Without the middle pickup, I don't think you can quite get the same in-between sounds that you can typically get with 3 pickups.
I don't like the in-between sounds on a Strat. I never use them. I don't much care for the sound of the middle pickup at all, and since I never use it, it is just not necessary. JMHO/YMMV
May heritage partscaster. Has my two sons hand prints on it from when they were 6 and 2.Ebony fretboard-feels great! Not wired for splitting though.
SD TB-16 in the bridge and a Jazz in the neck, nothing in the middle. Wired with 2 independent volumes, 1 common tone and auto coil splits in P-2 and P-4. And by Jiminee it's loud on P-3!
I’m down with that. This one has been SSS, HSS and now HSH. Spits in #2 and #4. I might add an S-switch to split the neck independently too.
I think my final DIY Strat build we be an HHH "Dave Murray tribute". Not sure I'll even bother with coil splits on that one unless I can figure out a way to coil split all three at once with a single push-push. I mean, what's the point of mixing a coil split bridge with a full humbucker middle or vice versa, same argument with middle and neck?
I have one strat HSH with P-Rails. It's wired to get all the P-Rail combinations. Works great and has better sounds than a regular HSH but is rather complicated to find the right setting on stage. Great for recording though. I also have what is essentially ah HHH strat with rails. I don;t use that with splitting though as the splits are too thin. Great for a EMI ridden venue where singles are too noisy. If you want to approach a Gibson sound You might want to try a semi hollow strat body.with f hole, that will approach a 335 sound but not even close to a 330 or jazz box,
HSH is too busy for me. I don't use the middle position ever. And 2/4 are a rarity. Ibanez HH 5 way switching with 2 and 4 being neck parallel and inner coils parallel gets me all the single coil/bright sounds I need. 3 pickups are reserved for sss or hss strats. I use a Freeway 6 way Tele switch to gain the n/b sound, and to move to switch positioning around a bit.
Ill be an iconoclast and rep my HHS Strat Granted - its a super Strat and I find the distinction useful if somewhat fuzzy ... A couple of minutes ago I put it down ... So fun to.play 1990 Charvel 475 with Duncan JB SH4 bridge Seymour Duncan hotrail in the middle and a lace sensor in the neck Super versatile. Bridge humbucker can do all the EVH etc you want and can be remarkably sweet with lower gain Middle HB is way more useful alone imo than a single coil and in the 2\4 positions I get quack a plenty And I love lace sensors ... Super glassy when clean , amazing harmonics, and handles distortion imo better than a conventional.single coil Btw the Charvel 475 is not a 24.75 'Gibson scale' it came out before PRS put scale in the model name and that fools some people Its 25.5
