Tonerider Choice for Strat

Warren

Right...

So I quite like the stock tone I get from the HW1 Strat, but...

...I'm quite keen to do an upgrade, and Toneriders seem a solid choice!

This is also partly because I'd like a bit more versatility from the guitar. The band plays all kinds of stuff, from La Grange to Brass in Pocket so I'd like to retain the nice bluesy bell-tone I get on the neck and position 2, keep some brightness on the middle and position 4 (for the jangly stuff, think Mustang Sally rhythm chunks) and get a nice powerful rock solo tone on the bridge with some gain and the TS808.

So, it sounds like the City Limits PUPs are the way to go? It's either those or the Pure Vintage, I think. The Classic Blues sound nice, but we don't focus on enough blues stuff that I'd need a whole set like that.

Anyone have experience with the different sets? Maybe even some sound clips?

MikeM

I'd go for the City Limits - very nice pups, my only gripe is I like the middle to be the least hot pup so that my 2 and 4 positions are very chimy/quacky.

Warren

MikeM wrote I'd go for the City Limits - very nice pups, my only gripe is I like the middle to be the least hot pup so that my 2 and 4 positions are very chimy/quacky.

Hmm, so maybe a Vintage in the middle? Anyone know if that would even be a good idea in terms of balance? ?

MikeM

Well if you look at the SD Antiquity Surfer 2s, which are widely regarded as very good strat pups, they come in either 6.3k (For mid and neck) or 9.7k for the bridge. So I don't think balance is any issue ?

But the bigger issue is then you'll have to buy individual pups and that's a nuisance ?

Quite a few boutique winders tend to wind the neck hotter than the middle. In fact I didn't even know about it and ordered a handwound set and was confused when measuring them, but I really love the sound.

Maybe youtube could help you out?

Warren

MikeM wrote
Maybe youtube could help you out?

Yeah I'll try youtube a bit later, I can't from work.

Thanks for the suggestions though. Did you replace yours yourself?

MikeM

Do all my wiring and most of my setup work myself - Gearhead used to but I've learnt enough from watching him and I spend a lot of time reading about guitar electronics.

If you were closer to Pta I'd offer you to try my strat out ?

Have you considered Kinman pups? You seem like the gigging type so just throwing a spanner in the works - I've always told myself when I start playing live I'll go noiseless ?

Warren

Grrr, they look nice but my browser refuses to play nice. Can't see any indicative pricing.

Are they expensive?

MikeM

To be honest... I don't know. Will take a look. Hopefully someone else can fill us in hear. I just hear they're the best noiseless around.

Looks like $225 without shipping.

So once in SA they'll be closer to R2k :/ Not sure if noiseless means that much to you ?

AlanRatcliffe

Kinmans rock! ? His Blues set is my current fave and is pretty flexible. They are pricy though - EUR 193 a set.

Mixing and matching pickups is fine for the single pickup sounds, but if you like your 'tweens, you have to be very careful not to have pickups that are too different from one position to the next - a too-hot bridge pickup will kill the quack in position 2. To be honest though, you don't have to go too hot with most modern amps, which have more than enough gain. A matched neck and middle and a slightly hotter bridge pickup is all that's needed for most players and will give a lot of flexibility. Bumping that up one step for maximum flexibility is a low powered neck, slightly hotter middle and slightly hotter again in the bridge. Having said that, if you really want a s**tkicker in the bridge and low powered in the neck and middle, fine - just don't expect maximum quack from position 2 and expect a volume jump at position 1.

aubs1

Alan Ratcliffe wrote Kinmans rock! ? His Blues set is my current fave and is pretty flexible. They are pricy though - EUR 193 a set.

Add EUR 25 for shipping. I got a set of Woodstock Plus about 2 months ago. Kinmans are absolutely WORTH every cent!!!!!

Awesome pups. But for details, read all that Alan has said.

Don't write off the ToneRiders though, I've heard them, quite impressive.

Warren

So just over R2k for the Kinmans then, give or take...hmmm.

Must maybe give these some serious thought. Twice the price of the Toneriders, but sounds like they're worth the moolah...like the clips on his site too. ?

Any thoughts on this whole "no-soldering" harness thing he advertises?

Warren

Arggg...those Woodstock Kinmans sound absolutely wonderful. ?

Thanks for the input guys, I now have more food for thought than I can eat...

AlanRatcliffe

Warren wrote Arggg...those Woodstock Kinmans sound absolutely wonderful. ?

They are, but they can be a bit too hot and warm in some guitars. Work best in brighter combos like ash/maple. My favourite hot Strat set ever - the regular set's bridge pickup is amazing when driven hard (articulate but not harsh), but still works well with the other two. Even with tons of drive, it still sounds like a Strat and you can hear which pickup is which.

Thanks for the input guys, I now have more food for thought than I can eat...

Shopping Noiseless is easy:
Traditional - (bright, spanky, articulate, percussive): DiMarzio Area '58 X2, Area 61
Blues - (Slightly warmer & hotter, but still pure Strat): Kinman Blues. I do 90% of everything I record with my Blues. Nice when you want a trad sound from a brighter guitar. Work well with drive up to classic rock (passable classic metal at a push), but can still do a good country clean.
Hot: Kinman Woodstock regulars. Plus set if you want the aforementioned s**tkicker in the bridge (almost like putting a P90 in the bridge).

A lot of guys take a Blues bridge & middle but put a Traditional MKIII in the neck for a more flexible arrangement.

I've never bothered with the no soldering harness, but have fitted for someone else and it's nice 'n easy if you are unsure of your soldering abilities.

Warren

Thanks Alan.

I wasn't really worried about the whole noiseless thing before I posted this thread, but now that I've thought about it a bit I will at least give it some serious consideration. My strat is massively noisy with my VOX Wah (compared to my Epi LP) to the extent that I haven't even used the wah + strat since I bought the guitar a month ago. Although, I imagine that has a lot to do with my particular wah simply being a noisy pedal anyway.

I'm also starting to roll off the volume a bit for cleaner bits and then cranking it for some crunch, which I find less fussy than stomping on pedals and flicking switches... My guitar is alder / rosewood which I believe is a bit less bright than alder / maple, and certainly less bright than ash / maple?

Once I'm home I'll be doing some more surfing on the various sounds. ?

tonerider

Warren wrote ...I'm quite keen to do an upgrade, and Toneriders seem a solid choice!

City Limits indeed - great for what you want them to do and you can play around with height adjustments afterward to fine-tune positions 2 & 4 to sit nicely with your particular string gauge - and it's true Alnico single coil sound! ?