Trekki 6 is going to be a HSH pickup configuration. Right now, I have the two ‘H’s: black uncovered Seymour Duncans donated by Adam T. a couple of months ago. And that leaves the perennial question: what to put in the middle position?
In my experience the middle pickup is the one that seems…well, unremarkable in so many guitars I’ve played. In Strats it’s as if its main purpose was just to be reverse wound, reverse polarity in order to create 2 hum-bucking tones via the selector switch. But in those superstrat guitars, for example Ibanez RGs, what does it really do? And when or how does anyone really ever use the ‘S’ in ‘HSH’?
Without tons of anecdotal research it’s difficult to know the answer to that question. As far as I can tell based on the various 3-pickup guitars I’ve owned or played the middle single coil is…kind of ‘middling’. If it’s a single coil, it risks an output drop compared to its Humbucker brother and sister. And if it’s a humbucker-in-single coil’s clothing then there’s no output drop but there’s still a risk of it just being kind of ‘middling’ again.
Seymour Duncan has a useful (hard to find) chart of its pickup resistance measurements that can help me find a SD middle single coil to match the two humbuckers I’ve got. Because I don’t know what models they are I’m going to have to take a reading on the meter and go from there.
Even when I’ve chosen matching or ‘balanced’ pickups based on their output levels I’m likely to be mixing single coils with humbuckers – so I’ll end up compromising on the pot value. Typically humbuckers are used with 500k pots and single coils with 250k ones and there’s plenty of online discussion about which values to use in a HSH situation (and what the consequences are for the tone).
So with all that in mind, here’s the logic that I think I’ll use to decide what pickup to put in the middle position:
1) Start with a balance of output that suits what you’ve already got. Do you want a volume drop when in the middle position? If no, then a higher output single coil is likely to be the best choice. If yes, then a wider range of lower output single coils area avaiable.
2) Choose something that sounds as different as possible. Here you’re pretty much working on written or spoken opinions online. You’re listening out for people talking about a pickup that sounds SO different that it jumps out at you.
3) If you can’t find one that sounds distinctive then at least choose one that LOOKS distinctive – like the Duesenberg single coil at the top of this page for example. There are rails, pole-less pickups, staple-style poles… large poles, regular poles, chrome covers, white, cream, black or flourescent cover colours… and many more besides.
Of course, if you don’t have any budget then the decision is a lot simpler: you’ll end up putting in whatever you have in your spares box – and hoping that it sounds at least interesting 😀
Right, where’s my multimeter? Time to measure the resistance of those two humbuckers…