What gives a Strat it's "quack" ??

[progrmr]

I was returning my jacked up Digitech screamin' blues pedal this morning - AFTER watching Robert's latest blues rhythm video. I was playing along on my Austin LP but I noticed that the LP just doesn't sound right doing blues like that. I needed some Strat quack!

I hit the cheapies at the store - found a Squier Affinity HSS that had GREAT quack..but the line was too long and I didn't feel like waiting so I bailed. Now this is on the east side of town and I live on the west. While driving back I was kicking myself knowing that I had a quack machine and didn't buy it. So I stopped at the used gear store on the west side of town (lol!) ready to pick out a strat and buy it. I get in there and there are literally a hundred HSS/SSS strats of varying names to try.

I tried at least 20 different strats...not one had the signature Strat quack! WTH I thought...how is this? I kept trying (even going to a more expensive MIM strat SSS) and finally I found a Squier Affinity (again!) SSS that had quack. I bought it and left. Got it home, rocked it through my new valve junior combo and I am now in quack heaven.

All's well that ends well...but I figured every SSS would be able too quack but I'm telling you I found 1 strat in 20+ that had it.

I find myself wondering just what makes a strat quack..??

 

[marnold]

It's probably a combo of the pickups themselves, their relatively close proximity to each other, and the fact they are wired together in parallel. People say some pickups are quackier than others. I know what the "quack" sound should be, but my brain doesn't register it as a quack at all. I tend to prefer the Tele or dual 'bucker middle position, but that's just me. Quack on! (searching for rocking duck emoticon) . . .

 

[Spudman]

Duck Sauce is the secret. The poles 2 and 5 on the selector switch on a Strat type switch are electronically etched with Duck Sauce.

 

[Bookkeeper's Son]

With a Squier Affinity that I picked up used a couple years ago, I learned that besides switch positions 2 & 4, the pickup heights make a helluva lot of difference. Maybe that was the case with the other Strats you tried.......

 

[marnold]

With a Squier Affinity that I picked up used a couple years ago, I learned that besides switch positions 2 & 4, the pickup heights make a helluva lot of difference. Maybe that was the case with the other Strats you tried.......

Excellent point. After you said that I remembered that lowering the middle pup of my old HSS guitar increased the quackitude.

 

[deeaa]

Yes the quack is AFAIK a result of phase errors kind of creating an effect that varies on how you play as well, and you get a larger error by arranging the pickups at different distance to string.

 

[progrmr]

ah cool - I'll have to tinker w/ that tonight

I did not check the guitars I played for different pickup heights - could explain a lot!

 

[Spudman]

I've gotten better quack on some of my Strats with a higher middle pickup and lower bridge and neck pickups.

 

[Katastrophe]

My Strat is HSS, but quacks quite well, as the bridge pickup is split in the second selector position. The middle pup was set low from the factory, almost to the pickguard.

Selecting a Twin clean tone on the Mustang I with a touch of reverb, and position 2 on the guitar is my favorite tone right now.

 

[MAXIFUNK]

Position 2 and 4 quack heaven has to be the pickup placement and the scale of the neck but all that is just a guess on my part but i do love it.
Ever since I installed the Rose pickups on my FSR MIM I can not put it down and that improved quack is one of the main reasons for sure.

 

[Tig]

Adjusting the middle pickup height is a quick quack recipe. My cheap CV 50's pickups get a great quack after lowering the middle pickup.
actual proof: