SSL-1 and SSL-2 in Stratocaster- not impressed

[jerryjg]

I put an SSL-1 bridge and an ssl-2 neck pickup in my Startocaster. I was looking for vintage tone, but its anything but! Is it the pickups or the guitar?

[I_M_Ken]

hmm, well i dont think the SSL1/2 (i used the SSL-2) sounds very vintage either. but it has a very nice glassy chime to it when played in clean.
as im quite new to single coils, i think this one satisfies my need for a single coil for the time being

oh yeah mine's in the mid position of a basswood guitar.

[jerryjg]

hmm, well i dont think the SSL1/2 (i used the SSL-2) sounds very vintage either. but it has a very nice glassy chime to it when played in clean.
as im quite new to single coils, i think this one satisfies my need for a single coil for the time being

oh yeah mine's in the mid position of a basswood guitar.

thanks ken. i will switch them out for antiqui-tays and see if it sounds better.

[Lewguitar]

Regarding the SSL-1, it sounds exactly like a vintage early 60's Strat pickup. The SSL-2 has flat polepieces which vintage Strat pickups do not have...so it doesn't sound quite as authentic as the SSL-1. Do you have a vintage Strat to compare it to? My guess is you really don't want a vintage Strat pickup in the bridge position...you probably want something stronger. I do! So I use the Antiquity Texas Hot Custom or Antiquity Surfer Custom in the bridge...they're wound to about 9.5-10K...hotter than vintage. Lew

[BigDaddy]

I think they sound exactly like a brand new pickup in a brand new strat from the 60's.

That's the way they sounded, clean with low power output. In all honesty nothing special, it really took time for them to break in and start sounding good. Some of the fret work was horrendous.

That's way Clapton's strat was a partscaster, he took a number of guitars until he found the right mix of pickups, bodies and necks, then made Blackie.

http://doodlesite.com/crowdie/ec/blackie.htm

Our idea of what a 50's and 60's strat sounds like has been changed. Mostly because of Hendrix, Clapton, SRV and other strat users who either modified their guitars, amps or used pedals.

But as I remember circa 1968 a brand new strat through a brand new bandmaster sounded like a clean machine even when turned up. Actually not very good at all.

If you want a strat to sound more like an aged/abused one the way to go is the Antiquity series. Clean, go for the surfers, dirty, the Texas Hots.

I have both and they sound great. The bridge is very hot and I miss the quack in the 4 position so I had MJ wind me a tapped version at 6.5K. I use a super switch and the 4 hole is the middle and tapped bridge. Works great and sounds the way we think a strat should sound. I'm sure after about 5-10 years those SSL pickups will start sounding better, the antiquities are hotter than stock strat pups and that helps. But they are aged by Mr. Duncan. Most winders do something to their strat pickups to make them sound better.

[jerryjg]

I think they sound exactly like a brand new pickup in a brand new strat from the 60's.

That's the way they sounded, clean with low power output. In all honesty nothing special, it really took time for them to break in and start sounding good. Some of the fret work was horrendous.

That's way Clapton's strat was a partscaster, he took a number of guitars until he found the right mix of pickups, bodies and necks, then made Blackie.

http://doodlesite.com/crowdie/ec/blackie.htm

Our idea of what a 50's and 60's strat sounds like has been changed. Mostly because of Hendrix, Clapton, SRV and other strat users who either modified their guitars, amps or used pedals.

But as I remember circa 1968 a brand new strat through a brand new bandmaster sounded like a clean machine even when turned up. Actually not very good at all.

If you want a strat to sound more like an aged/abused one the way to go is the Antiquity series. Clean, go for the surfers, dirty, the Texas Hots.

I have both and they sound great. The bridge is very hot and I miss the quack in the 4 position so I had MJ wind me a tapped version at 6.5K. I use a super switch and the 4 hole is the middle and tapped bridge. Works great and sounds the way we think a strat should sound. I'm sure after about 5-10 years those SSL pickups will start sounding better, the antiquities are hotter than stock strat pups and that helps. But they are aged by Mr. Duncan. Most winders do something to their strat pickups to make them sound better.

yes.I think thr pickups are OK, and I think the guitar is tone-dead, as is the case with most new starts to my knowledge.

[kjrocks]

I have ssl1's and 2's each in guitars and I think they sound just like vintage strats should. Clean and glassy and beautiful cluck and jangle in the notched positions. I've had both Antiquities too and although they are a little nicer they are not leaps and bounds better IMO.

[Lewguitar]

You know what though? I own a real '63 Strat. The SSL-1's are very, very similar to the original pickups in that guitar. I put SSL-1's in my buddy AJ's Strat and whenever Iplay that guitar I'm knocked out by how authentic it sounds. So like 'em or not, the SSL-1 is a virtual clone of the average early 60's Strat pickup. Regarding the Ant Surfers though, when I compare those to the original pickups in my '63, I like the Ants better. The Ant Surfers are not just vintage...they're better than vintage - as if you could audition 50 real 1962 pickups and pick the ballsiest ones. Lew

[kjrocks]

I can agree with that Lew, thats a good way to describe them.

[BigDaddy]

One way to let a new guitar breath is too take off as much finish as possible.

It devalues the instrument but the tone is so much better.

I have repeated story but I will tell it again.

In about 2000 I bought a new American standard strat. Great price, my friend is a Fender dealer.

I put in a set of Fralin blues pups, Callham block and I had a friend buff off as much finish as possible without taking it all off, it was a sunburst. I also had him fill some of the holes in the body with a mahogany plug.

Well it sounded great!!!!!!! I used a blues driver through various Fender tube amps and it worked and sounded great.

It has been my experience that the bridge and finish of a guitar is important in the total sound of a guitar. The setup, string size and type and the most important is the pickups. They all work together to get a specific tone/sound, good or bad. Remember, one persons great sounding guitar is another's persons nightmare.

But to get close to an original instrument it's imperative to use as close to the same parts. Just because you use the same parts doesn't make it sound better or even good.

But if you have a strat with a poly finish, taking a lot of it off and using a Callaham bridge especially if it's a tremolo, even if you lock it down will improve the overall sound if you are trying to get that vintage vibe plus kind of thing.

So maybe it's not the pickup but the guitar itself. Poly finish is a tone killer as is those cheap bridges and poor fretwork/setups. Same for Pots, use CTS and a CRL switch, switchcraft jack and good wire.

[heem6]

I actually owned a 60's Strat as well ( with the ashtray trem cover ), but I was too young to know anything about tone.

I have an SSL-1 in the neck of a Mighty Mite Northern Ash bodied Strat, with a Fender American Standard pickup in the middle.

I push the gain up on them a fair bit, add some chorus and delay and man - it's a beautiful sound! The SSL-1 is a full-bodied Strat sound, in-between is wonderfully quacky and a bit darker, and the Fender pickup in the middle is clean and bright.

Here's quick clip:
http://media.putfile.com/Flowing-Glass

[Buckeyedog]

YOu put the SSL-1 in the bridge? I thought you'd put that one in the neck.......

[Lewguitar]

YOu put the SSL-1 in the bridge? I thought you'd put that one in the neck.......

It's a terrific neck and middle pickup...but like any 6K vintage Strat pickup, a little thin and ice picky and weak as a bridge pickup. That's why I use the 9.5-10K Antiquity Custom bridge models... Lew