SSS or HSS - that is often the question! In this video I test both pickup sets on a Fender Player Series strat, and give my opinion on the topic! Stay home, stay safe, and please subscribe if you haven't already ;-)
Пікірлер: 423
@trashcant40533 жыл бұрын
People really be like "get a single coil strat. If you want a humbucker just buy another guitar" like, I'm not about to get 2 guitars as my first guitar.
@MadebyMiike3 жыл бұрын
An HSS is GREAT as a first guitar!!
@trashcant40533 жыл бұрын
@@MadebyMiike this video is seven months old and you're still replying to comments? You sir, are very cool.
@MadebyMiike3 жыл бұрын
@@trashcant4053 Haha, if people take time to watch my stuff, I will sure as hell find time to reply to questions! :-)
@go.study56483 жыл бұрын
😂 im getting mine tomorrow
@nobodysreview61373 жыл бұрын
HSS is the best man.
@Kamy.GG.Official4 жыл бұрын
*HSS will do (almost) everything one ever wants from a guitar*
@nathanieldelrosario13244 жыл бұрын
if it had coil tap on the bridge it could do every thing
@Kamy.GG.Official4 жыл бұрын
@@nathanieldelrosario1324 I had one with coil tap, stiil not the same as single coil
@JohnS-zq8ks4 жыл бұрын
@@nathanieldelrosario1324 that's what I was thinking, like the Fender Jaguar.
@phillipholt60053 жыл бұрын
I have the Squire HSS and it sounds just as good as the player. I was researching the player series and I don't need one. I love my SQUIRE.
@phillipholt60053 жыл бұрын
All my Squires except for the Bullet Tele have hard tail bridges. I like them better.
@jamesbaldwin20974 жыл бұрын
Just got a HSS player strat for the exact reasons you said. I wanted an all rounder that I can use for clean tones and more distorted tones without having to change guitars or use a noise gate.
@jwpgoldsmith4 жыл бұрын
i've been doing research on this for a week and there wasn't a video that had the exact playing comparison on the Player Series side by side like yours does. thanks so much for sharing man - helped confirm my decision to go with the HSS.
@eolden77494 жыл бұрын
Same here
@guadalupeperales57254 жыл бұрын
YAAAAAS.
@phillipholt60053 жыл бұрын
I'm happy with my Squire HSS over the player series!
@jojojojojojojojojojojojob3 жыл бұрын
bro just buy both. easy.
@phillipholt60053 жыл бұрын
I paid almost as much for my SQUIRE HSS as the player. I'm still happy.
@isaiahj1174 жыл бұрын
I will go for the HSS. Powerful drive sound from the Humbucker, and clean/soft riff tone from the Neck, Neck + Middle, and Middle only. I love the player series, they have great sound, and with reasonable price🎸
@brayansalazar40923 жыл бұрын
How is it going so far?
@TheLukejitsu3 жыл бұрын
I came into this video thinking I would come out with a confirmed choice of HSS and now after hearing both I prefer the SSS.
@joseph92262 жыл бұрын
No, the HSS is the best of both worlds
@madanielmadaniel Жыл бұрын
Finally one who knows how to compare sounds - switching back and forth at the same volume level and tempo ! Thanks.💯
@lueysixty-six73004 жыл бұрын
SSS Bridge is what Gilmore uses for his Comfortably Numb soloing. That may suprise many. But, so long as your overdrive is already thick and juicy, the sharp bite the bridge single coil of a Strat is unmatched. It can be so expressive for slight nuance-bending & vibrato.
@maraviyoso84732 жыл бұрын
David Gilmour plays with active pickups, so. . .
@Jeymez2 жыл бұрын
@@howtheturntables ya but here's the thing though, David also has his own signature sound with Pink Floyd when he got his custom Strat made from Fender. so no matter the configuration you can't emulate his exact sound, you can get close with an HSS setup, but an Alnico pickup in the bridge will be brighter. David's Strat was a little unique at the time, his bridge pickup was slighter darker giving you almost a humbucker sort of sound with some bite. most Strats even in the 70's still only came with 3 single coil pickups, but his strat was configured to emulate a humbucker out of a single coil in the bridge. people loved the sound so much, that's ultimately what made Fender decide to start putting humbuckers in some of there Strats in the 80's. now in truth, it's not a true humbucker, it's two single coils paired together, but regardless it ended up being a hit with people. buy adding an HSS option for a Fender Strat, it opens up other genres of music. that said i like both the SSS and HSS, but if you wanna get closer to Pink Floyd, i found the Yosemite Pickups in the American Performer to give a similar feel and sound, but im sure either one of these would work to.
