Save me from routing out my body

[Len058]

You could also try a Filtertron style pickup.

 

[Solaris moon]

I know it's a little late to this party but try buying one of DiMarzio's single coil sounding humbucker. I can't remember the model number but they have one that sounds like a single coil but in double coil humbucking form.

PAF Pro® | DiMarzio

The PAF Pro® was created when chops-intensive playing was first starting to happen, and high-gain amps and rack systems were becoming popular. A pickup was needed that combined a lot of presence and “cut” with an open-sounding PAF® vibe. The transparency of its sound lets the PAF Pro® slice...

www.dimarzio.com

 

[schwa]

I know it's a little late to this party but try buying one of DiMarzio's single coil sounding humbucker. I can't remember the model number but they have one that sounds like a single coil but in double coil humbucking form.

PAF Pro® | DiMarzio

The PAF Pro® was created when chops-intensive playing was first starting to happen, and high-gain amps and rack systems were becoming popular. A pickup was needed that combined a lot of presence and “cut” with an open-sounding PAF® vibe. The transparency of its sound lets the PAF Pro® slice...

www.dimarzio.com

Appreciate the advice! I wound up buying a used Squire body. I realized that what I actually wanted was a telecaster, and didn't feel like hacking up the existing body. A little work with the rasp & sandpaper gave me arm and rib contours, and led to a very satisfactory instrument. Now to find the right bridge pickup...

 

[Solaris moon]

Appreciate the advice! I wound up buying a used Squire body. I realized that what I actually wanted was a telecaster, and didn't feel like hacking up the existing body. A little work with the rasp & sandpaper gave me arm and rib contours, and led to a very satisfactory instrument. Now to find the right bridge pickup...

Are you looking for a simple Tele style pickup then? I mean there are a bunch to choose from. I bought used Fender Vintera pickups from evilbay for $50.00 with the bridge and complete control plate. If you look around maybe you could get a good deal.

 

[MAS Tequila]

You won't be happy until you have 2 quality buckers, and both full size.

I ended up routing my bridge for a full size.

I have a Gibson spaced Seymour Duncan JB in the neck and a SD Alternate 8 Trembucker in the bridge.

And these two SD's actually sound great in the split SC mode.

 

[schwa]

You won't be happy until you have 2 quality buckers, and both full size.

I ended up routing my bridge for a full size.

I have a Gibson spaced Seymour Duncan JB in the neck and a SD Alternate 8 Trembucker in the bridge.

And these two SD's actually sound great in the split SC mode.

I think you misread the initial post. This guitar started with a full humbucker in the bridge, which I found to be too muddy

 

[robt57]

If you have an amp with some headroom, keeping the Vol pot on the guitar down with the front end of the amp hotter to start can work well. If you are rocking a 2-5 watt tube front end, gain muds and compresses pretty quick.

If 4 wire HB a push pull POT that puts the coils of the HB in Parallel. It will 'when used with the neck PU' a more imbalanced output wise of course. But just pop the push pull down when using both together. Unless you like how it sounds.

The other option might be a Dirty fingers type early Ceramic magnet HB below 8k. Generally, the hotter, the more and earlier compressed under higher gain.

I am not a fan of ceramic magnet PUs in general, but close to the saddles where the strings don't not get to move as much, even in SC Strat I will use Ceramics. Just need Alnico for sweetness in neck IMO.

What are the saddles, if vintage bridge try steel, if modern type maybe find some non pot metal saddles. There are steel modern saddle sections out there. Also no mention of string ga, heavier ga will compress later under gain settings a bit

Another way to get HB less compressed response if 4 wire is to employ a spin-a-slit pot. [google it] This is a way to unbalance the coils partially to varying degree via shunting one coil partially. Think more PAF response and output character. This would be way more subtle than the coils in parallel.

 

[schwa]

Appreciate all the input, but see the post 4 posts up; went back to a traditional tele setup; clarity abounds; this problem has been solved

 

[tomasz]

I think you are hitting the classic problem of an HB with a 250k pot. Have a look of some Suhr wirings, they add a resistor to compensate for that and balance the HB's sound better

 

[schwa]

I think you are hitting the classic problem of an HB with a 250k pot. Have a look of some Suhr wirings, they add a resistor to compensate for that and balance the HB's sound better

The guitar had 500k pots at the time of the first post; also, see above