• From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Topic: Should I put in a humbucker in this guitar?

This is my first Stratocaster I ever got, and my first real guitar.  Its a 1999 MIM model that was totally stock when I got it.  I've changed things out over the years such as putting an american vintage trem on it, and the pickups were customized by myself.  I've also shielded the pickup cavity with copper.  The pickups in it are American Series pickups but I've added Steel screws to the back of them (5 steel screws in between each magnet pole piece) to fatten up the sound.  A friend of mine has a George Lynch Screamin Demon pickup he'll give me but I can't decide if I should put it in this guitar.  The Guitar is wired for 3 toggle switches so you can turn on any pickup with any other pickup in phase or out of phase, or off.  I would like to use one of the toggles as a Coil Tap switch so I can turn on the full humbucker, then turn it off, and then turn off one of the coils to make it a single coil.  Here is the guitar http://i321.photobucket.com/albums/nn38 … 0_8763.jpg

http://i321.photobucket.com/albums/nn38 … 0_8764.jpg
http://i321.photobucket.com/albums/nn38 … 0_8765.jpg

If you got any other suggestions at all I'm all ears this is really just a big toy for me to take up time between diaper changes.

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: Missoula, Montana
  • Registered: 2008-08-18
  • Posts: 308

Re: Should I put in a humbucker in this guitar?

Personally, I would not. I would put Fender Noiseless pickups in it. I did that with one of my Rosewood strats and I absolutely love the tone. The sound range is much greater; you can get the signature strat sound, and the much deeper humbucker sound.

I got the set for $150.00 from Musicians Friend. Well worth it and you don't have to carve up your Strat.

#275 JB LP

tmcguire's Website

  • Registered: 2008-07-05
  • Posts: 85

Re: Should I put in a humbucker in this guitar?

Drop the bucker in and don't look back.  Given that its a Mexican body, its probably already routed for it, its as simple as a pickguard swap.  Its also arguable that the weakest tone on a Strat is the bridge pup alone.  You won't lose the second position quack if the bucker is tapped and you'll still be hitting the amp a bit harder...there's something to be said for bucker tones coming from a 25 1/2" scale string.

Beyond that, if you're still convinced you need three singles in there - again yank that bridge pup out and drop in a Rio Grande Stelly.  Basically a Tele pup sized down to fit in a Strat hole.  It will not sound anemic like a Strat bridge pup and will still give you the goose on the front end.

http://www.riograndepickups.com/scart/P … For+Strats

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Should I put in a humbucker in this guitar?

My vote is no.

Maybe a rails pickup or a duncan humbucker that fits into a single coil, but not a big old humbucker. I think that looks rounchy in strats. The sound is good, but the look spoils the classic look of a strat.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Should I put in a humbucker in this guitar?

Well the guitar is already routed for it.  Also I agree the Bridge pickup in strats are ususally under powered.  This guitar is very powerful as it is but I'm playing with some guys that require me to play a hell of a lot of strat tones, and then a hell of a lot of Humbucker type tones.  I hated Vintage Noiseless pickups that I had so I'm not going back with those.  We are just doing a covers right  now that require me to swap out a guitar every other song it seems like to get the right tone and I don't like ABY switchs.  I am not very good with switching things off with my feet and I would still have to strap on another guitar.  I believe I will drop the humbucker in, I can always go back.  Thanks guys!

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: Belgium (Limburg)
  • Registered: 2008-02-25
  • Posts: 118

Re: Should I put in a humbucker in this guitar?

You could try a JB Jr. (single coil size humbucker)..

Here's someone using it with a bogner alchemist..sounds pretty good!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rlk-_tN3dFc

GR. PJ

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Should I put in a humbucker in this guitar?

No, those things don't work.  They sound nowhere near a real JB pickup, because its only taking a small sample of the string.  The bigger the pickup the bigger the sample the fatter the sound.  I had a little 59' and as yes it did sound bigger and badder then a stock Strat, you couldn't get the thing to produce a fat sound, it still came off thin.  This guitar did have a JB full sized pickup in it at one point and  it was tough!  But the JB has too much umph for me I want a vintage output pickup around 10mhz.  JB's are 16mhz, so when you coil split them they still sound like humbuckers.  But vintage output pickups sound a little more like a weak p-90 or a really sweet sounding strat pickup without the quack.

AD3THREE's Website