Why A Fender Strat Or Tele With Humbuckers Doesn't Sound Like a Gibson

[@Case_]

As someone who can really only have a single guitar, I've been playing an HSH Strat (well, "an S-style guitar", as they now say) for years. I like the Strat shape and how they feel, so that was a big factor. Nobody ever told me it shouldn't be done, so I just did it because I wanted more sounds out of my guitar due to a fairly wide variety of music I play. I can split both humbuckers, and I can also engage the neck pickup with any combination of the other two pickups. So it does cover a lot of ground. No, it doesn't sound like a "true Strat" or like an LP, it does its own thing and does what I want it to. The idea that someone might think a guitar like that shouldn't even exist or is "wrong" is actually quite funny to me. As if I should care what somebody else thinks about my guitar I'm quite happy with :)

[@goldenultra]

I also have a HSH superstrat washburn x40 only one electric and one acoustic. I can get the sweet tone, you just start the position from the neck, volume and tone on zero. I can always find the right sound by adjusting the Pick up positions, volume and tone slowly I can always tune the guiatr to the amp and effects. There is also blue cat re guitar which can change the sound of the guitar.

[@MisterRlGHT]

Hey, 2 separate volume knobs & 2 tone knobs too far away to reach while playing is the perfect formula for a chump-ass loser guitar. Even if it weighs 32 pounds & costs 32000.

[@thomaslthomas1506]

I do the same thing but in a tele. I a pro but I’ll be honest I don’t really have the funds to have more than 1 guitar, so I just have rigged it HSH with coil splits. It covers just about all the bases. I seem to get called back on sessions plenty so I must be doing something right.

[@ChristopherDowning]

A lot of Strats are routed to take HBs so it's way more mainstream than many might think. Think Hiram Bullock and his famous HSH Strat. There's a lot of scope to add treble bleeds and switching. Mine has treble bleeds on the two Phat Cat P90s and the centre APS1 Alnico II. Each has a volume pot - 500s for the Phats and 250 for the APS1 - 5-way switching, no tone pots. This guitar is like a toolbox of sounds.

[@101Volts]

Purism does have its uses, but at other times, it's just restricting and life-constricting. You modified a common Stratocaster, not a Stradivarius. Anyone saying "Don't do that, you'll never get true Strat tone" might have misinterpreted what *you* want in a guitar for your own enjoyment. It could be that in their minds, a Strat is for Strat things while a Les Paul is for Les Paul things. What ever happened to mixing it up so it fits you better? But so help you if you would modify a rare 1965 Mosrite Ventures II "Slab" model, unless you were Johnny Ramone; you might de-value the guitar by thousands of dollars if you modded it. There's no problem in building a near identical replica, though.

[@xngr]

Great video. Scale length is one of those extremely obvious physical influences on your sound that many guitarists will happily ignore and then talk at length about magical diodes in pedals, expensive cables or minute differences in wood composition. All instead of actually practicing of course.

[@robert2948]

Lol

[@victorformosa2825]

I saw a good review on the exchanger pedal which changes the tone of a single coil to humbucker and vica versa.

[@DogeDelecto]

Especially when you begin getting in the realm of extended range guitars. 28 inch scale length is going to sound completely different from one that's just a simple 26.6 scale length.

[@arunkarthikma3121]

@@DogeDelecto Yeah, especially the low notes. Whereas the high notes generally don't see much difference, past a certain length.

[@arunkarthikma3121]

@@DogeDelecto A good way to hear this for yourself is pianoteq, which simulates the physics of a real piano. (The scale length feature is deleted now, but there are some videos still on KZbin) Past the "grand piano" scale length, the notes will have diminishing returns in clarity.

[@arthurvandelay7677]

I'm a former vibration test tech. You did very well explaining nodes and anti-nodes in an easy to understand manner. Where they appear does change with scale length, and pickups placement is important I'm that respect. I'd like to add that anything that resonates (most everything...) is a system. The resonant system that is a Les Paul body is very different from the system that is a Strat or tele. String tension, bolt-on vs. fixed neck, body weight and composition (trigger the tone wood argument), where the string is plucked and with what...all of these and more will affect the resonance of the system to varying degrees. Whether one agrees or disagrees with your conclusions, your video does a good job of showing that there is more to an electric guitar than just some strings vibrating over a pickup.

[@bradt.3555]

Correct, The term "tonewood" really spoil's the argument that the body ie: shape, wood type, etc. is all part of the "system" that vibrates. If the string vibrates different - different tone, period.

[@janmokracki]

I think a lot depends whether you use a lot of distortion or not. The more gain you add to your guitar tone, the less its raw sound really matters. Then it comes more down to preference and comfort of playing.

[@NeZversSounds]

While in theory that dead spot explanation has an influence on the sound quality EVERYONE who uses this as an argument overlooks one massive counterpoint. Those explained dead spot positions are there on an open string. If a string is pressed on one of the frets that division falls in different spots. You can see in practice when you need to do pick squeals. To get the same harmonic resonance on different frets you need to shift the pick position.

[@thomaslthomas1506]

I only play in slack key( open g/drop c) I can tell you going to Gibson scale makes a huge difference once you get out of E standard. Tarbo tuning is almost unusable in shorter scales unless you use heavier gauge strings. Just sayin.

[@u.haselsteiner562]

Absolutely true. I dont understand, why the scale length argument is still out there and even presented by guys that should understand the fallacy quickly...

[@NeZversSounds]

@@thomaslthomas1506 Yeah but that's a different property that gets impacted - string tension.

[@wasichu66]

Same exact reason why the 22 vs 24 frets and the 432 vs 440 arguments make no sense, same way the fact of having pups mounted floating on a thin piece of plastic called a pickguard should have buried the tonewood debate a looong time ago, but hey, guitar nerds are for the most part pretty much like religious fanatics

[@thomaslthomas1506]

@@wasichu66 put a neck on a fence post, put strings on it. It’ll still pretty much sound like….well the pickups. 😎

[@neel_mass3y]

yess finally someone who understands, this is my reason on why i never really liked the sound of a strat with humbuckers in it, in my opinion still doesn't hit as hard and full sounding like a les paul with humbuckers or any other solid body guitar with humbuckers

[@AuntAlnico4]

In my experience a humbugged in the bridge position of a Strat sounds 👍 great but doesn't seem to have as much hard hitting gain as the same humbucker in a less Paul

[@beefnacos6258]

My Strats with humbuckers completely rip.

[@zockerhdgarantiert]

I have to disagree on that, take jake e lee for example or any other charvel arist, it's basically a fender strat with humbuckers. And man it sounds massive enough to me.

[@breifne555]

It's an interesting one. My old 73 Fender Jaguar I've had since new has a humbucker in the middle and I toured it back in the 70s. It came directly from Fender with the humbucker loose. It's a short scale and narrow neck and was a special order. I asked for it as the idea was to not have to keep changing guitars due to the recordings of the songs and the guitars we used. I was pretty pleased as it did go some way towards that end. I was told that the pickup was one they were working on at the time. It's twice as loud as the single coils and sounds really ballsy when the single coils are switched off. I actually lent it to a well known guitarist on a gig in Germany as his Strat had been damaged. Afterwards he said a few things but the first was "you seem to have a Les Paul hiding in your guitar". I've had several other say the same since. If it does then it's a pure fluke. I still have it.

[@lenbones7940]

I've been wanting to put a humbucker in the middle of my jag forever but like no one has it so I didnt know how it would sound.. so your saying it's legit? Just asking cuz once the router comes out lol haha

[@paulbannon498]

@@lenbones7940 kk

[@Blueguitar007]

Fender made a Jag in 73 with 3 pickups and a humbucker in the middle? Is this a typo?