@thadlogan512 жыл бұрын
David Gilmore uses a special single coil in the bridge pickup position called an SSL5... which he helped to design with Seymour Duncan. It sounds much more than a p90 and it is significantly fatter sounding than a standard single coil. I have this on my strat and it is significantly different..
@voiceofexperience2 жыл бұрын
Listen to the one in this video: the SC gets just as "dirty" as the HB, but "fuzzes out" less in the rhythm parts & is more expressive when soloing. Now that, unlike in "The Olden Days", it's no longer a challenge to push an amp into OD/distortion without deafening an entire suburb, single-coils pretty much rule! (The only issue may be 60-cycle hum.)
@BadBoy-mv8lz Жыл бұрын
Well..David Gilmour and Eric Clapton use single coil strat pick ups even for distortion parts.sometimes they use bridge pick up...but they are not the same pick ups..not the same amplifier , not the same players(lol)and they have guitars technicians and engineers that work for them...we usually don't..
@OiNaomi5 күн бұрын
already knew about the hss versatility, but now I also love that fat sound of the bridge pickup, thank you for helping, don't have money for 2 guitars
@scott44824 жыл бұрын
Let's be honest, most Strat players don't use the bridge pickup for much of anything, the so called Strat sound is the neck or neck middle, so it's only a matter of taste on the bridge, IMO I think the humbucker adds a bit of versatility, but it's something few Strat players will make very much use of.
@southpaw19694 жыл бұрын
Yep. The neck/middle is the wonderful clean tone. I've had a SSS strat for years and find no real use for the bridge pickup. Now I'm looking for a HSS with a neck that I like..
@Juno584 жыл бұрын
Agree, that's it!
@a1guitars3 жыл бұрын
With the tone control wired to the bridge pickup the guitar is a lot more versatile and some amazing tones can be dialed in. What amazing beasts these guitars are!
@phillipholt60053 жыл бұрын
I very rarely use the bridge pickups on all my guitars.
@TheJCFan3 жыл бұрын
Thats why you drop a DiMarzio Super Distortion in that bridge position XD
@austinparr94863 жыл бұрын
Ive had an HSS for over 13 years and absolutely love it, I make use of my bottom Humbucker pickup most because I LOVE/NEED the full sound it gives and I play clean 95% of the time... Next guitar I buy will most likely be the Tele because with these 2 I believe I can make every sound I’ll ever need to
@Rjcuatrocinco3 жыл бұрын
Nice! Just bought my first HSS strat after spending over a year diligently learning to play fingerstyle on an old but great condition acoustic and a new classical guitar. That's my goal, guitar minimalist, I'm more concerned with developing skills over spending all my time trying to get a certain tone. But maybe when you get to a certain level skillwise that becomes a big deal? I wouldn't know yet lol. I love my new hobby to death but I can't justify spending thousands every year for something slightly different lol. MIGHT get a semi-hollow in a few years if I feel like I "earned" it skill-wise. I hope the HSS covers most things I could want in an electric.
@only-legitness Жыл бұрын
@@Rjcuatrocinco same here, have been playing acoustic for two years. This week I bought an HSS Strat so that I have an allrounder guitar and I won't need to buy another guitar if I would want to play metal or hard rock. However, I really don't know if metal and hard rock would sound good when I just use the bridge pickup. Oh well.
@Music-et6mf2 күн бұрын
1:56 of position 2 is the most beneficial and informative part, and that’s why the SSS Strat is still worth it for me!
@gqfiend3 жыл бұрын
VERY good video here. Lots of info in less than ten minutes. Perfect
@MadebyMiike3 жыл бұрын
Thanks man!
@Brewer_3 жыл бұрын
I just started learning a week ago on a cheap knockoff strat. If I'm still practicing often in December I'm buying one of those HSS ones. It sounds awesome.
@MadebyMiike3 жыл бұрын
What Morgan said, 100%! If we can do it, you can do it Ben!!
@Brewer_3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the kind words. I'm still working at it every day. I've left a few comments on guitar videos over the month and everyone has been so nice :)
@joerusso8950 Жыл бұрын
@@Brewer_ did you buy a hss, what colour
@dc17143 ай бұрын
4 years is not late for me to discover this post and greatly appreciate the knowledge sharing, including the riff you demo (1:56 - 2:38). A good practice exercise for beginner liked me.
@eddiesidorov86353 жыл бұрын
Yeah but my thing is Hendrix, Clapton, and many others all used SSS. So I like it for the “classic” feel and sound. Not arguing that the HSS isn’t a better all arounder, just I like things as they were meant originally.
