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Post subject: HSS - Have I made a Boo Boo?
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2016 8:48 am
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I love my new Strat, but It just sounds wrong whenever I switch to the bridge pickup - It just sounds plain dull. I guess, I'm either going to have to get used to it (Hmmm... unlikely) or swap out the humbucker for a decent single coil.

I've not taken the pickguard off yet, but I presume the cavity will take a swap?

Has anyone done this to a MIM HSS?

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Post subject: Re: HSS - Have I made a Boo Boo?
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2016 1:09 pm
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Maybe it just needs adjustment here is the guide
http://www2.fender.com/support/articles/stratocaster-setup-guide/


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Post subject: Re: HSS - Have I made a Boo Boo?
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2016 2:02 pm
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Sure the guitar need a complete set up.


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Post subject: Re: HSS - Have I made a Boo Boo?
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2016 3:01 pm
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Broadwave wrote:
I love my new Strat, but It just sounds wrong whenever I switch to the bridge pickup - It just sounds plain dull. I guess, I'm either going to have to get used to it (Hmmm... unlikely) or swap out the humbucker for a decent single coil.

I've not taken the pickguard off yet, but I presume the cavity will take a swap?

Has anyone done this to a MIM HSS?


It's your guitar and you want it to play and sound like you want it to.
So, if you need to put in and try a single coil pup to get more of the classic Strat single coil tone, then go for it.
More often it seems players first get an SSS Strat and then decide to try HB's or single space HB's.
You went a different route.
The nice thing is that your Strat has already been routed to accommodate a larger full size HB. This means you'll have no problem putting in a single coil, however, you'll need a different pick guard to mount the single coil.
You could also try "coil tapping" so that you can use a standard HB and turn it into a single coil with the flick of a switch. That gives you options. Of course, tonally that may not be what you want, because coil tapping an HB may still not give you the single coil tone you really want.

There are plenty of options out there and there are knowledgeable and experienced players on here who can help you decide on a pup or pups and how to wire your guitar.
Another great option, and one I am considering for my 1991 American Strat Plus Dlx is to get a "loaded/pre-wired" pick guard that already has the pups, volume/tone knobs already wired. The choice of pups is more limited in a loaded set, but there are a good number out there.

I'm trying to decide if I really want to mod my '91 Strat or get a new "Elite" Strat with the 4th generation of noiseless pups. The new Elite Strats look pretty darn nice. I like the "aged cherry" with rosewood SSS, but I would swap in a pearloid pickguard. The copper/autumn color is pretty cool too.
I really wanted a sonic blue or surf green, but Fender limits those colors to their lower cost Strats for some reason.

Good luck with your pup tuning. :D


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Post subject: Re: HSS - Have I made a Boo Boo?
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2016 8:25 pm
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Humbuckers typically sound thicker than single coils but that thickness comes with a price. It loses spank and chime and sparkle and replaces it with thick, fat, warm girth .... which can sometimes sound dull when you have developed your ear to love single coils.

I suggest you stick with it and learn to use it. There are purists who will tell you that a humbucker has no rightful place on a Stratocaster but people have been carving wood and installing buckers for as long as there have been Strats and it is a very useful sound. It's not a Les Paul sound and it's not a Strat sound in the pure sense. It's something separate and useful.

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Post subject: Re: HSS - Have I made a Boo Boo?
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2016 4:53 am
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Thanks for the info - I checked the pickup heights with the Fender guide and they're way off (holding down the strings at the 21st fret, the neck & mid poles are still almost twice the recommended distance away) - I found this surprising considering how good the rest of the setup is.

But I guess it's not going to brighten up that Humbucker though, just make it louder - I was aware that an HSS configuration would sound different from my other Strats, but hey ho, you live and learn.

The Humbucker gets split on position 2 anyway, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem putting in an S1 switch to split the coil in position 1 too - I've got one in my parts box, so no harm in seeing how it sounds. Maybe I'll get the best of both worlds ;)

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Post subject: Re: HSS - Have I made a Boo Boo?
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2016 6:51 am
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I have always found that the best set up of an HSS is to have the HB with a coil tap feature. One where pulling up on either a volume or tone pot will allow you a two coil or single coil option. But leaving the 5 way switch to work as normal.

You could consider replacing the standard 5 way with a super switch which therm allows all 7 pickup combinations. That with a push/pull pot to switch the HB to single or dual will give you multiple tonalities.
There is also replacing both tone pots with TBX pots. Then you can EQ right from the guitar since a TBX ( treble Bass Expander ) is a stacked double tone pot. 0 is detente and in either direction one decreases treble or decreases Bass.. I prefer them to standard tone pots where a mix of pickups is a challenge to achieve tonality...