[@breifne555]

@@Blueguitar007 To claify it was the standard two single coils with a humbucker in the middle. It was a special order. We were under pressure on time and they shipped the guitar and the humbucker followed and was fitted by the German dealer. It really does give you a massive extreme of sound with the output being much higher. Hit the switch and off it goes into LP territory.

[@Blueguitar007]

@@breifne555 Oh ya special order - I forgot Japan made many special order guitars for Fender. My bad. I had an SG custom that had 3 humbuckers and I found it really annoying not to have that picking space left open in the middle plus the buckers taking up so much room - it was all pups below the strings. I have a 2003 Jap Jag and with distortion it screams and with it clean it can get really good jazz out of neck pup - I have flats on it.

[@SkyhawkDelta]

I'm just drooling over how gorgeous that strat looks.

[@TheAxe4Ever]

I literally laugh my ass off when I hear these forum “experts” say you ruin a Strat with humbuckers and that “it will never sound right”. I’ve heard them say that a lot. Mr. Van Halen, anyone? When I say that they TRY to defend their stupid comment by saying “his tone really wasn’t that great.” 😂😂😂

[@ronpipes1988]

LMFAO......yeppers. His bad awful tone sold countless albums, spawned a new industry for strat and strat style guitars, led to the creation of his own EVH line of guitars and amps, and it all started with a guitar made from so called "sub standard" parts without a working neck or middle pickup. Just that god awful sounding humbucker in the bridge. What in the world was he thinking? I put a SD Little 59 in the bridge of my Nashville Tele and that thing absolutely kicks fracking arse. Doesn't sound like a Gibson and never will, but the sound from it is absolutely amazing. I'm sure there's a crowd that would frown and say that I just ruined the sound of the tele.

[@softlightsymphonyband]

Many of these experts are trapped in a traditional mindset and will tell you something is wrong or can’t be done right up until someone famous does it and then suddenly it’s all “what a genius” and “famous dude shakes up the game with a wild idea”, etc. Do what you want how you want. Conventions and habits are made to be broken.

[@TheAxe4Ever]

@@ronpipes1988 An SD 59 in a Tele? Sounds like a GREAT combination! I’d love to hear that. I’m sure it does kick ass!

[@TheAxe4Ever]

@@softlightsymphonyband Completely agree! Don’t get me wrong. I love a completely original old Tele, Strat, Les Paul, etc. For some things I tend to also have a traditionalist point of view. But for the most part when it comes to making an instrument into a tool that you can use for your own art, break all the rules if you have to. That’s my philosophy.

[@feloniousmonk321]

Not everyone likes the music that has been generated by super strat players, Eddie Van Halen included. Not saying a Strat with humbuckers shouldn't exist, but what is produced through them might not appeal to everyone. It doesn't have to.

[@dennisflock3958]

That's why I love my Tele Custom. Single in the bridge, and Wide Range in the neck. Great and unusual to me. All my guitars are unique in voice. That's why I have and keep them. I don't want a "One Guitar to Rule them All."

[@dakotamorgan6594]

I have bought and sold many guitars, from ibanez prestige, contemporary strats with Floyd's, gibson SG, PRS S2's, Se's, EVH Frankie etc looking for the one to rule them all guitar. I've concluded it doesn't exist and each one has something appreciable that is excels in, whether it is a specific tone or playability in a genre. So I have completely changed my thinking and agree with you 100%

[@MajorUpgrade]

@@dakotamorgan6594 Agreed. "Non-guitar people" are like "Why do you need more than one, or two at most?"... Haha, man, you just nailed it. I love that all of my guitars sound and play a little different. It kind of "forces" me to play them all, depending on my mood that day!

[@jonthehermit8082]

Hehe at his point I have three different t-type guitar with three different neck pickups. I prefer the humbucker and the p90 combos, really couldn’t choose between the two.

[@MajorUpgrade]

@@jonthehermit8082 oh yeah! i dont have a tele with P90's in it yet!... DANG IT! lol

[@jackcardinell5885]

@@MajorUpgrade -I always respond to that question with "would ya play golf with one club?"

[@TheBassTroll]

For the first bass I made from a slab of wood, I attached the machine heads and bridge before routing the pickups. I placed the pickups by finding where I had harmonics on the strings, rather than by measuring where pickups were placed on other basses. I'm planning to build other basses now; probably the most unorthodox pickup configuration I'm considering is a '51 Precision-style with a Ric 4000-series bridge pickup. And these considerations are what led me to this video. Thank you, Dylan.

[@LilOlFunnyBoy]

I believe the difference in tone is the sum of many small factors. Scale length and pickup position may be one of those factors. However, every fret changes the location of the string's vibration nodes and relative position of the pickups so it's not as simple as it first seems. When you play an E# at the first fret, your Strat isn't going to sound more Gibson-like.

[@seanflannery777]

I have a Strat that I made a 24.75" scale, (mighty might 3x3 gibsonesque neck), put a couple of Gibson Humbuckers in it, changed out the bridge mounting screws for flat ones and installed longer saddle screws so I could intonate it correctly. Sounds fantastic but nothing like an LP or a Strat... definitely it's own entity. Great video, thanks for sharing!

[@youtubecommentor4480]

Great work Sean! If your guitar “sounds fantastic” and is “its “own entity” then it’s in the club with the big guns! Just a different flavor, correct? 👍🏻

[@zacharywatson885]

Scale length is huge when it comes to humbuckers but oddly nowhere near as big of a deal when it comes to single coils. Put a conversion neck on a single coil Strat or Tele and the tiny difference will be nixed once in the mix with a band; put a conversion neck on a Strat or Tele with humbuckers and you have a different guitar. Not better or worse, just different. It is wildly cool. Try it if you get the chance.

[@VladThanatos]

Interesting. Never heard that before, thanks.

[@bakters]

That makes no sense whatsoever. You basically say, that putting a capo on the first fret of a super strat with "transform" the guitar. Sorry, but it does not work like that. To be fair, it's cheaper than buying a new guitar, but from my experience, getting a different pick is cheaper still. And the advantage is, that it actually works. Picks change the tone.

[@davidbourne4912]

@@bakters What? a capo does not change the scale length which is what he's talking about. Changing the scale length dramatically affects the feel and tone of the instrument, a lot more than a capo

[@davidbourne4912]

@@AzathothsAlarmClock I agree with you, however don't discount that the way you play changes with how the guitar feels, and how you play absolutely does influence tone. "Tone is in the fingers"

[@kevinmurtagh4996]

@@davidbourne4912 Using a capo isn’t shortening the scale length? If scale length is the length from nut to bridge, and using a capo is like moving the nut forward, then wouldn’t using a capo be shortening the scale length?

[@martincloutier666]

My Fender Sixty Six came stock with a pretty unconventional pickup setup: a Humbucker on the bridge and telecaster single coils on the middle and neck…. And I love it!

[@josecuervo1747]

I have same setup on my ‘87 MIJ Tele. Came from factory that way. I think that line was called “Contemporary.”

[@dakotamorgan6594]

@@josecuervo1747 it was! I have a contemporary strat with a Floyd and love it. I'm super jealous of your tele.... ever want to sell it? Lol

[@blacktoothfox677]

I have an early 80's pre-lawsuit ESP 400 series S454 Strat, with EXACTLY that H/S/S configuration... the best for metal in my view! It is rigged up as if it were a 50's strat... which is my dream guitar. Oh, how I would LOVE to get a nice clay0dot '59 Strat, and instantly dig a great hole in the bridge to slap a period-correct Humbucker in there! Guitars are for playing... and we love what we love. Stay heavy and harmonious out there! Cheers - from the UK

[@EattheApple666]

I have a 66 as well and love it.

