[dleonard]

Whats Up everyone,
I've been reading this site for a while now but I think I need someone to just flat out tell me what to do. I play a Strat through a Twin, and while I think it generally sounds ok, the clean sound is NEVER where I want it. I have taken the advice and dialed up the hight treble, low bass, and high mids on the amp, so I think maybe I'm not tweaking the guitar enough. Where I'm at now is the pickup switch right in the middle and the bridge tone control turned up to like 8-9. Still, not really what I'm after. Curious to see what you dudes are doing to get your sounds out of your guitars.

Also, lots of people tlak about the Stratoblaster on here, is there any need for this if you're not already puttingh your amps volume on 10? From my minimal knowledge it's just a volume boost?

Thanks,
--Dan

[playingdead]

To really knock the Garcia sound, you kind of need a couple of things, depending on the era of tone you are after ...

The Strat is fine as a guitar, but to get Jerry's Tiger guitar sound, you need to have a DiMarzio Super II in the middle position, coil cut, so you can run it as a single coil.

You take that into the Twin, with the treble up high, mids upper high, bass down low. Then you need to play through JBL E-120 speakers. That's the basic formula right there. It will make your Twin weigh about 90 pounds, too ... LOL

I think a typical Strat middle pickup into a stock Twin with those settings is going to sound pretty shrill compared to what you might be looking for.

But the real point here is, listen with your ears, not your eyes ... experiment with different pickup combinations, tone settings, and so forth. A Strat through a Twin is one of the all-time classic combinations, so there is good tone in there somewhere.

A Stratoblaster (or any generic flat boost pedal, like an MXR Micro Amp) will drive the front end of the Twin harder, and give you a little overdrive which is almost impossible to get otherwise. It also depends what year your Twin is, as the older blackface circuitry is prized, and can be modded into a newer Twin.

[dleonard]

Thanks alot for the help. Do the sds-1's sound as good as the sds-2's everyone seems to like? Putting a humbucker on the strat seems like it'd be pricier then just putting on another single coil

[Tennessee Jedi]

Thanks alot for the help. Do the sds-1's sound as good as the sds-2's everyone seems to like? Putting a humbucker on the strat seems like it'd be pricier then just putting on another single coil

(((((((( HUMBUCKER ))))))))
Do it.
You wont regret it.
I have a Pearly gates in the bridge with coil tap ....wicked !
Peace

[dleonard]

yeah, i need to read up on pickups.....see those instructional vids with Jimmy Herring on demand? Two humbuckers on his strat and it sounded real sweet.

[Rusty the Scoob]

Not all strats are the same - some are built with "swimming pool" routes, which allow you to put in humbuckers just by changing the pickguard. Most newer ones are built that way, I believe.

[dleonard]

say i were to put in an sds-2 in the middle or bridge...would i need to replace the other two pickups too?

[Tennessee Jedi]

say i were to put in an sds-2 in the middle or bridge...would i need to replace the other two pickups too?

That would be a good idea. Maybe get away with bridge SD-2 but middle maybe not so as it needs to blend ( pos. 4 or 2 )with other two pups ( with 5 position Strat )....
Rustys idea is a good one if you have that kind of Strat.
Pick guard with pups that are replaceable ... in and out ....

[dleonard]

so you're saying to put it in the middle? stock pups ok for the rest or do i need to replace all of em?

[Tennessee Jedi]

Not quite ....
The middle pick up will used together with the bridge and / or the neck. More interaction with stock pups. Might want a more matched set of pups for this.
If it was in the bridge you would just be messing with the middle pup.
I put the Pearly Gates in the bridge of my Strat. It has more output than the stock pups ; you can hear it when you flip through the 5 way. But I still have stock single coils in neck and middle so i still have those sounds.
The Pearly Gates has a coil tap on it so it can be a single coil. I actually only use the Pup when i have Overdrive or Mutron going ... most of the time I spend in neck or neck combo for Jerry.
You could do what you want to but you could possibly be unhappy with the interaction.
My Ibanez Musician in the shop is getting two SD-2's and a HS - 2 (or 3 ? ).....all DiMarzio pups.
Maybe one of the other kids would know better than I though ....
Good luck....
Peace
chop the Strat ! ( unless its a nice one ) .....

[dleonard]

good stuff dude thanks....

[NashvilleMike]

I have a 72 stock. Love the way it feels...frustrated with the way it sounds. I'm gonna sell it.

[Tennessee Jedi]

I have a 72 stock. Love the way it feels...frustrated with the way it sounds. I'm gonna sell it.

Pics !

[dleonard]

what is coil cut?

[Emoto]

I have a 72 stock. Love the way it feels...frustrated with the way it sounds. I'm gonna sell it.

It may not be so easy to find another guitar whose feel you love. Why not do things to change the sound? Block the bridge and swap out the pickups? Worked for me on my 70's reissue strat.