@maraviyoso84732 жыл бұрын
Hendrix, at the end, began playing Flying V and SGs, with. . . humbuckers. Clapton normally uses "noiseless" single coils, and they're not even REAL single coils, except for the time he played with Lace Sensor SC's. However, there's a better way of having it all: with my HSS Stratocaster, I changed the harness to one built by a brand called Obsidian Wire (I'm not being paid for this), which allows anyone to play the humbucker with a 500K (keeping it bright enough for me) and when I'm playing at Position 4, allows me to split the humbucker and change the pot to a 250K to have the quack I need at that position. For a bonus, it also has a push-pull in the bridge tone control (instead of having a middle tone control) to activate the neck pickup at positions 4 and 5 for that Tele mid position or having all 3 pickups engaged.
@eddiesidorov86352 жыл бұрын
@@maraviyoso8473 Very cool! And I’m not saying they never played anything else, they are musicians obviously they did. I’m just saying, the guitars they are most known for. However Jimi did pretty much only use neck pickup exclusively so you could put whatever the hell you want in the bridge 😅
@jesku27843 жыл бұрын
1:26 this riff goes straight to the heart
@colehelm17613 жыл бұрын
what’s the name of the riff?
@aaronmaiden36063 жыл бұрын
@@colehelm1761 if you want to listen a similar song to that, listen dogs by pink Floyd (6:50)
@jesku27843 жыл бұрын
@@aaronmaiden3606 didn't notice that, thanks for that
@ozererdogan47494 жыл бұрын
If you already have a humbucker guitar and play low gain kinda stuff, get a SSS . If you don't a humbucker guitar and sometimes wanna play high gain, get a HSS.
@axwes4 жыл бұрын
Gitar hocam, hss olanların tonunun bozulduğu nu soyledi. Anadolu rock varı ses geliyormuş hss lerden. Senin düşüncen nedir?
@featheryfemme4 жыл бұрын
I often play high gain stuff with a single coil. I love feedback a lot for some reason. Can't exactly say I'm sure why.
@Juno5817 күн бұрын
I've changed the stock humbucker of my Player HSS Strat to a hotter Wilkinson M series overwound humbucker, which has more output with a surprisingly very nice but still Straty sound, i didn't expect that huge difference to the stock humbucker. I'm really happy i did so!
@Juno584 жыл бұрын
Sold my SSS Squier and bought a HSS Fender Player and i'm happy with my decision 👍
@ronnysuarez32574 жыл бұрын
I am about to do that too.. Is it a lot better? Worth upgrading?
@Juno584 жыл бұрын
@@ronnysuarez3257 imho yes, HSS makes the Strat more versatile.
@ckallaher3 жыл бұрын
It’s a tough call. The bridge+middle in the SSS has the quack but the bridge alone is very thin sounding. I much prefer the bridge pickup in my American Standard Tele. I tend to agree with Isiah J that the neck, middle and neck+middle give you plenty of that Strat clean sound, with the bridge humbucker being kind of a bonus for versatility purposes. Great review, Mike. Very helpful.
@phillipholt60053 жыл бұрын
I can rock my world with the Squire Strat or clean without any hum even using the single coils. The humbucker on the bridge is a little weak but you can tone it up.
@2hotrpg1873 жыл бұрын
@@phillipholt6005 hey bud im thinking of getting either a squier bullet sss or hss. I love blues rock like eric clapton, jimi hendrix, SRV but i also like rock and hard rock like Scorpions and metal too but mostly metallica and black sabbath or iron maiden. Which one do you think i should get ? Thanks a lot
@phillipholt60053 жыл бұрын
@@2hotrpg187 Definitely get the HSS because they weren't around available when the groups was around. I love mine for the Blues and rock n roll or any genre.
@phillipholt60053 жыл бұрын
@@2hotrpg187 IF you want fuzz you can adjust your amp. It has no feedback like the single coils. You are also able to split the humbucker so you actually have 4 coils using the 5 way switch.
@2hotrpg1873 жыл бұрын
@@phillipholt6005 Thanks a lot ! I would also like to ask one more question does the humbucker affect the other single coil tones?
@bl0rgus3 жыл бұрын
This guy is so awesome! Most underrated guitar youtuber!
@rnarizona96862 жыл бұрын
I share Scott's opinion below. I own an HSS, and my favorite sound is position 4, neck and middle. I use that 90% of the time. That said, I prefer having the humbucker in the bridge, and think it does add more versatility to the guitar. I enjoyed your video, but would have gotten much more out of it if you adjusted the camera angle so that I could see the tone selector switch and the volume and tine knobs at all times. One more thought for anyone considering purchasing this guitar. DO IT! I've always been a Tele player, but I really like this guitar just as much, and in my opinion, a better looking guitar that the Tele.
@Astrofizz838412 күн бұрын
Was leaning towards the HSS but I love the clean tones coming from the SSS. If you can live without gain, the SSS will give you all the tones you can ever need.
