So what's a good neck and middle single coil?

[LP Freak]

I'm looking for a neck and middle single coil to go along with an Aldrich in the bridge of my Strat. Stock pickups are Fender 50's and they sound too weak so what do you guys recommend?

 

[Anonymous]

Duncan Custom Flat SSL-6. Friggin' killer in the neck and middle. They are 12.9K. They easily have enough output to match a '70s 13.3K Mighty Mite 1300 Distortion bridge hum pickup... I'm not going by spec here either - measured it myself...

Steve[

 

[rcm78]

My main gigging guitar is a modded Jackson PC-1. All the electronics were gutted and I've gone through a slew of pickups. Finally settled on this setup and it does just about everything very well...

Neck - DiMarzio Area 61
Middle - DiMarzio Area 67
Bridge - 36th Ann PAF

This combo is very balanced!!! No perceivable volume drop going from the bridge to the singles.
The #4 position on this guitar has a fantastic quack!!!

Other pickups that didn't work for me in this guitar:
OEM DiMarzio Super 3 - Highs were way too rolled off
Suhr Aldrich - Lacked low end
DiMarzio SD - Lacked clarity
Duncan '78 - Too mid focussed (I'm saving this one for an Ash body)

I also had a DiMarzio BC-1 in the neck with a Series/Parallel switch. Cool pickup for soloing and sounded good in parallel for stratty stuff but it lost too much volume in parallel mode.

The 36th ann is a very balanced pickup and even though it's not a high gain pickup it is loud!!!

 

[LP Freak]

Duncan Custom Flat SSL-6. Friggin' killer in the neck and middle. They are 12.9K. They easily have enough output to match a '70s 13.3K Mighty Mite 1300 Distortion bridge hum pickup... I'm not going by spec here either - measured it myself...

Steve[

So how do they sound being higher output? Is the top end compromised or do they still get the singlecoil quack?

 

[Anonymous]

Duncan Custom Flat SSL-6. Friggin' killer in the neck and middle. They are 12.9K. They easily have enough output to match a '70s 13.3K Mighty Mite 1300 Distortion bridge hum pickup... I'm not going by spec here either - measured it myself...

Steve[

So how do they sound being higher output? Is the top end compromised or do they still get the singlecoil quack?

What I love about them is that, although they are higher output, they still sound like good single coils. A little easier legato and a better match for higher output hums because of the higher output. You'll love 'em...

Steve

 

[LP Freak]

Duncan Custom Flat SSL-6. Friggin' killer in the neck and middle. They are 12.9K. They easily have enough output to match a '70s 13.3K Mighty Mite 1300 Distortion bridge hum pickup... I'm not going by spec here either - measured it myself...

Steve[

So how do they sound being higher output? Is the top end compromised or do they still get the singlecoil quack?

What I love about them is that, although they are higher output, they still sound like good single coils. A little easier legato and a better match for higher output hums because of the higher output. You'll love 'em...

Steve

Cool, thanks man.

 

[Badronald]

I use Dimarzio Injectors and Duncan Quarter Pounds with my Aldrich equipped Stratocasters. The Duncan is great but I slightly prefer the Dimarzio. Sounds more like the stock neck Fender Stratocaster pickup which is actually my favorite. I only use the others to keep up with the Aldrich.

 

[Shawn Lutz]

I like SD 1/4 pounder and the old DiMarzio YJM's

 

[jski59]

Suhr FL's are it for me...

 

[kmanick]

area 67 in the middle and Heavy blues 2 in the neck of my Charvel SoCal.
sounds killer they are dead silent yet still sound like true singles.
the Heavy blues 2 has become my favorite single neck pup

 

[LP Freak]

I've got a heavy blues but haven't had it in a guitar for many years so I forgot what it sounds like

 

[rcm78]

I've got a heavy blues but haven't had it in a guitar for many years so I forgot what it sounds like

My guy at DiMarzio says if you put an "Area 67" in the middle of a hum sing sing guitar the #4 position will always give you the strat quack... The 67 is very bright and glassy and works well with darker high output neck single coils...

 

[Badronald]

I've got a heavy blues but haven't had it in a guitar for many years so I forgot what it sounds like

My original, no. 1 Stratocaster has a Heavy Blues (original) in it at the bridge and it sounds great. Been in there 12 years or so. Sounds fat and sings. Probably never change it.

 

[boost]

I had a 36th Ann, 61, 61, set up in a strat for a bit. I loved the way the 2nd position sounded with the 36th split. A 67 in the middle would have had even more quack to it. I'd just get a 67 for the middle and put the heavy blues you have in the neck and see if that works for you.

My other strat has a SSL5 (tapped), SSL1, SSL1, set up in it. The SSL5 is fat and if you order it tapped for the neck, you can put a push pull pot on it and have the full fat sound of the SSL5 or get cleaner with it tapped. Tapped it is about the output of a SSL1 so you'd have a couple of different neck option sounds if needed.

I still like my Fralin's best. SP43, Blues Special, Blues Special, above all, but these wouldn't be high enough output for you.

 

[aizenx]

area 67 in the middle and Heavy blues 2 in the neck of my Charvel SoCal.
sounds killer they are dead silent yet still sound like true singles.
the Heavy blues 2 has become my favorite single neck pup

^ This. The heavy blues 2 is the perfect neck pickup. All my neck singles are heavy blues 2.

Here's a pretty good demo of 'em (not me