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Post subject: Re: SSS Strat for heavier distortion?
Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 6:01 pm
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the sordid sentinel wrote:
Hi,

A cheaper and easier way to do it, rather than changing pickups for one gig, would be to use an eq pedal.


+1 on this! You can get gently used BOSS GE7 EQ/Boost pedals for $40 all day long on Craigslist that will turn your single-coils into humbuckers during gigs!

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Post subject: Re: SSS Strat for heavier distortion?
Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 12:07 pm
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de Melo wrote:
So, fellow Fendermen:

I will play a gig to which I can only bring one guitar (several reasons, mostly logistical).

It happens that I play rythm and my band plays 70% clean bases, so my main guitar is a SSS Fender Strat.

I own a SG too, but I really dislike it, feels uncomfortable and sounds rather dull compared to my Strat. I only use it when I really need loudness and heavy distortion, then the humbuckers come in handy.

Well, question is: I obviously will take the Fender to the gig, but I can't seem to be able to make it sound real heavy. Even with a distortion pedal, it does get distorted, but the mellow clean sound is "still there underneath".

I use a Danelectro Daddy-O for overdrive and a custom shop Fire distortion for the heavier stuff.

Does anybody else play heavy rock with SSS strats? Opinions/tips are most welcome!


As you already know single coil pups have lower overall output compared to HB's.
There are hotter singles and you could give those a try.
But to get hotter output from the guitar you'd need to get a HB, and if you don't want to do the cut and mod, then consider a single sized HB. They have HB level output in a single coil size.

Another option is to get a booster right after the guitar out and before your distortion pedal to boost the signal into the pedal or amp.
Depending on the booster it might get you what you want.
I have a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 that is both a booster and light distortion pedal.
It sounds great for light distortion and the boost can work with it together or separately.
I have used it as boost only into my Bogner Ecstasy Red pedal and the distortion tone is excellent and can be full bodied using the Ecstasy's eq.
The Bogner Red on it's own is also a great distortion pedal for an SSS Strat like my
'91 Pls Dlx. It has Lace sensor pups in red, blue, and silver. Sounds great distorted.

If you want really thick and mean distortion, and who doesn't once in a while :), then get a
Wampler Triple Wreck distortion pedal.
That is one mean $@! pedal that will give you a tone of super thick and rich and harmonic distortion.
Running into either my '68 CDR or '68 CVR amps I can get a EVH like mid bright distortion or really thick mid heavy or mid scooped metal tones, and that's from an SSS Strat.

It can be done, just have to have the right pedals.
For SSS guitars you need a pedal that goes into metal gain territory to give you the added gain that an HB guitar has.


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Post subject: Re: SSS Strat for heavier distortion?
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 12:01 pm
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What the sordid sentinel recommended is a good one "try stacking distortion and overdrive pedals".

I just experienced this toying around with my Strat. I was playing my Les Paul through a relatively low gain British sounding Vox distortion pedal and it sounded perfect. Next day for a change of pace I plugged in my Stratocaster and it sounded piercing and fizzy through the same setup. Didn't feel like toying around with all the settings so I pulled out my MXR Distortion+ and put it after my other pedal. It fattened up the Strat where I could get a good hard rock / metal tone.

Sounded best with my middle pickup. Unfortunately my bridge pickup isn't hooked up to a tone control, so I'm going to put a jumper on the 5-way switch to connect it to the middle pup tone control. That will help take of the trebley bite.


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Post subject: Re: SSS Strat for heavier distortion?
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 9:55 pm
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de Melo wrote:
So, fellow Fendermen:

I will play a gig to which I can only bring one guitar (several reasons, mostly logistical).

It happens that I play rythm and my band plays 70% clean bases, so my main guitar is a SSS Fender Strat.

I own a SG too, but I really dislike it, feels uncomfortable and sounds rather dull compared to my Strat. I only use it when I really need loudness and heavy distortion, then the humbuckers come in handy.

Well, question is: I obviously will take the Fender to the gig, but I can't seem to be able to make it sound real heavy. Even with a distortion pedal, it does get distorted, but the mellow clean sound is "still there underneath".

I use a Danelectro Daddy-O for overdrive and a custom shop Fire distortion for the heavier stuff.

Does anybody else play heavy rock with SSS strats? Opinions/tips are most welcome!




I play SSS strats Highway 1 and American Standard. I use Seymour Duncan Antiquity Texas Hot pickups through a Boss Overdrive into a Marshall JCM-2000 100 watt half stack. I use Les Pauls and Strats, real USA ones not copies. I used humbuckers in Strats for a long time probably since I saw Eddie Van Halen do it, but just went back to singles. We play Classic Rock like Hendrix Zeppelin SRV AC/DC Aerosmith Sabbath Nugent. Mostly all distorted heavy songs. and play bars.

Im curious why do you have an SG if you dont like it? I mean Im a crazy Strat head but I love me a Les Paul too. Its allowed you know.

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Post subject: Re: SSS Strat for heavier distortion?
Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 7:38 am
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The SG was my first "ok" guitar, but never really worked for me. The neck angle and the strap button position make it uncomfortable to me, I feel like I have to reach out for the first frets, the neck feels too long, almost as playing bass.

The strat, on the other hand, fits me like a glove.

I like Les Pauls too, but Gibson overprices them horribly, no way I am going to pay about 3x what an American Strat costs for about the same quality, plus plastic binding, nitro finish and 2 humbuckers.

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Post subject: Re: SSS Strat for heavier distortion?
Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 3:59 pm
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de Melo wrote:
The SG was my first "ok" guitar, but never really worked for me. The neck angle and the strap button position make it uncomfortable to me, I feel like I have to reach out for the first frets, the neck feels too long, almost as playing bass.

The strat, on the other hand, fits me like a glove.

I like Les Pauls too, but Gibson overprices them horribly, no way I am going to pay about 3x what an American Strat costs for about the same quality, plus plastic binding, nitro finish and 2 humbuckers.



Wow I almost forgot I wrote this one lol. I wonder if you didnt like the SG for the same reason as me. It was neck heavy and felt awkward. With Les Pauls if I get them same weight as my Strats about 8lbs I like them 10-12lbs tends to break my back. What I really like about my Strats is how it really sits in the pocket with the body weight.

I wont pay more then $2000 for a Les Paul, yeah crazy how prices went up. I paid $450 for my first 76 Strat. A Les Paul Custom went for $750 out the door. That was in 1979.

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Post subject: Re: SSS Strat for heavier distortion?
Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 5:03 pm
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You see, everybody tells me that the SG would be the perfect guitar for me, as I am a small man, just a bit taller and stronger than Angus Young.

He chose the SG, among other reasons, for being a lightweight guitar and having good access to all frets (maybe even more than the strat). But the truth is, I can't stand the SG shape.

You are right: to my own grasp, it neckdives, and feels awkward. Too much neck and too little body substance...

I like the Les Paul, although many people find it hard to play and heavy. The neck is set right, whereas the SG's ain't, and it feels solid and steady. When I first began playing with bands, my main guitar was an Epiphone Les Paul Standard Honeyburst, I gigged with it for a long time and it suited me fine back then.

But the strat is a work of art... I will be always grateful to Leo, Tavares and Randall, you know what I mean... The Strat and the Tele are masterpieces, they fit me like gloves. I play a strat or a tele all night long without ever feeling tired... Good neck angle, good fret access...

I'd dare to say that MY guitar shape is the strat all the way.

Good to talk to you, man!

Please, Fender: don't ever change these guitars! :D

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Post subject: Re: SSS Strat for heavier distortion?
Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 5:29 pm
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The amplifier equation is missing from this discussion. If we are going to get into heavy metal sound from a Strat then there are plenty of players.
In the 70's Tommy Bolin , Robin Trower and many others brought forth a heavily distorted Stratocaster to the forefront. Neal Schon played a white Strat with Santana before leaving to form Journey. Let's not forget Mahogany Rush's Frank Marino as well as the Isley Brothers Ernie Isley. Yes Hendrix is the precedent but...
Joe Perry played a Stratocaster just as much as a Les Paul. So does Brad Whitford. Matthias Jab of the Scorpions is on a Strat. and an Explorer but all have a sound that is definitely not light.

Point is that (1st) you must replicate that practice tone in a live setting. ( Or the one in your head ) It has to be the same sound with an adjustment for pushing thru the venue, audience as well as the venues material configuration.
If you're playing in a hall that is built from timber then the EQ requirements will be completely different from playing inside of a club that is basically a large cement cube.

