You can get the sound you want with any one of the guitars you listed. This is a forum where guitarists, from novice to experienced, can explore the world of guitar through a variety of media and discussion. There's no right or wrong answer. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Strat pickup config tradeoffs: HSS vs. SSS vs. HSH. It usually has a higher output level (adding the output of two sets of coils). They sound slightly muffled IMO and don’t have as much “quack” as you might expect. Press J to jump to the feed. The SH-10 Full Shred might seem like a strange choice to match with vintage single coils, but the output is very close when split. Same with the Strat I guess. When people think of the classic Stratocaster sound they are usually thinking of an all single coil guitar. This is more of a review of Andrew Robertson PAF humbucker pickups than an overall comparison of SSS vs HSS. If you only ever want one Strat, then get the SSS version. The best place to start if you're new is right below in our "Rules" section. This is a forum where guitarists, from novice to experienced, can explore the world of guitar through a variety of media and discussion. An RG550 is humbucker loaded guitar right? Though I really like the classic strat sound (John Mayer, Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud, etc). I play some rock too, and using the bridge pickup with some distortion can go a long way. HSS by far. 1; 2; 3; First Prev 3 of 3 Go to page. if you want a little more omph you can install a Alembic Stratoblaster in a few minutes, no soldering needed :). Truth is you really only need one guitar. I discovered earlier with Teles I like low output single coils with a pedal boost of some sort for gainier tones.. While there have been many exceptions over the years, the classic Tele and Strat share a few family traits. SSS Strats are more popular than HSS strats. SSS or HSS - that is often the question! Thanks for visiting. Had HSSs in the past, didn't make me happy. Welcome to r/guitar, a community devoted to the exchange of guitar related information and entertainment. This means a big difference in sound when the first position of the pickup selector is engaged. As always, the best course of action is … Strat Player SSS vs HSS, bridge/middle pickup position Discussion in 'Stratocaster Discussion Forum' started by johanmadsen, May 24, 2020. if you lower the height of the humbucker pickup that will help alleviate the volume difference problem, most guitarists (primarily 2 humbucker guitar plyers) prefer a little extra oomph on the bridge pickup. Thank you. Listen to Jimi Hendrix playing Little Wing for a textbook example of the neck/middle pups in cahoots. Age: 42 Messages: 12. You will lose that signature "quack" on the bridge/middle pickup position. SSS with a tone control for the bridge pickup is the best for me. Thank you so much for that straight forward answer. Or is that exactly what I seem to want? 1.) And its much better for the "dreamy" stuff you've described. After much contemplating I believe I’ve settled for the SSS and will replace them with the noiseless pickups. If you don't use the bridge pickup for blues, then you might want to consider the HSS. David Gilmour uses SSS I believe. This made it somewhat annoying to use so I would often end up avoiding the humbucker altogether. The guitar strings I use: https://amzn.to/2QWrPeeStandard versus Fat Strat - which pickup configuration do you prefer in a Fender Stratocaster? Some classic rock guitarists use single coils while some use humbuckers. You can do a number of things to modify the tone you get out of your pickups by changing how you pick, the EQ, vol/tone, if you have hotter pickups, etc. I have since stopped using HSS guitars simply because I prefer the single coil sound in the bridge, I just make sure I wire it up in a way that lets me use the second tone knob on the bridge pickup to cut down the bite. Are those people looking for more rock style riffs? Consider which pickups you tend to use and what styles you want to be able to cover. I don’t make rock and I’m not planning on making rock, I’m actually going for more of a “dreamy Edm feelz vibe”. I've been playing almost exclusively acoustic guitar for the past years, but I've been listening to John Mayer and similar blues/pop music recently, and thought about buying an electric guitar. Getting my first Fender Stratocaster here! A lot of SRV / Mayer will be the neck pickup. Welcome to r/guitar, a community devoted to the exchange of guitar related information and entertainment. SSS Strats are more popular than HSS strats. I love you reddit and surely I’ll be happy with my purchases! In this video I test both pickup sets on a Fender Player Series strat, and give my opinion on the topic! you really cant go wrong with either. So, ideally, have your SSS Strat and add a HSS Strat to it. Thank you so much to everybody that put their input in on this post! Wire the Strats bridge PU to the tone pot. Cookies help us deliver our Services. I’m still learning so I can’t just go into a shop when quarantine is over and play for myself, but I don’t want to buy the SSS when the HSS “sounds better”. An HSS or HSH is much more versatile with no real downside. I think I'm on my way to moving to HSH for my next strat, with mods to … As the name implies, the humbucker by design suppresses hum (annoying noise picked up through electromagnetic induction from the mains electricity, amps etc.). Now I’m also getting a Les Paul and a Telecaster so I’m basically set with guitars with humbuckers already, however I only want 1 Strat and am at a total loss. HSS I would only use if I could only carry 1 guitar to a gig whare I would need to play for example: Under the bridge by RHCP and Smells like teen spirit by Nirvana, if you know what I mean. HSS would make your guitar more versatile than SSS because a humbucker gives a noticeably fatter sound than a single coil and a little bit more sustain. The