# H-H Strat Pickup Ideas



## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

I want to do an H-H Strat build, but wondering what pups to put in. I don't want to mimic a Les Paul. 

I guess I'm looking for airy and something to remove the shrill Straty tones... while not being too beefy. 

All while keeping cost in check. $300 ish and below. Used are also welcome. 

Thoughts?


----------



## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

I won't get into recommending brands, that's a personal choice. But I've always found the sweet spot (for me) to be 8K - 10K neck, 15K - 16K bridge. Coil tap both.


----------



## troyhead (May 23, 2014)

I'm really liking Fender's DoubleTap pickups, like what the American Pro II Tele Deluxe has. I wasn't a big fan of the Shawbuckers, but the DoubleTap sounds nice to me. Lots of clarity, and sounds really good for rhythm rolled back to about 7, especially with a Treble Bleed on the volume. When turned up to 10, you get a bit more fullness for leads.

In addition, the coil splitting (which I normally *hate* with the passion of a million suns) is actually very usable. With a normal coil split, you have a humbucker with two evenly-sized coils, and then one of them is dropped. This usually makes for a thin, weak, lower-volume output. The DoubleTap takes a unique approach. One of the coils is wound much hotter than the other -- not just a slight imbalance like Burstbuckers or other PAF clones -- but significantly overwound. When split, that is the coil that is used, which has a similar output to a real single coil. Then when in humbucker mode, the overwound coil is _tapped_ to lower its output and now match the output of the other coil. Normally when you split a humbucker, the output is half of the humbucker mode, but the DoubleTap retains a fair bit of output and sounds close to a real single coil to me.

Anyway, worth a try, whether you choose to split them or not. You don't need to worry about finding "F-spaced" pickups for the bridge (because they are already the right spacing), and if you have a Fender pickguard with the three holes for pickup mounting, these will fit right in (it looks like the pickup legs on these will work with 1 or 2 screws on either side). Brand new, they should still be in your price range.


----------



## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

You can also add a resistor to the ground where the coil is tapped. The resistor will allow more sound to come through. The ground causes the short to turn off the coil but the resistor allows some of the grounded coil to get through. You have to experiment with the resistor value to get the tone you want though


Double p90 and ditch the humbuckers is my second answer


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Vineham custom winds?


----------



## BbMaj7B13 (Dec 14, 2021)

Whats your budget? Seymour Duncan have some PAFs that could fit your taste. That would be my budget choice. Look at Tone Specific for high high end stuff


----------



## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Fender Wide Range?


----------



## Mikev7305 (Jan 6, 2020)

Following with interest as I started the same research last night in my latest build dreams


----------



## John123 (Jul 22, 2020)

Thornbuckers


----------



## Smylight (Jun 28, 2016)

Last year I installed the classic combo of JB/Jazz in a customer's Frankensteinish Strat. Not being a fan of splittable humbuckers, I was very surprised to find great and very usable sounds in there, including some credible Tele style sounds in single coil mode. I was surprised but this was not enough to entice me to build one for myself. Now, maybe I should try a set of P90s… ;-)


Pierre
Guitares Torvisse


----------



## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Budda said:


> Vineham custom winds?


Agree fully at looking at Vineham’s. I haven’t been disappointed yet in the sets I’ve purchased and neither have to folks I have recommended them to.

I will look at what he has with some of the resistances suggested by @FatStrat2


----------



## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

BbMaj7B13 said:


> Whats your budget? Seymour Duncan have some PAFs that could fit your taste. That would be my budget choice. Look at Tone Specific for high high end stuff


If like to be in (or below) the $300 mark.


----------



## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Just throwing out there, have you ever thought of P-Rails? Single coil, PAFish and a humbucker all in one!


----------



## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

MarkM said:


> Just throwing out there, have you ever thought of P-Rails? Single coil, PAFish and a humbucker all in one!


Crossed my mind… I think I’m looking for full H/B’s not, really close. Having said that, I can’t remember the last time I played/heard rails.

Visually, the body would be Shell Pink, tortoise guard, cream knobs, rosewood (CBS)neck, and chrome covered H/B’s.

At least… that’s what’s in my head.

I do not like the look of H/S/S so none of my Strats have humbuckers. I want to go “all in” with the look of HH.


----------



## hagfan (Apr 7, 2011)

I put a set of Vineham Brown Noses in a HSH Strat build.

Can't say it any plainer than - absolutely fantastic pickups !!!! ( I have used a bunch of Craig's pickups, and have stopped looking elsewhere)

Not LP, not Strat, its own thing. They do pretty much everything, both clean and dirty.


----------



## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

I’ve always wanted to build a Jimmy Herring style guitar with 2HB’s, wired up with Volume/Volume/Tone. I think Jimmy uses Lollars on his, but I don’t have any suggestions personally. I’m mostly a single coil guy. I love the looks of this Suhr...


