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Post subject: To Humbuck or not to Humbuck, that is the Question.
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:59 am
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I’m trying to decide between the American Deluxe Stratocaster S/S/S and the H/S/S.

This will be my first electric guitar since the early ‘90s. My goal is to eventually make quality home recordings of my own songs—with me playing all the instruments—mainly in a pop/rock idiom and mostly for my own enjoyment and self-satisfaction...perhaps to share with friends.

I’m looking for maximum versatility in my Strat—a guitar that can effortlessly glide through different sounds, from clean to dirty, as I try to develop my own sound. One of those sounds very high on my list is a fat, humbucking tone.

Ordinarily, I’m a purist when it comes to these things. Ideally, I’d get an S/S/S for traditional, twangy Strat tones and a Les Paul for thick power chords. But I can only afford one for the time being, which is why I’m heavily leaning towards the H/S/S.

What would I be sacrificing by not having the single coil bridge pickup? I recognize that I’d trade away the characteristic “quack,” but the humbucking sound is a little more important to me. However, I don’t want to lose too much of the Strat’s inherent beauty. Would installing high quality, aftermarket mini-humbucker in an S/S/S give me more of the humbucking sound while retaining more of the Strat’s distinctiveness, versus buying an H/S/S? Any recommendations?

I recently tested both guitars side-by-side—well, as much as one can at a crowed Guitar Center on a Saturday afternoon. The H/S/S impressed more, but perhaps that was because I could hear it better over the teen shredders!

Thanks, friends—advice is most appreciated!


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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:08 am
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My own personal opinion would be to go S-S-S and start saving a good double humbucker guitar.

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:31 am
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I agree with Chet... To get a wide range of tones for studio applications...
Your best option is going to be atleast 2 electric guitars.
I will be doing some of my own material very similar to what you plan to do.
In my case, I will be using my 2 main fender strats,
1 other electric (not fender), & my acoustic (also not fender).

There somthing u can do to your pickups that I have been considering for one of my strats.
Put Mini-humbuckers in all positions or atleast the neck and bridge.
Then "Coil Tap" them so that when u pull up on a tone or volume knob...
My humbuckers turn into single coils.
I am unsure how good those "single coil sounds" will be...
But I am intrigued by the idea... ...anyone?

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:14 am
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I would get the VG strat if I were you. This way you get both plus allot more. I traded my American strat for one and love it.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:23 am
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ics1974 wrote:
I would get the VG strat if I were you. This way you get both plus allot more. I traded my American strat for one and love it.

The VG strat seems like a killer live strat to me.
In the studio it is likely I actually detune my strat for real...
Or use a real acoustic or 12 string especially...
Not all the sounds coming from the VG are worthy of studio use in my opinion...
In other words, live is one thing but the studio recordings I prefer to have a more 'true to tone' sound.
With that said, that VG is very cool in alot of ways...
It will be interesting to see how the concept continues to
develop as technologies grow or change.

Is it heavier? It seems like they have had to put
alot of electronics inside that thing.

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Post subject: no no no...
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 4:16 pm
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Strat is S S S period. If you want frankenstein, look into Ibanez or other stuff. or something that known as "Super Strat" For me Strat has to be S S S. Get a Gibson or PRS for H.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstrat

The beauty of Strat is it's versatility, yet keeping it's character, tradition. Please do not taint that.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:18 pm
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I'd go HSS humbucker in bridge... bridge single coil in neck, neck single coil in the middle position... kinda wierd but if I had the cash that would be how I'd design my own custom guitar. :shock:


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:54 pm
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Hello JeffieJeffJeff,

"Thou shall have no humbuckers in thy Strat"

except Eddie Van Halen and - - - - - - - -
many more.

Get the one you dig.

Cheers.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:01 pm
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I hate making decisions, so I took the easy way out. A SSS guitar AND a dual humbucker guitar.

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:14 pm
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I find that trying to predict this stuff can be frustrating or even torture.
Sometimes it's actually easier just going in an almost random direction to start.
Don't make the choice with such heavy consideration.
You will likely buy more in the future...
Let's say eventually u have 3 guitars... Get to know them over time...
Then through experimentation rather than fore thought...
You discover an instrument that rises to the top as a main axe...
After sometime and u are sure u might sell one of them...
MAybe even both of them for the new one that becomes the one u want to burried with. lol
If u lose a little money or whatever... consider it a learning expense along the way.

Finding the perfect instrument is priceless to a true player.
Experience & experiment...
Thats what hendrix was actually asking u in a way.
Are you experienced?

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Last edited by bss on Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:27 pm
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Imho, the American Deluxe HSS is the Am Dx to get. The features of the Am Dx are killer - from the staggered tuning machines to the roller nut, and especially the flamed maple top on the HSS is sweet. The Am Dx doesn't have single coils in any position. It has the SCN noiseless, which are a dual coil stacked humbucker using exotic materials. Imho, the SCNs don't sound like classic Alnico V single coils like my CS Tx Specials that I chose instead. At the same time, I really like the neck pickup of the SCNs, which gets a nice breakup. Although it won't have the classic, Alnico V single-coil sound, I've got that with my modded Highway One. So, for a tremendously versatile, unique, and beautiful guitar, the flame maple top HSS Am Deluxe is at the top of my list. It'll be versatile and unique, although it can never be Alnico V single coil or a Les Paul.

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:36 pm
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What about 2 Highway 1s? Seems like you should be able to pick up two of those for the price of on Am-Del, and then find someone to do any modding you need done (if any at all). That way, you can have both a SSS and a HSS.

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:15 pm
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strat58cat wrote:
Imho, the American Deluxe HSS is the Am Dx to get. The features of the Am Dx are killer - from the staggered tuning machines to the roller nut, and especially the flamed maple top on the HSS is sweet. The Am Dx doesn't have single coils in any position. It has the SCN noiseless, which are a dual coil stacked humbucker using exotic materials. Imho, the SCNs don't sound like classic Alnico V single coils like my CS Tx Specials that I chose instead. At the same time, I really like the neck pickup of the SCNs, which gets a nice breakup. Although it won't have the classic, Alnico V single-coil sound, I've got that with my modded Highway One. So, for a tremendously versatile, unique, and beautiful guitar, the flame maple top HSS Am Deluxe is at the top of my list. It'll be versatile and unique, although it can never be Alnico V single coil or a Les Paul.

strat58cat is talking about my guitar!
I am picking it up in 8 days! What an awsome strat...
I love the tabacco sunburst fmt.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:44 pm
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The Eric Johnson Strat looks really killer also. I really like what he's done with it.

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:44 pm
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Even though I am relatively new to Strat-dom (coming up through guitar ranks with humbucking Gibsons), I am a bit of a purist. It is my opinion that the real beauty of the Strat is the S-S-S configuration and all the tonal variation it allows. The single coils really cut through and shimmer in a very unique way.

I will say this, though. Fender makes some nice instruments. Considering how different one model of Strat can be from another, the desire to gather more Strats into your guitar collection comes upon you fast.


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