only reason to go HSH is if you want to give up the most "valuable" sound that a Strat can offer because you want a Fender guitar that is essentially focused on jazz tones, or predominantly Gibson-esq tones. Another thing to think about is why get an HSS guitar when you can get a guitar with double humbuckers that can be coil split whenever a single coil sound is needed? Press J to jump to the feed. There are Hot Texas and "TexMex overwound" that I prefer over stock SSS. I was in the same boat, and also play mostly blues, and I went for the SSS. Thanks for visiting. The HSS isn't as practical as people online make it out to be. I recently switched to noiseless SSS and I prefer the HSS over them and the stock fender SSS. If you want that classic bluesy strat tone go for the SSS. The SSS characteristic feel and sound of a Strat wont be available with an HB in the bridge, the position 2 quack isnt the same. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Eventually I came to hate the thing as it was never good at either classic Strat SSS tones nor dual humbucker guitar tones. I have an SSS strat and 90 percent of the time I am not using the bridge pickup. The inspiring sound of a Stratocaster is one of the foundations of Fender. Welcome to r/guitar, a community devoted to the exchange of guitar related information and entertainment. As simple as a pickguard swap. The only real difference between these 2 guitars is the humbucker. I was in the same boat, and I haven't been disappointed. I have an HSS and hate the look of the humbucker on a regular Strat. I've been playing almost exclusively acoustic guitar for the past years, but I've been listening to John Mayer and similar blues/pop music recently, and thought about buying an electric guitar. The HSS Stratocaster is very similar to the SSS version, with the exception of a Fender humbucker replacing the single-coil bridge pickup. So you'll be fine either way. For two guitars, one HH loaded guitar and one SSS Strat (or SS if you prefer the Tele over Strat style). The HSS gets recommend a lot online because on paper its a pretty good option for someone who owns a single guitar and wants to play a wide variety of music. I prefer single coil guitars because they (at least mine) seem to sound better to me. Like others have said, a stacked bridge humbucker can give you a thinker bridge tone without having to change the looks of your guitar. Was Gryffin wrong to buy an SSS? New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Stratocaster vs Telecaster: Key Spec . but if you have a HH or HSH guitar already an SSS is a nice change. That said, your HSS config sounds terrific. I use the neck and middle pickups almost exclusively when playing blues myself. The humbucker can growl for more rock or metal. I too, I'm always divided between the SSS and HSS pickup formats, like to have an HB in the bridge position, but overall, prefer the Strat tone of a SSS. They come standard on high end American Strats and should be available in most local shops. By then I also had a couple HH other branded guitars so the HSS … The sound is clearly mixed and altered through an effect chain however it’s the exact sound I want to go for. A single coil bridge is apparently better for sharper higher tones while a humbucker producers a thicker warmer sound. That being said, I also cannot get the true HH sounds from an HSS or SSS guitar. 22% OFF RRP $1,349.00. Just use your ear. The Fender Stratocaster HSS Shawbucker. The way the pickups are arranged, and the humbucking in positions 2 and 4, give the 3 pickup guitars like the HSS and SSS sounds that I cannot obtain on other guitars. But, I can take a Les Paul and get very close to the sound I like with a little bit of fiddling. Alternatively, and that's the way I went, you could do a Dan Armstrong Blender Mod. Would like to hear it with overdrive and distortion too. Also, the pickup cavity routing for a HB pickup is large enough to accommodate a single coil as well without any modification. Joined: May 24, 2020 Location: france. Personally, a bridge single coil is too noisy and thin for hi gain and too twangy for the kind of clean I like. Rolling off a little top end when you pile on the gain fattens them out a lot. Lots of Fender bodies come with HB routing from the factory, so they can use the same bodies for SSS/HSS guitars. I realized I liked the Strat sound, but my guitar teacher recommended I get a HSS version, as it would be more versatile. The HSS gets recommend a lot online because on paper its a pretty good option for someone who owns a single guitar and wants to play a wide variety of music. In THIS VIDEO one of my inspirations Gryffin talks about how he made his track “Feel Good” with Illenium and he uses a Strat with an SSS setup. When people think of the classic Stratocaster sound they are usually thinking of an all single coil guitar. HSS with a coil split. I built up an HSS Strat pickguard and would have sworn that is what I'd prefer. That's the classic Strat sound, and I just prefer it way over HSS. Would an HSS have ruined the sound he was trying to go for in the video? I would suggest playing both and seeing which you like more. Real Deal Sound. Fender MIM Stratocaster HSS. Absolutely do not regret that decision, I love the clean single coil tone and frankly I doubt I would use the humbucker for much anyway. I've always had a Clapton at the house and this is the first conventional Strat … Some HSS guitars I have had (mostly cheaper ones to be honest) tended to have fairly hot humbuckers that would require different volume settings on the amp. On the flip side of that, I have owned a couple of Strats that had humbuckers that are purpose built to work well with single coils, the new "Shawbucker" that Fender puts on some American strats seems to fit that bill really nicely. My first new factory guitar was an HSS Strat because everyone said the HSS was "the most versatile!". I have texas specials and those handle distortion pretty well and they give me that classic blues tone I've always dreamed about. The Fender Stratocaster HSS Shawbucker. If that's the case go for the SSS. humbuckers are traditionally a bit "hotter" than single coils and thus tend to be a bit louder. [QUESTION] HSS vs SSS Strat for blues. Thank you for your comment because it seems as though if I were to go SSS I definitely need to install the noiseless pickups I wanted to do, thank you for setting my mind straight on that, Just so you know, they sell HSS with coil splits so you get the best of both worlds (it's just not going to be a 100% the same as a regular single). If you end up with a guitar that splits the humbucker coils on the bridge/middle position, it still won't be exactly like the sound you would get with a normal single coil in the bridge. More biting, and good match for the guitars you have. If you really want a neck humbucker (e.g. 2.) HSS for me. Tags: strat player-standard; johanmadsen Strat-Talk Member. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. It’s a smart move given the current omnipresence of offset-body guitars. When I first started playing (and for many years after), I used Strat or Strat style guitars with a HSS setup, I enjoy them since they were pretty versatile but there were some things that got somewhat annoying that need to be highlighted. Well, that depends a great deal on what you want out of your instrument and possibly what kind of music you like to play. Practice, Play, Enjoy! If you have guitar related questions, use the "Search" field or ask the community. "You can play anything on any guitar" isn't just something people say without reason. Everywhere I see online people obsess and say “get the HSS” “sounds like you want the HSS” but why? I have 2 HSS, honestly you will be playing position 4 (or even 2) on the guitar for blues which is the neck and middle single coil. ... Like the Elite series, the Ultra series includes SSS and HSS Strats and a solidbody Telecaster, but the American Elite Telecaster Thinline exits stage left and is replaced by the American Ultra Jazzmaster. One recommendation is to play noiseless pickups before you buy. Have a listen and let me know which you prefer and why. You won't be missing out on single coils because there are already two on a HSS. No matter what you purchase, it can be changed later on.Lots of Rock was made with SSS.I think some guy named Hendrix used SSS.Gilmour too.Your fingers are at lease 95% of the sound, forget about the pickups. But, for versatility, the HSS is better. Arguably the most iconic Strat tones are combinations of bridge or neck pickup with the middle pup. I purchased a Stratocaster Elite SSS the other day and it's showing up tomorrow. An HSS strat has a humbucker in the bridge position, an SSS strat has a single-coil pickup. I already own an RG550 (which I pretty much don't play anymore), so if I at any point I want to play rock/metal (which I likely wont anyway), I could use that. This is a forum where guitarists, from novice to experienced, can explore the world of guitar through a variety of media and discussion. Does anybody of you guys think it be better to getta HSS configuration strat rather than a SSS pickup strat? My major, "well fuck" with stock SSS is they're not as responsive as almost any other version of the SSS pickups you can buy from aftermarket sellers. Most musicians who play the kind of music where they actually need a humbucker probably aren't going to end up using the single coils in their guitar all that much anyway. Makes them perfectly usable with gain if have to (ie a strat … Hello! Not every HSS equipped guitar is going to have well balanced pickups. Featuring this classic sound—bell-like high end, punchy mids and robust low end, combined with crystal-clear articulation—the sonically flexible Player Stratocaster HSS is packed with authentic Fender feel and style. I like SSS the most. If you likes that twangy bitey sound, there's no issue. Best for you to judge! If the bridge humbucker is correctly chosen, it'll sound identical to a single coil when the split is engaged. If you have guitar related questions, use the "Search" field or ask the community. IMO the only reason to go for an SSS is traditionalism. Review: Fender American Ultra Telecaster & Stratocaster HSS. Are ibanez guitars good for creating the illenium vibe? If someone doesn't know what kind of pickups they want the obvious answer is to recommend them a guitar with both pickups in it. Should I be looking at a HSS or an SSS? Or will it truly make the sound better regardless of style? By looks, SSS through and through, but sound wise, I prefer HSS, for I hate the bridge pickup tone of SSS Strat. I've had multiple SSS but never enjoyed all the hum. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The HSS version hum cancels, has better responsiveness, handles compression / overdrive better and provides more flexibility overall for the instrument. An HSS Strat makes for a wonderful addition to an SSS Strat. Deluxe Strat HSS Now you know, but a thornier question remains: Which pickup arrangement is right for you? The best place to start if you're new is right below in our "Rules" section. A fat strat adds a humbucker in the bridge position, which can be great for powerful le... Should you get a "Fat Strat"? the bridge humbucker would be split to only one of the coils in position 2 and would get a similar to a single coil sound. On top of that if for some reason I want to play metal or heavy rock I have 2 humbucker loaded guitars. THis - even playing SSS strats i am usually in position 2 or 4 or 5 on any strat type guitar. In fact, my strat is HSH routed, but I have it set up SSS right now. They are both great guitars with some slight differences. Id CERTAINLY go for the HSS. If you have guitar related questions, use the "Search" field or ask the community. Stock SSS neck doesn't have enough bass, middle sounds thin and bridge doesn't have enough bang.