Recommendations for pickups on an SSH

[frets]

Guys, I’m building an SSH for myself but have not bought the pickups for it. I figured I’d research boutique pickups once I finished the neck. Well I’m at that point. And there are a ton of them. I’m looking to only spend $150-$300 on the set and ask for some recommendations for a great combo on a budget price point. Thanks

[blademaster2]

I might be less qualified to comment on the others who test these things all the time, but I am still pretty pleased with the sound of the Seymour Duncan SSL-1 single coil pickups I have on two of my guitars. I also was impressed with the thin 'stratty' tone of the Tone Rider pickups that I have on another of my guitars (a strat copy).

For humbuckers, my experience is less broad but I remain pretty happy with the Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups (and using them in split coil mode also) that I bought a few years ago. Having said that, all of the humbuckers I have ever tried seem to be a little dull and muddy compared to the single coils, so if there is another humbucker out there that is more crisp I am willing to try it. My first guitar used DiMarzio Dual Sound pups an they also sounded good to me.

So those are my 2 cents worth.

[thetragichero]

John Benson Benson in upstate New York makes fantastic pickups. i have his singles in the bridge and middle of my #1 strat (alnico 5 7.5k bridge 7k middle, i believe), an uncovered take neck pickup in a tele build i need to make a new body for, and previously had a p90 of his in another build

www.bensoncustom.com/hss-sets

this site has a weird navigation thing at the bottom on mobile but the desktop site is decent
i have no experience with his humbuckers but I'm sure they're great. in the past i would tell him what i wanted and he'd run with it from there

[thetragichero]

this guy also comes recommended by someone on the bass forum. just ordered his dynasonic tell bridge pickup: www.geminipickups.com/

[JohnH]

That seems like a good budget. I can't suggest makers from experience, but I do like HSS set ups. Just for a comparison, mine is a Am Special Strat. It has two 6.2k alnico singles (Texas Special) and an 8.4k humbucker. It's a good balance. The singles are very Stratty and clear. The humbucker is generally a good volume boost beyond the singles and splits to a single that fits well, or, by adjusting heights, I can get a volume match humbucker to single.

I'm suggesting some kind of balance like that, with whatever make, can work well.

[frets]

You guys will be ashamed of me. I chickened our and went with Seymour Duncan’s. SH-6, a Staggered Quarter Pounder and a Pearly Gates Bridge. I love it. Put a phase switch on the Quarter Pounder. Thanks for all your help. I almost went with the Bensons but I had the SH-6,Quarter Pounder and Pearly Gates that I bought all used. I was looking through my parts and I figured what the heck, those three ought to make a nice combination. They do...

[newey]

You guys will be ashamed of me. I chickened out and went with Seymour Duncan’s.

No shame if you like the sound. SD sells a lot of pickups, and there's a reason for that(beyond just marketing hype).

[frets]

Thanks Newey, I really do want to experiment with new pickups in the boutique category. They’re just so many and every guy you read seems to gush over their hand made Pickups. But I’ll be back with a build with Bensons or some other boutique’r.

[thetragichero]

if you had the Duncans on hand already then i am a big fan of FREE
I'm also a big fan of gfs pickups, although their new qwikplug connections adds another step or two before they're useful to me

[blademaster2]

May 1, 2020 18:19:30 GMT -5 frets said:

You guys will be ashamed of me. I chickened our and went with Seymour Duncan’s. SH-6, a Staggered Quarter Pounder and a Pearly Gates Bridge. I love it. Put a phase switch on the Quarter Pounder. Thanks for all your help. I almost went with the Bensons but I had the SH-6,Quarter Pounder and Pearly Gates that I bought all used. I was looking through my parts and I figured what the heck, those three ought to make a nice combination. They do...

I would say that whatever you like, and produces sounds that match your style, is the best choice for you. I avoid all of the guitar fashion and trends myself.

Boutique or not, there are only a finite number of innovations and variations in a guitar pickup that can be made. I am very pleased with all of my SD pickups, and my Tone Rider pickups (despite being Chinese-factory made), and even my 1979 DiMarzio Dual Sound pickups. None are "boutique" brands.

I remember when everyone was telling me to install a preamp, or get active pickups like EMGs, and replace all of the hardware on my guitar with brass. I did neither and never regretted it.

