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Post subject: Does anyone like the SCN's?
Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:21 pm
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I have scn pickups on my strat and I think they sound great, a lot better than the vintage noiseless in my opinion. Although they don't sound exactly like a strat, they have enough twang and jangle to satisfy my needs. I think a few years later some guitar player will be using these pickups and people will be wondering how he or she gets that tone. Anyway, I'm asking this only because I've heard some mixed reviews, and I think people who gave negative comments about them are people that want a more vintage tone. Now I just want to know your opinion on the scn's.


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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:33 pm
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Howdy Blaqdog,

All in all, I am happy with one of my guitars having them.

I think they shine with a little dirt. The S-1 allows me to get a really heavy sound on a certain setting.


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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:10 pm
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I'm a beginner, but I went out and tried the American Standard, Deluxe, and Highway 1, and didn't like the SCN's at all. They sounded more like Humbuckers than single coils to me, and I happen to like the jangle. The SCN's sounded louder (for the same volume setting), but too muffled for me. The folks at the store I got my guitar told me they had a customer order the Deluxe, then traded it back in after he tried the Highway 1. To each their own, of course.

I tried a Player's strat once or twice, and thought those pickups sounded alright. Nothing that sticks in my memory, but okay.

But then again, I've been playing about 8 months on my Squier special, and think that sounds okay, too.


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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:36 pm
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Love 'em. S-1 switching adds a lot, although I find myself only using it in it's mid position, when I do.

This is my first Strat, too.


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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:46 pm
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That's interesting. I got nothing out of the S-1. Guess that's why they make more than one model!


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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:04 pm
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As far as the SCN's go I think they do exactly what they were designed to do by Bill Lawrence. They are quite like a HB but still sound somewhat like a single coil but are noiseless. I thought that was the point! You have the option of choosing single coil sound and noise or the HB's sound or the SCN sort of in between but still more Fender sounding. It's your choice. So make up your mind and decide what you want. There are no wrong answers!! :wink:


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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:37 pm
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rjim wrote:
That's interesting. I got nothing out of the S-1. Guess that's why they make more than one model!


To me that's where it sounds a bit like a humbucker. Love the mid position, which is a bit like the non switched position that blends the mid and bridge pups, only boosted and a little more 'blurbely'. Would get old if that was the only tone available, but it's really nice on occasion, especially when used with a little delay.

Don't really care for any of the S-1 switched sounds when over driven, but it's still new to me. 'Bout a week and a half now.

Curious if your statement is based on owning one or if you just tried it out for a bit.

I saw a description somewhere of what the 5-way switch positions are when the S-1 is switched on, but forget to take note and haven't looked for it again. Would like to dig it up, if anyone has seen it. Not in the manual, and they're not simply the pup or blend of pups that are normally achieved with the 5-way.

As long as I'm blathering, I also love the other upgrades on the Deluxe, the most obvious to me is the feel of the neck. Sweeeeet! Locking tuners are awesome, and the trem's been re worked, most notably the bar just pops out. Don't have to unskru and worry about losing a spring.

But again, this is the first Fender guitar (have 2 Fender amps, a Deluxe Reverb '65 Re-Issue and a Blues Jr. NOS) this Les Paul Lover has ever owned and it's.....well we've been sleeping together so that outta tell you.

One more blather. It's Olympic White Pearl w/maple neck/fretboard. Kind of a cream color with real little sparkles in it. Didn't really care for the brown tortous pickguard. Put one of Fenders gold anodized aluminum pickguards on it and it really looks rich. Just gorgeous. Looks real killer sitting next to that laquered tweed that covers the NOS.

I'll post some pic's once I clean my room. Which means it could end up being a while. (Guess I could just scooch all the junk into one corner.)


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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 5:09 pm
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I really wanted to like the SCNs, but the only one I really like is the neck with a lot of gain, because it gets a nice little unique break up on a Blues Junior with gain cranked up near 12. The SCN that just didn't sound appealing to my ear was the bridge. It was loud, but didn't have a classic tone and I don't think it worked out great. That's why the AmDx HSS appeals to me because I wouldn't mind having a second guitar with a humbucker and the SCNs in the neck and mid, plus the other great AmDx features. When it was time to shell out the money, though, I went with a fire sale Highway One and upgraded to beautiful CS Tx Spc pickups that have a really nice classic Fender tone. I'll never give that up, but adding the HSS AmDx is appealing.

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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:56 pm
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I love my SCN's and the S-1 switching is awesome. Ive owned about 6 strats in my 43 years and this one is by far my Fav one. They are quiet, Have just enough meat to cutt through without getting over into humbuckerland. MOst purist I think will avoid maybe due to the facts its an alteration to the standard strats. But even Leo Fender was up for improving his guitars. They really are the most versitile strats Fender makes. Ive even played thrash on it at the Guitar store and it was pretty heavey sounding. Then I was able to clean it up and play some Ventures on it. Great pickups they really are. and Oh MY No Noise.


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Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 7:58 am
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I have an HSS with S-1 switching & hot SCN's...
So far I like them but I am still getting used to the different selections.
I noticed that on my humbucker with the S-1 switch down it loses the high end.
Has anyone else noticed that same thing on their humbucker?

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Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 8:13 am
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fhopkins wrote:
As far as the SCN's go I think they do exactly what they were designed to do by Bill Lawrence.


I remember the hype well, when the AmDeluxe's were marketed, that these SCN's were the closest to vintage strats pups in a noiseless SC that one could come. It was like they were marketing the hold grail. (But they do everything that way, don't they??)

This was the reason I had them installed in my Custom Shop guitar, in lieu of the VN's which replaced the Lace Sensors in the Clapton guitar. My CS was built on a Clapton platform.

From there, it's all preference as 'hop' suggests.

Doc

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Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 8:15 am
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I find the scn's with S-1 switching to be quite fine.
So far this is the only strat I have had that I have not tried to change anything out on.
And I've had it for almost a year now :!:

The amp you play it through affects the sound quite a bit too :)

As they say different strokes for different folks :P

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Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 11:20 am
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dafreeze wrote:
rjim wrote:
That's interesting. I got nothing out of the S-1. Guess that's why they make more than one model!


To me that's where it sounds a bit like a humbucker. Love the mid position, which is a bit like the non switched position that blends the mid and bridge pups, only boosted and a little more 'blurbely'. Would get old if that was the only tone available, but it's really nice on occasion, especially when used with a little delay.

Don't really care for any of the S-1 switched sounds when over driven, but it's still new to me. 'Bout a week and a half now.

Curious if your statement is based on owning one or if you just tried it out for a bit.

I saw a description somewhere of what the 5-way switch positions are when the S-1 is switched on, but forget to take note and haven't looked for it again. Would like to dig it up, if anyone has seen it. Not in the manual, and they're not simply the pup or blend of pups that are normally achieved with the 5-way.


Find your model on this page and then click on the fourth column across to find the selector switch combinations with and without the S1 engaged:

http://www.fender.com/support/wiring_di ... _lists.php

On my 2005, and I believe most or all of them, that middle position, S1 down, is all three pups full on. It is the only one I use much, too.

The S1 switch has more or less conclusively cured me of any desire for a "universal" guitar with as many possible combinations of series and parallel wirings, in and out of phase. What I've gradually been discovering over the years (er, decades) is that what we really want from any given guitar is just two or three good contrasting tones, easily switched between. Need a substantially different sound? Pick up a different guitar.

Anyway. Back to the SCNs...

Cheers - C


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Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:30 am
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Thank's Ceri, but as I guy who sometimes has trouble finding the mustard in hiis own fridge, I don't see the description for when S-1 is engaged.


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Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 9:24 am
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Just finished a search of both this forum site and google regarding 5-way switch functions when S-1 engaged on new American Deluxe Strats and so far this is all I've come up with.

Collector's Corner
A Strat Collector News Column by Tom Watson


June 17, 2004
Instrument Review: 2004 Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster
by Douglas J. Rathbun

...The pickup wiring has changed since the first 2004 American Deluxes rolled off the assembly line in Corona. The first ones engaged the middle pickup in series with the special capacitor (no tone control) while the S1 switch was down. After playing this for a while, the folks at Fender decided there were not enough variations in sounds and they changed the wiring to engage all three pups with the switch in position three and the S1 switch in the down position. This produces a very full, deep sound. The guitar arrives with an updated diagram detailing the change in wiring. The Fender website has yet to be updated to reflect the change...

Nuts. So I just wrote the question to the Fender Consumer Relations folks.


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