@kevinlegere85577 ай бұрын
Excellent video and accurate tone assessment. It really does make a difference on what type of music you play. I myself went with the strat HSH version because I like the full sound of the humbuckers on the strat and I also like the middle single for that awesome strat tone. This HSH version to me is ideal for rock rythms. Plenty of versatility, That being said I also purchased the HSS strat for my lead guitar applications. This combo is excellent for cutting thru the mix carrying those leads and also having that humbucker in place for that overdriven screaming hi E lead ripps. Enjoy I think both the HSS and the HSH are awesome choices . Just my opinion. Cant loose with either choice unless you are the type of guitarist that always wants a clean sound. 😊
@Philminator3 жыл бұрын
Fender SSS as the HSS on the bridge kills that Strat sound I'm used too. I have an Ibanez Paul Stanley signature Iceman HH for that kinda sound. If you can only afford one guitar, sure maybe get the HSS Fender. Great video.
@gqfiend3 жыл бұрын
Wow! This is a rarity. I can hear the difference for a lot of this!
@todddorocke86373 жыл бұрын
Nice review! Well put. Best review on this topic that I have seen. Very helpful!
@todddorocke86373 жыл бұрын
I ended up buying a HSS Player series (and am really enjoying it!). I previously only have owned humbucker guitars. But I'm loving the single coils on my first Strat. Now I've got my eye on an Jazzmaster.... ;)
@Wabin224 жыл бұрын
Nice comparison! I agree with you on most here, but I've had no problems getting good distortion sounds with single coils. And I use single coils to play Black Metal xD However, I do think a hotter pickup such as a humbucker is preferable in those situations and it has the positive thing with the noise cancelling as you say. I do however think I prefer the HSS version most because you can always split the humbucker and get a single coil sound out of it. In this case, meaning that my HSS Lone Star Strat can be used to play Mayhem and Marduk, only to change it up to play Mark Knopfler three seconds later if I chose to :) And that versatility is hard to get in other guitars. A bonus question here: What are your thoughts on HSH Strats?
@michaelinglis85164 жыл бұрын
I'm exactly like you. I have a JB an 59 in my schecter omen extr. that I've modded for coil spits and upgraded all the components and electronics(each pup can independently switch to inner or outer coil split or humbucker via an on off on 3pdt switch, so each pup has it's own switch) I think it's perfect honestly for humbucker tone and it also just amazes me how great the split coil tones are when I add some eq or compression. I also have an LTD 7 string sig model that I completely upgraded and modded also. It has fishman fluence modern 7's and I also added 2 on off on switches to select inner coil split, humbucker, or outer coil split for each pup. Plus the tone push/pull selects between voice one or two for each pup and internally I have a slider 3 way switch that covers hf tilt, voice 1 gain reduction or just regular for the neck. I didn't add a slider for those options on the bridge cause I think it's best as is. I use voice 1 gain reduction on the neck cause it makes the output a little lower so it's just like a regular neck pup compared to the higher output bridge (in fact I think that's why the option exists. So you can choose if you want the ceramic in the bridge or neck and same with the alnico then whichever one ends up in the neck you can lower voice 1 gain so it behaves a little cleaner like a typical neck pup). Anyways my point was that I've got two guitars that are absolutly excellent in humbucker configuration so when I get my strat it will certainly be an sss model. I really like the deluxe model but I could easily mod a player series to do the same things the deluxe can electronically and upgrade the tuners, pups etc. over time. But that Sapphire Blue finish on the Deluxe SSS Strat is in my opinion perfect. I just turned 30 on the 26th of april so next week when I get paid I'm buying myself a Martin d10e (Sitka top version) cause I've tried so many acoustics over the 18 or so years I've played and they all let me down tone or playability wise so I'm finally getting my dream acoustic (well my attainable dream acoustic lol). If it wasn't for the fact I need a quality acoustic so much id certainly be getting the Deluxe SSS Stratocaster. Sorry for the long comment btw lol.
@patricknelson14714 жыл бұрын
a good practice amp fixes almost everything so no need to argue i can put dirty sound and sound just fine with sss or clean tone and sound fine with hss
@NicolasGuerinetbloup2 жыл бұрын
a amp or a good metal pedal :)
@gertvanrooy4284 жыл бұрын
Bridge on SSS on clean tones sounds too shrieky and shallow. A bit more warmth and depth on the HSS. But in the end this is all a matter of personal taste. The video does a great job of comparing all settings with basic strumming. Too many videos out there are only there too show off players' skills.
@Philminator3 жыл бұрын
When I get a Fender someday, it will be an HSS with coil tap at the bridge. It won't be 100% like a single coil, however I doubt the songs I play are going to sound bad either.
