ABS,

If you are into Hard Blues or Rock, a HSS Stratocaster may be needed to be added to your collection. If you have multiple Stratocasters in your collection, take 1 that you like the least and modify the crap out of it. I like after-market Humbuckers better than most Fender Brands. I do like the Fender Damond Back humbucker.

Aftermarket brands like Dimarzio, Lace, Seymore Duncan, EMG, and Rockfield all have their own websites and some brands have a sound clip of the tones. Of course you know that the tone comes from more than just the guitar itself.

In the end it is completely up to you what you do and if looking for a reason for a new guitar, American Deluxe HSS is one nice instrument. (LOL) Take a look:

http://www.fender.com/products/search.p ... 0119102723

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=423687

Makes me drool every time I look at them!!!

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

And here all this time I subscribed to Curly's philosophy....

Not me!, I'm pedestrian.

Nuyk Nuyk Nuyk!

It's curious, Fender released a pair of Roadhouse and LoneStar Strats for the Mexico Deluxe series and not a Big Apple yet.

Perhaps they'll add a Telecaster with a chrome-covered Enforcer humbucker and update the Nashville with a B-Bender. The good ol' Hot-Rodded American series in a Mexico Deluxe dress....

RK,
Thanks much for your usual great advice! I decided to just go with the straight old 3 single coils.. I have my Gretsch for the humbuckers.. I guess after playing one with the HB on it it made me realize how I love single coils better..
ABS

I just got an HSS standard (MIM) I love the humbucker...it's my first strat with the HSS configuration. I wouldn't say I play much heavy or hard rock but it sounds great clean and with a little dirt...perfect for what I'm doing. I'm sure it's well suited to heavier music as well. If you aren't bothered by the somewhat unconventional look, and can live without a single coil for the bridge then I say go for it!

I think it really depends on the humbucker. Lower the output the better. I had a Lonestar Strat, Texas Specials in Neck and Middle, with a SD Pearly Gates in the bridge. The output was so much higher than the single coils, it made the guitar almost unplayable. I had the humbucker almost flush with the body to prevent the volume overload it had when I switched pickups. It was such a difference, I traded the guitar in for a Roadhouse strat and swapped necks (love rosewood).

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


facebook.com/313DBC

The HSS Stratocaster allows a player to have have various tones. The humbucker is fantastic and extremely comfortable on a Strat. It's obvious that a classic single coil Strat is one of the most sought after sounds to date. I find that I have the option to produce what my ear is telling me with these guitars. The music is in the man and up to the player to make the best out of it.

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American HSS Mahogany Special Stratocaster-Limited Edition 2008
American HSS Special Stratocaster (Black) 2010

I bought a 2008 MIM HSS and the humbucker sounded amazing. I was really impressed. I also have an HSS that I put a Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck Pickup in and a SSS strat with a Jeff Beck Jr. in the bridge.

The Jeff Beck Humbucker has a bigger and more jangly feel than the Single Coil Jr. But the Jr. has a more Stratty sound to it while still breaking up nicely in a tube amp.

They are great for Heavy Blues and Classic Rock.

I would suggest playing one of the newer HSS MIM strats, the sound of that humbucker was way cooler than I expected.

Love mine, it's a Fender 60th Anniversary FSR in gloss black and chrome... There are pictures somewhere on the forum...

The Humbucker is about twice the volume of the other pickups, and gives a huge treble boost...

In some spots that makes all the difference, just the tone I need<G>

I love it!



My other electric is a Gibson 335, with dual HB pickups. I like being able to get to that sound without changing guitars in the middle of a song...

It adds a unique HB tone to your sound choices, something that just doesn't happen with single coils...

Adding another guitar to the stable is never out of order!!!

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Still looking for that One Guitar To Rule Them All since 1964...
FSR Fender 60 Anniversary Strat HSS MIM, Gibson ES 335, Taylor 555, Ovation Custom Balladeer-12, Baby Taylor, Fender Princeton Chorus (stereo), Fender Champ 600

After having 5 Strats(I still have 4)I'm one of the purists that doesn't like the humbucker on a Strat.I guess that since day one I was so used to that single coil sound that anything else didn't sound like a Strat.If I was made to get a Strat with a humbucker it would have to function as a single coil in all 5 positions and a mini toggle or push/pull pot to engage the humbucker, it would have a stacked one at that.I just don't like the look of a big humbucker on a Strat

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.