Opinions wanted: S-S-S vs. H-S-S

I like single coils on a Strat.

It's just the sound and look I think of for a Strat style guitar.

Strat = single coil
Tele = humbucker/single combo

I'ts the way Leo wanted it to be

:lol:

Well, technically speaking I thin the HSS is the better setup, but only if the humbucker is split. It provides more flexibility in your playing since you can have the aggressive, full tones of the 'bucker in normal mode, and a strat sound if you need it.

I would go with the triple S setup. Mostly b/c I think that is the way a strat sounds best (or most like a strat). Strats with buckers just dont sound the way I think they're supposed to sound.

People play strats for the strat sound (somewhat twangy, crunchy, noisy ect...). Why mess it up by throwing in a bucker. Would you put three single-coils on a Gibson SG? No way. Thats like sacrilege...

H-S-S is probably better for gigging in a wedding band or anywhere else you want versatility without changing guitars.

best of both worlds as far as Strats are concerned is the Am Dlxe with the 3 Samarium Cobalt Noiseless picpups and the S-1 switch that enables you to get a near Humbucker like crunch.
Turn it off and you are back in the SSS mode but with no hum.
verrrry sweet and worth every penny imo (technically speaking) :wink:

best of both worlds as far as Strats are concerned is the Am Dlxe with the 3 Samarium Cobalt Noiseless picpups and the S-1 switch that enables you to get a near Humbucker like crunch.
Turn it off and you are back in the SSS mode but with no hum.
verrrry sweet and worth every penny imo (technically speaking) :wink:

But the frequency response in this configuration will not be that of a humbucker -- given the wide spacing of the coils as compared to a humbucker, the harmonics will be vastly different, and even in S1 "bucker" mode, it is more likely to have the characteristic Strat scooped tone. I do not mean that this is bad, just different. The S1 switched Strat certainly increases versatility, but the palate is different than that of a H-S-S.

I do think it's important to get a set of the classic Strat sounds, if one is buying a Strat. That is key. It's a big temptation to go for a versatile guitar, especially if this is a sole or one of a few guitars. My recommendation is the buy the guitar that sounds best, even if only for one tone. It's more fun to add other guitars to one's collection later on - each with its unique coolness and voice. And really, a Strat is a very useful guitar across many genres, even with its distinctive scooped and quacky timbre.

I like single coils on a Strat.

It's just the sound and look I think of for a Strat style guitar.

Strat = single coil
Tele = humbucker/single combo

I'ts the way Leo wanted it to be

:lol:

Which Tele do you mean? "Classic" Tele is single/single. It was years before a Fender 'bucker found its way onto the Tele. If it really matters, I would speculate that Leo was really a single coil guy through and through -- that's what he chose to put in his ASATs, which were really his final Tele design.

even in S1 "bucker" mode, it is more likely to have the characteristic Strat scooped tone. I do not mean that this is bad, just different. The S1 switched Strat certainly increases versatility,
but the palate is different than that of a H-S-S.

the advantage is much more than just a mid scooped tonal variety, the S-1 doubles the amount of configurations previously available. switching from series to parallel, turning Humbcker into 2 single coils on the HSS versions.
http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0101570861

turning Humbcker into 2 single coils on the HSS versions.
Not according to Fender : http://www.fender.com/products/s1/pdf/AmericanStratHSS011-7000.pdf

i stand corrected, what i should have typed was "turns the humbucker into "a" single coil" :oops:

Hey all, thanks for sharing your thoughts!

That S1 switch is a truly elegant solution, but functionally it's really nothing that 16-year old Brian May didn't accomplish with his home-made Red Special. Of course, he had six ugly switches on the front of his guitar. Fender's "stealth" design is really smart.

Right now I'm thinking about putting together a Carvin Bolt (strat-style) kit.

In the optional HSS configuration, the bridge 'bucker comes with a coil split switch. From what I've read (and experienced with my '51), unless you've got a really hot humbucker, a split humbucker doesn't really sound like a good single coil pup. But that's easy enough to mod - I'd either throw a resistor on the switch so that not all of the signal goes to ground, or I'd rewire it for series/parallel. Based on soundclips I've heard, I'd lean toward the latter.

In the standard SSS configuration, the bridge pickup comes with an on/off switch, so you can get neck+bridge tones, or you can use all three pickups at once (in parallel, I think.) So it's got a couple more tones than a "normal" SSS strat.

Still undecided, but I've got time. Maybe I should play some, eh?

:?

You'll never get a humbucker to sound quite like a single coil - the second coil changes the frequency response, even with stacked humbuckers (the most "single-coil-like" seems to be the Kinman, which is a form of stacked humbucker). It's odd that this should come up, because the current edition of the German "Guitar" magazine has a big article on getting rid of the AC hum and the various ways that have been used to combat it.

That raises a couple questions: besides hum removal, would I primarily want a humbucker in the bridge for "heavy" rock? Can I not get good distorted tones with the bridge single coil? I play mostly blues, for which a strat is great, but I do like to "rock out" now and then.

Interesting you should mention Kinman, GB. He's a bit critical of the new Fender SCN pups.