@UmVtCg3 жыл бұрын
It's coil SPIT, not tap, there is a huge difference
@blackadder245311 ай бұрын
@@UmVtCg there's a huge difference between a SPIT and a SPLIT as well🤣
@chrisfrank64494 жыл бұрын
I have a Squier Strat Standard SSS and a Squier Strat contemporary HSS. Love them both!
@Dzul322 жыл бұрын
Sss can play heavy song?
@sublyme21573 жыл бұрын
Great job man, very well done. Thanks for taking the time to put all this together!
@nizodizo95494 жыл бұрын
Very classy sounding video. Fender Stratocasters are very classy sounding guitars.
@carterthiessen26644 жыл бұрын
I agree with humbuckers sounding better when driven hard in pretty much everything except a good bridge single coil in a tele. Something about that sound rivals and even surpasses humbuckers
@rordrom32344 жыл бұрын
Thank you for making this comparison free here on youtube!
@BillMWirth2 жыл бұрын
Nice demo. I appreciated your list at the end and I went for the HSS. Thank you!
@jacobsanders4254Ай бұрын
I just threw an old gibson humbucker on my partscaster, and I'm loving it so far!
@Chronorust2 жыл бұрын
Damn man you're audio really does this guitar's sound justice! Think I'm going with the HSS in the future. Cheers 😎🤘🏾
@osmarkeiroz73043 жыл бұрын
Very nice comparison! SSS is far better with more clarity and definition without the interference of a muddy humbucker . Humbuckers are good with distortions but the clean tones are awful. I really searched for a hss guitar ... but only when I got one and I honestly hated it. For my preference mini humbucker hot rails sounds better than traditional humbuckers, anyway i really love single coils and P90s... .
@NicolasGuerinetbloup2 жыл бұрын
At last, a commentator who has ears.
@flyingv71617 ай бұрын
Why do you say "interference of the humbucker" ? I read somewhere that the SSS setup is different than the HSS, so the single coils in a SSS will sound differently
@Red-qb9vz2 жыл бұрын
Thanks so much man! You've got the best comparison videos on guitar by MILES on all youtube
@MadebyMiike2 жыл бұрын
Wow that's high praise Red, thanks a lot! :-)
@featheryfemme4 жыл бұрын
I never hear a humbucker in a Strat and go "Yep, that's a Strat," so that's why I would choose SSS. I actually kinda have a saying that I came up with a little while back about this topic. SSS, Single Sounds Strattier. That's just me, though.
@Pulse2AM4 жыл бұрын
I'm a Gibson guy so I would get the HSS for the bridge as a rocker and the neck for more Hendrix tone.
@Juno584 жыл бұрын
Imho the Strats bridge single coil is way to sharp, that's why i get a HSS Strat and i'm happy with it 👍
@featheryfemme4 жыл бұрын
@@Juno58 I usually just roll the tone back. Humbuckers don't have that punchy round single-coil tone, which is the whole reason I'd want a single coil. To each their own, though.
@GrimYak3 жыл бұрын
the iconic strat sound is more on neck + middle, that twang. the bridge not so much. so most people go with Humbucker on that to make the instrument more versatile for more lead tones and heavy rock.
@featheryfemme3 жыл бұрын
@@GrimYak Strats have a very significant and unique tone for every switch position. I can tell an SSS Strat from any other guitar no matter what position is selected. Guitars with humbuckers all sound more or less the same to me.
@r.m79214 жыл бұрын
The last riff was beautiful.
@Arfonfree3 жыл бұрын
I have both. I agree with everything you said. There are other guitars I prefer for the humbucker sound (Gretsch!) and the SSH just doesn't sound like a Strat when using the bridge pickup. Although with the right tone profile on the amp, it can sound awfully good.
@lipstick3182 жыл бұрын
I love the sound of the SSS... It just gives me that old school sound...
@tommywallberg Жыл бұрын
SSS sounds great using the push knob so you get bridge and neck sound together so no need for HSS in my opinion
@michaeljohnson33834 жыл бұрын
Very helpful video - thank you. I've got a humbucker rock machine, it my next with be SSS.
@gary14884 жыл бұрын
I only had enough $ for one electric so bought a 2019 hss butter cream strat. If I had already had an epiphone standard plus then I would’ve gotten SSS.
@Thearcherfl Жыл бұрын
I just bought the seafoam hss player w maple board. Thanks for sharing. It stopped me from checking my front porch for a few min. I have single coil and hss and hh strats from fender. They all still sound like a strat. I prefer the hss as I mostly play in middle or neck with singles anyway. I go to bridge for gain. Which I can split that pickup anyway. It’s a good Jack of all trades, master of rock. Not metal. But it can be done. Throw a Duncan JB in for $70 and you have a chunky fellow.
