Suhr SSH+?

[stratjacket]

That is a Warmoth that I assembled. Neck is roasted Maple with Indian Rosewood board.

That’s sharp. Love the color and pickup layout. Looks like a real shredder

 

[Rex Rocker]

FWIW my fav combo for a while was the Aldrich Bridge + Thornbucker Neck

Yeah, I was kind of undecided about what to get for the neck position too. I kinda like the Duncan '59. How does the Thornbucker compare?

 

[WizardSouth-JP]

I've had multiple Suhr's with the SSH+ and I ultimately replace them because they have a furry voicing around the note that's just unpleasant to my ears and they lack clarity. The regular SSH is better, the SSV is even better (or DSV.)

 

[SFW]

I've had both.... I vastly prefer the Aldrich. It is fuller sounding and the highs are more rounded and pleasant. With the SSH+ I find the highs to be a bit harsh. YMMV.

 

[Rex Rocker]

So the general concensus is it's brighter and more attack-y?

BTW, I emailed Suhr about it, and they tell me it's the same "Special" Alnico on the SSH+ and all of their pickups that use A5. I thought it'd be important to say that because they don't mention it being special on their site.

 

[Nitrobattery]

So the general concensus is it's brighter and more attack-y?

BTW, I emailed Suhr about it, and they tell me it's the same "Special" Alnico on the SSH+ and all of their pickups that use A5. I thought it'd be important to say that because they don't mention it being special on their site.

It's custom made for Suhr to the exact recipe that Fender used in the early 60's. The magnets used for pickups to chip when they were cut, so Leo had to pay people to grind the magnets. It's why Strat pickups and Tele neck pickups have covers. They weren't pretty. To combat this, they changed the formula so that the magnets weren't as brittle when they cooled. This also changed how they sounded.

When John was a senior master builder at the Fender Custom Shop Jeff Beck asked for them to make him some pickups like in his old '63 Strat, and they went through multiple batches and couldn't do it. John figured out that the magnets were different, so he tracked down the original supplier and asked if they still had the formula that they used for Fender in those days. He ended up chatting with a guy who still worked there who was around in the early 60's and they were able to recreate it. That's the Alnico V special. Suhr guitars are currently the only ones with that magnet, which is why their singlecoils are about as dead-on a recreation of the early 60's Fender pickups that you can get.

 

[Rex Rocker]

It's custom made for Suhr to the exact recipe that Fender used in the early 60's. The magnets used for pickups to chip when they were cut, so Leo had to pay people to grind the magnets. It's why Strat pickups and Tele neck pickups have covers. They weren't pretty. To combat this, they changed the formula so that the magnets weren't as brittle when they cooled. This also changed how they sounded.

When John was a senior master builder at the Fender Custom Shop Jeff Beck asked for them to make him some pickups like in his old '63 Strat, and they went through multiple batches and couldn't do it. John figured out that the magnets were different, so he tracked down the original supplier and asked if they still had the formula that they used for Fender in those days. He ended up chatting with a guy who still worked there who was around in the early 60's and they were able to recreate it. That's the Alnico V special. Suhr guitars are currently the only ones with that magnet, which is why their singlecoils are about as dead-on a recreation of the early 60's Fender pickups that you can get.

That's pretty fancy. I wonder what the gauss is on them compared to the stuff that Duncan and Gibson use. My Aldrich peaks about as high as my 498T when recording DI's, but the Aldrich is higher DCR. Not that DCR equals output, I know that. But there must be something going on with that magnet that makes it not as hot as a JB, for example.

Not complaining, though. I love the tone of my Aldrich, and I'm considering an SSH+ as well.

 

[BlueParfait]

Yeah, I was kind of undecided about what to get for the neck position too. I kinda like the Duncan '59. How does the Thornbucker compare?

Thinner, clearer, less bass

 

[Rex Rocker]

Thinner, clearer, less bass

Sounds like a great pickup!