----------



## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Sneaky said:


> I’ve always wanted to build a Jimmy Herring style guitar with 2HB’s, wired up with Volume/Volume/Tone. I think Jimmy uses Lollars on his, but I don’t have any suggestions personally. I’m mostly a single coil guy. I love the looks of this Suhr...


If I didn’t have a Sonic Blue single coil Strat, I’d be all over this! But, going with pink.


----------



## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

hagfan said:


> I put a set of Vineham Brown Noses in a HSH Strat build.
> 
> Can't say it any plainer than - absolutely fantastic pickups !!!! ( I have used a bunch of Craig's pickups, and have stopped looking elsewhere)
> 
> Not LP, not Strat, its own thing. They do pretty much everything, both clean and dirty.


You sir may be the winning suggestion. I’m going to dig deeper on these “Brown Nose” pups.


----------



## Johnnyko5 (Feb 25, 2021)

A HH Strat will always be a bit of a non-strat to me. Not that that is a bad thing. Humbuckers I like by themselves are usually a bit weak for good split sounds. Closest thing I've found is really bringing the screw coils up so when you split/ground the slug coils you have some umph in the screw cool split. Then the humbucker sound is a little unbalanced coil / snarly. There are a few options out there. 10k bridge and 8k neck would be my choice. A Suhr SSV+ or SSH and SSV neck or double thornbucker/thornbucker+ are pretty great and Suhr puts them in his strats. New they're a bit pricey but you can find used ones for reasonable.

I think a pair of duncan slash Aii's would be a good fit as well, but never tried,and pearly gates are great if you want a bit of bite.. Personally I'd stay away from Duncan custom (any of the variations)


----------



## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

I've got one of these Fender Double Fat Hot Rod Strats (although mine is a hardtail) that came stock from Fender with Seymour Duncans- a Pearly Gates Plus bridge pickup and a '59 in the neck. Combined with some splitting via the 5-way it's got good single coil and humbucker tones on tap.


----------



## BbMaj7B13 (Dec 14, 2021)

SWLABR said:


> If like to be in (or below) the $300 mark.


Check out Lindy Fralin!


----------



## Doug B (Jun 19, 2017)

BbMaj7B13 said:


> Check out Lindy Fralin!



More Specifically: Lindy Fralin Pure PAF.


----------



## nman (Sep 14, 2019)

Fender put out MIM HH Blacktop Strats and Teles for some years. Really liked mine. Felt and sounded like high-end MIM. A review:









Fender Blacktop Stratocaster HH review


A muscular, road-worthy take on a classic that's big on value




www.musicradar.com


----------



## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

JBFairthorne said:


> Fender Wide Range?


Yeah, that would be my choice, especially at the neck.

I've been tempted in the past to use three SD mini humbuckers in a Strat but never acted on it.


----------



## BbMaj7B13 (Dec 14, 2021)

Doug B said:


> More Specifically: Lindy Fralin Pure PAF.


Exactly


----------



## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

nman said:


> Fender put out MIM HH Blacktop Strats and Teles for some years. Really liked mine. Felt and sounded like high-end MIM. A review:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I remember those. I have a Baritone in this line. Haven’t seen pink with tortoise though.


----------



## g#m (Apr 12, 2021)

I had Dimarzio 36th Anniversary in one of my strats. Medium output PAF tone with lots of definition.


----------



## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

I've asked Craig at Vineham for his thoughts on these for the tones I'm looking for. 


*“Sweet V59's"*- This is our take on the 1959 PAF humbuckers. The Sweet V59's are built and voiced to replicate some of the best sounding '59 PAF's ever made. With offset coils and rough-cast Alnico 4 magnets, these are clear, dynamic and smooth, with a sweet treble and a singing upper midrange.
Bridge 8.4k - Neck 7.5k

*"Womanizer"*- These are our take that famous Clapton Woman tone that he achieved with one of the most Iconic SG’s ever .”The Fool SG” was 1964 SG with the psychedelic paint job .These are very much FULL OF PAF GOODNESS .
I designed these for my own SG to get the Cream /Crossroads/White room/Wheels of fire tone & after several prototypes here they are . 
We use a custom sized short rough cast Alnico 5 magnets, Degaussed to vintage specs for that true Vintage tone . 
These also sound great in a Les Paul & other guitars
Bridge 8.2k - Neck 7.8k

*"6070" *(as well as Classic & Classic Plus) These recreate the classic T-Top tones of the late 60's and 70's and of course, all the modern tones you love so much. We use a custom short rough-cast Alnico 5 magnets and SPN magnet wire with matched coils to recreate the classic t-top tone in the neck position. The bridge pickup has a hot, heavy and punchy tone to push into overdrive more easily. Who doesn't like AC/DC or Black Sabbath crunch.
Bridge 8.8k - Neck 7.8k


----------

