Fender Strat single coil (bridge) favorites

Chewie5150

Fractal Fanatic
On my recently acquired Fender Strat Performer, which I'm really enjoying, is currently loaded with their Yosemite pickups. I'm happy with the middle and neck pickups but finding I'm not using the bridge much at all. I've alwasy been a humbucker player so maybe just finding the bridge anemic relative to humbuckers but really dig @2112 Suhr ML pickups in the strat he often plays in his youtube vids. I'm considering just the ML bridge in my Strat. Wondering what other Strat guys out there think? I'm looking for the times i want some more dirt/girth from a single coil bridge without totally compromising those classic Strat tones. When I think of those classic Straty like tones, im not usually thinking of the bridge anyhow; mostly the 2/4 positions so dirtier bridge would still be handy w/o going to humbucker style.
 
I would also say Dimarzio Area for hum canceling or a Duncan SSL 5 (the Dave Gilmour bridge in the black strat.) The Duncan is quite fat and high output for a single coil if that's what you want.
 
I’m in the same boat with a HSS Performer. Not happy with the bridge pickup or the tremolo bridge. Thinking about a JB and a Callaham bridge assembly.
 
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JB Jr in the bridge works pretty well for me in my EOB strat. Lots of power, humbucker quiet, still clucks a bit in the 2 position on the 5-way switch.

I have some stacked Seymour Duncan single coils here I've been meaning to put into an offset build that are silent, but supposed to be still single coil'ish. We'll see....
 
I have the same issue somewhat with my EJ. I deal with it best I can by rolling the bridge tone down to a little over 7. I'm not looking for high output, just a bit more fullness. I'm also pretty happy with my bridge pu tones, it's just hard to find amp settings where all 5 positions sound good. I'm considering a DiMarzio HS-2 we'll see.
 
Used the SD Hot stack for a long time before I switched to Kinmans.
I have three strats with following sets installed:
Woodstock Plus
The Scoop
E69 Impersonators
 
did some reading on the SD SSL5 and general consensus is its a good pickup but very hot and compromises that position 2 quack. tradeoff which i suppose is what I need to sort out. Am i tryin to force a fender strat to sound like humbucker guitar? there's the rub. other possibility is the Texas Special in the bridge which is supposedly half the output of an SSL5. I sense i'm tumbling down another rabbit hole.
 
I have the same issue somewhat with my EJ. I deal with it best I can by rolling the bridge tone down to a little over 7. I'm not looking for high output, just a bit more fullness. I'm also pretty happy with my bridge pu tones, it's just hard to find amp settings where all 5 positions sound good. I'm considering a DiMarzio HS-2 we'll see.
Don't expect the HS2 to be full sounding unless you use it in parallel coil mode. This is also not hum canceling but it is how EJ uses it. Pretty thin and nasty in series.
 
Don't expect the HS2 to be full sounding unless you use it in parallel coil mode. This is also not hum canceling but it is how EJ uses it. Pretty thin and nasty in series.
Understood. Though it confuses me mightily that it's more full in parallel (or single coil, which is what I think I've heard EJ uses), like exactly no other pickups in the universe that I'm aware of.
 
I bought from Fralin a bridge one with a baseplate installed under the pickup. It doesn't sound like a tele and don't know how much of a difference it makes but at least is not wimpy sounding like normal strat bridge pickups.

I've been thinking on getting a humbucker for the bridge too. There is no guitar more versatile than a strat with a bridge humbucker IMO.
 
Understood. Though it confuses me mightily that it's more full in parallel (or single coil, which is what I think I've heard EJ uses), like exactly no other pickups in the universe that I'm aware of.
This is true of all stack pickups . Using it in parallel just makes it behave like an overwound single coil.
 
I bought from Fralin a bridge one with a baseplate installed under the pickup. It doesn't sound like a tele and don't know how much of a difference it makes but at least is not wimpy sounding like normal strat bridge pickups.

I've been thinking on getting a humbucker for the bridge too. There is no guitar more versatile than a strat with a bridge humbucker IMO.
Correct, HSS Strat covers everything
 
I've got the same setup as Mr. Clapton had back in his heyday..."Fender Noiseless" pickups and the Clapton Active Mod w/mid-boost. I love this setup (other than it requires a 9 volt battery change once/year). I can get all the historic strat tones w/o noise and if I kick in the mid-boost, instant humbucker and overdrive the amp.
 
The bridge humbucker is always way louder than every other position, even on good guitars like a Suhr, which I'm not a fan of. It's a really different tone too. I just want fatter strat bridge pickup tone, not a bucker.
View my post above...
 
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This is my solution. Lawrence L45/L45/L90-4H.

In parallel mode, the L90 is well-balanced with the others, and clucks nicely in the bridge+middle spot. The 4p5t super switch defaults it to parallel mode except in the bridge-only spot, where the one mini-toggle determines it the bridge is in parallel or series mode. Series mode is a little more middy and a little more powerful, but still very clear. It's a nice setup.
 
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