NGPD - Goodies from VA for my Strat and pickup musical chair

Joe Bfstplk

Joe Bfstplk

Legend!
20220925_161459.jpg
Fralin Split Rail Strat pickups arrived earlier this week.

Still dialing things in, but really happy with this set.

Neck: High Output
Middle: Vintage
Bridge: two High Output, one lefty and flipped around so the sit back to back.

Great sounds all around. Neck has that fat, bouncy bottom and nice mids that make rhyhm playing a joy, and the lead tome makes the SRV licks come out. Neck + middle immediately sounds like "Sultans of Swing". Middle pickup with a phaser and a Marshall crosses the "Bridge of Sighs". Middle + bridge has good cluck with the paralleled pair of bridge pickups. The bridge pair by themselves sound great in parallel, with good clarity and bite, nice lows, and no ice-pick. Switch to series and you get a wonderful spicy HB tone with fat mids, solid lows, and just a bit of smoke on the highs.

Currently waiting on a new pickguard, as the laminated clear layer over the flag on the current one separated. :( A nice aged moto pearl one is on its way from Sweetwater.

Still to do: flip the magnetic polarity in the black pickup, so I can split the bridge pair diagonally (not Diagon Alley) to get an approximation of the angled bridge pickup sound. I have some DPDT on-on-on switches on hand to do the split/parallel/series thing when the pickguard arrives. Will rewire the 4p5t super switch to default the pair to "split" in the bridge + middle spot, for maximum possible Strat tone....

20220925_163453_0.jpg

The Cutlass got some hand-me-downs. This fixes the weird middle pickup issue and teaches the guitar the words so it doesn't hum. Coming soon: S1 volume pot/switch and 4p5t super switch so I can swap the middle for neck + bridge on the 5-way. The pickups thrown in here happen to balance wonderfully with the original bridge pickup, which is not a super-spicy one. Really happy with how this whole swap worked out....
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
20220925_161459.jpg
Fralin Split Rail Strat pickups arrived earlier this week.

Still dialing things in, but really happy with this set.

Neck: High Output
Middle: Vintage
Bridge: two High Output, one lefty and flipped around so the sit back to back.

Great sounds all around. Neck has that fat, bouncy bottom and nice mids that make rhyhm playing a joy, and the lead tome makes the SRV licks come out. Neck + middle immediately sounds like "Sultans of Swing". Middle pickup with a phaser and a Marshall crosses the "Bridge of Sighs". Middle + bridge has good cluck with the paralleled pair of bridge pickups. The bridge pair by themselves sound great in parallel, with good clarity and bite, nice lows, and no ice-pick. Switch to series and you get a wonderful spicy HB tone with fat mids, solid lows, and just a bit of smoke on the highs.

Currently waiting on a new pickguard, as the laminated clear layer over the flag on the current one separated. :( A nice aged moto pearl one is on its way from Sweetwater.

Still to do: flip the magnetic polarity in the black pickup, so I can split the bridge pair diagonally (not Diagon Alley) to get an approximation of the angled bridge pickup sound. I have some DPDT on-on-on switches on hand to do the split/parallel/series thing when the pickguard arrives. Will rewire the 4p5t super switch to default the pair to "split" in the bridge + middle spot, for maximum possible Strat tone....

20220925_163453_0.jpg

The Cutlass got some hand-me-downs. This fixes the weird middle pickup issue and teaches the guitar the words so it doesn't hum. Coming soon: S1 volume pot/switch and 4p5t super switch so I can swap the middle for neck + bridge on the 5-way. The pickups thrown in here happen to balance wonderfully with the original bridge pickup, which is not a super-spicy one. Really happy with how this whole swap worked out....
Click to expand...
Nice work, and lots of it, props!
 
Dude, I'm totally envious. I've really, really, been wondering about the idea of taking two great noiseless single coils and putting them side by side like this for ultimate split tones that still combine well to approximate a humbucker. I read this TGP thread about this, with this quote (link in quote on this forum won't work):

walterw said:
i rigged up this very thing for a customer, with a pair of straight-up strat pickups side by side to create a bridge humbucker. (they were RW/RP from each other.)

it was really powerful; i don't want to say muddy, as it had plenty of attack, but just really deep and bassy. not for everybody, but a pretty big sound.

the thing is, two singles mounted side-by-side will squeal, as one becomes microphonic from vibrating separately next to the other.

you'll need to "lock" them together physically; i used zip-ties around both pickups but under the pickguard, with a thin rubber strip between the coils, to squeeze them together.

an alnico II pickup as the "second" coil is a good idea to reduce excess magnet pull.
Click to expand...

