Seeking recommendations for a wired S/S/S pickguard from GFS

[Neo Fender]

This will be going on a mid-range Squier Strat.  Options are (B/M/N):

(1) True Coil Vintage Set 7K / 6K / 5.5K
(2) True Coil Texas Set 12K / 6K / 5.5K
(3) True Coil Overwound Set 12K / 10K / 7K

Other options are for Potentiometer value (250K or 500K) and Capacitor Value (.022 uF or .047 uF).

What I am looking (listening) for: 

Neck:  Full, glassy and bell tones (e.g. Hendrix, SRV, et al.)

Mid: Don’t use it much, usually as a catalyst for the #2 and #4 positions, which I also don’t use much.  Thought it might be useful to have something a little hotter here but wasn’t sure if 10K would be too much

Bridge.  Looking for something hotter for soloing.  Think 7 K would be a little weak for this.  Not sure if 12K would be too much.

I’m currently leaning toward #3 or #2 but to avoid having the pickups sound too dark due to being overwound, I’m considering a 500K potentiometer and .a 022uF cap.  I’m  also considering the above pot and cap in case I decide to swap out the bridge PU for a full-sized humbucker.

Suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[ezas]

I have a set of SSS from GFS  and I got the Texas wound set after trying the Vintage set. I wanted just a little more rock in that bridge but in the set I got the texas wound bridge was only 8.6k

I didn't try 500k pots, and based on my experience with my 250k pots I would suggest starting with 250k. That's pretty typical for a Strat. I've got 250k and it's plenty bright.

If I recall I started with a .022uF cap and I changed to a .001uF, but I'm going back to a .022uF because when playing overdrive/Distorted I'm not getting enough high freq roll-off. I'd call .022uF middle ground and so its a good place to start in my opinion, and caps a cheap to switch out later.

To me it sounds like you are a good candidate for the Texas set if those are the  three choices.

But I also don't play with noise cancelling PU's so I can't comment on how that might effect the choices you might want to make.

Any reason why you are not going to wire up your own pickguard?

 

[Patrick from Davis]

For what ever reason, the middle pick up on a strat always seems to give me the best surf tone.
Patrick

 

[Cagey]

The True-Coils from GFS are really authentic - probably the best I've heard from anybody, including the megabuck boutique parts. And I'm not qualifying that by saying "for noiseless pickups" - they just sound good, period. I have them in a couple guitars now, and will continue to use them until somebody sues them out of business for being too good.

Because of that, you can afford to go a little hot. Given a good pot with a treble bleed, all you have to do is back off a touch and they turn into lesser wound coils. There's no high-end response penalty for going overwound, and plenty of reward when you ask for it - you can beat the snot out of your amp's front end. Do 500K pots, put a .001uf cap across the volume pot, use a .022uf cap for your tone control, and smile at the sky. Do that first, and if you aren't happy, you can come back here and kick my ass. But, I'm not worried about it. You'll love it.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I'd do 500k because they're technically humbucking pickups.

 

[Cagey]

Right. And not just technically - actually. Besides, why bleed signal to ground before you ever get a chance to do something with it? If you don't want it all, you can toss it at the amp. No need to kill it before it's ever born.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I think I'm.gonna give those a whirl.  Now I just have to build a Strat....or a Bass 6.