the clean tone on position 5 (neck pickup), and most of the time when I play I would stick with that position or sometimes I would change to position 3, or position 4 in between (BTW my position 3 & 5 sounds similar.. I could barely tell the difference.. is it just me, or maybe it's my ear XD). Position 1 (bridge pickup), I don't use it quite often, personally, I don't like it when too much twangy sound goes into my ear. However, my point is, I've heard good things about Japan made guitars, and I do love everything about my guitar, except the pickups aren't the best qualities, and now that I've played it, I agree the pickups could be better. 1) First of all, just out of curiosity, on a Fender Strat, which pickup position do you guys prefer / use the most often? 2) When it comes to pickups, is it any good to get a second-handed pickup? 3) It's great that I already got a clean tone I love with the neck pickup, but still, I sometimes play songs that needs a really rock tone with distortion as well, as in "distortion", almost metal distortion I'd say. And I thought it would be nice if I could play a really clean tone on position 5 and as well as great distortion on position 1 with the humbucker. Besides, that would get rid of the twangy sound single-coil on position 1 now which I personally don't use so often, and gives me another position to use a lot when it comes to rock songs. Single-coil pickup buzz so loud when it comes to distortion.. whereas a humbucker should be no buzz and good for distortion I'd say? With that said, what would be a good humbucker pickup (fit-able & replace-able on single-coil size) you guys would suggest when it comes to distortion? and what would be the price? (btw. I live in Bangkok. it would be great if it's order-able from internet and ship-able. Or it's not worth it? maybe it's cheaper if I could go around my area and look for it?) At the moment, I'm looking at Seymour Duncan Pickup For Strats :http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/stratocaster/ As in what type of distortion tone I'm trying to get...these songs would be some examples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2fz_zBNl80http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYlS_kmxES0OR distortion that would sound sth like this in solo: I understand some of these they use pedals,and it depends on the guitar as well,I'm just trying to give an idea thatI'm looking for sound that's "something/similar like this". Any idea which specific Seymour Duncan Pickup would make sth similar to this distortion tone I'm trying to get? Or perhaps DiMarzio Pickups which I've also heard good things about? or any other suggestions? That's All Guys! Any Reply Would Be Highly Appreciated. THANK YOU.=D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meowy Posted January 2, 2012 Members Share Posted January 2, 2012 1. Depends on how the body is routed2. Any or all3. Something like a Duncan custom with alnico 5 gives you a good middle ground. Or if you want to stick with a single coil a Duncan ssl5 4. You can get Duncan's diMarzio and others on eBay for significantly lower than new Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BeanoBoy Posted January 2, 2012 Members Share Posted January 2, 2012 First off, a typical humbucker is not going to fit into a single coil slot.If you don't want to alter your guitar, you'll need to get a stackable humbucker which is basically one pickup on top of the other. There are lots of guys here who are experts on who makes stackables, I'm pretty sure Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio make them. Diceman, if he participates in this thread, will probably know of a BG pickup that's stackable. LOTS of love around here for BG as great bang for the buck, although I personally don't own one.2.You don't have to change all your pickups.3. I'm not a 'distortion' guy. I use overdrive but prefer a PAF clean humbucker. I get my grit from the amp or amp sim, or pedal. Again Duncan and DiMarzio have all kinds of pickups. Check out their sites. Diceman will steer you to a BG. 4. Perfectly fine to buy a used pickup as long as it's working properly, the leads (wires) are long enough and hasn't been neglected (overly rusted pole pieces). Check out your local store for both new and used Duncans and DiMarzios as most stores carry them. eBay is a good source for used pickups as well but more of a crap shoot. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted January 2, 2012 Members Share Posted January 2, 2012 You could just go 100% noiseless like DiMarzio Virtual Vintage or Fender Noiseless, a set of which will only cost you $99. Don't worry too much about preserving the neck pickup tone. Most neck pickups sound similar on a Strat, IMO. It's also a 57 RI, which means a full sized humbucker won't fit anyway since it has SSS routing. And honestly, I prefer Strats in the middle position rather than the bridge position when I'm doing large amounts of distortion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wayne2 Posted January 2, 2012 Members Share Posted January 2, 2012 Sounds like you want a humbucker in single coil strat size for the bridge. Lots of manufacturers make them. e.g. Seymour Duncan Changing it is no big deal but you have to be able to use a soldering iron. I say go for it. Changing pickups is fun and really bonds you with your guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyzsard Posted January 2, 2012 Members Share Posted January 2, 2012 @Jimmy25 Good suggestions above, but before you swap pups, lower the ones you have. Might be surprised. Or not... but it just takes a few seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wayne2 Posted January 2, 2012 Members Share Posted January 2, 2012 @Jimmy25Good suggestions above, but before you swap pups, lower the ones you have. Might be surprised. Or not... but it just takes a few seconds. ^^^ This tooRaise or lower the bridge pickup to taste. Sometimes you can get rid of that objectionable piercing tone. Fender has a guide somewhere on its site, but it's only a starting point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jimmy25 Posted January 3, 2012 Author Members Share Posted January 3, 2012 Thanks Guys!!! Topic Post Edited.. what do guys think? : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jimmy25 Posted January 3, 2012 Author Members Share Posted January 3, 2012 so is Dimarzio Areas better for the neck pickupand Seymour Duncan better for the bridge pickup?seems like that's how people install it? o.0However, I'm changing my bridge pickup only...and now I'm chossing betweenDimarzio Areas/Seymour Duncan for bridge pickup?btw. topic post edited. I added examples of the type of tone I'm trying to get.what do you guys think? : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted January 3, 2012 Members Share Posted January 3, 2012 The kind of distortion you're trying to get is mostly a matter of pedals, I think. Honestly, if you can get the body routed professionally, nothing will beat a Seymour Duncan TB-5 Custom in the bridge. The DiMarzio Area pickups are pretty much standard Strat sound but no noise, which is good, though, because a set of noiseless singles can mean you can set up your distortion pedal the way you want it and not have to worry about noise or unwanted feedback. However, I think a DiMarzio Tone Zone S or a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails would be better in the bridge than DiMarzio Area pickups. Something out of left field that would also work for pretty much any kind of music, including the kind you're thinking of, is the Lace Sensors. The Strat Plus set (Red-Silver-Blue) would probably change the neck tone too much for your wants, but the so-called Rainbow Set (Purple-Silver-Green) would get you a more classic Strat sound with still a lot more versatility with the hotter middle and bridge pickups. You could also mix and match. I would probably choose Blue for bridge, Silver in middle, and Gold (or Hot Gold) for neck, which what I had in one of my Strats and it really could do everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaleH Posted January 3, 2012 Members Share Posted January 3, 2012 Don't know what the budget is?A set of Seymour Duncan "Everything Axe" would go a long way. They can handle the overdrive no problem. There humbuckers.[video=youtube;MMs3oCBOrXc] [video=youtube;3QLLb0NTaHs] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted January 3, 2012 Members Share Posted January 3, 2012 If you don't mind losing the classic Strat neck tone, yeah, the Seymour Duncan Everything set is great. I would also add the Billy Corgan combination (Tone Zone S + Chopper + Air Norton S). However, if you want to keep the classic Strat neck tone, you need at least an Area 61 or something of the sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted January 3, 2012 Members Share Posted January 3, 2012 Before getting another pickup, you may want to connect your bridge pickup to a tone control. When I first replaced the stock pickups in my MIJ strat with Kinmans, I just dropped them into the existing wiring. The bridge pickup sounded a bit brittle and, after reading the recommendations from Kinman, I rewired the tone controls and now it is just right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted January 3, 2012 Members Share Posted January 3, 2012 Yeah but you also have Kinmans, which sound like the Ten Commandments were made into a guitar pickup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danswon Posted January 3, 2012 Members Share Posted January 3, 2012 If you like the neck pickup, keep it. if you want a humbucker at the bridge and don't want to cut holes in anything get a modern rails single-coil sized humbucker like this http://store.guitarfetish.com/Lil-Killer-Black-Humbucker-Rail-Pickup-for-Strats-Three-Versions-Available_p_461.html. i have used the tele lil-puncher 10k version and it was pretty good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thecornman Posted January 3, 2012 Members Share Posted January 3, 2012 Dimarzio Tone Zone S in the bridge would work great for what you are after! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members diceman1000 Posted January 3, 2012 Members Share Posted January 3, 2012 As stated above, my normal reccomendation would be BG Pickups or Rose Pickups, but to my knowledge neither offers a stacked single. The only noiseless singles I have any experience with are the Dimarzio Areas, and FWIW, they're great pickups. As also stated above, try playing with the pickup heights. If you wanna stick with regular singles though, defineately check out BG and Rose, both can custom wind to your liking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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