[@deathmetaldouglas69]

Those Sixty Sixes are beautiful guitars. I have a cheesy Squire Strat (I'm mainly a bassist) with that same pickup configuration. It's like five totally different sounds. My other Squire Strat has the the three single coils as each of the five sounds are a lot more similar to each other.

[@randyosgood4729]

In my 40+ years of playing I've never heard this theory before, and it makes total sense! I built a project guitar a few years back, a MIM Strat with Pearly Gates pickups wired in the normal humbucking fashion. It sounded half-@ssed, so I wired the pickups in series and it now sounds like a Strat with souped-up single coil pickups. I use it a lot as my go-to Strat (I usually play a Les Paul).

[@NeZversSounds]

That division explanation falls flat when you take into account the ability to fret the strings.

[@ziljanvega3879]

@@NeZversSounds yeah I was kinda thinking the same thing, and also that moving the pickups to the relative distance from the common nodes on the string would account for that. You could even have scaled up/ down pickup widths, if that actually mattered. My guess is that it's not the pick-ups or the harmonics from the scale length, but rather it's the harmonics from the chladni patterns on the wood which probably emphasizes the lower harmonics and acts like a low band pass filter.

[@cironicholas526]

After watching nothing but Dylan videos all lockdown, I'm turning an old sewing machine into a pickup winder. Once I make the perfect high-output ceramic shredder, I'm gonna name it the Dylan McKrunchy.

[@jeffhampton6972]

I really love how you dive into those little details that can have such big effects! I'm a small-time guitar builder, and I remember when I started realizing some of those things (after making errors and accidents), it was so exciting to understand why some things happen. It's great that that kind of thing is easy to learn online like this as well.

[@timothypotter2137]

That guitar is B E A U T I F U L! I'm really starting to like that vintage white and torti pick guard look.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

See Mark Knopfler's Pensa white Strat!

[@Ever-Happening]

Thom Yorke has a jazzmaster like this and honestly it's my favorite guitar of his(he uses it a lot in the smile)

[@michaelsnydermusic]

Thank you! After realizing tone wood makes no difference for electric guitars (SMG on KZbin did a great video on this) I wondered why guitars sound so different between brand and model when the pickups are the same. This cleared it all up for me. If only guitar companies spent more time on these factors while elaborating on them rather than the sexier “tone wood” bs.

[@michaelsnydermusic]

@@ericv7720 I suggest you check out all the videos that prove with science that tone wood is a myth with electric guitars. I’m sorry but simply stated wood does not enhance or filter out frequencies. Your pickups do and the speakers do, wood does not. It’s been proven and the evidence is all over KZbin.

[@michaelsnydermusic]

@@ericv7720 no, science is the final judge. Null tests have been done between identical guitars with different wood types. They showed absolutely no difference in frequency response. Same as tube type for amps in fact (yet another tone myth). If you want to know the truth just look it up. Or you can spend extra money for something that won’t do a thing for your tone. It’s your choice. I’ll be spending my time and effort on things that actually effect frequency response like pickups, bridges and speakers. Just think about it logically, how on can a type of wood change the sound being generated by metal strings being vibrated and transferred into electrical signals into magnets? That wood can help with sustain but that’s it my friend. I’m not trying to be a jerk, just trying to inform. Best of luck to you.

[@michaelsnydermusic]

@@ericv7720 btw, ears aren’t a judge. The brain interprets signals received by your ears to produce a perception. And as we all know the brain can be fooled by misconceptions and bias. That’s why science is so good at clearing up these fallacies.

[@dahliafiend]

@@michaelsnydermusic ohhh just sustain that’s all.

[@t.schipper]

Jim Lill did a really awesome series of videos on some of these sound myths, including tonewood. Even took care of the effect of scale length and pickup position. Was super cool to watch.

[@edwinstovall3334]

I've got a pickup replacement success story for you. A bunch of years ago, I experienced an Epiphone Les Paul Plus Top Pro FX, which equates to a Les Paul Standard equipped with a Floyd Rose Special vibrato. I LOVED the sound of the guitar, but was too broke to buy it. It left quite the impression, though. Recently, I acquired and began modifying an Ibanez RG220B, which is a super Strat. The last mod was installing a pair of Epiphone Alnico Classic humbuckers, which I found on Ebay for (really) cheap. To my surprise, the guitar sounded and sounds almost exactly like that Les Paul! Yes, I can almost hear you saying that I have forgotten much about the sound of that Les Paul. That thought has crossed my mind many times, but since my ears are happy with what they hear when I play the thing, I call the whole affair a clear win! Also, I'd like for someone to tell me that this guitar wasn't meant to sound the way it does now. First, it had two humbuckers stock -- just not the same ones. Second, the intent was and is MINE, and I say it IS supposed to sound this way. So there!😎 😎❤️️🎸‼️

[@markjamesmason]

I’ve had just a bridge full size humbucker in my Strat for a decade, and I recently upgraded it to a Fishman Fluence Classic, and it’s my favorite guitar I own now. I prefer it over my “cool” guitars (Mustang, Jazz Master, Casino). I tune down to D and use 9-46s, and it does something I’ve been searching for for awhile. It isn’t a Les Paul, and it’s more powerful than a Strat. It is it’s own thing.

[@kickinvideo333]

Don't forget that Strats are routed heavily behind the pickguard, creating a chambered effect. Also, the pickups are mounted onto the pickguard, not the body. These factors also influence tone dramatically.

[@Johnnybomb1]

@unreal world Actually, no. He didn't nail it. The biggest reason an LP guitar sounds different from a Strat style guitar with the same pick-ups, is because of the difference in scale length and placement of said pick-ups. Everything else is tiny factors.

[@rbilleaud]

No.

[@kevinlegere8557]

Good points

[@alexwr]

LMAO, you think a bit of routing makes a difference in tone... You clearly hasn't seen that Jim Lill video where he mounts the strings and hardware across two work benches and mounts the pickup in the exact location, and it sounds identical to his telecaster. Or the one where he douses the body of his guitar in wood glue, no tonal differences or sustain differences whatsoever.

[@BrianBrazilHarmonica]

Hi Dylan, I have a 72 Thinline Telecaster with an ash body, maple neck and fretboard. It came with 2 humbuckers, but not the Fender Wide range ones. The pickups are from a PRS SE model. It has a 3 position switch and push push pots for more tone selections. Since it is a semi hollow body due to the left side of the body having the Florentine cut, the control cavity under the pick guard and the top being a cap like an ES 335 it does sound quite a bit different. It does get a sound pretty close sound to an ES 335 when the pickup selector switch is in the mid position and the controls are in the normal position.

[@Tolbens]

For a "fatter" sound try 9,5 strings that they don't brake easily.

[@BrianBrazilHarmonica]

@@Tolbens I don't have a problem with fat tone. I use 8 gauge strings because the tension is tighter since it's a fender scale guitar they feel like 10s would on a Gibson. I haven't broken a string since getting the guitar last December. I like the sound and it works for me.