@iEGMD3 жыл бұрын
This comparison is the closest one I’ve seen so far. Other KZbin videos there had a big difference!
@timtyler40114 жыл бұрын
Fender HSS Strat! I have two of them and they are so versatile!
@debashishmitra4 жыл бұрын
Very helpful video. Thank you very much Mike. This was exactly what I was looking for - a proper tone comparison between Player HSS and Player SSS - both clean and with gain. There were no other videos like this. Can you please help me with a question I have ? Is there ANY difference in sound in positions (Neck) and (Neck + Middle) between the SSS and HSS or are they exactly the same ? I could not make out from the video. The answer to this will determine whether I want to go for HSS or not. I want those 2 positions to sound EXACTLY like an SSS. In other words - I do not want any compromise or color in the clean tones in those 2 positions - I want the undiluted SSS Strat tones in those 2 positions. If this condition is satisfied then the HSS is the obvious choice for me - else it is a difficult decision
@MadebyMiike4 жыл бұрын
Hi! Neck, Neck + Middle and Middle postitions sound EXACTLY the same on both guitars ;-)
@debashishmitra4 жыл бұрын
@@MadebyMiike Thank you very much for the information
@Shubh_Ashish3 жыл бұрын
I find SSS to more clear to listen too
@bluepedalsrock92714 жыл бұрын
My opinion: Go with a Fender SSS Strat and an Ibanez HSS or HSH.
@SamFreelancePolice4 жыл бұрын
If you can afford two expensive guitars, that is.
@dedesperadosmusic51634 жыл бұрын
This is the correct answer indeed 🤣. Never enough with one guitar LOL. Or Fender SSS strat and PRS HH coil tape
@maldonadodani4 жыл бұрын
But if your budget only lets you choose one the HSS strat can be a very versatile choice I think
@richat16913 жыл бұрын
not really helpfull - may aswell say buy a tele for the bridge sound, gibson for the humbucker and a strat for neck position sounds.......
@kevinkaol36813 жыл бұрын
@@datalival If you still have HH buy the SSS. If you no longer have the HH, but the HSS.
@jerryneace29404 жыл бұрын
The humbucker brings so much more to the table.
@jlbrpt3 ай бұрын
I think of a Fender Stratocaster-- regardless of SSS or HSS model--as being a specialist guitar for playing mostly clean like jazz and some blues. It's the perfect guitar for Clapton (later years) or Stevie Ray or Robert Cray. I'd still take the HSS strat over the SSS strat to play clean sounds. The Fender Stratocaster is the right tool for that job. But if I want to play overdriven and distorted (i.e., rock), I'm not picking up a Fender. I'll be picking up the right tool for that job, a Gibson SG or a Gibson Les Paul.
@Juno5817 күн бұрын
But a HSS Strat even with the humbucker still sounds like a Strat, which a Les Paul doesn't.
@vyvynylification Жыл бұрын
Im a tele guy, but bought a strat. I wanted a fat sound (tele guy) so went HSS due to all the comments saying it's more versatile. I didn't like it AT ALL. It's a thick sound but so bright it hurt my ears, even dialed to 0 it was bright. And the bridge alone wasn't even used more than twice. Feel like I might go SSS next time. I know it's even thinner sounding, but with distortion/drive it sounded a tad more clear to me.
@evzmiller4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for this! been doing as much research into some of my fave guitars recently before i buy my first serious investment guitar and want to make the right choice for me :)
@MadebyMiike4 жыл бұрын
You're very welcome, I hope you find a great one! :-)
@phillipholt60053 жыл бұрын
You get the best of both worlds when you buy the HSS STRAT and the Mustang. It cost me 10 dollars more to buy the complete guitar not counting the time needed to modify.
@Chris-km6tr2 жыл бұрын
Nice direct comparison, could really hear the differences back to back
@ozoneswiftak3 жыл бұрын
I have three other great guitars with humbuckers. I'm liking your attitude, clean sss for me please.
@mr.coolio4321Ай бұрын
Another thing I noticed is that SSS strats use 250K pots whilst the HSS strats use 500K pots.
@timcastle1654 жыл бұрын
I have a SSS and a guitar that has Humbuckers, but I’ve always liked the feel of a Strat and have been toying with the idea of purchasing a Fender HH Strat. What would you think about doing a video on one of those? Love your videos, great guitar playing and comparisons! Stay well!!
@gsryank4 жыл бұрын
Great video I have been debating switching to an has configuration in my Strat so this was awesome
@bryanbarrett74497 ай бұрын
Thanks so much for the video, the SSS is for me, love that sound.
