Dominger HIppie 68

    I asked Don for some help for a sound I was looking for and it was suggested I try the Hippie 68 for my Neck pickup on my American Strat


    I have and it's pretty damned awesome. Been playing with SSL-1 for a while and had previously tried with tons of Strat pickups and found that I typically like Alnico V's.
    (the V's custom shop on my 52 RI Tele are perfect. Perhaps not historic, but just love them)


    As for Kemper profiles, the Neck SSL-1 wasn't really useful to me. Almost none ever are. Too muddy.


    I still have a mind to replace the middle and bridge with something else (maybe another Hippie 68 and their Stinger II in the Bridge), and I've not settled on that yet. But for now, THIS Hippie 68 is solid with a HUGE bottom end that isn't muddy in the NECK position. Unfortunately, the Middle SSL-1 is wound wrong and the 2 position is out of phase.


    This new pickup sounds better on more profiles than the SSL-1s do, so that right there was worth it.


    I find that Strat pickups don't really work well with a lot of distortion profiles. Is this norma for others as well? Or do I have to do something to "fix" it? For example, on my P90 or Humbucker, most distortions sound really good. But on the Strat, they get real weak and muddy and have a bad sound to my ears.

    The SSL-1 is two wire pickup. Try flipping the wires - you may get in phase (whether it is hum-cancelling or not at that point is another question).


    I think your neck tone issue with most pickups comes from what it takes to make the bridge pickup sound good.


    My neck and middle single coils sound very good with the same tone settings used for humbucking pickups, but a strat bridge pickup needs to be EQed differently to sound good. I think THAT is why most neck pickups sound muddy when the bridge sounds right.

    Quote from paults

    ... but a strat bridge pickup needs to be EQed differently to sound good. I think THAT is why most neck pickups sound muddy when the bridge sounds right.


    Very true.
    Let me add that this 'problem' is diminished greatly though when you connect the bridge PU to a tone pot.
    I have a master tone in all my strats.

    In mine the second tone control is for the middle and bridge pickups.
    I think all it took was soldering a tiny wire from one lug of the pickup selector to another.
    It's really usefull.
    Another thing that has a big impact in my strat sound is if the tremolo is set to float or decked, I happen to like both ways but they're quite different.
    Just like you, I also find many high gain rigs don't sound that good with a strat.
    Low output single coils sound open with little mids, humbuckers compress the high frequencies and sound tighter with or without distortion.
    Maple fingerboard strats and teles with .09 strings are the twangier and it's more difficult to find a suitable high gain rig for them in my experience.
    I don't like many bright and dry Marshall type sounds with the Fenders.

    I was dreaming before paults suggested it of switching the wires for polarity. Figure I should switch the Hippie's wires since flipping the Middle would put it out of phase with the Bridge then.


    So putting them both Bride and Middle on the same tone is a jumper on the switch? That should be a *SNAP*


    Heck, take me longer to warm the Iron up!


    Thanks manelarregla!


    Hmm, at first glance I read that you were dreaming of Paults ... 8|

    Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. - Wayne Dyer

    That picture is to have the bridge pickup share the middle pickup's tone control.


    If you want the bridge to have its own tone control, and have neck and middle share a tone control:


    1) MOVE the "middle tone" wire from the second terminal to the third. Now, it is the bridge tone control.


    2) ADD A JUMPER WIRE from the first terminal "Neck Tone" to the second terminal. Now, it is neck AND middle tone control.


    Done.


    Here is a picture of the result, but the jumper from Terminal One to Terminal Two is really the only new wire.



    [Blocked Image: http://www.premierguitar.com/ext/resources/archives/8de6d4ff-71ab-48cd-9215-9ae00e09d173.JPG?1371672512]

    I use mine a bit differently, with one tone for the bridge and one tone for the neck - middle pickup goes naked for pure spank. :whistling::love:

    Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. - Wayne Dyer

    I typically have to reverse the image to use as a guide. I can't reverse it in my head while soldering.


    I used to be able to do such things, but alas, post 40 my brain don't work that way anymore. I think that's because it's matter has gone grey ;) (that's for Ingolf!)

    Quote from db9091

    I typically have to reverse the image to use as a guide. I can't reverse it in my head while soldering.


    I used to be able to do such things, but alas, post 40 my brain don't work that way anymore. I think that's because it's matter has gone grey ;) (that's for Ingolf!)


    ;)