[@mateusrodolfo98]

I ordered a custom guitar from a local shop. Strat body shape but Gibson-like scale length and 2 SD P-Rails. Excited to see the end result in about a month

[@davidrees1840]

I have an Eddy-inspired Strat, but I put my pickup parallel to the bridge and about 1/2inch twd the neck to be a bit less thin and trebly. The fact that you can play with pickup position just by making a pickguard has to make Strats the best platform for trying things like this. Good vid, thanks

[@TylrVncnt]

1000% Cheers brother

[@UnhungHero]

I ordered a mod shop Strat with dual humbuckers, instead of HSS or SSS and love that its a familiar set up to my Gibson LP, but with a bit different tone for some variety

[@blacktoothfox677]

...a spankier proposition, if I may say so!

[@christopherweise438]

Mattew Perkins - In the 70's Allan Holdsworth used to put dual PAF's in his Strats. Just like EVH he wanted a guitar that played like a Strat, but didn't sound like one.

[@Dldmny]

100% Right on regarding the significance of differences in scale length and guitar architecture. When the telecasters first appeared traditionalists felt they were cheap junk. Despite that, they succeeded in creating their own unique nitch in sound and performance.

[@DylanTalksTone]

Teles are awesome

[@TheOneBK]

My “secret” favorite combination for a great studio tone. Fender Duo-Sonic (24” ‘short scale’) with 2 Dimarzio Pro Track single sized humbuckers. It is has a great, very musical voice and easy to play.

[@danielsheehan3783]

I like your attitude of “just do whatever you want” I really think that is the key. There’s so many other companies out there now making hybrids of Gibson/Fender styles anyways that the actual instrument you play is kind of irrelevant.

[@henryrodriguez2054]

I have a Strat with P-Rails installed. They have pull-push knobs. There are 4 types of sound. Humbuckers in series, P-90s, Single coil, and Humbuckers in parallel. I installed the pickups with the rails outbound, which is to say that the rail at the neck position faces the Neck and the rail at the bridge position faces the bridge. Which gives a really good single-coil sound. They're supposed to be installed with the rails facing each other in the middle. But I have found that the rails sound better-facing outbound. I just joined your channel so I don't know if you've tried them out. But if not, then please do.

[@scsviiyt]

Two weeks ago I bought a Slick SL55. I wanted to get it because it has a Gibson scale length on a Telecaster style body with filtertron pickups. I have Telecaster style guitars with traditional Fender scale length and P90s, another with Humbuckers, and one with traditional Telecaster pickups.. It's interesting how much the sound changes with the different pickups and placement. Thanks for your video.

[@jonthehermit8082]

That sounds like something I would buy. Really intrigued by filtertron lately , one of the things I love but don’t have.

[@abubakr6939]

@@jonthehermit8082 filtertrons really are great and unique

[@PendelSteven]

3:38 Already start typing this before you mentioned it: Some people don't even realise that the scalelength of different guitars is different. Generally it's 25½" for Fender, 24¾" for Gibson and 24" for Fender Shortscale. But then there's 25" for PRS (standard) and 24½ for PRS Santana. That's basicly it for 6-strings. It also explains why (super)strats, 25½", are more suitable for solo-guitar, 'cause you have more room on the higher frets.

[@TheLateBoyScout]

Man, you explained that really well! Gonna reference this in the future.

[@professoroak2252]

Same. Been thinking about the subject lately. Already saved to favorites.

[@u.haselsteiner562]

Well explained but objectively false. Scale length changes in the moment you start playing and pressing down the strings on different fret positions.

[@professoroak2252]

@@u.haselsteiner562 Frets have different sizes in different scale lenghts, which means that a pressed fret's scale length is diferrent accordingly.

[@u.haselsteiner562]

@@professoroak2252 of course, thats right. But all that talking about nodes and antinodes and the Pickup placement on the "right" sweet-spot is calculated for the open string. As soon as you start playing and shortening strings by pressing your fingers down, all the nodes and antinodes start to change their spots. Simple maths.

[@garrettstiles7808]

Love the unexpected crossover here: your channel and Dylan's are two of my faves 👍

[@daveylee4677]

I bought a 1983 Washburn Force 2 for a few bucks 20 years ago. It came with the 2001 big block trem and locking nut. Very nice right out of the case but it became a mod project. I cut a new pickguard using the original as a template. Updated with recent used Washburn humbuckers and a Dragonfire single coil mid pup. Had to do some routing to make it work. DPDT 3 way switches (Dan Armstrong Super Strat) for the humbuckers and a push button for the mid pup. Independent volume controls with a master tone control. Treble bleeds. Split coil or full HB neck pup and in/out phase for the bridge pup. So many tones and the layout is user friendly. $300 invested, and it sounds and plays like an expensive boutique axe. My only electric right now and I don’t need more than one to do the job.

[@freak1c1]

Love it! technically fairly correct. Easier to say pickup placement in ratio to scale length is different, affecting tonality. scale length alone would've settled the premise. Now go search some Tele Deluxe vs Les Paul sound comparisons. You hear a fender scale length being a fender scale length, BUT, with the Seth Lover Pickups, placement running the same amp there is only a bit more treble to the fender and low E chord plays less muddy, but man, Its a Paul enough character that it would take an extreme cork sniffer to pick it out of a recording.

[@vincewilkes]

I put an SD Hotrails in my Tele bridge and a Lace Blue in the neck in my attempt to cobble together something like Jonny Greenwood's Tele Plus. Wired in a push to kill as well.

[@modergav]

Awesome video as always. I'd also like to add: Different geometries in different instruments like a strat and a LP for example changes the way you play the guitar. The attack on strings would be different, the way you fret the notes also. So besides all those fisical facts about the guitars per se, the tone would also not be the same simply because you can't play two different guitars the same way

[@eckyevans5437]

As you asked for comments about unusual pickup configurations, I recently bought a Revelation JRT60 Quad guitar It's a Jaguar style guitar with four Entwhistle single coils on individual Jaguar style switches, as if that doesn't give you enough combinations it has also has a 5-way rotary switch for even more sounds Not entirely sure how Entwhistle wires that switch but it seems to have a couple of series positions and at least one out of phase as well as some EQ type stuff, thing about it is though it seems to do different things depending on which pickups you have switched on The pots also do some unexpected stuff, they have a lot of travel on them and the tone doesn't just reduce the highs, at a certain point it seems to boost mids whilst reducing lows and highs, Revelation say it has 'hidden sounds' on the pots and to be fair, I've had it about a month now and I'm still discovering different sounds It's a cool guitar but one that's taking quite some getting used to, I worked out that between the four on-off pickup switches and the 5-way rotary it has something like 70 different possible combinations, now ya see why I say it takes some getting used to

[@stonedriver9298]

Such a wonderfully non-pretentious video full of expert info in layman's terms. I have always favored Gibson and the like while not discounting Fender style humbucking guitars. I am a new fan and subscriber as a result of your delivery.

[@docf.n.t.2310]

You asked to hear from anyone with a guitar with "wrong" pickups in it... How about a Fender Show Master ? Set neck, Duncan Jazz in the neck, and Duncan JB in the bridge, both humbuckers. Just like your white Strat there, no middle single coil. Mine never had one, came from factory (Asia) with this setup ! I use mine for heavy blues, or 70s/80s rock, but not Metal. Having 3 Les Pauls myself, I too have noticed the sound difference, from the Pauls, but never really gave it that much thought. PS - The Show Master is also 24 fret on a 25.5" scale.... Great video ! I subscribed, looking forward to seeing more of your videos !

[@pacoysusguitarras]

Great video and analysis man! What about a Fender Mustang HH with hard tail bridge?? They have the exact same scale than gibsons (24.75"). If you install gibson pickups on it, should it sound the same??

