Beefing up the strat - Endless quest

[S. Cane]

So, we often discuss ways to beef up a classic SSS strat’s tone.

Compressor, tone knob, cranking up the amp, all that jazz.

My personal recipe in the last years, given the fact that I was playing mostly in small venues and had to use my tube amp at low volume, was using the clean channel, a ProCo RAT for heavier distortion and a EHX Soul Food for crunch/mild overdrive, plus a clean booster for pushing up solos.

Well, I changed that a bit. Started doing this: clean amp. RAT set with low-medium drive, filter at 3 o’ clock, medium volume, preceded by the Soul Food at medium drive, as a gain booster. The clean booster after the two of them, just for volume on soloing.

Man, my strat is fatter and creamier than ever. Lots of colors and FAT.

Who the hell needs humbuckers?

[DanTheBluesMan]

but ... but I, I ... like humbuckers

I'd be hard pressed to decide between a strat or a tele if I could have only one guitar. Before last week, I would have said 'tele' without hesitation. Since my strat got its maple neck and the setup dialed in now I'm not so sure. They both sound so good through the Princeton Reverb. Which is the best amp purchase I've made since I bought my first one brand new back in '73 or '74.

[OldStrummer]

but ... but I, I ... like humbuckers

So do I. Just not on a Stratocaster. Or a Telecaster.

[DanTheBluesMan]

So do I. Just not on a Stratocaster. Or a Telecaster.

oh, yes, I get what you mean. I agree. I once had a Lone Star strat with the Pearly Gates in the bridge. Perhaps if it came on a lighter guitar with a more comfortable neck profile ... nah, rabbit hole alert. Ixnay. not going there. Strats and teles should be single coil like Leo intended.

[ch willie]

I liked the hb sounds Clapton got with the Lace Sensors when his models used them. I tried to duplicate the thickness of it but never could get close with them. I then tried the Vintage Noiseless and hated those.

The best "HB" sound I ever heard on a Strat came from a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in the bridge--through two old tube screamers. Most melodic and thick sound I ever heard from any Strat.

[S. Cane]

I liked the hb sounds Clapton got with the Lace Sensors when his models used them. I tried to duplicate the thickness of it but never could get close with them. I then tried the Vintage Noiseless and hated those.

The best "HB" sound I ever heard on a Strat came from a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in the bridge--through two old tube screamers. Most melodic and thick sound I ever heard from any Strat.

My humble experience says you don’t need anything fancy for pickups. The good old noisy humming strat pups get the job done all right. You just have to take your time and set your rig according to what you want.

I am very happy with what I’ve done with regular Fat 50’s. The Smoke on the Water intro I played last night made the room SHAKE!

[ch willie]

My humble experience says you don’t need anything fancy for pickups. The good old noisy humming strat pups get the job done all right. You just have to take your time and set your rig according to what you want.

I am very happy with what I’ve done with regular Fat 50’s. The Smoke on the Water intro I played last night made the room SHAKE!

My buddy just put Fat 50s in his CS Clapton and says they've brought the guitar to life. I know you can get a beefy sound out of those, but there are some things that only a humbucker can do. I'm not a fan of them in Strats. That's why I like the Hot Rails. Not really a humbucker, but I'm telling you it was something special. By the way, his Strat is probably a 2006 Mexican standard.

[jaxjaxon]

For me Most Humbuckers are too Hot and make it hard to get a clean enough sound, So the Squire X-155 arch top I have I had to change the pickups to a lower output style with out covers to get it clean sounding. Now as far as solid body elctrics that fender makes they all should be single coil, If I wanted a Humbucker sound I would buy a Gibson type of guitar. If I want my single coils to sound distorted I will use a Fuzz/ OD. I set all my amps as clean as I can get them and adjust all my guitars as clean as I can get them. If I really wanted a distorted sound all the time I would Buy a speaker that would do it not a amp.

[OldStrummer]

For me Most Humbuckers are too Hot and make it hard to get a clean enough sound, So the Squire X-155 arch top I have I had to change the pickups to a lower output style with out covers to get it clean sounding. Now as far as solid body elctrics that fender makes they all should be single coil, If I wanted a Humbucker sound I would buy a Gibson type of guitar. If I want my single coils to sound distorted I will use a Fuzz/ OD. I set all my amps as clean as I can get them and adjust all my guitars as clean as I can get them. If I really wanted a distorted sound all the time I would Buy a speaker that would do it not a amp.

I like the way you think! :)

[mikesr1963]

I liked the hb sounds Clapton got with the Lace Sensors when his models used them. I tried to duplicate the thickness of it but never could get close with them. I then tried the Vintage Noiseless and hated those.

The best "HB" sound I ever heard on a Strat came from a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in the bridge--through two old tube screamers. Most melodic and thick sound I ever heard from any Strat.

I was reading somewhere the other day about how EC has built in electronics in his strats to boost/help his lead tone.

[ch willie]

I was reading somewhere the other day about how EC has built in electronics in his strats to boost/help his lead tone.

I had the same boost circuit that EC uses with his VNs. I really disliked the sterile sound of the VNs. I much preferred the Lace Sensors he used in the 90s.

[S. Cane]

Though adding circuits to the guitar might help, it isn’t “natural” in my own way of feeling.

Add gain to the amp and there ya go: you got a fat tone.

[S. Cane]

For me Most Humbuckers are too Hot and make it hard to get a clean enough sound, So the Squire X-155 arch top I have I had to change the pickups to a lower output style with out covers to get it clean sounding. Now as far as solid body elctrics that fender makes they all should be single coil, If I wanted a Humbucker sound I would buy a Gibson type of guitar. If I want my single coils to sound distorted I will use a Fuzz/ OD. I set all my amps as clean as I can get them and adjust all my guitars as clean as I can get them. If I really wanted a distorted sound all the time I would Buy a speaker that would do it not a amp.

That’s about it, but thing is, if you are bound to low volume, just one won’t get you in the real game. That’s why I’m stacking two, the Soul Food pushing the RAT