Scott Henderson Discussion

[Thumberstrummer]

Hi Scott.
Hope everything’s going great!
I replaced my strat stock pups with the ML standard full set, same as yours. I DO love them and the way they match my rig tone-wise (plexi head, greenback 212 cab and pedals).
I am aware you have 3 MLs, same bridge-type onboard, and have listened to you saying such choice leads to more subtle tone variations, when switchin back and forth (SSC is not intended to be a matter of discussion here).
Perhaps my alder body-strat has a darker voice than an average one, which is not necessarily bad, since I do hate ice picking tones as much as I love the warm, stringy and organic voice of the bridge pick up on this guitar.
The middle pup tone is ok, and I am also quite happy with tones I get in position 2 and 4 (wired tone-free same as yours).
Issues start when I switch on neck pick up alone - then I get a tone way darker than I would expect (even with tone fully open), which may easily turn even woofier, especially at high gain settings. I couldn’t say it sucks at all, but sits widely far from expectations. I feel like I’m missing a bunch of great classic tones I should deserve, as a strat player (remembering Hendrix, Clapton, SRV etc...)
Do you think a bridge ML in the neck position would help somehow?
Based on your experience, is a bridge pup expected to sound brighter than a neck one, when (unusually) mounted it that position?
Many thanks in advance
Fabio
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Germino Club 40 plexi replica + EJ Strat w Suhr ML st. pups. I'm not asking for more so far (but... who knows...?)

[Scott Henderson]

John makes a set of ML pickups with a hotter bridge pickup - that pickup is wound more so it's darker and louder than the other two. if you're saying that you asked for 3 bridge pickups, that means you're using three hot pickups, and that would definitely make your neck pickup sound woofy. I use three neck pickups in my guitars, and my neck pickup is definitely bright - I can't even use it with the tone on 10. There may have been a misunderstanding when you ordered your pickups. I've never known Suhr to sell 3 bridge pickups intended for use in all 3 positions.

That being said, if you have three neck pickups in your guitar, my only guess is that you don't have the tone controls balanced. If you have the tone on your bridge pickup past 5, there's no way it'll match the tone on the neck pickup when it's on 10. I usually have my bridge tone around 3 or 4, and that matches the neck pickup on 8. As you can imagine, I mic the amp close to the cone and the settings are bright, with the presence on 6 to 7 and the treble around 5.

[Thumberstrummer]

Sorry Scott.
I was not able to make you figuring out the real picture. My fault.
I replaced stock pups with a standard set of MLs. That means 1 bridge, 1 middle and 1 neck pickup.
In this configuration the bridge pup, as you say, is wired hotter. And it really is, occording to my meter's opinion.
It sounds great!
I do not use much the middle alone, but it's ok and works fine when paired with neck / bridge.
Issues come from my neck pick up alone, which is not definitely hot-wired and sounds too dark however - way darker than the majority of strats I've played.
As I was in doubt it might be tone cap fault (i use 0.047 for neck-middle and 0,1 mf for the bridge), I decided to mount a no-load pot, so that when tone's at 10 the cap is out of the circuit - like having no tone pot.
It sounds dark however!
Second misunderstandig is about your pick ups - I should have read somewhere yours were 3 bridge / hotter pups. Now I realize I was wrong.
That's the reason why I asked if replacing the neck with a bridge pup could be of any help.
As said, I know my guitars is a little darker than other strats, but since I am in the bridge / middle pups territory that looks like a benefit.
Well, I'll give some different pups a try. There must be out there something brighter that could match my own guitar voice.
I am also wondering if I did not set it too far from strings. Do you mind sharing your neck pup poles distance from high and low E strings bottom?
May we assume that if the pup is set closer to the strings, has more highs?
Of course any further advice from your side (or anyone else's in this forum), is more than welcome.
Thanks again
Fabio
_________________
Germino Club 40 plexi replica + EJ Strat w Suhr ML st. pups. I'm not asking for more so far (but... who knows...?)

[Scott Henderson]

OK, I get it now. Raising the pickup could help - mine is 8/32 from the pole piece to the string on low E and 6/32 on high E. Putting a hotter bridge pick in the neck position will only make it darker - I suggest a brighter pickup for the neck position like a Suhr V60LP - it has less wounds than the Landau pickup and might work for you.

[Thumberstrummer]

Ok thanks a lot Scott!
_________________
Germino Club 40 plexi replica + EJ Strat w Suhr ML st. pups. I'm not asking for more so far (but... who knows...?)