[@henrydueckmusic]

My number one guitar right now is a Godin with a 25.75” scale that I installed some Fender “No Caster” Tele pickups into - but also left a Strat single coil pickup in the middle position that I can add into the mix with a toggle switch. This gives me the 3 position tele sounds PLUS another 3 “in-between” Strat sounds when I toggle on the middle pickup. I LOVE IT!

[@supersignet]

it's all about the scale length and the position of the buckers on said scale length

[@iliasliakos6692]

no

[@darkaegis1]

Those are definitely contributing factors

[@Dreamdancer11]

Thats so very true.You can built a strat style instrument but with the shorter gibson scale and painstakingly position the pickup routes on the same position as an LP and the sound ll be the exact same....the playability ll slightly vary cause of the different bridge but as far as sound is concerned the guitar is the same .... People think that the different body...shapes ll influence the sound but in reality if you got the same scale length and the same pickup position routes you have the string that vibrates exactly the same and is picked up at the exact same spot by the exact same pickup......you do that and you have two guitars with identical sound....it doesnt matter if one has SS frets and the other has NS ones or if the nut on the first is bone and in the other is brass or they woods used are totally different......

[@Dreamdancer11]

Thats so very true. You can built lets say a strat looking instrument but with the shorter gibson scale and painstakingly position the pickup routes on the same position as an LP and the sound ll be the exact same....the playability ll slightly vary cause of the different bridge(also less weight,different body shape) but as far as sound is concerned the guitar is the same as the LP .... People think that the different body...shapes ll influence the sound but in reality if you got the same scale length and the same pickup position routes you have the string that vibrates exactly the same and is picked up at the exact same spot by the exact same pickup......you do that and you have two guitars with identical sound....it doesnt matter if one has SS frets and the other has NS ones or if the nut on the first is bone and in the other is brass or the body in one is mahogany and in the second alder....

[@hogrotten6897]

I've a H&H MIM Tele with 59's in the bridge and a split pearly gates in the neck... I love that greasy sumgun !

[@Pinko_Jess]

Enlightening! Doesn't sound like an LP; still sounds damn good.

[@wadepetrishen4101]

i built an unconventional guitar. Mahogany carved top tele body with a Tune-o-matic bridge, Pearly Gates humbuckers and a strat neck. It sounds unbelievable. I get some incredibly varied sounds from this guitar. Everything from Rock-a-billy to ZZ-Top. I have an 80 LP, 4 strats and a tele. This has quickly become my favorite guitar.

[@fenderbass0]

Okay about scale length, but then just place the pickups in the same relative location on the Strat vs the Les Paul, and you greatly reduce any effect of scale length on the sound. Would be a good experiment to prove or disprove sonic differences due to pickup location.

[@johncartelli]

but the scale would still be different..i suggest having a strat neck made up with the shorter scale. THEN place the pickups in the same relative position as a Les Paul.

[@Damaged262]

I seem to recall Gibson having a pick up that slid on a track up and down the body. I can't recall if it was the neck, bridge or both. I didn't play guitar at the time, so I didn't pay that much attention but looking back, it seems like a killer idea that didn't catch on.

[@kirkthomas1124]

Great topic. I've got a '74 Tele Thinline with dual humbuckers (stock). Back in the day I only had that and my '57 reissue strat. I used to claim that the Tele "sounded like a Les Paul, bro!". Then I got a Les Paul. No comparison between the two. I love my Fenders and my Gibsons equally, mind you. They just have different use cases. My most recent addition is a 2019 Elite strat that shipped with a humbucker and 2 single coils (and bypass switches etc). While the humbucker definitely changes the dynamics, it still has that strat sound. I really dig it.

[@armyofchris]

My favorite guitar right now is a 2020 epiphone standard SG that I modded with a fender jaguar pickup in the middle position. I tune down to C standard and call it doom twang.

[@corneliuscrewe677]

Now that’s an interesting idea👍

[@Justin.Franks]

How are the Epi SG Standards routed under the pickguard? Is it a "swimming pool" route, or did you have to route out space for the Jaguar pickup?

[@armyofchris]

@@Justin.Franks I wasn't there when the work was done so I didnt see how exactly it was routed to start with. My assumption was for two humbuckers. But I had my buddy route it out swimming pool style in case I wanted to switch out with something else or move them around. Was thinking it would be cool/funny to replace the humbuckers for jazzmasters.

[@wilhelmtheconquerer6214]

I'd say that it (mostly) comes down to construction. Take a Les Paul and an SG; essentially the exact same neck, the same bridge, pickups, woods, etc. and yet they sound different from eachother. The main difference is the construction, the Les Paul not only being e thicker slab of mahogany, but also with the addition of the maple cap as well, adding even more mass. Then imagine a fender with humbuckers where it's a string-trough bridge/tremolo system, bolt-on neck, different scale length and other woods at that (not to mention the difference in the exact pickups in the guitar) The pickups are the biggest factor in a guitars tone, sure, but the bridge, scale length and construction method matter almost as much when added up, much more than "tonewoods" does, even though that also contribute

[@vaportrails7943]

Strat with humbuckers = Eddie Van Halen = “Super Strat” = Ibanez and every other guitar made in the 1980s. (plus Floyd Rose)

[@feloniousmonk321]

Exactly why I wouldn't be interested in them. Not everyone likes 80s hard rock and hair metal.

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

@@feloniousmonk321 they do blues,rock and pop extremely well.......maybe look around at what so many different musicians used at different times..and as a side note how the fuck can anyone NOT like 80s hard rock and hair metal?

[@fajaradi1223]

They're cool back then. But as you grow older. They kinda starting to look cringy.

[@nickf9392]

Tele with a humbucker in the neck is my favorite guitar set up, I have about 7 or 8 of them, all great guitars. Building a strat right now with Humbucker neck and a Tele bridge, cant wait to see how that comes out. I don't expect them to sound like anything else, but I do expect any guitar I build to sound GREAT. So far, all good!

[@AngelMartinez-qs3cf]

That is a good question, maybe it's the maple neck? I'm just guessing. Try changing the pickups to a Classic '57 or a Seymour Duncan JB, or a Dimarzio Distortion? Maybe that is a good thing that it doesn't sound like a Les Paul. It has a unique personality about it. It's sounds just different.

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

scale length...bolt on neck....pickup position in relation to bridge and from each other....different bridge.....tuners in line......different body and neck material........different nut width.........hollow pickup cavity with resonant pick guard......different wiring style,possible caps,pots might have different rating 250 vs 500?

[@kz.productions]

Question for the HSH players, how often do you use the middle single coil or what combinations do you do?

[@shawnmcmillan1294]

But, a Tele with Humbuckers is amazing. I personally like and play my Tele (with Dylans pickups), much more than my Les Paul!

[@DylanTalksTone]

agreed

[@ramencurry6672]

Eddie Van Halen did a mod where he added humbucker to a strat style guitar and many people liked it

[@VapnFagan]

I own a custom shop tele with single coils, I have been wanting to convert the bridge to fit a humbucker. How does the sound/tone change on a tele when you swap the single with a humbucker in the bridge? COuld you explain? Thanks

[@TexanUSMC8089]

I bought a Tele Deluxe awhile back. I haven't compared it to a LP yet to see how different it may sound. Maybe my ears aren't good enough to hear it if it is different. lol

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

@@VapnFagan you can suddenly play slayer and metallica on your tele and it will sound sick...add coil splitting to the humbucker and you will have a very versatile guitar

[@noi5emaker]

You asked about weird combos? I have a pair of mini humbuckers in a Strat-like guitar (Burns Marquee). Wow. Just wow. All the clarity, none of the mud! I also built a guitar with 3 singles, a 3 way lever switch and a volume for the middle pickup. It allows you to dial in the middle pickup, AND give you the neck and bridge sound, plus all three (if you like that kind of thing). It's amazingly versatile yet easy to use. Try it out :)

[@cubano100pct]

Battle of the single coils. Strat with 3 P-90 pickups and/or Tele with P-90s.

[@feloniousmonk321]

They can sound great in either.

[@TexanUSMC8089]

I have a tele with 2 Rio Grand P90's. I thought it sounded good, but I haven't compared the sound to my LP with P90's.

[@ericmullenaux5265]

I'm working on a build right now that is a PRS style body/scale with a P90 bridge pickup and a tele neck. I'm super stoked, I've never seen that combo before and I think it's gonna rock!

[@maxmustardman298]

but will a LP with single coils sound more like a strat than a strat with humbuckers sound like a LP ?

[@spudvader]

no

[@Caged63Man]

You'll find your answer with none other than Frank Marino, who actually plays a Gibson SG but with strat pickups, and sounds phenomenal!

[@scottanderson6807]

Nope!

[@TexanUSMC8089]

@@Caged63Man I think that was the whole point. You don't to mimic a specific sound to find a sound you like.

[@ferox965]

@@Caged63Man Marino is such a monster.

[@AmericanNationalist852]

i love learning something new every day. Thanks man!

[@Okla_Soft]

I’ve got 2 Warmoth Strats with 24.75” scale length necks and a single bridge humbucker each, specifically built them to mimic the Tom Delonge style Strat but ended up doing my own thing. They both have a coil split in case I want a more traditional Strat sound, but needless to say, they still sound like strats compared to my Les Pauls, they’re just different animals entirely, but ultimately they sound close enough when running a high-gain sound. Mine probably sound closer to Les Pauls because they’ve got Tune-O-Matic bridges as well. If you want to see one of them, click on my profile here on KZbin

[@nasticanasta]

one day you will stop copying others and have your own tone...but alas I doubt it, you're still chasing others peoples tones...I bet you have relic'd guitar too..lol

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

play some AIC ....that boy can rock a strat like humbucker loaded guitar

[@nicdee316]

Totally agreed on this ! I did a simple experiment: took the bridge SH-4 off from my Kramer Paul Dean (all mahogany neck-through, rosewood neck, HSS, 25-1/2 scale, Superstrat shape) and put it in my '13 les Paul Traditional. I love the way it sounds in the Kramer, and I was looking for a better bridge pickup for the LP, so, why not ? MASSIVE difference. What sounded well balanced, good dynamics and perfect output in one guitar was borderline unusable in the other. Too much output, crazy mid spike, volume pot felt like an on/off switch, no dynamics at all. The pickup went back into the Kramer in a matter of minutes. Pretty eye-opening experience that anyone that's half-decent with a soldering iron should do at least once. Woods, shape (an Explorer doesn't sound like a V, not like a SG), construction type, bridge type and scale length all matter (to varying degrees, but they add up), you can "kinda ballpark" one with the other, but the "tone is in the pickups" thing is a (yet another) myth.

[@ClifftopTragedy]

I want to see a pickup set that can be slid forwards and backwards to hear the difference and find the best spots

[@LizardWizard_]

Check out the Gibson Grabber bass! The single pickup does what you described. Not a guitar but still super cool!

[@JohnnyArtPavlou]

It has been done.

[@ferox965]

I had a 1975 Gibson Grabber. The sliding pickup was great and a shame it never caught on. Like a P bass on steroids.

[@charlesstiebing9231]

i believe that the gibson grabber bass had a sliding pickup setup?

[@ferox965]

@@charlesstiebing9231 It did. I had one.

[@alexanderguestguitars1173]

I know it's an old video, so you probably won't read this but I'd really like to hear what a Strat would sound like with Telecaster pickups. All exactly the same as a strat but with 3 Tele pickups - tele bridge in the bridge, tele neck for middle position and tele neck in the neck position. Sounds like a fairly humdrum experiment, but it would show A) how a strat would look like if Fender stuck to those pickups instead of going to the newer single coils B) How the tele bridge would sound mounted at an angle (as per the tele and strat), but without mounting on the metal tele bridge plate and mounted on a plastic strat plate instead C) How would the tele neck pickup sound mounted in the middle positions. But most importantly C) how would the set sound together, especially in positions 2 and 4 on the selector switch. It's strange but I don't think I've ever seen a set like this on any guitar. It seems like tele pickups only get used on Teles, but I think they are some of the best sounding pickups in existence. Would be great to hear the full set! Oh, by the way, I totally agree with your synopsis re- the difference in tone with the humby strat - scale, length string break etc, but I do think the densities of the timbers of the two guitars has a bearing on it. Add up the timber densities of a LP, mahogany with some maple and rosewood then add up the timber densities of that strat; maple neck and fingerboard, with an alder body? I bet they are different figures. That and the nut material is of prime importance to my mind. Is it the same as a LP? I think LPs are nylon or polypropylene aren't they? I bet that strat has a much more dense nut material (bone or tusq???) leading to more top-end (along with the longer scale length). Be interesting to make a strat of exactly the same materials as a LP, with the same hardware, but with the 25/12" scale length of a strat with bolt on neck and see what it sounds like then. Hmmmm. Interesting.

[@Leo_ofRedKeep]

"These pick-ups are lower output than the P90s in my SG" - there you go with the main reason why it will never sound like a Gibson, even if these pick-ups were on a Gibson. I remember reading about how Gibson won the "loudness war" in the late 50s, how their PAF pick-ups were designed and often set high to be louder than the competition. They were sacrificing clarity (through increased inductance) for output level and that shaped "the Gibson sound". It became a stylistic choice and Fender took the opposite camp as a differentiation. This is why they went for "wide range humbuckers" that would preserve the Fender clarity instead of emulating the Gibson style. Gibson went further in their own direction by using 300K pots instead of the usual 500K for humbuckers. These two were openly flying different colours. You need PAF and 300K pots to "sound like a Les Paul", not low output humbuckers designed for better clarity.

[@Dram1984]

Aren’t PAFs fairly low output in the grand scheme of things?

[@Leo_ofRedKeep]

@@Dram1984 Today they are, but back then they were louder than Filtertrons or P90s. Output is also a matter of magnets, so weaker magnets (AlNiCo2) required more wire, meaning more inductance and less high end.

[@DylanTalksTone]

Lol …. Vintage PAFs are lower output than P90s no matter what…. Less resistance (less coil) 7.6k usually with less volume of wire. Also… half the magnet strength. P90s have TWO magnets, more wire… more inductance… way hotter. Not sure where the false info came from, but … yeah.

[@Watergrovey]

LOL!

[@neverenoughguitars8276]

It's not too often I actually learn something new from these kind of videos but I'm glad I watched this video. I now (sort of) understand why an SG sounds different than a Les Paul.

[@andymansur3764]

I get why scale length and pickup placement would make a difference on open strings, but once you fret a note, all the nodes and anti-nodes have shifted, right? It seems to me that the string tension and the bridge design have a greater effect than scale length as an independent factor. The guitar sounds great and I appreciate the discussion, so much respect.

[@valueofnothing2487]

Yes. The loudest (and lowest) part of the string is half way. The neck pickup will be closer to that point until you get way up to the 17th fret or so, after that the center pickup will be over the loudest (and lowest) part of the string. The scale length itself is a different issue. That is, any neck pickup will sound warmer on any scale length if you put it closer to the neck. I think Dylan is saying that even if the pickups are in the same relative positions, a higher scale length will make it sound brighter, but I have no idea.