But it sounds like none of this is a problem for you! Congratulations on this, Man. Very cool to see freaking unusual ideas implemented successfully in the real world! Thanks also for the details of the tones of the various positions. Cool to know those Fralin Split Blades are as good as they seem. I think they look very cool, too.
 
Many many many many years ago I put 6 SD single coils in a strat, wired as 3 humbuckers. I hated it, mud city.

Glad your exploration is working out better than that!
 
Dave Merrill said:
Nice work, and lots of it, props!
Click to expand...
Tanx!

State of Epicicity said:
Dude, I'm totally envious. I've really, really, been wondering about the idea of taking two great noiseless single coils and putting them side by side like this for ultimate split tones that still combine well to approximate a humbucker. I read this TGP thread about this, with this quote (link in quote on this forum won't work):

But it sounds like none of this is a problem for you! Congratulations on this, Man. Very cool to see freaking unusual ideas implemented successfully in the real world! Thanks also for the details of the tones of the various positions. Cool to know those Fralin Split Blades are as good as they seem. I think they look very cool, too.
Click to expand...
Tanx. Wait 'til I flip the magnetic polarity in the black pickup and get the DPDT on-on-on going. I'll have the treble strings on the white pickup and the bass strings on the black pickup so that the result is a bit like the G&L Commanche when split, plus the parallel and series humbucker tones I currently have.

Dave Merrill said:
Many many many many years ago I put 6 SD single coils in a strat, wired as 3 humbuckers. I hated it, mud city.

Glad your exploration is working out better than that!
Click to expand...
Tanx! Were they hot singles? Prolly woulda worked with vintage output ones. Both SD and DiMarzio make (or have made) a humbucker out of two strat style coil/magnet structures on one baseplate. I had a DiMarzio one way back in the late '80s. No clue where it went, but I remember liking the sound.
 
20221203_002933_0.jpg


So I finally found my round tuit.

Had to flip the magnets in the black pickup to make it all work, but have both bridge pickups on 4+ leads, and have them wired up diagonally. This lets me approach a slanted single coil sound when the bridge "humbucker" is split. The toggle does parallel/split/series in positions. The 5-way switch defaults the bridge to split in position 2, and sounds amazing. The S1 swaps middle for neck+bridge in position 3, where the toggle again does parallel/split/series. With the bridge split, it does a decent Tele impersonation. Lots of fun to play. The neck pickup is the exact Strat neck pickup sound I have wanted for nearly 40 years. Bummed about the old pickguard delaminating when I drilled the pickup screw holes, but life's like that sometimes....
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
20221203_002933_0.jpg


So I finally found my round tuit.

Had to flip the magnets in the black pickup to make it all work, but have both bridge pickups on 4+ leads, and have them wired up diagonally. This lets me approach a slanted single coil sound when the bridge "humbucker" is split. The toggle does parallel/split/series in positions. The 5-way switch defaults the bridge to split in position 2, and sounds amazing. The S1 swaps middle for neck+bridge in position 3, where the toggle again does parallel/split/series. With the bridge split, it does a decent Tele impersonation. Lots of fun to play. The neck pickup is the exact Strat neck pickup sound I have wanted for nearly 40 years. Bummed about the old pickguard delaminating when I drilled the pickup screw holes, but life's like that sometimes....
Click to expand...
So cool! Nice work!

Am I right that the neck pickup you love so much is a Fralin Split Rail?
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
20221203_002933_0.jpg


So I finally found my round tuit.

Had to flip the magnets in the black pickup to make it all work, but have both bridge pickups on 4+ leads, and have them wired up diagonally. This lets me approach a slanted single coil sound when the bridge "humbucker" is split. The toggle does parallel/split/series in positions. The 5-way switch defaults the bridge to split in position 2, and sounds amazing. The S1 swaps middle for neck+bridge in position 3, where the toggle again does parallel/split/series. With the bridge split, it does a decent Tele impersonation. Lots of fun to play. The neck pickup is the exact Strat neck pickup sound I have wanted for nearly 40 years. Bummed about the old pickguard delaminating when I drilled the pickup screw holes, but life's like that sometimes....
Click to expand...
Looks pretty cool!
 
This is just at the beginning, with the heights roughed in 'pretty close' to optimal. Have made a few small quarter and eighth turn adjustments and doublechecked intonation since, and it's amazing the difference the last 1% makes....

GO CHIEFS ! said:
Looks pretty cool!
Click to expand...
TY. Plays great, and sounds amazing.
 
