Fender Ultra Strats - HSS vs SSS for Axe FX III?

I have tried a ton of Strats and couldn't bond with any of them, including the various Deluxe, Ultra, noiseless iterations. They never sounded right or Stratty enough. Had a couple Jeff Becks. I finally tried an Eric Johnson Strat with rosewood board. It's a keeper for me.
Really dig my EJ too, big fun with the III.

I have my quibbles with it, but I'm reluctant to tinker w it too much, and see above :)
 
Get what works for you. If you’re interested in versatility, that would lend to HSS. But if you already liked the SSS, nothing wrong with that! Personally I prefer SSS, because if I want a Strat style with humbuckers I pick up my ‘85 G&L Superhawk! And I dig the tone of SSS! But I recommend whatever guitar feels right!
 
The Axe-Fx III sounds good with all variety of guitars. So, it is more about what you want out of the guitar.

If you want it more for classic Strat tone and quack, then check out the SSS. Especially if you are a finger-picker, the single coils help with clarity. I love a Fender SSS Strat for finger picking and playing clean.

While I can't speak for the new Ultra specifically, I have some experience with HSS Strats, super Strats, over the years. An HSS Strat is very versatile. A humbucker in the Strat scale length is great for rock, and can have a firmer attack compared to a Les Paul.

Since you already have a LP, you may want to explore the SSS. You would have two classic set-ups. If running two is not an option and I could only carry one, I'd lean toward the HSS for the versatility.
 
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When you liked the Ultra Strat, well there's to a whole strat universe to discover.
The N3s American deluxe SSS had a better S1 switching and allowed for putting the outer SCs with the middle SCs in series which made a kind of humbucker effect. That's an alternative for the HSS version. The guitars also were built very good. Compound radius necks, 2pt trem, rounded neck joint and so on.
The elite/N4 series wasn't that much of a step forward, some more bite for the SCs and that zebra shawbucker HB, that is less fat and supplies more highs, which is great, but I'd like some fatter bottom also. The series switching got changed and taken away there.
The N5/ Ultra pickups sound different. N3s are fatter, N5s less fat, but they deliver lots of smooth highs, some vintage vibe, both modern and vintage do that. The double tap isn't a bad HB. It's good when split to SC mode, but it isn't an SC.
Too me you don't go wrong with either version, the SC have different outputs but sound similar. The humbucker is good, but a noiseless SC can also get played with higher gain, so...
That series switching on the SSS from the N3s would have been a good idea, though.
 
When you liked the Ultra Strat, well there's to a whole strat universe to discover.
The N3s American deluxe SSS had a better S1 switching and allowed for putting the outer SCs with the middle SCs in series which made a kind of humbucker effect. That's an alternative for the HSS version. The guitars also were built very good. Compound radius necks, 2pt trem, rounded neck joint and so on.
The elite/N4 series wasn't that much of a step forward, some more bite for the SCs and that zebra shawbucker HB, that is less fat and supplies more highs, which is great, but I'd like some fatter bottom also. The series switching got changed and taken away there.
The N5/ Ultra pickups sound different. N3s are fatter, N5s less fat, but they deliver lots of smooth highs, some vintage vibe, both modern and vintage do that. The double tap isn't a bad HB. It's good when split to SC mode, but it isn't an SC.
Too me you don't go wrong with either version, the SC have different outputs but sound similar. The humbucker is good, but a noiseless SC can also get played with higher gain, so...
That series switching on the SSS from the N3s would have been a good idea, though.
Yea, I was disappointed that they got rid of all those extra switching options. Not that all of them were great, but it made the guitar so versatile. Now they call it "advanced switching" when all it does is split the HB, lol.

Also remember that when you split the HB it's still physically straight across instead of angled like a regular Strat SC so the tone is a bit different, especially on the lower strings.
 
Really dig my EJ too, big fun with the III.

I have my quibbles with it, but I'm reluctant to tinker w it too much, and see above :)
Eric Johnson really knows how to make a good sounding strat! I’ve got his Thinline Strat and it’s basically perfect, except for the bridge being spaced a little wide for the neck (I swapped it for an aftermarket bridge).
 
Eric Johnson really knows how to make a good sounding strat! I’ve got his Thinline Strat and it’s basically perfect, except for the bridge being spaced a little wide for the neck (I swapped it for an aftermarket bridge).
Yeah, high E is kinda close to the edge of the neck. What bridge did you get that improves that? I wonder if all that's the same on the standard solid body.

I also find the tone of high E different from the other strings, thinner. I've considered a Graph Tech saddle, to see if that'd help, haven't actually done it. You have to buy the whole set, almost $70 best price I found.

I have some other quibbles with it too, maybe fixable maybe not, but I play it almost every day and have fun, so.
 
Yeah, high E is kinda close to the edge of the neck. What bridge did you get that improves that? I wonder if all that's the same on the standard solid body.

I also find the tone of high E different from the other strings, thinner. I've considered a Graph Tech saddle, to see if that'd help, haven't actually done it. You have to buy the whole set, almost $70 best price I found.

I have some other quibbles with it too, maybe fixable maybe not, but I play it almost every day and have fun, so.
Yeah same with the solid and semi-hollow EJ strats... vintage spaced bridge with modern spaced neck = very easy to run the E strings off the road, so to speak.

