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Post subject: I need more pronounced bell (possitions 2 and 4)
Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:23 pm
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Hobbyist
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Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2018 11:52 am
Posts: 2
Hi all, new guy here.

I have a Fender Stratocaster Vintage '54 Reissue with a five way switch and mismatched pickups - the neck is a Custom Shop '69, the bridge Custom Shop '54. Brilliant on positions 1 and 5, wouldn't change them for the world.

But...

The middle is Seymour Duncan SSL-1 RWRP, and it's not giving me a nice clear bell on positions 2 and 4. The sound is muffled and muddy on 2 and 4. (all wired correctly, I took both CS pickups as North).

Now I have two questions:

1 - What would you recommend as a middle pickup to bring up the bell quality on 2 and 4?

2 - I have a guy in my town who's a great pickup builder. I can order a very specific product for the middle pickup, but I don't know what to ask for. Both CS '54 and '69 are Alnico 5, North. Also, '69 is 5.8k 2.2 Henries and '54 is 6.5k ohms 2.75 Henries. The middle has to be RWRP but what Alnico, and what resistance and inductance?
(all in order to have a clear, pronounced bell)

Thank you very much.


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Post subject: Re: I need more pronounced bell (possitions 2 and 4)
Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 11:54 pm
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Rock Star
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Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:53 am
Posts: 4240
Sorry for the late answer; the forum's first post delay etc.

Anyways, on that pos 2&4 sound issue; the "muffled and muddy" could be a description of out-of-phase. Just thinking, RWRP describes a pickup only in relation to other pickups, and Fender/SD don't necessarily have the same paradigms.
The (relatively) easy way to check is to switch the SSL-1 wires.

Another very Strat-typical thing: play with pickup heights, experiment. The bell like tone might mean very low, especially on the SD.

If you end up getting a new mid pup, a pickup builder should know the technical aspects when you give the basics; describe the sounds you want and tell the other pups in the guitar.
From the Fender selection, a 57/62 mid pup might fit, both soundwise and year-wise. :wink:


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Post subject: Re: I need more pronounced bell (possitions 2 and 4)
Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2018 12:55 pm
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Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2018 11:52 am
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No, it was not out-of-phase. Tried that too, and it's thin and weak. This was muddy and all the Strat magic was absent...

..and than it all clicked - I got me a new amp, vintage Fender Princeton from 1975, Fullerton. And on this amp, my possitions 2 and 4 are exactly what I wanted.

So it was not the guitar nor the pickups, wiring, none of that... it was a crappy amp.

Thank you!


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