@kieattisaklaw2 жыл бұрын
SSS looks nice and vintage but HSS is more versatile. I bought SSS because I have some other guitars with humbuckers; otherwise, HSS might be a good choice.
@felixnavarro5373 Жыл бұрын
I gotta say,and I'm not being biased the single coil strat has a great sound when playing with distortion I was pleasantly surprised
@mikeavery14594 жыл бұрын
Pretty good video, and explanation. Thanks.
@wit42752 жыл бұрын
Before to listen tests of this video, I was ready to buy HSS because I though was better for distortion. But after listened the tests, I prefer the sound of SSS with distortion. IMO SSS with disto using bridge mic seems more aggressive (more treble?), compare to HSS which seems to have more basses. I do not know if I am normal to think that xD
@donharrold13753 жыл бұрын
I have both (SSS and HSS). I think you summed up the difference well. If I want to have a beautiful bright bell tone (like Knopfler in the early years) I use my SSS. If I want something more rock and overdriven (a fusion or heavy rock sound) it’s the HSS. The HSS is a bit more versatile and honestly it should probably be the normal choice for most Strat buyers these days. The bridge pickup on an SSS strat is not very useful and sounds really bad overdriven (icy and hard sounding). Unless you play a lot of surf music, it’s main purpose is to be able to combine it with the middle pick so that you can get that really beautiful bell tone chime. Can the HSS cover everything? No. An HSS Strat still mainly sounds like a Strat more or less with a darker and beefier bridge pickup. If I compare it to my Les Pauls it still sounds brighter and thinner overall. Wood and construction still makes a difference I think. The HSS strat really evolved out of the 80s metal scene. People wanted guitars with tremolos that could deal with high gain but still remain bright and articulate to cut through dense mixes of guitar and keyboards.
@MrZiicOo3 жыл бұрын
Hey man which one would u recommend for Neo soul/Jazz ?
@donharrold13753 жыл бұрын
@@MrZiicOo Difficult call. Strats are pretty bright whether you pick the HSS or SSS. For jazz you’d maybe want a softer rounder sound? You could roll the tone right off and get something a little jazzy but you might be better getting a 335 or something similar? If you want something that’s going to be glassy, clean, percussive and funky (Like the Nile Rodgers type of thing) get an SSS. If you want something that can give you are more useable bridge pickup for lead work (particularly overdriven leads) get the HSS. I’m probably not helping very much as I’m not very familiar with the type of music you’re doing. Who are the guitarists you want to sound like?
@maraviyoso84732 жыл бұрын
@@donharrold1375 unless you play fusion
@flyingv71617 ай бұрын
Regarding the bridge single coil, I think that's also a matter of setting up your rig for the tone of that pickup: if people set up their tone on the neck and middle pickups ( searching clarity and brittleness with them) then of course the bridge pickup will sound too harsh.
@donharrold13757 ай бұрын
@@flyingv7161 I don’t want to switch pickups and then fiddle with my amp to dial it in.
@ricklanders3 жыл бұрын
No contest, SSS. The humbucker takes the character out of the strat, especially in position 2 (bridge + middle). You can hear it as you demo all the way down from the neck - when you get to the HB, it just doesn't fit and sounds totally out of place. If you want humbuckers, get a guitar made for humbuckers! :p
@CCDProductions Жыл бұрын
I just learned recently i have a hss strat and I'm glad I do. I think it sound a lot better
@jeffreybonnette88134 жыл бұрын
I have a SSS, HSS and a single active Tom Delonge Strat. They all sound good in there own way. Can't go wrong with a Strat in any configuration.
@bradolfsen79354 жыл бұрын
Their*
@eastyg3 жыл бұрын
@@bradolfsen7935 bore off 😴😴
@watchfan61802 жыл бұрын
Wonderful to the point comparison. I have a HSS Player Fender, I want to play hard rock as well as clean sounds. I can’t afford a Gibson Les Paul and a Fender.
@fuchsia58992 жыл бұрын
Get a coil split for the humbucker
@faautobahna94162 жыл бұрын
Clear and good explanation. Exactly what I needed to know to make decision. Will be going with SSS. Do you have a video or can tell what is the actual difference in hiss/ noise between all Fender noiseless and usual Fender all single coil pickups? Need to decide between a player plus, player or deluxe roadhouse stratocaster.
@mikelaperribay11023 жыл бұрын
Hello everyone, I want to buy my first guitar and I'm with you, I don't think it will be the last one I buy then I will opt for the SSS because later I imagine that I will buy another that has two HH. I do NOT know anyone who only has a guitar, with the hss at the end I will not have a well defined guitar .. thanks for your advice .. greetings
@jtwrc Жыл бұрын
I have an HSS and an SSS. I think the HSS is more versatile. BTW, position 1 is the bridge, not the neck. I think you had it reversed. Nice playing.
