Strat Bridge Tone

bobthecanadian · September 23rd, 2007, 08:59 PM

So, what do you think? Is the Strat bridge tone a little anemic, or are my expectations too high because I also play a Tele.

I have tried different sets of pickups and even a couple of different bridge pickups. It seems that the best improvement has come from adding a baseplate to the bridge pup and using Graphtech saddles. I have even changed trem block to try and get a better tone. I think that all is well, but really, I am not happy with the tone yet. Somehow, I think there is still something else that needs to be done to get the best out of my Strat.

What are your ideas?

Bob

bobthecanadian · October 4th, 2007, 12:54 AM

Ok, so I went to my local Fender dealer and played a couple of Strats, including the Eric Johnson model, which by the way, is quite nice. It seems that the Strat bridge tone is just the way that it is and has nothing to do with my particular guitar. It seems to be on other Strats as well. I guess I will learn how to live with it and make the best of the situation.

Bob

Dion · October 5th, 2007, 08:41 AM

Hey Bob,
One thing I've found to help the Bridge pup sound a bit beefier is to install a baseplate and either move my 2nd tone pot to the bridge or install a blender pot. With a blender pot you can then blend in a bit of the neck pup and it really helps "round out" the bridge tone.

Here's a couple of resources:
http://www.fralinpickups.com/bplate.asp

http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/pdf/W...at_Blender.pdf

bobthecanadian · October 5th, 2007, 11:52 PM

Yup, did that. I added a baseplate and have a master tone control. I even added an EMG-SPC. I can get some pretty awesome tones out of it, but I seem to expect more from it. No worries though, I have half a dozen other guitars that all do different things well.

Peace,

Bob

Boris Bubbanov · December 3rd, 2007, 02:00 PM

Bob, you messed up, you went and played a good Telecaster.

If you want 'more' from a 'Strat' bridge position, I would recommend a G + L Legacy, S-500 or Comanche.

Possibly a hardtail like the MIM Robert Cray might whet your whistle.

I don't use my Strat bridge only position too much, I mean to but I don't.

I hear you.

Bubbanov

Strattysteve · December 26th, 2007, 04:19 PM

Is adding a base plate very easy-ie is it a mod that anyone can do or is it best left for a tech?

bobthecanadian · December 27th, 2007, 08:13 PM

Hey, adding a baseplate is not too difficult. Make sure you have a little wax to pot it to the pickup and you will be fine.

I added a Seymour Duncan JB Junior to the bridge and am now a lot closer to the sound I am hoping to hear from my Strat.

Peace,

Bob

Nightprowler · January 22nd, 2008, 01:13 PM

I hate the bridge pup tone on all strats which is why I got a fatstrat . The only positions I use on regular strats are both in between and the neck . sometimes I use the middle with the tone rolled off half way .

Strat-Talk · January 22nd, 2008, 04:28 PM

I have had my issues with the Strat bridge tone myself. But, I use my Tele if want that kind of tone and keep my Strat in a more out-of-phase 3 or 5 position.

I did try a Duncan JB Jr. in my '79 Strat, but gave that up pretty quickly. It's a humbucker the size of a Strat Single Coil Bridge.

I guess that Jimmie Vaughn is pretty famous for playing on the bridge pup all the time -- and I think his tone is kind of thin as a result.

Oh, one more thing, a Texas Special especially the Custom Shop version has some meat on it. That's something folks might try.

Nightprowler · January 23rd, 2008, 12:13 PM

The other ways to fatten your tone would be thru your equipment and style of play . compsresing your sound is one and playing with your fingers would be another . the 3 players that are a good example would be gary moore , ej , and jeff beck they all sound really fat when i see them using the bridge pup .

mr_hankey · January 23rd, 2008, 02:47 PM

I would say I gave up the bridge pickup a long time ago, but that's not true, since I never got into it.

tazzboy · January 23rd, 2008, 10:28 PM

Yeah I like the Middle Pickup a lot

Nightprowler · January 25th, 2008, 05:15 PM

I think the slant in the bridge pup is the problem . God rest leo's soul

ECistheBest · January 26th, 2008, 08:11 PM

try putting a steel baseplate under the bridge pickup. it lets you pull a telecaster bridge pickup kinda tone with more output and presence.

thaus · January 27th, 2008, 01:17 PM

The fralin sp43 is an awesome pup in the bridge position. Sounds like a humbucker but still retains dynamics and sounds sweet with the tone rolled down a bit!

jonny munksvill · March 2nd, 2008, 05:04 AM

There's a company called RIO GRANDE that make something called a 'STELLY'. It's a tele pickup with base plate designed to fit in a strat cavity. I've read very good things about it on Harmony Central.

