"Do It All" Stratocaster: Pickup Dilemma

[Venetti]

Hello everybody!

I've decided to pimp yet another Strat. :D
This time I'm going for what I like to be "classy versatility".

It's has to be an S-S-S Setup, so I'm rolling with rail-type pickups.

The original idea was to put DiMarzio Air Norton S (new 2007 model)
in the bridge and a pair of Cruisers in the neck and middle respectively.
I kinda dig Andy Timmon's sound (he uses a Cruiser in the neck) and it
does sound really fat, warm and smooth. However, the reason for this
might be his overall setup (Mesa Boogie amp, mahogany guitar, etc.).

So, basically, Cruiser seems to be a really low output pickup on it's own.
So now I'm considering something hotter and sort of more fluid for the neck.
What do you think about a Cool Rail? And then there's a Chopper from DiMarzio.

How does Chopper compare to the Cool Rail? What other ideas you got?
All comments are greatly appreciated as always! Peace.

[Sage]

I thought about doing this exact same thing with a Dimarzio pro track at the bridge. I was keen on doing this because I found out that Eric Johnson actually plays a Gibson ES-335 on the lead parts of most of his recordings, particularly on "Cliffs of Dover." When he needs a fat lead tone he uses a bridge humbucker, basically.

Before getting the cruisers I tested the pro track with my Kinman neck and mid pickups (the AVN-62s from the Kinman Blues set) and was shocked to find that the pro track did not match the output of the Kinmans. I expected it to be much louder.

In the end, I ended up putting my kinmans back in because I really don't switch to the bridge-only switch position much at all. I realized I was sacrificing an awesome mid+bridge sound for a bridge-only sound that I almost never use. I may try it again, but I'm not sure how versatile a humbucker at the bridge really is.

[erikm5150]

you could go with the Tone Zone S for the bridge for a more beefy bridge tone.

Since you mentioned Andy Timmons, he uses a custom bridge pickup that is similar to the Breed bridge to get a huge bridge tone.

Well the breed is similar to the Tone Zone, so that could work for you.

[smokinfrets]

I agree. The Tone Zone is a superb pickup. It's a little beefier on the mid-low end, so you get the tone and not the screetch of typical strat pickups.

[fullfistrock21]

isnt it advised by dimarzio to use 500k with these pickups?

[junkdk]

I don't want to push you off track but have you tried the SD SL5's? I have USA Fender Strat that sounds fantastic with them.

Now I am not a Strat player and mostly just play Hendrix/Stevie Ray stuff when I do play it but it sounds great. I am a stickler for tone!

The orginal setup was a Hotrails in the bridge and two SL5's. I had the Hotrails for metal but decided to change it to a SL5 as well.

Sorry to throw a wench in the works but they are worth a look.

junkdk