Hot Rails type PU options for Strat bridge

[gulliver]

I have an '80s Japan Strat I bought on the cheap and want to put a high output single-size-humbucker in the bridge. The SD Hot Rails seems in the ball park, but I wanted other options. This is a project guitar, so I'm not looking to spend a lot.

PS ... feel free to spam me if you have anything I might want to buy. I am looking for a black pickup, though.

[fellsilver]

I've had hot rails, cool rails, little '59's, JB Juniors, and more DiMarzios than you can shake a stick at-- all in 80's Japanese Fenders. I've liked the DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Solo best out of all of them. It seems to have better note definition and a sweeter clean sound than any of the rails, and it's got plenty of output while still managing to balance well with the stock single coils in the neck and middle. Although if you really want to go hot, like a hot humbucker type tone without cutting into your guitar, you might want to try DiMarzio's Tone Zone S. Fender's even putting this one in their US "Vintage Hot Rod" '57 RI's.

[JoshuaTSP]

I have two lil' 59s in my pacifica 604w in the neck and middle position......they sound a little dull to my ears.......:worried

[MyVette67]

if you really want to go hot, like a hot humbucker type tone without cutting into your guitar, you might want to try DiMarzio's Tone Zone
I tried quite a few different S style hummers and finally settled on the Dimarzio Tone Zone DP-189
They are very hot and very responsive to the guitars volume control from full out balls, to nice and clean.

I have the DP-189 in 3 of my 4 Strats .... I absolutely love them! :AOK

[Darth Tater]

The various DiMarzios are the best ones I tried. I decided on the Chopper because it has a nice mid punch.

[Mark Robinson]

I used a hot rails bridge for quite a few years. Loved the sound, especially with a little mini-switch to wire it series (loud/thick) or parallel (thinner/brighter) both positions very quiet, so a nice thing to have in a noisy bar situation. I bought the hot rails pretty much right when they came out and the thing was available in any color of black you preferred.

Then out came the cool rails in white. So I went for that and actually liked it better. It was generally clearer.

When I swapped that pickup out, for some stock boutique thing, I lost a lot of interest in that guitar, then traded it away. In terms of sound the rails are great, cosmetically they are crude if that matters to you.

[buddastrat]

I've had hot rails, cool rails, little '59's, JB Juniors, and more DiMarzios than you can shake a stick at-- all in 80's Japanese Fenders. I've liked the DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Solo best out of all of them. It seems to have better note definition and a sweeter clean sound than any of the rails, and it's got plenty of output while still managing to balance well with the stock single coils in the neck and middle. Although if you really want to go hot, like a hot humbucker type tone without cutting into your guitar, you might want to try DiMarzio's Tone Zone S. Fender's even putting this one in their US "Vintage Hot Rod" '57 RI's.


Definitely Virtual vintage solo! Hot rails is muddy mids/bass. I had a tone zone full bucker and it was pretty similar. No clarity or crunch in the top end. Just mushy even in a swamp ash/maple strat.

I tried the VV solo and it gave me a ballsy strat sound. Much better. And it looks totally stock, so it's like a little secret weapon!

[HarryJ]

Here is the Tone Zone single sized bridge pup
http://harryj.net/raymixNew.mp3

First part of this is the prototype for the Dimarzio Solo Pro
http://www.harryj.net/strat%20sonic%20wet.mp3

One of my favorites is the protrack, and the cruiser for the neck

Harry Jacobson
www.harryj.net (http://www.harryj.net)

[gulliver]

Excellent info ... and nice clips Harry!

I'll keep this thread handy as I watch he Emporium :drool

[jgnov99]

Gulliver, I have to tell you to try GFS. They do several Hot Rails style Strat bridge pickups and I'm telling you, you won't find a more reasonable buy that sounds as good.

[gulliver]

I ended up ordering an older Hot Rails (Thanks Chris). I realize it won't clean up as well as some of the others mentioned, but I have a medium output pickup in another strat and I decided to go with something more extreme. If I don't like it out of the box, I'll check out the cap mod.

Thanks for all of the help!

[Pa'ani]

Hot Rails are really good pickups, also the Seymour Hot Stack is another fine sounding pickup.
One of my favorite bridge pickups is the original Barden Strat Pickups!

[gtrfinder]

You might consider Dimarzio's Super Distortion Strat pickup.
It is essentially the old Super Distortion humbucker designed to fit a single coil cavity. I have one in the bridge of my Strat and it works great in humbucking mode. (I have it wired to split to a single coil and it pulls off an imitation of a vintage strat bridge that works well if I need that traditional type of sound)

[Chris Rice]

I ended up ordering an older Hot Rails (Thanks Chris). I realize it won't clean up as well as some of the others mentioned, but I have a medium output pickup in another strat and I decided to go with something more extreme. If I don't like it out of the box, I'll check out the cap mod.

Thanks for all of the help!

Sure! I'm glad it will get some use. I was planning on using it in an electric mandolin project wired in parallel, but decided to go with an old Bill Lawrence blade pickup instead.

You way want to try the pickup in parallel mode sometime, I've had good luck with the Duncan single-sized-stacks wired this way for a clearer tone. Way less output as well. I'll sometimes replace the 2nd tone control with a mini-switch or pan pot to get series/single-coil/parallel out of the humbucker. Rewire the 1st tone control as a master tone, giving you a tone control on the bridge pickup. Send me another PM if you want some wiring ideas that would really open up that guitar.

[Zim]

Check out Joe Barden too.Thats what I have in my '67 Tele Custom

[Traps]

That you want a pup that will balance well (output wise) with your other pups in the guitar.