[@RH_Guitar]

I was recording a song with my Stratocaster HSS and I was wondering this exact question! Awesome job explaining 👏 👍👍

[@colinmcguigan4630]

Strats with humbuckers are my jam. Once you're in distortion land, everything goes out the window. Nobody listening to metal would ever be able to tell if someone is using a strat or LP.

[@finishin.my.coffee8780]

I doubt they'd care either. As long as you have that humbucker through a Marshall/Mesa/Bogner, etc. sound, you'll be good.

[@kitoyobeni1]

...especially with modern distortion levels and active pickups, which is the case in so many metal guitars/rigs.

[@StingrayMk1]

Helpful. Thanks. I swapped the humbuckers between a Les and an EVH and i couldnt believe the results! The guitars still sounded exactly like they did originally. I learned that tone is in the guitar not the pickups. Your explanation adds another reason why this is the case. Cheers.

[@javierhualde739]

Very interesting video, but I'm skeptical about the importance of the scale length. Put a capo on the first fret of the strat, and you have effectively shortened its scale length. Retune it, and suddenly it sounds more like a Gibson? I would not think so. I’d say the mass of the guitar, the type of bridge (tremolo vs. fixed), and the neck construction (bolt-on vs. glued) probably are more important IMHO. Maybe even how the pickup is fixed to the guitar (to the pickguard or to the body). But regardless what are the reasons for sounding different, there is no point in saying that any design is superior than the other, just play what feels good to you!

[@teddarr7887]

I have a 2006 Strat that has 2 hand wound humbckers in the neck and bridge but still has the original single coil in the middle. 5 way switch. Then I replaced the wiring harness with a blender than if the switch is in the 1 or 5 position will blend the neck and bridge pickups using the 2nd tone knob. It gets some pretty unique tones that I haven't heard from other guitars. The thing is a blues beast.

[@lakaaf]

Would be really curious about how a Tele bridge PU sounds in a Les Paul…, honestly!

[@leinadatidumarp]

Exactly!

[@Rich915]

I put Hmbkrs in Strats I built in the 90’s. Made one for my bandmate & he absolutely luved it. Weighed 7 lbs! A Warmoth Alder body w/ Gibson T-top humbkrs. Played it through his Gallien-Kruger 250ML solid state lunchbox amp that was perfect for humbkers! Thx for this YT vid…

[@lenbones7940]

Research it dont just take my word but zz top used teles live for years and got the audio to come out les paul theres videos that describe how they did it every show... and simply cuz dude liked the tele neck and light weight lol theres also vids of people putting strat single coils in les Paul's and playing Hendrix and it's very dead on but with distortion and fuzz and modern tech you can get any sound these days personally I prefer single coils In my fender types but the bridge bucket in a strat and jag and neck of a tele deff has a large following

[@DylanTalksTone]

lol

[@lenbones7940]

@@DylanTalksTone seriously its hilarious especially when the asks about the finish of this heavy reliced war torn tele and p bass... you expect to hear this amazing tale about these vintage instruments as top uses and... the tech is like.. "oo yeah there both new fenders the finish is actually a sticker of a p bass I found online that was In a flood.." hahaha I'm like dang theres like a whole rack unit to make the new tele sound like a les and a decal to make something new look old... it shows that when your a guitar hero you just do what you plz hahaha..

[@lenbones7940]

Just so it's clear tho I dont think a humbucker strat sounds like a les when you play them back to back clean they simply wont the scale length is different the pickup spacing is different even the angle the strings are as well and the different bridges all will slightly change sound... but a few dirt pedals and a equalizer pedal is alot different then clean vs clean... I'd even say becuz of shape you'd even play each one differently unconsciously that's just my opinion tho

[@BaconatorJames]

I'm new to guitar since 2018 but I dived in with both feet. I've played pretty well every passive-pickup standard since then & have a pretty good variety. 2018 Fender Telecaster Deluxe ('Troublemaker') with Shawbuckers 2018 Fender American Performer Strat with HSS (Yosemite S, Double-Tap H) 2021 Fender Noventa Strat with 2 P90's 2019 Gibson ES-339 Satin with '57 humbuckers 2018 Epiphone ES-339 with Alnico humbuckers Keep in mind I'm still a greenhorn, but my preferences might provide perspective. If I had to pick one set of pickups out of all of them, It'd be the '57 humbuckers with a microscopic edge over the P90s - apples to oranges I know. The best guitar re: quality is by far the Tele Deluxe & its Shawbuckers have a great clarity that the Gibson's '57s can't achieve. The pickups on the American Performer aren't anything special, but it's still the one guitar I'd keep if I had to only keep one. Comfort is a big deal for me, hence my getting ES-339's over Les Pauls. The Epiphone was just what you suggested in your last video - it was a "do I really want a Gibson?" purchase that Amazon had on a flash sale for $600 CDN. I loved its sound, it's a great introduction, but after I got the Gibson, the Epi ES is just a casual guitar that I can put scuffs on & not really care. The bridge pickup is cutting out frequently but it's no big loss. All the American made guitars are selling for more now than they did retail. I don't expect Fender to overwrite what Gibson's doing or vice versa - but IMO, the Gibson humbucker is still king, no matter what uncomfortable slab of wood you slap them on. Might put ProBuckers on my Epiphone but replacing pickups on a semi-hollow when you have the patience of hungry dog might end in damage.

[@chipsterb4946]

With all due respect this is nonsense. When you change the vibrating length of a string, those nodes and anti-nodes move. Plus the magnetic field of a Gibson style humbucker is much larger than the magnetic field of a Fender single coil. Therefore, the single coil pickup placement should be MORE sensitive to node/anti-node than a humbucker. Break angles over the bridge saddles and nut do make a difference. Tremolo vs. fixed vs. tune-o-magic bridges make a difference. Heck, even saddle material does. A set neck (or neck thru) makes a difference. Body weight and thickness make a difference. That maple fingerboard vs. rosewood or ebony makes a difference. But I think where you pick the string and what you pick it with makes a bigger difference than 1/4” this way or that with humbucker placement.

[@josephc3276]

I think in the video he covered most all of your issues! Yes all these things make a difference. So I don't understand your nonsense statement. Not trying to be confrontational just wanting to understand your side of things 👍.

[@chipsterb4946]

@@josephc3276 The “nodes” he talks about are a function of the length of the vibrating string. When you fret a note, that length is shorter - it changes. Therefore, the location of the nodes change. Furthermore, humbuckers have a larger magnetic field than single coil pickups. Substantially larger. So even if his theory made sense, single coil pickups would be MORE sensitive to changes in placement relative to the “nodes” than humbuckers. I was really intrigued by his discussion until I realized “Wait a minute - the length of the vibrating portion of the string is the important data point, not the scale length.”

[@josephc3276]

Thanks for your reply 👍. I understand your point.

[@johnnycondor]

I started off being certain that the only real difference is the longer scale 25-1/2 in. VS. 24-3/4 (Gibson), but optimal positioning of the pickups under the strings undoubtedly makes a significate difference in sound as well. Thanks for the info!

[@mackk123]

_this coke tastes like pepsi_

[@dreamscuba]

Great video Dylan. I have a T styled guitar with a little 59 in the bridge (so a humbucker) and Tele with a P90 in the neck. I love them both...all good fun....Thanks

[@batman9592]

This Tech Tip makes choosing pickups better too! Especially if you can see the "eq" and know what you want more/ less of from old to new.