@RCGangstaZ3 жыл бұрын
I have a HH "les Paul" style and I want a strat(almost every type at the end but for now a strat) so I'm gonna look for a SSS one, probably the classic vibe 60 red or blue from Squire.
@phillipholt60053 жыл бұрын
Before you buy a SSS or a HSS play both of them. I didn't know anything about a Strat when I bought mine. As a matter of fact I went looking for a SQUIRE Tele and they were sold out and he had 1 Strat left in the box. He told me if I'm looking for a Tele style sound but yet versatile for playing and creating sounds. I also took and Ibanez acoustic electric that I had for 12 years and I paid 35 dollars more and it had a HT HSS and when I got it home I couldn't put it down.
@dedesperadosmusic51634 жыл бұрын
Great review!!! Strat should be SSS, just like tele should be SS. If u wanna humbucker sound, its better for u to buy another guitar with HH configuration (with coil tape). See, one guitar is never enough LOL 😂
@bluemist71484 жыл бұрын
Nice comparison!
@ianshongtrs4 жыл бұрын
Even before hearing this shootout I chose the HSS because this is the guitar I always have out on my stand and I'm too lazy to take out my Gibson Les Paul or my Tele Deluxe with Shawbuckers out of their cases. My everyday "beater" guitar and its great.
@Taurex3 жыл бұрын
Relatable haha...
@destryk1557 Жыл бұрын
Really great video! I'm buying my first guitar soon and the model I'm considering has SSS so I hope it will be fine! I just want to play rock, jazz and lofi so I don't think HSS is necessary.
@Idler816433 жыл бұрын
With HSS, 250k pot will make the humbucker too muddy, or if you use 500k pot, the single coil will be too bright. There will be compromises unless you use 2 pots. But I'd rather get another humbucker guitar. LP style with shorter scale for more variety as well.
@JohnShalamskas2 жыл бұрын
Fender uses a ganged 500k and 250k pot for the Humbucker and Split coil, respectively. Another solution would be to use 500k for both and crank the tone knob to cut some treble on the split coil, but the ganged pot is more convenient.
@ROLEPLAYA644 жыл бұрын
So glad I found this video. I have my eye on a player series HSS and was worried about the loss of the bridge/middle sound. I guess I can always mod it with a coil split! What's the neck like feel-wise? (thickness, edges, frets)
@MadebyMiike4 жыл бұрын
Didn't like the neck (sharp edges). Check out my shootout between the Player and the Squier Classic Vibe.
@joaoassumpcao33472 жыл бұрын
The strat bridge always felt too bright and thin to the point of being grating to me. Imo the two best mods a strat can have are the HSS (with coil-tapping) and wiring a tone knob to the bridge. That's just the king of versatility imo
@Gril0182 жыл бұрын
this was a very well put video
@sikguy99395 ай бұрын
SSS 1:56 Middle and Bridge 2:19 Middle and Bride OD 2:55 Bridge 3:24 Bridge OD HSH 2:07 Middle and Bridge 2:28 Middle and Bridge OD 2:40 Bridge 3:09 Bridge OD
@erhnam4 жыл бұрын
I like your explanation. Thank you...
@MadebyMiike4 жыл бұрын
Thanks Erhnam and thanks for watching!
@war.neverchanges Жыл бұрын
I bought an hss and I see that it’s a better choice by definition. Sss is light imo
@sublyme21573 жыл бұрын
I've personally never liked combining humbuckers and single coils due to the massive volume differences between them. I do have two HSS guitars, but typically go for HH or HSH. Just my mileage, of course.
@maraviyoso84732 жыл бұрын
Massive volume differences? There are higher output single coils and lower output humbuckers. It's just a thing to match the right SC's and HBs
@joseph92262 жыл бұрын
Fender pro II eliminated that problem with the push / push switch
@sublyme21572 жыл бұрын
@@joseph9226 Man, I really really want one of those :)
@maraviyoso8473 Жыл бұрын
If a bridge SC was good enough for Jimi and it's good enough for Clapton, Gilmour and the like, then it's good enough for me. I like humbuckers on Strats, but, in my experience, the SC cuts better in the mix, no doubt about it.
@kyleparsons14713 жыл бұрын
Having trouble picking between an sss and an hss for my first electric guitar. I’m really into bands that use heavy distortion and gain like alice in chains but i also love blues.
@guysgear59963 жыл бұрын
You’re gonna want an eliphone les Paul imho
@hoanglong65053 жыл бұрын
If you like both heavy stuffs and blues go for the HSS
@randygeren4 жыл бұрын
I put a rail humbucker in the bridge for heavier distortion and I still can get single coil sounds to.