Pickup suggestions for a Mahogany + Maple HSH Strat?

[vscaletta]

Building an HSH Strat. Mahogany body with maple neck.

Tone - I'm going for a clear, punchy Les Paul sound with a touch of jangle like a Jazzmaster. I want the guitar to feel alive, sort of 3 dimensional, and fill the room with sound. I like the amp to really shape the sound with the pickups giving a little bite for it to break up.

I'm running through a 1987x Plexi with Vintage 30s.


Would PAFs fit the bill? (At least for the neck). I'm not sure what to do about the middle or bridge. Thoughts?

 

[Cagey]

Whenever you don't know what you want, your best bet is the Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded Humbucker set. They've been making them for over 40 years, and it's probably the most popular aftermarket humbucker set of all time. Can't go wrong. If you don't absolutely love them, you'll at least like them a lot, and if you decide to do something else they've actually got resale value.

For the single coil in the middle, any of their "Area" series will sound good. Again, if you don't absolutely love it, you'll at least like it a lot, and if you decide to do something else it's actually got resale value. Personally, I have a rough time getting single coils and humbuckers to work and play well together. Always seems like a good idea in theory. In practice? Not so much. But, that's just me.

Another route you can follow is to row through the options at Guitar Fetish. Their "GFS" pickups are remarkably good, and there are a lot of them. Don't be fooled by the price; be happy. It means you can try a number of pickups without taking out a second mortgage on your house.

 

[Zhaezzy]

    Don't let the name scare you away but the DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell is a great neck pickup it is a low output humbucker. Very clean articulate in the neck and a bit of high end to it no mud. For bridge I like my Norton a lot it splits great too. Middle I am not sure about I would go for something noiseless so I can use gain if I want to.

 

[Logrinn]

+1 on the Humbucker from Hell. Excellent pickup. I love mine.

 

[Wolfie351]

Scatterwound (handwound) pickups are much more touch sensitive, dynamic and harmonics galore...but the winding expertise comes with a hefty pricetag.  People here are probably tired of me saying this and are going to think I get a commission, but I like JWP pickups (aka WCR, aka Wagner) and would recommend the American Steele set for a very wide range of tones.  If money is no object, combine those with a Duncan Duckbucker middle for noiseless jangle.

If you're on a budget and want a PAF, I always recommend a used DiMarzio 36th Anniversary set.  No better pickup for the money, if you're patient you can find a pair for under $100.  But, I would describe it as smooth and creamy...not punchy.

I'll definitely have to try this Humbucker from Hell though...the description has me intrigued.

 

[MikeW]

My favorite pickup set at the moment is a mix. I've got a Seymour Duncan '59 in the neck with a DiMarzio Steve's Special in the bridge. Both are articulate and clear with good top end to them. Mid-range output to drive the amp just a bit.

I've gone to this switching setup. Very versatile and only requires a 5-way super switch. The 1 and 5 offer full humbucker, 2 and 4 are split coil (north in this case), and 3 is a combination of north and south. I like position 3 for those songs that really require a good Strat "jangle".

https://guitarelectronics.com/2-humbuckers-5-way-lever-switch-1-volume-1-tone-00/

 

[musicispeace]

Cagey's advice is sound. I can also see the value in a good scatterwound PAF from a good small operation like Zhangbucker. But, as mentioned, that is not the budget route for sure. What you have expressed in sonic taste is pretty much the same as me even though we probably play different kinds of music. I have gone with lower output pickups that were wound more for texture and am quite happy. If I did not have an unlimited budget and the time and sanity to sift through countless sound samples I would certainly look into what Cagey suggests in this case. I have one Seymour Duncan pickup in my collection and it is, for what I do, wonderfully toned and it was a shot in the dark I just wanted to try.