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You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. HSS vs SSS question about Strat's

Thread starter dlwalke
Start date Mar 26, 2021

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dlwalke

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Joined Mar 29, 2019 Messages 561 Reaction score 344 I'm planning on getting my 2nd electric (my first is a BMG "Red" Special"). I'm almost certain to get a Fender Stratocaster. Most of the time when I hear a sound I like on a Fender, it's someone playing on the neck pickup. I also like a Humbucker sound a lot and down the road, will probably get a Les Paul Studio. For the Strat purchase, and based on the observations above, I am thinking my next guitar will be a HSS Strat but I haven't completely made up my mind. Anyway, I guess I have a couple of questions relevant to that. First, is there a traditional iconic Strat bridge p.u. sound I will be missing out on? If so, can you point me to any examples (songs that I can listen to) where that sound is evident so I can a sense of whether or not that sound is something I would not want to go without? Second, do contemporary Fender Strats (like the kind I would buy new) have a big open route that would allow me to switch out between a SSS or HSS loaded pick guard. That's a thing, right? Thanks. -Dave

suparsonic

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Joined Nov 21, 2008 Messages 4,125 Reaction score 3,820 Location Melbourne, Australia SSS configuration works best in conjunction with each other, with a HSS the humbucker always sounds out of place to the single coils. A HSS will work if you use different amp/pedal settings for different pick ups. Here's a demo I did using a SSS, I flicked around all 3 pickups using the same amp settings, and kicked in a little boost for the solos. The Rythmn parts are SC bridge. Brian N

Brian N

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Joined Dec 13, 2015 Messages 3,090 Reaction score 5,320 No, I dont believe there is an iconic "strat bridge sound". I'm sure someone on here will have some artists who use it though. In the end, it comes down to whether you like that humbucker sound better. Fender strats dont generally have a swimming pool route, but they do have a larger route around the bridge pickup to accommodate a humbucker. The exception to that may be certain signature models.

CanuckChris

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Joined Oct 28, 2017 Messages 2,866 Reaction score 5,491 I now only play HSS strats. The bridge position single coil sound just does not do it for me. I'm sure there's some songs that use it, but for myself, I much prefer the meatier sound of the humbucker. YMMV and all that jazz. As for the routing, it likely depends on the series you're looking at. Definitely MIM and most MIA are HSH routed. CS and artist series seem to lean towards SSS. Check a place like the Stratosphere where they part out guitars and have "naked" pictures of bodies. R

RayBarbeeMusic

Senior Member

Joined Sep 10, 2012 Messages 5,522 Reaction score 6,894 Location Nashville Use a DiMarzio Chopper (PAF sounding) or Fast Track 1 (Hot single coil sounding) in the bridge. They both quack well in position 2 without having to split, and you can always go back to SSS since you haven't changed the routing or pickguard.

doesitmatter

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Joined Jul 3, 2009 Messages 617 Reaction score 332 Location Chicago The issue I have with HSS is not so much the humbucker sound in the bridge but the fact that it's not angled that makes it un-strat-like. I have a Seymour Duncan JBJr which fits in the bridge single coil slot and it's the best of both worlds. Last edited: Mar 26, 2021

59Bassman

Plank Cranker

Gold Supporting Member Joined Oct 4, 2004 Messages 4,060 Reaction score 8,040 I have both. What I grab most often are the HSS models. I set mine up with a series/parallel switch on the lower tone knob for the humbuckers.

Capstan Philips

Silver Supporting Member Joined Jan 6, 2014 Messages 7,079 Reaction score 14,372 Dick Dale and Hank Marvin made some fairly iconic sounds with Strat SC pickups, in the "surf rock" realm. It's also handy for country styles. On the other hand, if you're playing a set that is more geared to rock than country or surf, an HSS Strat makes for a very vesitile and ergonomic instrument. Dave Gilmour and Ritchie Blackmore are of course fond of the Strat bridge SC, but for covering their tunes IMO a HB in the same position works well enough. Last edited: Mar 26, 2021

Benz2112

Memba?