[frets]

Thanks Blademaster,
Like you, I try to avoid the trendy,; but do, recognize that all pickups aren’t made the same, and that the audibly better pickups don’t necessarily have to be expensive. My guess is I could have stuck Donlis DS-51’s with a Donlis DH-53-B and liked those better than a lot of boutique pickups costing 3x as much (that ought to get the group twitterpated).

[ziggystardust723]

Hello Frets,
Sorry to answer only these days:
- I'm really 'new' on this forum
& from France, so don't worry for my speaking: left School in '72, & Speak only French in Paris/France..
- I play for near 48y, & wind pus for 8y on a Schatten & got 8 diff wires.
- I got many many pus..
> Think 1you could try, put in Bridge with 2 Simgles on a Strat copy:
= an Keystone K-500MS (made by William Lawrence: an exact copy of Lawrence XL500):
= an HB with 2 blades: like XL500,
- have 12k: Enough to match with 'std' Singles,
> But 1Coil = 8k, the other: 4k
- & you have to get a Tone Control 0nly for this PU:
= 0n a Strat:
1st Pot = Vol general
2nd Pot = Tone general
3rd Pot = 0nly for the Keystone
> to this Pot: you have to put a Black Wire coming from the K-500MS, With a std Capacitor & in //:
> a 8k little Resistance (1/4 Watt value),
=> When you play at 10 on Vol & Tone
= 'Std Serie Sound' for 12k
> but when you turn slow the Tone Pot
= The Tone is lower, but so:
= the Volume of the 4k Bobbin goes down: Gradually as you Turn the Tone Pot.!
> With 6k on Neck pu, & 7k on Middle (ex Bridge SC pu): at '0' on the Tone Pot = the Bridge K-500MS have 0nly the 8k Bobbin in fonction = SC mode.
> My better Sound for HB Sound was around 8 on the Tone Pot = maybe 10k.
> This kind would be good for Many Neck pickups which have too more K..
> I'll try to see if it's possible too do the same on any kind of HB:
= bought diff Resistances for diff kinds of pu's..
> If you can, tell you must do it.!
- Since many many years, I'd to Try many many Sounds,
> like I wind myself: with 8 diff wires (the 8th received today: Awg44)
- I need only a 9th: Awg45, but I don't find it..
> 0nly on E-Bay, but too much..
- Bye bye Butterfly,
- Ziggy (Paris, France).

[ziggystardust723]

Hello Frets,
Sorry to answer only these days:
- I'm really 'new' on this forum
& from France, so don't worry for my speaking: left School in '72, & Speak only French in Paris/France..
- I play for near 48y, & wind pus for 8y on a Schatten & got 8 diff wires.
- I got many many pus..
> Think 1you could try, put in Bridge with 2 Simgles on a Strat copy:
= an Keystone K-500MS (made by William Lawrence: an exact copy of Lawrence XL500):
= an HB with 2 blades: like XL500,
- have 12k: Enough to match with 'std' Singles,
> But 1Coil = 8k, the other: 4k
- & you have to get a Tone Control 0nly for this PU:
= 0n a Strat:
1st Pot = Vol general
2nd Pot = Tone general
3rd Pot = 0nly for the Keystone
> to this Pot: you have to put a Black Wire coming from the K-500MS, With a std Capacitor & in //:
> a 8k little Resistance (1/4 Watt value),
=> When you play at 10 on Vol & Tone
= 'Std Serie Sound' for 12k
> but when you turn slow the Tone Pot
= The Tone is lower, but so:
= the Volume of the 4k Bobbin goes down: Gradually as you Turn the Tone Pot.!
> With 6k on Neck pu, & 7k on Middle (ex Bridge SC pu): at '0' on the Tone Pot = the Bridge K-500MS have 0nly the 8k Bobbin in fonction = SC mode.
> My better Sound for HB Sound was around 8 on the Tone Pot = maybe 10k.
> This kind would be good for Many Neck pickups which have too more K..
> I'll try to see if it's possible too do the same on any kind of HB:
= bought diff Resistances for diff kinds of pu's..
> If you can, tell you must do it.!
- Since many many years, I'd to Try many many Sounds,
> like I wind myself: with 8 diff wires (the 8th received today: Awg44)
- I need only a 9th: Awg45, but I don't find it..
> 0nly on E-Bay, but too much..
- Bye bye Butterfly,
- Ziggy (Paris, France.. 21h31)

[ziggystardust723]

double post with the next one.