Neck humbucker (SC size) recommendations for Kramer SM-1

[Speeddemon]

Guys, I have a nice re-issue Kramer SM-1, that came stock with 2 Seymour Duncan Cool Rails (neck and middle) and a JB bridge.
So far, I've added a ToneVise Pitchshifter to the Floyd Rose, and replaced the (already brass, but thin) trem block with a thick, 34mm trem block.
This had quite an impact on the overall tone, making things sound bigger, thicker and juicier, but at the cost of some sparkle and clarity.

Especially the Cool Rails neck is thick, smooth city now. I'm thinking of swapping it for something a bit more lively, that can still do shreddy stuff.
Note, I'm not interested in boutique pups. But a more medium output, more Stratty, but still noiseless pickup.
Mostly considering the Duncan Lil' Screamin' Demon and the DiMarzio Chopper.

What's your take on these?
I've had the Chopper in a Hamer Californian (H-S super strat with a lic. Floyd) and it sounded great there.

Also had the Super Distortion S and Air Norton S in that guitar and they were a bit too much output and thick for me.
My fave. 80's shreddy/metal neck pickup tones are Warren DeMartini, George Lynch and John Norum.

For DeMartini, think the slow intro lead tone starting at 0m12s in Shame Shame Shame (AKA Intro To Shame).

 

[War_in_D]

For DeMartini, think the slow intro lead tone starting at 0m12s in Shame Shame Shame (AKA Intro To Shame).

Totally unrelated but I read (or saw) somewhere that the intro to Shame, Shame, Shame was also called War in D (Warren D). I've always been a huge DeMartini fan, so I've been using that as my forum name forever.

With regard to single coil sized humbuckers.. I got nuthin' but good luck in your search!!

 

[EyesOfTheSouth!]

My favorite single size humbuckers in the neck are the Dimarzio Satch Track and Duncan lil screamin Demon.

 

[grooveHT]

You said above that you want something Stratty, but with some output; I'd shy away from pickups that are trying to sound like humbuckers, like the lil Demon and maybe go for a Hot Stack Plus or something like that. Dimarzio VV Heavy Blues or Solo ticks those boxes as well, or a Lindy Fralin High Output split blade.

 

[hammered]

I'd bet he was using a standard Strat for that intro . He started using the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound in the neck of his signature guitars years later. I doubt any of that helps but just thought I'd throw it out there

 

[Speeddemon]

I'd shy away from pickups that are trying to sound like humbuckers, like the lil Demon

I was going on the BMT values on the Duncan site as well as my experience with the full sized Demon in the neck of my ESP Horizon NTII.

Also, perhaps an important detail; the Kramer SM-1 has a coil-tap toggle switch for all pickups. The Cool Rails, when split, sounds really nice and stratty and I know my full-sized Screamin Demon does too (the ESP also has a push-push volume pot for coil-taps). Then it actually delivers a good Stratty sound in spades, FYI.

@hammered thanks, that's cool info. I've stayed away from the Quarter Pound neck, as I think it might be too thick sounding. Having used a SSL-5 and SSL-6 Custom Staggered and Flat in the past, those were really nice, like a souped-up Strat, but the downside is, no noise/hum cancelling.

 

[Speeddemon]

Any more input on the Chopper and Lil' Screamin' Demon?

 

[Devin]

Was going to suggest the Chopper which I have also been using in my Californian for well over a decade lmao


I don't find it very stratty sounding but my Cali is thick honduran mahogany so idk how much difference that makes. It does sound awesome though!

 

[Speeddemon]

Was going to suggest the Chopper which I have also been using in my Californian for well over a decade lmao


I don't find it very stratty sounding but my Cali is thick honduran mahogany so idk how much difference that makes. It does sound awesome though!

Thanks @Devin , maybe I didn't mean 'Stratty' per se, but at least more clear and open sounding than what the Duncan Cool Rails is giving me.

I sold my 2 Californians (weren't USA ones though...), but I sure as hell miss having an H-S guitar. I can live without the Floyd, but yeah, if the right Californian comes across my path, I hope to snag it up.
The Indonesian one had the boomerang inlays and may have looked better. But that one wasn't as good as the Korean one.
That one (also thick mahogany) I believe was a JB + a Chopper, since I got rid of those Duncan Designed pickups it came with stock early on.

 

[Devin]

Yeah the Korean Hamers are legit; I used to have a Korean Standard back in the day that was rad; wish I still had it


My Cali is an '89 USA model

 

[JohnnyGtar]

You said above that you want something Stratty, but with some output; I'd shy away from pickups that are trying to sound like humbuckers, like the lil Demon and maybe go for a Hot Stack Plus or something like that. Dimarzio VV Heavy Blues or Solo ticks those boxes as well, or a Lindy Fralin High Output split blade.

