Will a 10k strat sized humbucker sound equivalent to a 10k full size humbucker?

[elsupermanny14]

I'm not really asking about their particular tone because all pickups provide a different sound in each instrument. My questions is more in regards of output, sustain, and ability to crunch. Will the output on a 10k Strat size humbucker be equivalent to the output on a full sized 10k humbucker? Will it sustain as long? Will it dirty up as easily?

 

Here's the deal, I'm trying to make my Squier a backup to my MIM (for cheap haha). The MIM has a George Lynch Screamin Demon humbucker in the bridge position. It's the full sized humbucker and is rated at 10k. I am thinking about putting in one of those GFS Lil Killer Strat sized humbucker. They run for $25 bucks (1/3 what a Seymour Duncan would cost me) and it allows me to keep the same three single coil pickguard. It is a very affordable route for me to take in order to create a similar backup.

 

The Lil Killer come in three differen versions. I'm interested in either the 10k or the 15k version. I'm just curious which one of those two will be most similar or most like my George Lynch.

 

I would have emailed GFS but I'm work, I'm bored, and my work computer blocks all emails outside of outlook. So if you guys could help me out with my questions and if someone could do me the really huge favor of posting GFS' email as well I would really appreciate that.

[Grantus]

I'd guess it sounds fairly close, but I'm not an expert.

[Armitage]

Nope, they sound different. There's more to pickups then ohms. Plus single coil sized pickups sense a much smaller area of the string.

[billybilly]

You can get close, but never there. In saying that, I have a rail in the bridge of my favourite strat and I am happy with it. Ideally, I could and maybe should have put a true bucker in but it was an easy swap to put the rail in.

 

For rails I like duncans hotrails and dimarzio fast track 2.

 

With the lil killer, I would go with the 15k as you need a bit more to get the sound out of a minibucker.

[elsupermanny14]

 

You can get close, but never there. In saying that, I have a rail in the bridge of my favourite strat and I am happy with it. Ideally, I could and maybe should have put a true bucker in but it was an easy swap to put the rail in. For rails I like duncans hotrails and dimarzio fast track 2. With the lil killer, I would go with the 15k as you need a bit more to get the sound out of a minibucker.

 

 

Thank you! I was leaning more towards the 15k. I was starting to wonder if maybe the 10k would not have as much output as the full size humbucker due to its smaller size.

 

Trust me I prefer Seymour Duncan pickups as well. I have had the George Lynch pickup in my guitar for 8 years now and I still love it just as much as I did the first day. I just don't want to spend very much on my Squier. It's role will serve as a backup at best.

[elsupermanny14]

For all you guys that run lil killers or rail humbuckers do you run them wide open in your Strats or do you have them wired up to a tone pot? 250k? 500k? Just curious.

[211dave112]

I still don't think strat sized humbuckers really sound that close to full size humbuckers. I think if you really like the full HB sound then you have to get one, personally I quite like strat sized HB's as they tend to lend a slightly single coil edge to the hb fullness.

[cokekolev]

The 10k lil killer basically sounds like a PAF, the 15k is really high output, even hotter than the DiMarzio Super Distortion in my other strat.

You should use 500k pots.

[Hurtzher]

Or, you could try to find a used Lil'Screamin' Demon on the cheap!

[Ratae Corieltauvorum]

man, I'd never pay that for a pickup

[Dash4814]

For all you guys that run lil killers or rail humbuckers do you run them wide open in your Strats or do you have them wired up to a tone pot? 250k? 500k? Just curious.

 

My strat has a Hot Rails wired into the tone pot, but I never use the tone pot. Dunno why I did it.

 

One thing I really appreciate about the Hot Rails is how its character changes when you roll off the volume knob. Surprisingly versatile pickup.

[elsupermanny14]

Are there any advantages to wiring a rail pickup wide open? The humbucker on the my Strat is wide open with tone control and that thing screams! Would I get the same effect out of the rail bucker? If I got the 10k lil killer would it give it a bit more output?

