Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[rnolan]

So Gemini75, how would they go with bright (sugar maple) ?

[Gemini75]

So Gemini75, how would they go with bright (sugar maple) ?

Here's the vid,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_s3wyPIt28

Alder body/ maple neck, and this pup sounds really good to me.

Pretty sure there are a couple of magnet choices too. So you could go with a A2 if the guitar sounds too bright, or an A5 if you want more of the tone you're getting now.

[rabidgerry]

Hey guys, I just picked up a Squier Stagemaster Deluxe HSH (neck thru) via trade throw in.  It has a licensed Floyd with a brass sustain block and a nice thick neck (for a shredder anyway).  But I am definitely going for an electronics upgrade.  What pickup combo would you guys install in the Squier of you had it?  Note: I don't use actives with the exception of a Carvin DC200 style setup.

Also: body construction is maple neck thru with alder wings.

hi Kawai

I have about 4-5 of these guitars, I'm a big Squier fan, the ultimate hot rodder guitar.

Anyways I have a few stagemasters and showmasters.  I have the stagemaster you have with the thru neck and the brass block.  Personnally with this particular guitar I kept the stock pickup    I really like it.  However in every other stagemaster and showmaster I own I have something no one has mentioned (perhaps because they all hate it  and think it's shit).  The Dimarzio Super distortion DP100.  That pickup in those guitars is awesome.  A pure rock machine.  The legacy of the DP100 speaks for itself.  Never mind what the trendy's are playing these days, DP100 all the way!!!  Best thing I ever did was buy one.  I got them all for £50 or less of ebay in more or less new conditon second hand.

Here I am with a pink, 20th anniversary, maple necked showmaster with a dp100 in the bridge!!! see attached

It cleans up well, splits well, pushes amps or pedals well, doesn't cause too much string pull with it's magnets.

As for the electronics, what are you thinking of doing?  The cap in everyone of those guitars is a nylon cap and definately not the standard crap ceramic disk you get in other squiers, also the pots and wiring in them are spot on.  People feel they need to upgrade them because they are squiers right and generally that is true, but the stagemasters and showmasters were considered to be higher end so they didn't come with the bog standard stuff.

I sheilded mine and made them real quiet, and stuck in a DP100 in all of them bar the thru neck deluxe.

[Systematic Chaos]

The Super Distortion (DiMarzio DP100) is definitely a classic.
But as will all pickups is always a matter of personal subjective taste....
Dante swears by his Seymour Duncan JB/59 pickups, McLeanAB preaches EMG (where are you BTW???), rnolan prefers his Ultrasonics,...and I have DiMarzio CrunchLab/LiquiFire or AirNortonS pups in all my guitars.
 
IIRC the initial question here was what pup goes best with what wood combination (Alder/Maple being a very bright sounding wood combo with lots of treble).

Here´s an interesting read called Different Wood, Different Tones from the Seymour Duncan Blog.....

So, coming back to the guitar in discussion (Maple neck through with Alder wings):
Alder: Generally, the highs are slightly attenuated with lows that aren’t that pronounced and a midrange that might use an extra kick because the mids aren’t that abundantly available.
Maple: It won’t be fat or juicy, but it does have a lot of bite, scream and presence. Some guitars of the ’80s were fully maple, and for the styles they were used for were extremely good. Don’t expect a smooth jazzy tone of honky, smokin blues sound, but if bite is what you need, maple is your best friend.

Doing the math: Attenuated highs, bite, scream and presence  =  Ice pick 

If I were to choose a pup for this guitar I´d look for something with a boost in the lows, and low mids, bit lesser boost in the mids whereas the treble is rolled back.
Just my 2 cents....

[rnolan]

Absolutely, PUs are a very subjective choice although you can take some of the variables into your thinking, one of the main ones is playing style. One of the great things with MP1/2 is they are so versatile and you can have a bank of differently tweaked tones for different guit/PU combinations. e.g. I suggested the Gibson 57 re-issues earlier in this thread because they are a great sounding (and a bit unique (not everyone has them)) PU which go well in Mahogany (like my SG), but a bit extra bright bight doesn't/wont hurt them. Not the highest output PU around but there's plenty of gain in MP1/2 anyway. I like them allot  Although as SC says, I'm an Ultrasonic tragic LOL

[rabidgerry]

I thought the questions was what pickup goes well with a Squier Stagemaster with a thru neck?