Experiment with switches and pots before replacing the pup... BTW which model Strat is this ??

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Post subject: Re: HSS - Have I made a Boo Boo?
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2016 10:16 am
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I spent an hour with my local Luthier (he gave the Strat a good going over, apparently for a MIM, it's a good one).

BTW, It's an Aged Cherry Sunburst HSS Deluxe Plus Top with iOS Output (glad to say it's not *just* for iOS devices)

He had a simple solution to my single coil/HB problem - The Warman G-Rail Hybrid. It's a combined splittable rail Humbucker with a single coil (alnico 5 poles) made to replace standard sized humbuckers. He told me not to be put off by the inexpensive price, as they are more than capable of giving me the bridge sound I'm missing along with a decent HB if I need it.

£23.99... it'd be stupid not to at least try it.

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Post subject: Re: HSS - Have I made a Boo Boo?
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2016 10:54 am
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On the original topic, and very much IMHO: On a typical HSS Strat, the single coils are there to give the familiar Strat clean belltones and the humbucker is there if one needs to get down & dirty, distorted, overdriven, fuzzy, metallized etc. Usually one shouldn't expect vice versa features. :wink:

Broadwave wrote:
The Warman G-Rail Hybrid. It's a combined splittable rail Humbucker with a single coil (alnico 5 poles) made to replace standard sized humbuckers.
Now there's something I've never heard, or even heard of.
Three of those in a swimming pool routed Strat (the bridge pup should of course be slanted...) would give some serious tonal options, plus be a nightmare to wire. :twisted:


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Post subject: Re: HSS - Have I made a Boo Boo?
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2016 5:52 pm
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Broadwave wrote:
... he gave the Strat a good going over, apparently for a MIM, it's a good one ...

Most are "good ones" actually. That's what has become the backbone of the eternal MIA/MIM forum wars (which I am NOT trying to resurrect here, by the way...)

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Post subject: Re: HSS - Have I made a Boo Boo?
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2016 7:31 pm
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Hey Broadwave, just get your guard off and swap that humbucker for a Dimarzio Tone Zone full humbucker, it will be super sweet.
Some Fender humbuckers can vary, and sound a little dark. I have a few...in the draw.

That Tone Zone will split coil into a beautiful Strat single sound, there is no special wiring or switches needed, it's an Auto-Split with your Mid single pickup in 2nd Toggle switch position, and full humbucker in 1st (bridge position). Here's the Strat HSS Auto-Split wiring diagram.

While you're under the hood, check all your pots are 250k, if not, get some CTS 250K pots.
You can do it man, easy when you watch the Youtube video....
How to Easy Change a Strat Pickguard, Replace Pickup, and Install Humbucker Wiring

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Last edited by Johnny Soniq on Wed Apr 13, 2016 4:38 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: HSS - Have I made a Boo Boo?
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 12:09 am
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The DLX HSS Plus with IOS wiring is a bit different; there's one "B25K 10% taper" pot and a PCB to mess things up...
Other two pots already are 250K (which actually wouldn't be "ideal" for the humbucker; it would be brighter with a 500K pot).
Wiring Diagram


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Post subject: Re: HSS - Have I made a Boo Boo?
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 1:37 am
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Looks like I've got several decent choices ;)

@jmattis - I can't thank you enough for the link. I've looked everywhere for that wiring diagram, it'll make things so much easier.

What surprises me are the Single Coils - It looks like they're not the standard MIM ceramics, but a pair of Vintage Noiseless - no wonder it's so quiet.

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Post subject: Re: HSS - Have I made a Boo Boo?
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 3:55 am
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You're welcome - though that one was easy; the wiring diagrams for current products are usually on the product page, under the "support" tab. :wink:

The pickups aren't ( part #0992115000 for the set) Vintage Noiselesses, they are ceramic, parts #0077910000/neck and #0077911000/middle - sold e.g. at darrenriley.com as aftermarket parts. Of course, ceramic doesn't mean better/worse, it just means different.


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Post subject: Re: HSS - Have I made a Boo Boo?
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 6:43 am
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The story so far... Yup, they're standard MIM ceramics, but I still like them - they are very quiet. Unfortunately there's absolutely no room for the S1 or any type of push/pull switch for the HB coil split, as the PCB for the USB audio is directly under the pots - its a very tight fit as is.

I don't want to start drilling holes in the pickguard yet, so I'll temporarily ground lug 1 on the HB side of the switch to see how it sounds in position 1.

To be honest, I'll probably never use the headphone output, so at least I have the choice to ditch the second volume control and convert it to a "Spin-a-Split" via a no-load pot.

The G-Rail Pup will be here tomorrow, but I'll try it in my partscaster before I start doing things I might regret.

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