Gold Supporting Member Joined Jul 11, 2017 Messages 12,679 Reaction score 61,451 Location Utica, NY I like SSS, because it isnt just position 1, but that position 2 you lose with a humbucker. Also, a bridge single coils will likely sound better with a fuzz. shane8

shane8

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Joined Oct 10, 2008 Messages 33,243 Reaction score 95,669 Location boganville no iconic bridge sound? c'mon fwiw SSS rules :dude

jvin248

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Joined Jan 13, 2016 Messages 7,202 Reaction score 11,665 . I started with an HSS because everyone suggested 'versatility!' but I found it more redundant than useful after I had more than one guitar. You are going down the path of the 'traditional trinity': Tele, Strat, LP. And you will find an HSS Strat is redundant to the LP as I did. I modded my HSS Strat like crazy trying to fix the inconsistency of tones between the singles and humbucker. Eventually I just put classic SSS single coils in it and the guitar was like home. I added an Armstrong Blender mod which is a simple wiring change no new parts, and I can blend from stock SSS into series HSH, but better than hard switching the blending allows me to tweak a little more or a little less. Sometimes humbuckers can be fizzy with too much gain on an amp/pedals, then just roll back the blender and bring in a little more single coil emphasis. Or if the single coil seems 'thin' you can thicken it up with a little humbucker tweak. Certainly, most Strat models are routed for HSS while shipping with SSS or HSS. I'll buy HSS Strats and convert with a loaded pickguard to go SSS. Hendrix used the bridge pickup for solos, playing on the neck for everything else. The #2 Quack, used by Dire Straights, is a classic Strat tone using the traditional single coil bridge pickup in parallel with the middle pickup. Robert Plant's solo album is full of 'quack' too. As far as the Gibson ... make sure you are ok with the whole 'fragile headstock drama' before getting one. instead, get an Epiphone or the other brands that do not have such a severe problem (Gibson fixed their Epiphones so they are stronger but have not improved their main line, continuing to put the risk on owners). .

Shredtrash

Gold Supporting Member Joined Dec 7, 2007 Messages 11,160 Reaction score 6,682 Location Albuquerque, NM I've never been a fan of the Strat bridge position single coil. If I want that, I go for a Tele.

Vanilla Latte

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Joined May 9, 2019 Messages 1,082 Reaction score 2,423 Go SSS. Much better resale value. Plus if you want a fatter humbucker sound simply replace the bridge pickup with an Air Norton S or a Chopper. I have two pickguards for my Strat, and switch them depending on the project. They are both SSS but one is loaded with Lace sensors and the other with Air Norton S pickups. Best of both worlds. Brooks

Brooks

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Joined Aug 13, 2004 Messages 7,010 Reaction score 6,193 Location North Cacolaki

RayBarbeeMusic said: Use a DiMarzio Chopper (PAF sounding) or Fast Track 1 (Hot single coil sounding) in the bridge. They both quack well in position 2 without having to split, and you can always go back to SSS since you haven't changed the routing or pickguard. Click to expand...

This. I use a DiMarzio Super Distortion-S. I like keeping a more traditional look.

TomBombadil

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Joined Jan 18, 2019 Messages 928 Reaction score 2,014 I just bought the HSS Ultra Strat. I really like it, however there is a noticeable difference in the pickups and single coil vintage-style pickups. You don’t get that quack in position 2 (even with the double tap humbucker, really) but you do get it in position 4. I still really like it though. It’s arguably more versatile. They should be routed with the ability to stick a single coil in the bridge if you choose to, though. M

Member 99324

HSS for me. I have no need for a single in the bridge. schwa

schwa

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Joined Mar 15, 2008 Messages 2,665 Reaction score 995 Location Waltham, MA I think a HB in a Strat can let it go places it couldn't otherwise. But I would still prefer a "proper" HB guitar if one was available. For years, I was fascinated by Jimi Hendrix and how he seemed to get such thick sounds from his SS Strats. I eventually learned that a Fuzz Face pedal can turn a single coil pickup into a whooly monster. If I'm playing gainy music and only have one guitar, I find a HB is very useful. You do lose the mid/bridge combo in most cases, but the other combos are available and useful. I don't think one is better than the other, it depends on where you are coming from musically. GenoVox

GenoVox

Gold Supporting Member Joined Feb 24, 2006 Messages 9,087 Reaction score 26,129 Location Buffalo, NY I like both... and have both - either way, the goal is to have a fatter-sounding bridge unit. Ive never been a fan of the stock bridge pickup on any Strat I’ve owned - having a tone control for it helps, but only so much TheClev

TheClev

As seen on TV

Joined May 16, 2012 Messages 5,888 Reaction score 20,170 Location O-H-I-O IMHO, the route doesn't matter. I love the Dimarzio Chopper pickup or Seymour Duncan hot rails, both of which are great humbuckers that fit in single coil and sound fantastic. A

Allbread

Member

Joined May 15, 2010 Messages 148 Reaction score 92 I like the sound of a humbucker in the bridge and I also really like having a noise free bridge position since it’s often used with gain.

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dlwalke

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suparsonic

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Brian N

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CanuckChris

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RayBarbeeMusic

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doesitmatter

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59Bassman

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Capstan Philips

Benz2112

Memba?

shane8

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jvin248

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Shredtrash

Vanilla Latte

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Brooks

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TomBombadil

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schwa

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GenoVox

TheClev

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Allbread

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