Now the other question is do you want distortion that is all tubes screaming or solid state. The former is much more difficult to control but to my ears contains a wider range of frequencies.
I have always preferred simplicity and actually really dislike pedals and boards. However I have always liked coloring my tone with an early 60's Vox Wah pedal, not used as a wah but rather a tone shaper.
Joe Walsh and Jeff Beck used this quite a bit thru Tube amps. Michael Schenker was a heavy proponent of this.. Actually using my wah as a tone shaper was really more out of the pedals limitations than any actual search for that elusive tone. As some know original 60's Vox Wah pedals become incredibly noisy when activated so using them as a wah becomes ... Not pleasant, but they do provide an analog tone shape that cannot be replicated thru digital.
Just another way of considering something to try.

On the topic of Les Paul and SG. For 20+ years I had a Les Paul Custom, bought for $200, sold for 3 times that amount and worth today half of my Mortgage. :roll:
As for the SG I liked them and didn't. The LPC on the other hand drove me to Stratocasters. A mahogany LPC is just a friggin anvil to carry all night. Loved the sound but hated the weight.

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Post subject: Re: SSS Strat for heavier distortion?
Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 3:17 am
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Drop the mid and neck pickups, raise the bridge pickup and take it from there.


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Post subject: Re: SSS Strat for heavier distortion?
Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 4:30 am
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I get plenty of heavy from a Behringer VT999 Vintage Tube Monster (tube overdrive effects pedal).
Through a Fender Ultimate Chorus (Solid State), with my stock MIM Strat.

That pedal, in my opinion, is amazing....and inexpensive.

My lead guitar player plays Gibson Les Paul's through any of 3 amps: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Laney L20T, or Egnater Tweaker through Blackstar cabinet. (He's got money) 8) And my inexpensive combo can more than keep up with him.

Don't always have to buy another guitar or modify an existing one to find the sound you're after. That pedal is $50.00 US Dollars or less.


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Post subject: Re: SSS Strat for heavier distortion?
Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 8:15 am
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I played my stock 88 Strat and 86 Squier with R,S,B Laces back when I was in a band. I agree that with a distortion pedal that suits you, you will be fine. I used a Boss Metal Zone and it rocked through my Twin Reverb or my Hiwatt.


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Post subject: Re: SSS Strat for heavier distortion?
Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 4:03 pm
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The Seymour Duncan SSL-5 is really a cool pickup for heavier overdrive. Its what Gilmour uses. I tried the SSL-3 it was just too much.

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Post subject: Re: SSS Strat for heavier distortion?
Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2015 2:09 pm
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donnycraven wrote:
I tried the SSL-3 it was just too much.


I must agree...way too much and not at all "Stratty" sounding.

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Post subject: Re: SSS Strat for heavier distortion?
Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2015 2:21 pm
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HeyJoe42 wrote:
donnycraven wrote:
I tried the SSL-3 it was just too much.


I must agree...way too much and not at all "Stratty" sounding.



Yeah it ohms out same as a JB at 16.9k and its a single coil. It also had a periodic buzz that it would emit over the noise gate. I think it was in touch with aliens. I took a Antiquity Texas Hot and flipped the polarity to run with Fat 50s. I ran it between two super rare earth neodymium magnets. That pickup is amazing. I have a full set too in my new Sunburst American Standard.

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Post subject: Re: SSS Strat for heavier distortion?
Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 10:12 am
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warmachine wrote:
What the sordid sentinel recommended is a good one "try stacking distortion and overdrive pedals".

I just experienced this toying around with my Strat. I was playing my Les Paul through a relatively low gain British sounding Vox distortion pedal and it sounded perfect. Next day for a change of pace I plugged in my Stratocaster and it sounded piercing and fizzy through the same setup. Didn't feel like toying around with all the settings so I pulled out my MXR Distortion+ and put it after my other pedal. It fattened up the Strat where I could get a good hard rock / metal tone.

Sounded best with my middle pickup. Unfortunately my bridge pickup isn't hooked up to a tone control, so I'm going to put a jumper on the 5-way switch to connect it to the middle pup tone control. That will help take of the trebley bite.

I jump the bridge pickup to the neck tone pot. Is an easier reach and if I play bridge/mid together they don't have to share the same pot.


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