I can't find any specs on my MIM FSR HSS pickups... (and not curious enough to open it up and find out<G>) but the tonal range with the humbucker added makes a HUGE difference...

I usually reserve the humbucker for adding riffs now and then, since it's more than twice as loud as the other pickups... and it's got a very edgy treble response... rides right over the rest of the instruments...

Since most of what I do is rhythm guitar it nice to have that in reserve sometimes<G>

My HSS gives a nearly acoustic tone from the neck pickup, a more bluesy tone from the middle, and a wide, smooth response when switch to the middle pup, and add the half tap off the humbucker... Pure humbucker brings out the cutting edge...

It gives me more options without swapping guitars in the middle of a set and I like that a lot<G>

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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

Each to their own but I love the sound of the N-3 pick ups and revised S-1 swtching system better than anything. The sound is not boring at all. I have been selling, repairing and collecting guitars for years as well as playing full time with many bands of all styles ( over 40 years ). I have played gigs with Ron Halldorson who was Lenny Breau's bass player and friend. I have owned so many guitars and amps and pick ups over the years. Each person has to find what works for themself in equipment. I don't like the sound of the Atomic humbucker it is dull and lifeless to me. I prefer a Bareknuckles Nail Bomb.

Those Nail Bomb humbuckers are made for chaos!



The Nail Bomb can be matched with a pair of Slow Hand single-coils in the neck and the middle positions (useful combo if you like a lot the Clapton stuff).

Everybody has got to find what works for themself. You can ask other opinions but it all comes down to what you like, your technique and what other equipment you use. Jeff Beck uses three single coils and he is one of the best. Humbuckers have poor definition on low strings. There are guys that like Fender Noiseless pick ups and some that don't, there are some that like Fender SCN and others that don't. I have a American Standard with the stock Fender single coils and they sound good but for my taste I prefer The N3 pick ups for sound. I owned Dimarzio area pick ups and they are good but I found them to be too bright for me. The Kinman pick ups are good. I don't like the sound of the humbucker in the American Deluxe Strat but each to their own and what works for them. There are lots of better sounding humbuckers out there. The Seymour Duncan JB is one of the most popular humbuckers on the market but there are a lot of great ones.
I like Seymour Duncan stacks with a Hot stack in the bridge using 500K pots instead of 250 k pots because the stacks are actually a vertical humbucker. The 500k pot gives the pick up more sparkle. 500K pots would cause real single coil pick ups to be way too bright. The Fender Noiseless pick ups came with 1 MEG pots but I found those pick ups to be way too bright with 1 MEG pots. All that matters is you find a combination that you are happy with and your audience likes too. It is for some and almost never ending quest. I have several guitars and many different pick ups so I can change all the time. Stevie Ray Vaughan , John Mayer, Rory Gallagher, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Johnson, Buddy Guy, and so many other great players use three single coil type Strats. I have Strats with humbuckers too with switches to run the pick ups with there coils in parallel or true single coil or as humbuckers. Variety is the spice of life.

Jeff Beck's first signature Strat (made between 1991 and 2000) had a splittable Lace Sensor "Gold" humbucker in the bridge position and a fat bat neck.

It really depends on what you want to get out of it tone wise... I have a 2007 Am deluxe HSS QMT and a 2000 Am series with 3 singles. The deluxe gives a ton tonal choices but I must say that it doesn't have the same crisp "Venturesque" (60's beach music to you young folk!) tones that you get from the 3 singles version. I call the HSS my "dark" strat and the other is the "brite" strat. Both are awesome but it really does depend on what you expect to hear come out of the amp. Get one of each!

A point commonly overlooked on the tonefront is situational awareness. Are you a basement jammer or are you looking too find your place in a band environment.

Mostly its about finding your sonic PLACE within a situation. It is a common flaw to value YOUR tone above all else. I would say most modern guitar players would use a humbucker for its nice well rounded, controllable and even sound. This is all well and good. Gibson made a livin' on this. When it comes to dynamic, single coil is it !!!!! Need to have your voice heard??? Single coil are it!!!! For the record i own both HSS and SSS Cal. Strat,s, and I use them occordingly.

The AM Dlx HSS should have the roller nut, the Am Dlx SSS doesn't. That makes a big difference if you play out a lot. Pickups can be changed since the routing is the same on both.