Those look really cool! I have a McNaught with Fralin pickups in it and they sound great.
Lots of comments about how good they look.... are you happy with how they sound/feel?
 
Admin M@ said:
Those look really cool! I have a McNaught with Fralin pickups in it and they sound great.
Lots of comments about how good they look.... are you happy with how they sound/feel?
Click to expand...
Since the video (recorded this morning), I have done the fine tuning adjustments to height, and it's 100% better sounding than in the video (which didn’t suck at all).

The final adjustment? Intonation! My B and e strings were a hair off, as well as the E. Had to cut the spring for the e, as it was all the way back and still a bit sharp. The Earvana nut requires a different saddle placement than usual on those two.

The sound is amazing in all combinations.

The neck pickup has that slightly spongy, rubbery feel and the fat, but clear, sound that makes you want to keep playing.

Neck + middle clucks softly and sounds great.

The middle vintage one sounds crisp and full. Poke the S1, and it is replaced by neck+bridge. With the bridge pair split, the way the pair are wired, you get the black coil under the wound strings and the white coil under the plain strings, which ends up pretty close to the sound of a Tele bridge pickup, due to what part of the strings gets listened to. You could play a country gig with this sound and really confuse folks. It really sounds great. Switch the bridge to the parallel position, and it brings in the other two coils, which trades the tippy top trebles for fatter lows for a subtle change. Switch to series, and the two bridge pickups are wired in series with each other, and it beefs up the mids just a little in combination with the neck. I may eventually default this position to split like the middle+bridge is, since the two other tones are fairly subtle differences, and then the extra switch will only operate in the bridge position on the 5-way, which will allow presetting the bridge pickup's sound whicheway I want it.

Middle+bridge is defaulted to split for the bridge pickup, and is truly spectacular now that the intonation and pickup heights are dialed in. Bright, tight clucky goodness that makes you want to pull out Green Grass and High Tides or Sweet Home Alabama or any number of '70s Clapton hits. It has "it".

Bridge alone, split, sounds bright and crispy, as a Strat should, and can cut through about anything. Switch to parallel, and the top end slice is reduced a tad, while the bottom is filled in, and you have a fantastic clean, clear tone. Hit series, and if the amp was on the clean side of the edge of breakup, peering over the cliff, it will now be crunching the amp nicely, with a smoky, slightly mid-focused lead tone....
 
Last edited:
Joe Bfstplk said:
Since the video (recorded this morning), I have done the fine tuning adjustments to height, and it's 100% better sounding than in the video (which didn’t suck at all).

The final adjustment? Intonation! My B and e strings were a hair off, as well as the E. Had to cut the spring for the e, as it was all the way back and still a bit sharp. The Earvana nut requires a different saddle placement than usual on those two.

The sound is amazing in all combinations.

The neck pickup has that slightly spongy, rubbery feel and the fat, but clear, sound that makes you want to keep playing.

Neck + middle clucks softly and sounds great.

The middle vintage one sounds crisp and full. Poke the S1, and it is replaced by neck+bridge. With the bridge pair split, the way the pair are wired, you get the black coil under the wound strings and the white coil under the plain strings, which ends up pretty close to the sound of a Tele bridge pickup, due to what part of the strings gets listened to. You could play a country gig with this sound and really confuse folks. It really sounds great. Switch the bridge to the parallel position, and it brings in the other two coils, which trades the tippy top trebles for fatter lows for a subtle change. Switch to series, and the two bridge pickups are wired in series with each other, and it beefs up the mids just a little in combination with the neck. I may eventually default this position to split like the middle+bridge is, since the two other tones are fairly subtle differences, and then the extra switch will only operate in the bridge position on the 5-way, which will allow presetting the bridge pickup's sound whicheway I want it.

Middle+bridge is defaulted to split for the bridge pickup, and is truly spectacular now that the intonation and pickup heights are dialed in. Bright, tight clucky goodness that makes you want to pull out Green Grass and High Tides or Sweet Home Alabama or any number of '70s Clapton hits. It has "it".

Bridge alone, split, sounds bright and crispy, as a Strat should, and can cut through about anything. Switch to parallel, and the top end slice is reduced a tad, while the bottom is filled in, and you have a fantastic clean, clear tone. Hit series, and if the amp was on the clean side of the edge of breakup, peering over the cliff, it will now be crunching the amp nicely, with a smoky, slightly mid-focused lead tone....
Click to expand...

Damn. This is holy grail stuff to me.
 
Heck of a selection of tones. They sound nice and clear with no SC noise at all. The different in between setting are really great.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom