Looking for better tones from my Kemper & Strat

    I have the powered rack which I typically run into a Marshall 2061CX handwired 2x12 cab and I use a variety of guitars, one of which is a Custom Classic Strat fitted with Joe Barden S-Deluxe humbucking pickups. After working with this combination for some time and trialling hundreds of profiles, I still feel I am not getting the best Strat tones. (My Strat references are many but basically think of SRV or any sweet detailed breakup/crunch tones for blues type playing.)


    At this point I don't have any other Strats for reference but it occurred to me that maybe the Bardens aren't reproducing the kind of detail on the lower strings that a good single coil does. Basically, notes on the lower strings always sound muddy to me, whereas I feel it should still have twang and bite down there.


    I'd be interested to know which profiles on the exchange are rated highly for this style by other Strat users, so that I can check them out. I'm going to try and borrow my mate's Strat also at some point for further reference.

    Yeah, humbucker could be likely an issue. I can't point to a particular profile, but for this kind of sound I had a good success with relatively dark marshall kind of profiles just on the edge of breakup boosted with treble booster (from Kemper or external). Guitar volume at 2/3 often helps too.

    I have Bardens in several guitars and while I really like their piano-like attack and non-compressed overall sound, they aren't really representative of what a good strat - or even a cheap strat - pickup sounds like....not close, really. They are their own thing, and for that, and no-hum they are great. But, for SRV, etc. you aren't going to be happy., IMO.


    The *gold* standard are Ron Ellis pickups, which have a long wait time. The closest humbucking single coils, in my experience, are the Dimarzio "Area" series pickups. If you can get away with non-humbucking, just do it. Lindy Fralin pickups are pretty readily available, and good sounding.

    Interesting, as I've tried all of the alternative humbucking Strat pickups including the Dimarzio Areas in the past and found the Bardens to be the best of the bunch to my ears. As for addressing the main issue though, I guess I shall need to revisit true single coils and deal with the inherent noise. (I loved the Custom 69s that came with my ex- Custom Deluxe Strat but I sold the guitar because it couldn't keep up with the amount of onstage volume and gain I was trying to work with.)


    Thanks for the pickup recommendations.

    I'd sure go for real single coil on a strat, it's almost mandatory to get these great breakup & crunch tones ( Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Hendrix & Blackmore )


    I play lots of guitars , but I'm using humbuckers less and less. I record a lot and SC/P90 are most always my choice for rhythm parts, cleans, arpeggios , chicken , fills , and even distorted parts as it's much more easy to stack'em on a recording without the need of major EQing as I do with Humbuckers.


    A good alternative are P90 , they seem to get the crisps of the single coils with the punch of the humbuckers.


    Check my free rigs on rig ex some of them are tailored for SC or P90.


    strat clips here ( a a basic classic vibe squier 60's strat and Jeff Beck fender pickups )


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    I used a Fender profile - I think a Bandmaster and the green scream.


    Green scream gain = 0, tone = 9 ish


    Amp gain just at the point of breakup.


    It's a brighter sound than expected, but really has the fundamental vibe.

    The profiles I mentioned are the real deal. They are made with an authentic Marshall Major, the amp Ritchie played on. Very hard to find. Check it out. The sound is very very close to Ritchie's.