I am one of those strange people who actually likes the sound of the bridge pup on a strat. It's really underrated. When I select it, I automatically roll off the tone to 7. I changed my stock Delta Tones (nothing wrong with the tone at all) to the Kinman Blues Plus pickups for the humbucking. The Kinmans had an amazingly sweet mid pickup, reminded me of Peter Green through the right amp setting, but also had this massive whomp of a bridge pickup, almost like a pedal steel. Much more mid clout. I didn't like it. I think you'd be better off going with a Little '59.

My favourite sound is the middle pickup - think it's closest to how the strat sounds unplugged, but I'm always riding the tone control. Why don't players use the tone controls? If something's too trebly - back off the tone! I hate having my ears lacerated at gigs!

Oops - had a bit of a rant!

bobthecanadian · March 2nd, 2008, 07:07 AM

I caved in and bought a Seymour Duncan JB Jr. It's a lot closer to what I would like.

Westerly · April 4th, 2008, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion

Hey Bob,
One thing I've found to help the Bridge pup sound a bit beefier is to install a baseplate and either move my 2nd tone pot to the bridge or install a blender pot. With a blender pot you can then blend in a bit of the neck pup and it really helps "round out" the bridge tone.

Here's a couple of resources:
http://www.fralinpickups.com/bplate.asp

http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/pdf/W...at_Blender.pdf

Anybody know what value pots are commonly used as "Blender Pots"? Obviously you'd want a linear taper, but value? I'd think just sticking a 5K linear in there would work fine... Anybody know what is actually commonly used?

tazzboy · April 4th, 2008, 03:26 PM

Blender pots general range 500K to 1 Meg audio pots. I had one once and didn't care for it all so I went back to using regular 250K audios before switch back to Les Paul.

bobthecanadian · April 5th, 2008, 06:45 PM

Okay, so I have had it wired up for a while now and it sounds sweet! I like my Tele sounds so much I installed a three-way switch and a puss/pull pot on the volume. The neck and bridge pups are wired like a Tele. The push pull is a middle on switch. I get six usable positions this way. The only one I don't get is the one that I can live without, middle only. So, after some tweaking and experimenting I found what I like.

Cheers,

Bob

gpower · April 27th, 2008, 09:45 PM

My favorite Strat has Rio Grande Vintage Tallboys. On that guitar, I love the bridge pup tone. Another one I have has TxSpcs and the bridge isn't too bad on that one either. Several others have stock MIA pups but, I don't like the bridge on any of those.

softmonkey · April 27th, 2008, 11:30 PM

The bridge pick-up in the new American Standard sounds killer with the Delta Tone feature. Normally I am not a big fan of the bridge p/u and play mostly on the 2, 4 or neck positions, but on this one, with the bridge balls out, it can sound like Don Rich on his Tele, but still Strat-like. Probably with an ash body just magnificent.

thaus · April 29th, 2008, 06:53 AM

The blend option is killer! (wire the 2nd tone knob to add in some neck pup). Gives a strat a whole pallette of different sounds!

Orlando Mike · May 3rd, 2008, 10:06 PM

I changed the capacitor in my 57 Reissue, to a mojotone .47 oil/paper...took all of the hollowness out and added a ton of mid...I love it...I also put the jumper on the 2-3 lugs of the 5 way, so I can crank the tone up if I desire

gpower · May 6th, 2008, 08:19 PM

I have all 5 of my Strats wired with the bridge & neck connected on the neck tone control. That way I have control of each pup in all 5 pos.

Del Pickup · May 6th, 2008, 11:17 PM

I've been using the bridge pu more since I installed Fat 50's in my MIM strat and connected the tone control to the bridge. It's way more useable now. Has some real grit about it - even without using an OD pedal.

Rory Gallagher used the bridge pup more than any other position - and his tone certainly wasn't thin or trebly!

Kelsey · May 7th, 2008, 02:04 PM

The Seymour Duncan Twangbanger and Antiquity I Custom Bridge pickups provide a fatter sounding Strat bridge tone without losing that nice Fender single coil tone. Combine them with a good boost or OD and let 'er rip.

asc67 · July 25th, 2008, 03:41 PM

" I have all 5 of my Strats wired with the bridge & neck connected on the neck tone control. That way I have control of each pup in all 5 pos."

I'm thinking of doing this on my CV 50's could you explain how to do this ?

thaus · July 30th, 2008, 10:31 AM

Another option here is to get a Fulltone OCD pedal. Man, this thing makes single-coils growl ! Have never been a pedal guy but this one is something else. Worth a try..........

ToneMonkey · July 30th, 2008, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thaus

Another option here is to get a Fulltone OCD pedal. Man, this thing makes single-coils growl ! Have never been a pedal guy but this one is something else. Worth a try..........

Funny you should say this. I've been contemplating posting how my recently purchased Bixonic Expandora II had brought my Bridge Pup into play for the 1st time since I had a Strat! But with all this talk of steel plates and boutique pickups, had thought better of it.