Hello I have couple strat's I'm experimenting with, couple questions. Put a set of SNC's in an older strat. I'm really missing the presences of the single coil now and the SNC's are almost a manufactured sound compared to the raw SC tone. (I understand the SNC's are more like a bucker type pickup).
1. I know the deluxe uses 1m pots compared to my 250k pots. Am I missing the whole SCN experience w/o the less resistance pot combo?

2. I am also interested to hear opinions on (Neck = Single coil / Mid = SNC) would this be noise canceling? Would I lose highs from my neck pick up b/c of the SCN, even when I'm switched neck only?

3. (Neck = Single coil / Mid = Single coil / Bridge = SNC's) This would be similar to the HSS right? What would be the best pot scenario for this set up.

Any experience with this would be great. Thanks guys

Dunno what your talking about. SCN's just have a balanced eq. It's what the eq on your amp is for. What eq sound do you want?
As for lower resistance, you already have the lower resistance pots of the two you mention. 1000Kohm (1meg) vs 250Kohm.

SCN's are humbuckers. You'll need to watch for polarity issues when combining them with other pickups.

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No no and no

I presume you mean, "SCN" as an abbreviation for, "Single Coil Noiseless?

I agree with your assessment of "manufactured sound compared to the raw SC tone" although I think the word, "raw" is a bit extreme.

SCNs are humbuckers. Fender chooses to use the word, "Noiseless" instead.

The larger the pot value, the more sterile any of Fender's Noiseless series pickups will sound. The same holds true for any moderate to low output single coil.

In general, when combining a single coil with a humbucker, the fact that there are three coils involved negates outright noise cancelling in that circuit.

Highs would be lost in the sense that both pickups are shaping the sound. Conversely, with both pickups now on in parallel in the circuit, the total resistance of the two pickups are now quartered and therefore, lower frequencies are reduced. Or to put it another way, it depends on how your ear perceives it.

If only one pickup is on and any others are off, no, there will be no interaction.

Yes to your HSS scenario.

Per my fourth paragraph above, in your particular situation, all 250K pots would be your best bet.

You're welcome.

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You dig?

Samariam Cobalt Noiseless

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Samarium Cobalt Neodymium, Martian.

http://www.billlawrence.com/Pages/SCN.htm

After the initial batch used on the 2004 American Deluxe guitars, Fender took on the construction of the pickups. They just don't sound the same now. I have them on my Hotrod (2008), Anniversary Deluxe (2004) and Custom Classic (2006). I scrapped the ones in my Custom Classic and swapped the ones from my Hotrod and Deluxe round. The Bill Lawrence made pickups sound much better than the Fender ones.

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No no and no

Are SCN's humbuckers?

Well, Yes AND No. They are "stacked" giving them the noiseless quality...but they certainly DON'T sound like humbuckers. They lack that thickness and depth of a humbucker.

I'd say that unless you want a noiseless Telecaster sound NOT to put an SCN pickup in the bridge.

I think the best place for an SCN would be the middle pickup. The reason being that the middle pickup gives the purest fender sound and is usually the least used single coil pickup (when used alone in the 3 position). It can give you a noiseless sound and you'd still be able to use positions 3 & 4 (hum canceling) and retain the sweet single coil neck tone for the blues etc (in position 5).

You may be better off getting a stacked humbucker (hotrails) or a full size Seymour Duncan for the bridge if you want that heavy metal sound.

But before you go on and start upgrading pickups, ever think of upgrading your amp?

If you play blues, country or clasic rock the Fender Blues Junior NOS is awesome! It also takes pedals well...so I'm told, but I have another amp for metal.

Also, the SCN in the middle would work great especially if you like playing at high gain and want single coil qualities without all the noise. Stick with the original pots (250s)already in your guitar...they sound great. Again, SCNs are NOT humbuckers. Those who own them would vouch for this. If you compare a Stratocaster (or any guitar) with Humbuckers to SCNs you'll see what I mean. They do have more bite and are more powerful than single coils and also have a modern sound though...not AS vintage but if you play with your pots and amp settings, you CAN get vintage tone. I love SCNs!

Right! As you've witnessed, I've just had a, "Senior Moment."

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You dig?

Marcaltus. They completely are Humbuckers, one coil of wire going around two magnets. Rather than one coil of wire going around two bobbins, each on an opposite end of one magnet. No they are not stacked. The magnets are bass and treble sides. Not one under the other as they are in stacked humbuckers. And yes you can make a full sized humbucker sound the same way, no mid scoop, no emphasized bass or treble.

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No no and no

My experience:
Mesa amps, 10 yrs, band gig every weekend. Neck position strat guy. I play jimi, blues, rock, zepplin, muddy waters, ray chrls, SRV. Has to be American parts for me. MIM & 2nd stuff doesn't perform on stage when u need it to, like USA does. But now Fender has entered a new era...
OK so
#1 guitar: Stock Am. std 96/97 USA Strat, I has a natural louder, raw presence and sustain. 250k pots stock fender usa pu's (Good year!!)

Another Strat I bought used was reworked but the neck was real nice, so... w/ 5o's reissue PU's/ & 250k's, Had a lower Volume presence. The bridge was a SD "hot rails" they were way too hot for me especially during trills w/ pu switching. Searching for PU's (I needed more volume out of the Neck), I bought SCN (Cobalt's) and installed them. Found the volume level to be ever so slightly better than the 50s', and more sustainy, but stands no chance against my USA 96/97.
Did more research & they are using pots (w/ snc's ) typically used with humbuckers, 500k's etc. even 1M's with SNC's. My 250k's w/ SNC's sound like the volume is,,,, almost there,,, but I have to use the amp a lil more, where I wouldn't with my USA. The single coil rawness (magic) is gone almost completely. But the SNC is a nice smooth sounding bucker with crystaly sustain, no noise means you decay faster, they almost captured the sound of a strat they are still really good sounding, maybe if I had 500k's. Still I would like to use the SNC's, but can't part from my single coil neck pu.
I was just looking for snags I might run into using a combination of, basically humbuckers and single coils.
Thanks guys JCB

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On stage @ a gig is the only real way to feel a guitars volume and tone.