Strat SSS pickup selector 3 or 5

[jlbaxe]

I have a USA 07 deluxe with a 5 position switch. Never use the 4th position and rarely use the 2nd position. When switching from 1 to 3 or 5 to 3 I find myself passing 3 so my switching isn't as smooth. Been thinking about changing out the S1 (don't use that anyway) pick ups and guard and go with 3 singles with a 3 way lever.

What do you guys like and why? What pups ? Suggestions?

I like Floyd (DG EMGs or 50s pups), Clapton, Hendrix and the Stones for example of pickups for tones. Clean sparkle not bright or brittle and can get some grit when digging in. Do I need two tone knobs?

 

[Digital Jams]

Shows how peope are different, I love pos 2 and 4.

 

[jlbaxe]

I like 2. BUT with the S1 off or on, 4 sounds muddy with the humbucker. I luv the guitar but I think the S1 system sucks so I leave it off.

 

[rrobertson]

Shows how peope are different, I love pos 2 and 4.

+1 That's really all I ever use when I break out the Strat

 

[Badronald]

Never use 2, 3 or 4. Useless for me.

I actually wish they made a two position switch for Stratocaster. 1 and 5.

 

[grooveHT]

Never use 2, 3 or 4. Useless for me.

I actually wish they made a two position switch for Stratocaster. 1 and 5.

Think the Richie Blackmoore strat had a neck and bridge pickup, that's it; three position switch with neck, neck + bridge, and bridge. Might be worth a shot wiring it like that?

 

[Badronald]

Never use 2, 3 or 4. Useless for me.

I actually wish they made a two position switch for Stratocaster. 1 and 5.

Think the Richie Blackmoore strat had a neck and bridge pickup, that's it; three position switch with neck, neck + bridge, and bridge. Might be worth a shot wiring it like that?

Yeah. The next Stratocaster I wire up will be a 3 way.

 

[cyndicate]

Shows how peope are different, I love pos 2 and 4.

+1, this is what makes a strat a strat!

Also its the only 2 positions in a SSS config that doesn't hum like crazy

 

[kasperjensen]

Never use 2, 3 or 4. Useless for me.

I actually wish they made a two position switch for Stratocaster. 1 and 5.

Yeah I'm the same

 

[blackba]

Shows how peope are different, I love pos 2 and 4.

+1, this is what makes a strat a strat!

Also its the only 2 positions in a SSS config that doesn't hum like crazy

I also really like positions 2 and 4. I also like 1 (neck only), but often don't bond as well with position 3 or 5.

Unfortunately I have found that anything that reduces the hum (RWRP middle or noiseless pickups) also changes the tone in a way I don't like. Haven't tried a suhr backplate yet, that will be a next try. I went to a RWRP middle in my strat and am going back to a regular middle pickup.

 

[rupe]

I love positions 2&4 myself but that's not helping the OP with his question. If you don't like those sounds, definitely go with the 3-way switch. Its an easy modification to install and reverse if so desited. If you find yourself ever wanting those tones on a rare occassion, its easy to place a 3-way "in between" settings to get those sounds (although it can be a bitch to do it on the fly during a live performance).
As for pickups, there's a ton of stuff out there that will meet your needs. I'm not a big fan of EMGs but the Gilmour setup sounds pretty good, especially if you use some processing. If you like to plug straight in and use a more vintage-type amp, I'd go in another direction.
In my experience, I've liked everything that I've ever tried from Lindy Fralin...plus he'll custom wind pickups to meet your needs/goals. Although I never played them myself, I was extremely impressed with a guy's tone who was using a set of Kinmans...may have been the best live Strat tone that I've ever heard (he was plugged into an Egnater TOL playing classic rock and blues...no effects).
For a beefier Strat sound, the Dimarzio SDS-1 is hard to beat...almost like a Strat/P-90 "tweener"...very fat and hot yet still articulate.

 

[Joeytpg]

I use all 5 positions, the one I use less is pos. 2 and I use it about 15% of time.

I cannot live without pos. 4 (it's my clean tone) and pos. 5 (neck pup) it's my solo tone most of the time. In the past 6 months or so I've been using pos. 3 for my rythm sound instead of the bridge single coil (pos 1). But I use them all, a lot

 

[blackba]

I use all 5 positions, the one I use less is pos. 2 and I use it about 15% of time.

I cannot live without pos. 4 (it's my clean tone) and pos. 5 (neck pup) it's my solo tone most of the time. In the past 6 months or so I've been using pos. 3 for my rythm sound instead of the bridge single coil (pos 1). But I use them all, a lot

I wonder if we are all defining the switch positions the same.

I defined them as Neck (1) --> Bridge (5).
You defined them just the opposite.

What's the standard way? To me it makes most sense to start with the neck and work backwards, but that doesn't mean its the standard way.

 

[Joeytpg]

yeah I made more sense to me just like you, and I used to name them like that, until I saw all around the net that guitarist actually refer to the positions backwards (pos 1 bridge, pos. 5 neck)

 

[rupe]

I use all 5 positions, the one I use less is pos. 2 and I use it about 15% of time.

I cannot live without pos. 4 (it's my clean tone) and pos. 5 (neck pup) it's my solo tone most of the time. In the past 6 months or so I've been using pos. 3 for my rythm sound instead of the bridge single coil (pos 1). But I use them all, a lot

I wonder if we are all defining the switch positions the same.

I defined them as Neck (1) --> Bridge (5).
You defined them just the opposite.

What's the standard way? To me it makes most sense to start with the neck and work backwards, but that doesn't mean its the standard way.

The "standard" is 1>>>5 = bridge >>> neck

 

[blackba]

I use all 5 positions, the one I use less is pos. 2 and I use it about 15% of time.

I cannot live without pos. 4 (it's my clean tone) and pos. 5 (neck pup) it's my solo tone most of the time. In the past 6 months or so I've been using pos. 3 for my rythm sound instead of the bridge single coil (pos 1). But I use them all, a lot

I wonder if we are all defining the switch positions the same.

I defined them as Neck (1) --> Bridge (5).
You defined them just the opposite.

What's the standard way? To me it makes most sense to start with the neck and work backwards, but that doesn't mean its the standard way.

The "standard" is 1>>>5 = bridge >>> neck

That's going to take me a while to adjust to, been saying the other way for years. In a world where we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway it makes sense in some weird way.

 

[Hail Satin]

3 way or 5 way is all the same to me: just get me to the bridge pickup... two out of three
of my strats have 3 way switches on them and if I could just find a way to get rid of that
middle pickup...

 

[jlbaxe]

I always thought the neck was #1 and Bridge was #5

I like my neck pup I had the EMGs in my charvel and liked them.
I heard the Kinman and Lindy Fralin, have to check out the Suhr pups with the back plate.

 

[jmgman69]

I always love the 2/4 position on a strat,but then always switch it out with an HH

 

[jlbaxe]

I have the SSH on this one. Sold my standard, didn't have the weight and tone of the deluxe.