My Maserati does 185...

[Vorbis]

I'll chime in with my usual 'raised brow' suggestion

I stuck Dimarzio YJM stacked coils into my '88 USA and they sounded fantastic Absolutely slayed the stock pickups in my 2010 USA Strat. They are low output, hum-free and have heaps of clarity with good tight Bass response. Bonus being they sound bloody good when you overdrive them too (Which I have a feeling you are rather partial to)...unlike stock Strat single coils which sound like ass.

I took the dimarzios (hs3s) out of my malmsteen strat because they sounded dull and will put in duncan quarter pounds shortly because they kick arse...........I think joe might agree......well probably not, but richie blackmore would if he still played electric guitar

Strange, the last thing I'd say about HS3's were that they sounded 'Dull'...

[Polar Bear]

Oh and btw thanks for the offer Rog. Would be very keen.

Joe now plays one of these http://www.jansen.co.nz/product.php?b=&sku=CT6MFDK6

Ah yes I'm aware Joe has been seen with Carvins but it's more his single-coil sounds that I'm interested in.

Single coil switchable just lift the tone knob and becomes a single coil guitar , good feature

So is that what he used on Life's been Good?\

Didn't think so.

[willow13]

Strange, the last thing I'd say about HS3's were that they sounded 'Dull'...

probably just my ears.....plus the fact that every pick up I use is high output so the low output of them probably just didn't agree with me...have a blue velvet in the strat at the mo that I am starting to hate as well hence the quarter pound route

[Hot_Grits]

Life's been good is a pretty clean vintage strat pickup sound to me. Notch position between bridge and middle.

As you probably know, the less heavily wound the pickup, the more top end airiness and clarity you get. So something like Fralin Real 54s, Antiquity Surfers, Fender Fat 50s would fit the bill.

I've been out of the strat game for many years, and back when I did give a crap I used SD Alnico 2 pros and Antiquity Texas Hots in brighter strats and the standard Duncan vintage strat pickups in warmer strats. I never liked overwound strat pickups like Texas Specials. They always sounded like I had a compressor on even when played clean or very lightly dirty.

[bender]

Life's been good is a pretty clean vintage strat pickup sound to me. Notch position between bridge and middle.

As you probably know, the less heavily wound the pickup, the more top end airiness and clarity you get. So something like Fralin Real 54s, Antiquity Surfers, Fender Fat 50s would fit the bill.

I've been out of the strat game for many years, and back when I did give a crap I used SD Alnico 2 pros and Antiquity Texas Hots in brighter strats and the standard Duncan vintage strat pickups in warmer strats. I never liked overwound strat pickups like Texas Specials. They always sounded like I had a compressor on even when played clean or very lightly dirty.

That would be my call too. The BKP strat pickups I've tried (Apache and Irish Tour) sound amazing and would definitely get in that ballpark.

I've never really liked overwound single-coils for pretty much the same reason. I put a Rio Grande calibrated set in a friend's 70s Ibanez strat and the neck pickup sounded amazing while the two hotter ones were a bit meh for my tastes. That being said, he loves them and makes them sound choice.

[ash]

I have a BKP Irish Tour handy, Ed.

In other Joe Walsh news - when he heard Herbs, he liked them so much he moved to NZ and joined their band.

[slash-ed]

Thanks for the opinions so far guys.

Cheers ash, but I'm not actually looking to replace anything on my Strat (and if anything gets swapped out it'll probably be the humbucker rather than any of the singles!!). A bit of learning, and a bit of forward planning for the (what seems like, the way things are going) inevitable event down the road that I acquire another Strat...

Out of interest (and again, forward planning/evil future intent), has anyone ever effectively "combined" a single-spaced 'bucker (Hot Rails, Tonezone S, that sort of thing), with a traditional single, in a bridge humbucker position? Aside from the potential need to rehouse both in a single space, would the extra magnet pull affect things much? What about location with respect to the bridge?

I don't remember the details of the Benderbucker thing you made for Ben, but wasn't it a similar sort of concept? I'm basically figuring out if I can have my cake (full, manly humbucker noise) and eat it too (authentic Walshy bridge single goodness).

[ash]

The Benderbucker is a fat single coil and a skinny singlecoil in a wide range humbucker package. That is do-able in many formats. Lace Sensors did something similar in the Strat Ultra in the '90s.

Two proper single coils join up to make a pretty beasty humbucker. I think you'd like it.

[slash-ed]

Hmmm no doubt I would, but wouldn't the output/volume difference be overpowering if you wanted to run a neck SC? And building one that way, I'm guessing either the SC or combined 'bucker tone would be "optimized" at the expense of the other. That's why I thought that single-space humbucker, and true SC (running either or, and not worrying about combining) would provide the least compromise, or do you reckon that is not true?

[hamo]

Dude, keep your HSS strat, and get a SSS strat = instant best of both worlds.

[slash-ed]

Oh don't get me wrong, the red Strat ain't going nowhere. I just want the best of both worlds, without having to switch guitars, dammit! Don't ask for much do I. And also, I can with some degree of seriousness see myself wanting to spec an at least semi-custom Strat if things keep going the way they are...

[hamo]

Oh don't get me wrong, the red Strat ain't going nowhere. I just want the best of both worlds, without having to switch guitars, dammit! Don't ask for much do I. And also, I can with some degree of seriousness see myself wanting to spec an at least semi-custom Strat if things keep going the way they are...

Lol, fair enough.

[Scooter13]

Oh don't get me wrong, the red Strat ain't going nowhere. I just want the best of both worlds, without having to switch guitars, dammit! Don't ask for much do I. And also, I can with some degree of seriousness see myself wanting to spec an at least semi-custom Strat if things keep going the way they are...

Haha, it's funny how obsessed we get sometimes about the tones we make for songs. You know the audience don't give a crap what guitar you are using to play Eagle Eyed Cherry.

Like me buying an EMG60 just to play clean Metallica parts. Finished with heaps of the Metallica stuff now, so out they go! In with the new.

My gear seems to be split in to gear that gets me to my own sound that I want in my head for original stuff, and gear that covers all my bases for covers work. That''s why I love split-coil humbuckers. Close enough to a single coil sound (for the audiences measures) without having to lose/not play my favourite humbucker equipped guitars.

[slash-ed]

Hmmm, for me it has nothing to do with specific tones for playing specific songs. As you know, I'm much more off the cuff and less as-per-the-record than you

It's more so that I've found a Strat I really really like, and a single coil sound that I really like. I must then try to optimize that setup, and use it for everything

[Scooter13]

Hmmm, for me it has nothing to do with specific tones for playing specific songs. As you know, I'm much more off the cuff and less as-per-the-record than you

It's more so that I've found a Strat I really really like, and a single coil sound that I really like. I must then try to optimize that setup, and use it for everything

True. HD500 right?