Double Fat or Super Strats

[sunvalleylaw]

I am interested in making myself a strat with two humbuckers, with or without a middle single coil. Who has a strat with two humbuckers? I think Plank does. Plank(and anyone else), how do you like yours, and what do you use it for mostly? How does it compare with your other humbucking guitars?

I would likely start with a Fat strat and mod it. It would seem the easiest route. Then I could do a coil tap or a S1. It might be cool to mod in a LP type rhythm/lead toggle as an option.

Re: pups, does it make a big difference it you have a hot rail type up at the neck, rather than a standard 'bucker? An inquiring mind wants to know.

 

[Spudman]

Sort of like this?
This is a wonderful option. If you get pickups that sound good either split or phase reversed then you have a lot of tonal options. This one is a little different from a Strat in that it has a locking tremolo.
You could mod one of these.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Yeah, like that, and also a super strat with the middle too. How do you use that one? What do you want to play when you pick it up?

 

[ShortBuSX]

My buddy has the double fat New York Strat in CAR, its got the Pearly Gates even...beautiful guitar, but its like the Les Paul of Strats, meaning it does neither of the tones very well...dont get me wrong, it sounds good, but its hardly a Strat and its even less of a Les Paul if you know what I mean...but it does have all the contours and comforts a Strat has to offer, it just doesnt sound much like a Strat.

But to be perfectly honest with you, I really dislike it and am glad its not mine...I dont care if it is American made.

[edit]Although...I would like a single humbucker Strat...with one volume knob...that would be very tasty in mah book.

 

[Spudman]

What do you want to play when you pick it up?

Loud and soulful.
It does just about everything. The pickups might be a little low output for metal but pedals can make up the difference.

 

[markb]

Try dear old Deaf Eddie for more wiring variations than you can shake a stick at. Also remember that a lot of 90s strats have the "swimming pool" route and will take any pickup combo without needing any woodwork.

http://www.deaf-eddie.net/drawings/drawings.html

 

[dan P]

The guitars a heck of a lot of fun to build and play...I started off with a candy apple red squier standard body, she is routed HSH, bought a tort two humbucker strat pickguard, a atomic and sidewinder fender humbuckers, a three wafer superswitch and assembled her...the superswitch allowed me to split the humbuckers for single coils... the guitar turned out very good and have since parted with, was a good effort but ....really.... a good lp and a good strat are the way to go..much easier to just put a good humbucker in the bridge...and that is worth the effort if you really dont play that position as it really does give the guitar an extra usable tone....

 

[marnold]

FWIW, I love the HSS format. For me, it came down to the fact that I'd use a neck single coil more than I'd use a neck humbucker. To each their own. I even get decent quack (albeit a "Quack from Hades" (tm)) in the bridge-middle position. That's due in no small part to the relatively low output of my Screamin' Demon. Now that I think about it, an HSH with a Screamin' Demon in the bridge, Area 61 or 67 in the middle, and '59 or Jazz at the neck would be VERY tasty indeed.

As far as whether these are "true" Strats or not, for me the argument is immaterial. I'm a child of the 80s so the only Strats I truly know are Super Strats. Man, all this talk makes me want to play . . .

 

[stingx]

I have both types but I agree with marnold. Most of the guitars in my collection are Super Strats - my Kramer Pacer Imperial (H H), my Ibanez RG1570 (H S H), my Ibanez RS140 (S S H) and my Lone Star (S S H). The Lone Star and the 1570 are the most versatile for sounds.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Basically, I am envisioning using such a guitar for punky, trashy, loud stuff mostly, not too metallic I don't think. I am thinking Nirvana sounds, classic punk sounds and other loudish stuff. I would likely mod an existing fat strat to get the neck bucker if I do, so it would be easiest to use a rail type, I suppose. That is what I thought I would do with the Fully, but I decided I wanted a true strat shape. I am also thinking alder body, and again, want my 9.5 rad. neck.

For you that do have 'buckers in the neck, what do you enjoy playing that utilizes your neck pup? Also, StingX, when would you grab your super strat, and when would you grab one of your PT's instead? The PT's are more or less tele shaped, correct?

It seems it would be easiest to get a fat mexi (I would tend to hold out for an '06 or later) and do it up.

 

[stingx]

Also, StingX, when would you grab your super strat, and when would you grab one of your PT's instead? The PT's are more or less tele shaped, correct?

It seems it would be easiest to get a fat mexi (I would tend to hold out for an '06 or later) and do it up.

The PT is a very heavy guitar and being a tele in shape only. Both Super Rock pickups can be split to singles. It is a very versatile guitar for blues to hard rock. It can't do jangly like a real tele. In contrast, The Ibanez 1570 is extremely light (basswood) with a killer, fast neck - it's practically flat. It has a five position switch like a Strat and positions 2 and 4 are split coil modes for the buckers. This guitar can do a nice clean Strat sound and is perfect as well for straight up rock. You could play this guitar for DAYS that's how light and comfy it is. I keep the Kramer and Schecter guitars because they are my two oldest, favorite, and sentimental guitars. I will never sell them. I could get rid of all my others guitars and make due with just the 1570 and one of the Strats.

A MIM Fat Strat has the neck routed to accept a humbucker so that would be the best modding platform for you. Even though it has a single in the neck it is routed H/S/H.

 

[stingx]

Steve, just check the 'bay. Everyone needs a super strat in their collection. They aren't just for metal, honestly.

Here you go...one Super Strat to rule them all:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KRAMER-PACER-AM...ryZ41438QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

A nice Ibby RG470 MIJ:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ibanez-rg-470-5...ryZ33043QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[warren0728]

my peavey predator is a fat strat knockoff...ssh...humbucker at the bridge....although it doesn't get as much play as some of my others you can get some nice tones out of it!

ww

 

[sumitomo]

One of my guitars is a warmoth tele with a strat neck,two humbuckers (jb neck,pearly gates bridge with splitters)great sound,but after 15 yrs needs a fret job.Im thinkin stainless frets.Sumi If you dont have a humbucker axe get one ypu wont regret it.

 

[tunghaichuan]

Steve,

Consider wiring your bridge humbucker with a series/split/parallel switch. This is my favorite way to wire a humbucker. Series is the traditional humbucking sound. Split turns off one of the coils for a psuedo-single coil strat sound. Parallel is kind of half way between. A bit of the bass drops out but retains the highs. You get more of a strat sound, but the pickup is still humbucking.

Edit, linkeroo: http://www.seymourduncan.com/suppor...ics.php?schematic=series_spl_parallel-w-phase

tung