Strat neck/middle - bad idea to have non-matching pickups?

aja

Is it a bad idea to have different neck and middle pickups?

I want this in the neck:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/stratocaster/progressive/quarter_pound_f/

And this in the middle:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/stratocaster/progressive/hot_stack_for_s/

I like the individual sound of each of these pickups and I want a variety of tones, hence the different pickups, but I am worried that the "2" position might sound bad because one is pole-piece and the other is rail. I really like this position generally speaking - I like the warm humbucker-ish sound of it when used in series as opposed to the slight out-of-phase parallel sound some people associate with the 2 position

Each of those can be tapped and I hope that when tapped they will sound better in the 2 position, or am I being misled?

AlanRatcliffe

Magnet structure doesn't make a difference to how two pickups will combine electrically - it's more the impedance of the coils. Anyway, if you are not chasing the Strat "quack" in the 'tweens, you don't have to worry about the coils either, it boils down simply to how they sound when combined. And that you only really know by trying them together.

Hot pickups for a middle and neck anyway (you got a humbucker in the bridge?), so you're never going to get the bright, vintage glassy tones.

BTW - the switch position with neck and middle is actually position four - the convention is to count from bridge position to neck, not the other way around.

aja

Aha! Thank you!

I think I will then just have to try them and see. Your multibucker is in the bridge by the way, still loving it!

Re: position number - haha I thought I might have it the wrong way around :?

da-rok

in one of my ibanezes ive replaced all the pups, have a standard bucker in bridge (coil tapped) a vintage blues pup in the middle and a hotrails in the bridge, mots versatile setup ive used besides for john petruccies axe... no problems with any of the configs...