Strat owners of the world! Pickup options... how many do you use?

[Ajoten]

I am a bear of very little brain and long words bother me.

Which in this case means I shunned posh active basses in favour of a Precision (despite a larger budget) because it only had 1 too many knobs and switches instead of 5. Can't comprehend the faffing required with multiple options.

Now I like the design of Stratocasters, and their sound in the right hands, but am put off getting one myself because there are 5 pickup combos to choose from (reckon an LP Jr more my thing).

But really, how many people use all 5 "day to day"? Surely one has a couple of faves and the rest is just redundant complication?

So out of interest I've tried to add a poll to this post.

Jaguar/Jazzmaster users feel free to comment! Those are way too scary to contemplate.

Edited August 19, 2015 by Ajoten

[kristinaelias]

You could simplify things by fitting a 3 way switch, as per the original strats. No guitarist should be Stratless. It's the law!

[BigRedX]

I have a Yamaha HSS "super strat". Most of the time it's on the humbucker (bridge position). Occasionally I use the two out-of-phase positions. TBH I don't like Strats much, but I do like the locking vibrato this one is fitted with.

[Musicman20]

I love Strats.

Despite their huge popularity, I grew up with many guitarists who didn't use them, as they weren't cool or didn't sound heavy enough.

I think the Strat tone is something every guitarist needs to experience. Clean Fender amp, reverb, delay, and play about with the excellent clear as a bell tones.

Alternatively, crank an amp, or use a pedal, and a Strat will sound fantastic.

I don't really use high gain/heavy tones, apart from added distortion from pedals. I am much more of a clean to low gain guy, then add fuzz when needed.

All the positions are great, but I currently use neck, neck and middle, and bridge the most.

[Low End Bee]

I've got 2 hot rails & middle single coil with a push pull coil tap making 9 choices I think, I only ever use the bridge pickup in humbucker or tapped.
I don't particularly like the way strats look but they do the job and are so comfy to play.

[Ancient Mariner]

My strats are generally wired wth a blend on the 2nd tone pot to add the neck pickup to the bridge & bridge+middle positions. Mostly I use the neck or middle, plus blended neck&bridge for lead work and one of the in between tones for funky rhythm. The (master) tone control also gets a bit of use.

[leschirons]

Never use the bridge. I only ever use neck or neck/middle positions.

[3below]

Neck, bridge and via some Fender push switch, both neck and bridge together. It does other variants but the 3 seem enough for me.

[jazzyvee]

I'd say I use the neck for about 60%, the rest equally share about 35% and bridge on it's own only at most about 5%

[Bassnut62]

Got mine wired for Tele (neck + bridge) option too. Use the neck position most, especially for funky stuff (this is only position I have ever seen Nile Rogers use). Also use Tele position a lot, and the neck/middle position for other funky stuff. Lastly for lead, I use the bridge position on its own with some extra dirt from a pedal. So that's four positions used most of the time.

Ocassionally I use neck+Middle too; but I never use the middle only position

[GarethFlatlands]

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1439981837' post='2847193']
I love Strats.

Despite their huge popularity, I grew up with many guitarists who didn't use them, as they weren't cool or didn't sound heavy enough.
[/quote]

Young me thought this but I was sold as soon as I tried a good one and I soon realised young me was an idiot. My humble MIM strat is still my favourite guitar out of the many I've owned.

As for the OP, bridge for most things, neck for smooth/fat tones and bridge/middle for that thin funky sound on the rare occasions I need it.

[Skinnyman]

Got two Strats. An American deluxe which I swapped the useless original n3 pickups for a set of Kingsmans and an American FSR HSS which has Texas specials on which I replaced the middle pickup for an iron gear.

On the d/l I use either bridge or neck and on the FSR I use either bridge or middle. So, to answer the OP, I use two positions but they're different depending on the strat.

Oddly enough, the exact same answer also applies to my wife and mistress....

[Rumple]

I have an old Squier JV Strat, I use whatever setting I can actually get a sound out of as the switch is rather temperamental these days

[Roger2611]

I only really use the bridge pickup but I have my strat wired to master tone so I can back the treble off, I run a set of Custom Shop 69's which are not too bright and a Callum trem block also takes some of the zinginess out of the guitar

[jack1592]

I've got a 3 way switch in my AVRI '62 strat and I usually find myself flicking between the neck and bridge positions (although I also like to pop it in between the middle and bridge from time to time to get that funky sound)

[AustinArto]

I only ever use the bridge coil.

[Bigjas]

Mostly the neck pickup, but will dabble with others to experiment....

Jas

[Dave Vader]

All of them, I've also got a knopfler/gilmour switch I put in so as to add the neck in with the bridge (or all 3 at once, which does a lovely phasey noise) so technically I use all 7. I've also got the bridge pickup wired in to the same tone as the neck so i can back it off a bit.

I really don't need any other guitars. I've got loads though...

[Angel]

I use everything except the middle on its own. Favour neck over bridge and like both combos.

[paul h]

It's all about 1, 2 and 4 for me.

[roman_sub]

More than 5

My strat has a mod that allows neck pickup to be added to any pickup (same as Dave Vader by the sounds of it), plus there is also the humbucker mod I wired up - which converts N+M and M+B into humbuckers and bypasses the volume pot to get a bit more treble. I call it the "phat" mod So I think that's 10 combinations in total, of which I quite like 6...

The position I like the least is the middle-coil on its own, and the two "all coils" combinations aren't that useful IMO....

Edited March 21, 2016 by roman_sub

[randythoades]

My strats all have 3 way switch, I don't like or use the nasally in between sounds. I tend to use middle pickup exclusively for rhythm sounds and I have it set lower than the other two, then depending on the song I will click to either neck or bridge for a solo sound which will give a small volume boost too. I suppose I use bridge pickup for about 60% of the solo stuff (as I play rockabilly and country styles mainly). I have the tone knob set for bridge instead of middle so I can roll a touch of the brightness out of the bridge pickup.

Edited March 21, 2016 by randythoades

[therealting]

I use all the positions, having tone control over the bridge and middle positions is critical. Two of my Strats have a master tone and a mid boost (the MIJ 60s has EMGs @18v with SPC, while the Sadowsky has switchable mid and gain boosts), the 57 has one tone knob wired to the neck and the other to the other two pickups. My MXG superstrat with Tom Andersons has a master tone.

[bassbiscuits]

I tend to use the bridge position and middle mainly, with occasional ventures to the neck pickup.

One of my strats has a humbucker at the bridge which is a good bit louder than the single coils, so it actually works nicely to use the middle pickup for the verses and general rhythm, and then flicking to the fatter gainy bridge HB for soloing.

[Schnozzalee]

I've had one strat where I could use the bridge single coil and that was on an old G&L, so all my strats now have a humbucker there. Still the best guitar.