 

[Speeddemon]

Guys, it could very well be that I have the wrong info about my guitar.
I did some DC measurements and both neck and middle pickups of the Kramer SM-1 measured a whopping 16k!

So.... Fat chance that there are Cool Rails in there, but most likely Hot Rails!
I found an old forum message on the My Les Paul forum, that suggested that the earlier Korean made runs of this guitar were in fact delivered with Hot Rails instead of Cool Rails.

This means I'm trying to fix or counter a different thing than the original statement of "a brighter Cool Rails neck". Because if indeed there's a Hot Rails BRIDGE in the neck position of my guitar, it would ?% explain why it's so thick and smooth sounding with not enough clarity.

 

[Speeddemon]

Turns out I was right... there are f**kin' Hot Rails BRIDGE pickups in the neck and middle positions.
I just yanked the middle one out. They only sound nice to me when split. Aside from the JB in the bridge, which I love in this guitar, I really don't need such high output pickups, especially in the middle position.

 

[JackBootedThug]

I threw a dimarzio virtual vintage bridge in the neck position on my Jackson. Works great.

 

[Speeddemon]

So, an update:
Both original neck and middle pickups turned out to be 16.6k Hot Rails bridge pickups.
Too hot, dark, smooth, no snappiness. Only when split, were they more what I was looking for.
I asked Kramer/Gibson about this, and according to their records, this 2013 model should've been loaded with Cool Rails.

I found a used (white) Chopper, which I put in the neck and found a used Little '59 Neck, that I put in the middle.

So far this guitar behaves a lot more as I wanted.
The Chopper in humbucking mode already has more bell-like chime, while remaining reasonably thick, but not overly smooth.
For a week or so, I also had a cheap rails (9k DC resistance) pickup in the middle, which was very mild-mannered and didn't really wow me. Probably better for folks who want something to thicken up a Strat, but I wanted a brighter middle pickup, so I was glad to find the Little '59.
Who knows, that Little '59 may bump up to the neck spot, should I find a different Duncan (maybe a Parallel Axis or Vintage Hot Stack Plus...something relatively bright for the middle position, as the guitar is on the darker side...full mahogany body + neck, neckthru design and I added a beefy 34mm big brass block for the Floyd).

 

[Speeddemon]

Another update;
After a while, I found that I wanted a bit more snap from the middle pickup *and* I did notice the slight drop in volume during bends with the Lil' 59, because of the smaller pole-pieces; something that a rail-design doesn't suffer from.

So, out went the Little '59 and in went a Dimarzio Fast Track 1 (and it came with a logo'd cover, which I placed on the Chopper in the neck position).
See attached files.

The FT1 does a lot more for this guitar in brightness. The Lil' 59 had some nice mix-tones in the 2 and 4 switch positions (more quacky), but the FT1 takes that up a notch.

Now I wonder, if there's something noiseless, that's an even bolder version of the Chopper with more low-end and brightness, but not too mid-honky...something that sounds more like the full sized Air Norton when split. Note: I've tried the Air Norton S in the past, which I found too smooth and dark.
I'm thinking like a Breed Neck in single coil size, if it would exist! Not too hot, but definitely can hang with a high output bridge pickup, and at the same time almost sounds more like a Duncan SSL-5 Custom Staggered, only noiseless and a tad more beefy... That's the only thing that I wish the Chopper would do more of.

 

[JohnnyGtar]

Seymour Duncan STK-S2 Hot Stack neck model. Here are 2 clips with that pickup in a guitars with locking tremolo bridges:


Floyd Rose bridge - 22 fret neck:



Ibanez Edge bridge - 24 fret neck:



Seymour Duncan website - STK-S2 Hot Stack page:
https://www.seymourduncan.com/single-product/hot-stack-strat

 

[Speeddemon]

Interesting option @JohnnyGtar

Do you happen to have any experience with the Custom Stack Plus? Supposedly the noiseless version of the SSL-5/SSL-6 Custom Staggered/Flat...
That one sounds kinda interesting too.

 

[itsme]

Cool rails are hands down my fav neck singlebucker. So I’m no help

 

[JohnnyGtar]

Interesting option @JohnnyGtar

Do you happen to have any experience with the Custom Stack Plus? Supposedly the noiseless version of the SSL-5/SSL-6 Custom Staggered/Flat...
That one sounds kinda interesting too.

No, I don't. That does sound interesting!