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

Hello, I have a 335 with p90 pickups. It is a custom shop model from Memphis. I always loved the epiphone casino and Gibson 330 and owned a few. After 20 years using fenders I heard this guitar in London and after playing it found out it had push pull volume knobs as a was of getting a thinner sound on bith pickups. It is as you say a "flavour" of its own .

[@ChrisEck13]

I can remember years ago buying a DiMarzio humbucker for a Fender, specifically because it said it was designed to make a 25.5" scale guitar sound like a 24.75" guitar. Basically without using brand or model names the marketing was saying that it was designed to make a Strat sound like a Les Paul. At the time I didn't own a Les Paul and had never even played a real one but it did sound good from what I remember. I can't remember the name of the pickup.

[@frankventimiglia6431]

I have to fender modern player Marauders... Both years and both colors they were made. Anyway, it's a triple bucker in the bridge and a jazzmaster pickup in the neck. I have the triple bucker split, with the super switch and a whole lot of different single coil and triple coil and humbucker options with the jazzmaster pickup. They are my two go to guitars. Different tunings. I love they sound like nothing else. It's like a strat neck and a strat tremolo system on an offset body but with that pickup combination. Sounds like no other guitars. It's amazing it gives me my own tone that nobody else has.

[@jazzehentner4548]

Thank u for building my first pickguard,,,I actually changed to a different guitar and pick guard then changed it back.but your pickups are great u set me up humbucker 2 single coils I took Indio 100 guitar put hipshot locking tuners, I grounded cavities with alum tape connected with groundwires it has nearly no noise either in single coil mode or humbucker..plays pretty darn good I've been at it for 2yrs made a little progress....Thank u for helping me get started

[@Roi_TFN]

I reckon this is one of the nicest channels to watch with an evening drink after a hard day's night.

[@jimcamp2423]

Exactly regarding each guitar has it's own voice. Been saying this all along. A band is going to have a lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass player, drums & keyboard, even vocals. Everyone has a role to play, just like an orchestra has. Some bands grab a Tele, another may play a LP, they may switch it up and go Strat, SG, Jaguar, Mustang, ES-335, Mosrite, Airline, PRS, and any other guitar that's close, but not quite the same instrument(s) as the other(s). As much as the musicians are the artists. These guitars become a matter of materials & math dimensions. And that is why a Squier Bullet Strat doesn't suck, it just has a different voice that. As long as the instrument holds tune, I doubt many, if any could tell a Squier Bullet Strat from anyone else's Strat. Enjoy the instruments that you find in your lifetimes. I've got a few and each one is my favorite on it's day to play.

[@dsam6990]

I discovered this simple but basic truth recently whilst looking for a Humbucker guitar, already owning a Fender Strat, I wanted a great sounding lower price LP, and found an interesting old Swedish brand called Hagstrom, who released 2 LP shaped Humbucker guitars this year; the Swede with it's shorter Gibson scale neck and the Super Swede with its longer Fender scale and a slightly hotter bridge pickup. I ordered the first one, cant wait for the delivery!

[@wrdlmbrt1956]

If you read this comment... Have you ever used a Hipshot Trem Setter on your Strat? I use to have a Fender Stratocaster that had a Floating trem with a Hipshot Trem Setter a Wilkerson Roller nut and locking machine tuners and Fender Lace sensor pickups. I bought it back in the mid 80's and that particular Stratocaster model won Guitar of the year ( according to Guitar player magazine). I don't have it any longer but I compared it to other Cheaper Stratocaster models and it was like the difference in driving a Cadillac compared to a Pickup truck... LOL! It was a total dream to play! The Trendsetter would return the strings back to the exact Zero position no matter how hard you used the Tremolo or did hard bends on any individual string!

[@creamydistortion]

I was wondering why the new Squier Mustang (24" scale) has the bridge pickup so far away from the actual bridge. It is an amazing sounding and playing guitar, especially for the price. They clearly figured out the perfect place to put the pickups, because they sound fantastic!

[@kdakan]

This diagram you showed at 6:18 exactly matches with the strat bridge and neck pickup placement. Bridge pickup at 1/8 scale length from the bridge saddles, neck pickup at 1/4 scale length from the bridge saddles on the strat. It also matches with the bridge pickup placement on the jazzmaster. Thanks for the insight.

[@brandonhupp464]

Great video 📹 being a tone chaser myself. This video is great. If you collect guitars, you will go down this road. Having all combinations is what its all about making your guitar collection a very interesting and versatile. A true game changer.

[@tomduckworth8335]

That’s the beauty of the strat style guitar they make a great platform to experiment with. Jimmy Herring makes great use of strats with humbuckers and P-90s

[@jesseregenauer630]

I came to own (guitar was given to me) an early 90's MIK Fender Stratocaster that was marred to hell and back. Crude burns, scrapes, rough sanded spots all over the body, neck, and headstock. It felt like a somewhat mentally unstable individual owned it and insisted on an aggressive home relic job. It had one of those dual bucker drop in plates but the plate has weird hack job upgrades too. Three way toggle superimposed over the place where the original was, one volume & one tone. It gets HOT fast on the volume dial. The guitar is as light as a feather. I cleaned the dust off this abandoned thing and put new strings on it. It sounds *NOTHING* like a Fender but it sounds more in the "direction" of a very hot Gibson to my ears. This guitar is now used for band work but kept in open E for slide/rhythm stuff in our set..... I like it...

[@grizz1887]

Great vid. Very informative. If a Strat owner wants the ballzy sound with the humbucker. Set the bridge tone knob on 4. It won't sound as bright

[@MinutesToMata]

Currently I have a modded T style guitar with a full humbucker in the neck and a sc sized humbucker in the bridge (within the tele style metal assembly). Sounds nothing like a LP, heck, doesn't even sound like a 24 fret 25.5 inch scale length HH superstrat (and now I found out exactly why.) What I found interesting is that when split, the neck pickup has more of a tele character than a strat and the bridge PU split is very close in sound to a tele single coil. Thank You for the video and keep up the good work

[@jonathanhorne6503]

You asked about odd pickup combinations. I have two that are a bit odd that I’d like to share. #1 is a Fender electric mandolin that I had a Lollar P-90 installed in. The original Indonesian Fender was weak and enemic. Now it’s a monster. Next up is a much maligned 2015 Gibson LPjr that I had a Lollar Charlie Christian installed in the neck and a Lollar P-90 in the bridge. The tail piece is a Bigsby. I obtained a frisket mask and backdated the headstock to a normal LPjr. The nut was changed to bone and matches my much played Martin acoustic. Best electric guitar ever.

[@kurtklein6360]

I modded my ST-Style Guitar with two humbuckers in SC-Size in bridge and neck position. This lady sounds way better now. Crazy & amazing. It's a personal preference for sure. Position 3 is still straty, 1 and 5 really have much more umpf now. I love it. The work was much fun and the sound is satisfying great! Cheers😊

[@markmcdonald5711]

I have a G&L F-100 that I bought new in 1981, it has a Strat body made out of mahogany and dual humbuckers that can be coil-split if you want. I think it was Leo Fenders take on a Les Paul, it was the first model guitar he designed when he started G&L in 1980. It doesn't sound like a Les Paul, it sounds like a Strat with humbuckers.

[@ScrubDaddy265]

I have a headless, 25.5” scale, 16” radius, neck-through with a single bridge humbucker and yes, it sounds more like an Esquire than a bridge on a Les Paul or SG. So I wired in an Esquire type circuit to create the “neck or Jazz” pickup sound.