TA Drop Top vs Fender CS '69 Strat: neck PU tone

[BaRTY]

I've got Tom Anderson Drop Top with Floyd and Fender CS '69 NOS Strat. Both alder body, maple neck and rosewood fretboards. TA has maple cap.
I like both guitars for different reasons, but... I want to discuss the tone of both in neck position (Strat - CS Custom '69, TA - SA1R).

I feel like TA lacks high end presence in comparison with this Fender. I want this high end chime on TA's neck position.

Is this floyd eating that chime of vintage 6p tremolo that Fender has? Or is that SA1R sounding less chimey?
Maybe I need more classic wood (solid alder/ash) and bridge config to have this high end chime?

I would appreiate your help, folks.

 

[thiswaythatway]

The SA1R really isn't a true single coil pickup I believe. It's hum cancelling so you won't get that chime.

 

[yngzaklynch]

I've been told by a killer "strat" player that bent saddles on a vintage bridge contributes a lot to great strat tone.

 

[BaRTY]

Tom Anderson himself suggested to try VA7s for traditional singlecoil sound.

 

[Anonymous]

When I got my Anderson 10 yrs ago it had VA series pickups.
The only way I liked them was in split mode.

I replaced them with Kinmans which I kept until last year when I changed them to Lollar Blackface.

I now wish I'd kept the kinmans but both were a huge improvement over the originals.

Be aware that you'll need to alter the guitar's switching system too.

 

[Code001]

VAs cannot be split. Only the SA, SF, SC and SD series can.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry, I meant SA's

 

[rupe]

A true single coil is possibly what you need, but it's no absolute guarantee...the issue could be the guitar itself or the Floyd (especially if it's floating). A split SA1 in my hollow swamp ash Classic has more chime than any of my real singles in other guitars.

 

[BaRTY]

A true single coil is possibly what you need, but it's no absolute guarantee...the issue could be the guitar itself or the Floyd (especially if it's floating). A split SA1 in my hollow swamp ash Classic has more chime than any of my real singles in other guitars.

Swamp ash is not a maple capped alder body, so the comparison is not true.

SA1R sounds really good in neck position, rich and fat. But it reminds me more of a fat humbucker sound. Custom '69 pu sounds thinner and high freqs "shine" more (can not find a better term). Perhaps I like the single coil more.

I feel like the best decision will be to swap the neck pus to find out if it makes sense.

 

[rupe]

A true single coil is possibly what you need, but it's no absolute guarantee...the issue could be the guitar itself or the Floyd (especially if it's floating). A split SA1 in my hollow swamp ash Classic has more chime than any of my real singles in other guitars.

Swamp ash is not a maple capped alder body, so the comparison is not true.

SA1R sounds really good in neck position, rich and fat. But it reminds me more of a fat humbucker sound. Custom '69 pu sounds thinner and high freqs "shine" more (can not find a better term). Perhaps I like the single coil more.

I feel like the best decision will be to swap the neck pus to find out if it makes sense.

The point was that you can get chime out of an SA1 contrary to what had been stated earlier in the thread (although you don't get it without splitting the pickup)...there were no caveats as to wood types being discussed in that regard. Beyond that, all guitars are different, even those using the exact same woods...the only "true" comparison is one pickup against another in the same guitar.

 

[cardinal]

A true single coil is possibly what you need, but it's no absolute guarantee...the issue could be the guitar itself or the Floyd (especially if it's floating). A split SA1 in my hollow swamp ash Classic has more chime than any of my real singles in other guitars.

I have a Drop Top 7 with SF1s and basswood/maple cap body with a Floyd. Don't know how the SF1s differ from the SA1, but the SF1 split has more "chime" than Lollar Blondes that I have in another guitar that is much more like a traditional Strat.

 

[rupe]

A true single coil is possibly what you need, but it's no absolute guarantee...the issue could be the guitar itself or the Floyd (especially if it's floating). A split SA1 in my hollow swamp ash Classic has more chime than any of my real singles in other guitars.

I have a Drop Top 7 with SF1s and basswood/maple cap body with a Floyd. Don't know how the SF1s differ from the SA1, but the SF1 split has more "chime" than Lollar Blondes that I have in another guitar that is much more like a traditional Strat.

The SF is actually a thicker sounding pickup than the SA and thereby has a bit less chime. But I agree, the SF split still "chimes" great...I have one (actually an SF2...even hotter and less chimey than the SF1) in a solid alder parts mutt strat and it's extremely chimey when split...way more so than the Texas Specials in one of my strats or the Fralin Vintage Hots in another.