[Dash4814]

Are there any advantages to wiring a rail pickup wide open? The humbucker on the my Strat is wide open with tone control and that thing screams! Would I get the same effect out of the rail bucker? If I got the 10k lil killer would it give it a bit more output?

 

Probably be about the same.

 

I dunno, I use the Hot Rails sound as a blunt instrument 99.99% of the time. Great for overdriven power chords (it's the core of my "punk" sound). You can sweeten it up a bit by rolling off the volume but, really, why bother? Thrash on that {censored}.

[cratz2]

I've yet to hear an SC-sized HB that sounds as good overall as a decent full size HB.

 

 

But... I've had a couple of them that I got along with pretty decently with gain, they just never sound as full clean AND unmuddy with gain.

 

I like the Chopper. I have one in one of my strats. Again, sounds very decent with gain but sounds like about a $10 pickup when run clean through an AC15, a Twin or a Tweed Deluxe. Why? I have no idea. Through a Direct Drive into the Tweed Deluxe, I'm perfectly happy with it.

 

I had a Cruiser which I'd say was in the same ballpark as far as tonality, but less output. And I had a Tone Zone S which obviously was way thicker. For use with gain, I could live with any of them, but I like the Cruiser the best.

 

I had two 10K Lil Killers and I thought it was very decent. Probably a little brighter than any of the Dimarzios I've owned. I ended up putting them both into a guitar I gave away to a kid in the family.

 

Duncans, I had a Little 59 and a Hot Rails. HATED the Hot Rails. The Hot Rails was probably my least favorite pickup I've ever bought new. It ALWAYS made me feel like I was playing Iron Maiden. Having said that, if you dig Iron Maiden, it might be your perfect pickup.

 

[elsupermanny14]

I've yet to hear an SC-sized HB that sounds as good overall as a decent full size HB. But... I've had a couple of them that I got along with pretty decently with gain, they just never sound as full clean AND unmuddy with gain. I like the Chopper. I have one in one of my strats. Again, sounds very decent with gain but sounds like about a $10 pickup when run clean through an AC15, a Twin or a Tweed Deluxe. Why? I have no idea. Through a Direct Drive into the Tweed Deluxe, I'm perfectly happy with it. I had a Cruiser which I'd say was in the same ballpark as far as tonality, but less output. And I had a Tone Zone S which obviously was way thicker. For use with gain, I could live with any of them, but I like the Cruiser the best. I had two 10K Lil Killers and I thought it was very decent. Probably a little brighter than any of the Dimarzios I've owned. I ended up putting them both into a guitar I gave away to a kid in the family. Duncans, I had a Little 59 and a Hot Rails. HATED the Hot Rails. The Hot Rails was probably my least favorite pickup I've ever bought new. It ALWAYS made me feel like I was playing Iron Maiden. Having said that, if you dig Iron Maiden, it might be your perfect pickup.

 

How did you think the 10k lil killers stacked up against the little 59? or even the hot rail? Do you think the lil killers are worth buying? Keep in mind they are going into a cheap Squier Strat haha.

[blackmagic08]

I have a Lil Killer in the bridge of my Strat, I got the 6k version (which I know now was the wrong choice, but too late) I also changed tone 2 to a push/pull and wired it to split the HB. I didn't like the pickup at first, but it has grown on me. It still sounds a bit like a SC, but does overdriven stuff nicely. Also, I did not have to alter my pickguard as the GFS site says you may have to. The only other thing to mention is that it is really white if you get that color, it does not match the parchment on my strat, but cream would be too dark. Something to consider if you care.

 

Good luck.

[cratz2]

The 59 and the Lil Killer are in the same ballpark. I never compared them directly as there was a couple years in between me owning them.

 

 

I'd take both of them WAY over the Hot Rails. The Hot Rails has a really boxy type sound because of the big mid bump. The 59 and the Lil Killers are a lot more open sounding. The Hot Rails have a lot of users, but to my ears, it just kind of grated on my nerves.