The replacement I got was a Callahan V/N Strat Bridge.
https://www.callahamguitars.com/strat_bridge_vn_catalog.htm

I should add to my previous list two other things I deem not perfect or my preference:
1. Not shielded (I’m working on fixing that on mine this afternoon).
[edit: slight correction on the shielding: there is a metal plate that the controls are mounted on but no shielding or shielding paint anywhere else.]
2. No tone on the middle pickup. That’s really just personal preference, though. I use my tone controls around 6-7, so having no tone on the middle makes all 3 of those positions basically unusable for me. For someone who used them at 10, this would be a good setup to prevent one of the in-between tones from being darker than the other positions.
 
Yeah same with the solid and semi-hollow EJ strats... vintage spaced bridge with modern spaced neck = very easy to run the E strings off the road, so to speak.

The replacement I got was a Callahan V/N Strat Bridge.
https://www.callahamguitars.com/strat_bridge_vn_catalog.htm

I should add to my previous list two other things I deem not perfect or my preference:
1. Not shielded (I’m working on fixing that on mine this afternoon).
2. No tone on the middle pickup. That’s really just personal preference, though. I use my tone controls around 6-7, so having no tone on the middle makes all 3 of those positions basically unusable for me. For someone who used them at 10, this would be a good setup to prevent one of the in-between tones from being darker than the other positions.
Agree on shielding. What are you using for that? I shielded a non-strat I built out of parts, using thin copper, which I figured would be better than the usual copper tape because thicker, but it didn't work that will. Let me know how yours works out.

Also agree on tone control issues and differences between pickups. This is my first strat in many years, still coming to terms with single coils. I often run bridge tone 5-7, but that leaves neck dull. I sometimes think I'd be ok with no tone control on the 2 and 4 positions, maybe, I do like em to sparkle, but that middle pickup on its own gets n a s t y. Not sure what to do about all that. I did add a treble bleed circuit, which keeps everything from turning to mud when I turn down, works well.
 
I have 2009 American Deluxe HSS, I usually just adjust the input trim to tame the early clipping but found that lowering my pickups worked just fine as well with my one of my fave amps the Vibroverb.
 
I find myself gravitating towards lower output pickups or physically backing off the distance on higher gain pickups with Cygnus FW.

The amps seem to be more expressive and reveal interesting character that way.
 
I find myself gravitating towards lower output pickups or physically backing off the distance on higher gain pickups with Cygnus FW.

The amps seem to be more expressive and reveal interesting character that way.
That pretty well would explain what I was hearing that night with the Ultra SSS. The pickups are so intensely clear, and when I sent the bridge pickup and into the Jp2c or the Cameron Ccvs or the Solo 100, it just screamed, it sang.
 
Agree on shielding. What are you using for that? I shielded a non-strat I built out of parts, using thin copper, which I figured would be better than the usual copper tape because thicker, but it didn't work that will. Let me know how yours works out.

Also agree on tone control issues and differences between pickups. This is my first strat in many years, still coming to terms with single coils. I often run bridge tone 5-7, but that leaves neck dull. I sometimes think I'd be ok with no tone control on the 2 and 4 positions, maybe, I do like em to sparkle, but that middle pickup on its own gets n a s t y. Not sure what to do about all that. I did add a treble bleed circuit, which keeps everything from turning to mud when I turn down, works well.
I used copper shielding tape from Stew Mac and aluminum foil for the control cavity. (It’s a semi-hollow, so I can’t just cover the walls. I try to enclose the controls without shielding the whole cavity.)

Oh man, the middle 3 positions are now usable tones, not blasts of treble if I mess up. Of course, the neck/middle is too dark if I don’t turn up one of the tone controls, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.
 
I have one. It's a fun guitar. Easy to play, stays in tune, kind of weighty, though. The pickups are good but to my ears are a little 'safe' ... a little neutral, perhaps. But I enjoy it and haven't sold it yet so that's saying something. Here's a video I made with it when it first arrived. My playing style is a galaxy away from yours (going by your description) but this may help. All Axe-FX III.



And here's another that's probably not up your street at all, but I leave it here for your reference anyway.



Het Brett, do you still have the Levinson Blade HSS i saw in a youtube video a few years back? I picked one up used from Guitar Factory in Gladesville late last year. Great versatile live guitar.
 
I just got an EOB Sustainer Strat a couple days ago. Very interesting and versatile guitar. Not quite "Stratty" but still a very nice guitar. I still need to set it up the way I like it. I also have a Highway One HSS that I love. The stock humbucker is actually pretty good.
 
I have tried a ton of Strats and couldn't bond with any of them, including the various Deluxe, Ultra, noiseless iterations. They never sounded right or Stratty enough. Had a couple Jeff Becks. I finally tried an Eric Johnson Strat with rosewood board. It's a keeper for me. SSS. It's a Strat. HSS just isn't right, nor is noiseless. Lol.

I had a similar experience. Too many Strats, only satisfied with the EMG DG20 pickup set (though not fully Stratty), until I bought a Schecter Nick Johnston SSS. Delicious Stratty tones!

ps: or is it because of Cygnus? :D I don't know o_O
 
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If you like the hotter sound, try to have a look on the G&L S-500 with DMF pickups. Seems to be an great axe and the vibrato system seems unbeatable for that price
 
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