A dp100 works amazingly well with Alder, I mean it is famous for being a good combination in a strat stlye guitar.  Dave Murray is an example.  Also the Fender HM came with a super 3 in there as standard.

Sure it's subjective and down to what gear you use in my opinion, but since I own several of these I am talking from experience.

I forgot the most important aspect, though which is "it depends on what you intend to use the guitar for?"

DP100 is not bright in my experience.  And again a dark or bright guitar can be altered simply by the tone control and cap it is coupled to.

[rabidgerry]

Also the thru neck version of this guitar is not typically bright, it's darker than the bolt on showmaster versions, I wouldn't say either of those are bright the same way a regular strat is.

And another upgrade to this guitar would be getting steel saddles on there for more harmonic content.  The bridge itself is decent and stays in tune for a licensed version.  If you replace the saddles with steel one's though you get a lot more detail and clarity.

[rnolan]

Saddles, nuts and even trem spring/block all contribute. The PU will only "pick up" what the string is doing which is influenced by all these things plus the wood. So steel saddles make sense, can you get brass saddles ?

[rabidgerry]

bizarly you can!!  but they aren't marketed for this reason.  Scahller replacement FR saddles are apparently brass according to someone I asked whilst looking for a replacement set.  this is what they said.

"They're made of brass.Die-cast and electroplating.Thank you."

actually I realise what they are talking about, and that is a tiny little part at the bottom of the saddle that is brass.  So actually the part where the string sits is die cast which I believe is crap.

I currently asking  Migthey Mite about their saddles because I don't want to stupid money for set of steel original FR saddles.  I'm replacing all my licensed trems with proper steel saddles you see.  I have only done the one guitar so far and I took a hit on a set of saddless I got from the states.

[rnolan]

Saddles are a point of difference, the whole brass rave (happened many years ago) was to increase the mass, thus more sustain (sustain not a big problem with MP1/2 but then they didn't exist then). I put brass saddles and made a brass nut for my Jap Anson strat copy (very heavily modified (by me  ) guitar over time...). Butt this was all solid brass, quite bright but good sustain (which is what I was chasing (I think ?? was a long time ago, but nice harmonic content BTW)). If steel works for good clarity and harmonic content = good upgrade. What are your current saddles ? (that you haven't upgraded)

[rabidgerry]

current saddles are probably some rubbish alloy.  Die cast crap.

Yeah I considered a brass nut at ome point lol  I liked the idea of MORE SUSTAIN!!!!  More everything is my motto

[kawai2g4b]

Rabidgerry and all, thanks for the help in spite of my long absence due to some prolonged personal chaos.  I think the steel saddle and Super D idea would work well personally.  I know the neck through Squiers are Cort-built and their upper end stuff really works well.  My particular guitar has that darker character that you speak but based on string response I believe the saddles are the culprit, it just deadens enough to get on my nerves.  I have had Super Ds in the past but the guitars I used them in are not exactly their best match.   I'll try the Super D in the bridge but I am considering a Super 2 for the neck to get a bright, round, cutting neck tone.

Hopefully what I come out with is a less brash and more full-sounding iteration of my Carvin DC200, which has Nuno-levels of brightness and cut.

[rabidgerry]

Super 2 would be good for the neck as well.  The thru neck stagemaster I have I left stock with the pickups, I just liked them.  They eventually got a little bit microphonic with all the gigging but the sponge behind the pickup sorted that dramatically.  I have actually done that now with all my guitars.  Shielding will also help.

I love that Stagemaster, I am always on the lookout for another one.  Mine was in near mint condition and I bought it for about £75 - $117 US.  They go for a lot more than that now.  There are couple on ebay brand new never out of the box going for 4 times that amount!!  If I had the cash I'd buy them all.  The necks are amazing!!

[kawai2g4b]

You are right about the neck, it's nice and chunky.  For that matter I got mine at a store for $99 U.S.

[rabidgerry]

holy shit!  That is like £63!!!!!  Is it in good condition?  The regular price these go for is more £150 - £250.  That's a bargain for that guitar.  Don't think anyone realises it's one of the few thru necks fender have ever made.  Because it looks like a shred machine most put people off them.