Why Don't People Use The Middle Strat Pickup?

The middle pickup on a Stratocaster is an amazing sounding pickup, just ask Eric Clapton! But for some reason, many people don't use it!
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Mike has been playing the guitar since he was 12 years old, and from that first moment his love affair with music and the instrument began. Fresh out of school at the age of 16 he attended the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford and completed a year-long Diploma course.
After finishing the ACM his life as a full time musician began, playing in numerous bands and touring up and down the country playing iconic venues such asThe Shepherds Bush Empire, The Astoria, The Underworld and London’s Jazz Café. He’s also been fortunate enough to support industry legends Paul Weller, Blondie and Katie Melua.
Mike’s session work has led to his working on a variety of projects - from performing with stars such as Ricky Wilson and Diana Vickers, to appearing in many TV shows and adverts. Mike loves being on stage performing, but is equally at home recording in a studio - where he has worked with Alex Von Soos (All Saints, Seal, Atomic Kitten), Mike Horner (The Prodigy, Shakira, Bloc Party), and Mike Chapman (Blondie, Suzi Quatro)

[@AIainMConnachie]

Yep. Love that middle. I think it depends. Cleaner sounds are where it really shines. Clean eliminates a lot of people. Hence the scorn

[@nohillforahighstepper]

Here's a little tip for recording... If you set your amp brighter than normal, you can get some awesome country tone from the middle pickup.

[@shanemcconnell1736]

I’ve always use the middle pick up, I always like it for a clean tone

[@veciroker]

I love all 5 positions, but when i play alone in my room i rarely use middle pickup because neck sounds warmer and more pleasant to my ears. But when I play with band i often use middle for better cut through the mix.

[@greenfly1264]

I've only just got a strat after many years playing teles. I loved the middle from the start , I was surprised to it disliked by so many. Sweet playing you demonstrate so well.

[@timothyrice1621]

I think the reason it's not used too much is because it sounds too similar to the neck pickup. It's like the neck pickup with a little more top and a little less bottom... But for many people, if you're playing live and you're on the neck pickup and want more treble, you go for the bridge pickup because the difference is obvious. Personally, I use the middle pickup as dedicated tone rolled off

[@RichardBoling-tk4pj]

I think the middle pickup on a Strat is as close to a bridge humbucker guitar tone you can find as i hardly ever use the bridge pickup on a Strat as it is to thin for my taste and for hard rock and metal the middle single coil does an awesome job and is my position on a Strat for hi gain and usually the neck or position 4 for cleans i dont even need the Strats bridge pickup other than the cosmetic looks of the guitar as a Strat withpit the slanted bridge pickup would look weird but i wouldn't even need the bridge hooked up electrically as i only ise 3,4, and 5 positions on the Strat with position 3 always for gain or even hi gain tones but thank you for your content and videos Mike

[@sawdustcrypto3987]

I'm 10% on bridge, 60% on middle, and 30% on neck. And I try to always be on middle when adjusting my amp. It's the only way to get a good balance between the pickups. For example, if I adjust my amp while I'm on the bridge pickup, the neck pickup will inevitably sound too bassy

[@Furtheronmusic]

I've always used the middle pickup a lot especially for arpeggios and chordal work since my first "Strat" in 1975.

[@Mtn603]

No one ever seems to mention this, but I think the middle is as close as a Strat can get to a LP bridge, and can do a ripping mid-gain rhythm. More so than rolling tone off the bridge praying for the “sweet spot”.

[@jordanebacher]

What middle pickups are those? Did they just come stock in that guitar? I have an older MIM Stratocaster that I want to change out the middle and neck pickup but it's hard to choose which one. The one you have here in this video sounds awesome

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Thank you, yes there are eternal pickups the timeless 59 ones. Lovely pickups.

[@johnbarry731]

Eric Clapton uses mainly the middle pick up,on his Strat. Check out Premier Guitar rig run down on him. I do use it myself as it gives as you say a nice clean sound

[@justinpaquette224]

Jerry Garcia used middle pickup most of the time. Another under appreciated pickup is the tele neck pickup which I love

[@jevonwhite5193]

I love the middle pickup! I use it all the time. I like it as much as the neck and bridge. I almost never use the in between positions though.

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

Not Guilty, use the middle clean 90% of Stratocaster playing, it has the "True-voice" and presence with guts. Cool. BTW , the sunburst on your Fender looks beautiful! Oh yeah, Johnny Guitar Watson playing Strato is a great one .This is your best Viddy!!

[@ykristianhd]

I use middle+neck and middle+bridge to try to reduce hum sound

[@timp.9582]

Same here

[@domagojoinky8262]

I like 2nd and 4th positions. I do not like bridge pickup on its own. Neck pickup sounds nice and warm. Middle pickup has softer sound than bridge, but is not too low end heavy like neck pickup.

[@joescmoe4784]

In that beginning thing, I was saying, "Hit that harmonic," at the end, haha I try to use all pickups, and the middle is quite nice to my ears. Cheers, mate!

[@michaelheller8841]

I love the middle pickup on my Strat and this is coming from a Gibson player for over 35 years. It's not that I don't love Strats I certainly do. For so many years I couldn't find one that I could agree with till I had one a few years ago completely custom-made for me. It drove me mad that I could only play my guitar teacher's Strat and he would never sell it to me lol. So I had him make me one. So glad he did, If it took me this damn long don't give up. As far as not playing the middle pickup is crazy in my opinion. On my Les Pauls and other Gibsons, I love the middle position even though it's the two pickups at once giving it that honk and bell-like tones. Only a Strat can sound like a Strat and you will play it differently than your Gibsons and that's a good thing. Play the middle pickup because it sounds great might as well use it.

[@choplass]

I use the middle pickup on strats a lot.

[@JDStone20]

I think the 5 way switch that allowed the player to get positions #2 and #4 easily made the middle pickup by itself not a top choice anymore.

[@onyxg]

always thought the strat had the “snappiest” middle position, and the tele had the “jangliest” middle position. I’ve grown to love them both and though they’re different, they’re the best at what they do respectively. I think one of the areas the strat middle position shines the most is with the volume knob slightly down, either for funky riffs or for banging out chords at a faster and tough pace.

[@VPicksGuitarPicks]

I've noticed Clapton plays in the middle position quite a bit. Lead and rhythm.

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

He sure does. 👍

[@davidkendall7675]

Middle pickup with a fuzz face👍

[@giuseppesoccio8933]

On my guitar I have the middle pickup lower than the other two, so it has a little less volume and I like to use it for rhythms. Furthermore, in the intermediate bridge-centre position, if the tone of the middle pickup is completely closed and that of the bridge pickup is left completely open, a sound very similar to that of a humbucker comes out, but it is necessary to keep a completely closed tone at the centre and a fully open at the bridge; if it's an old-style stratocaster, without tone in the bridge, the result is even better.

[@Matt-1d]

I like the strat middle pickup, much more than the bridge pickup. But I spend most of my time on the neck pickup because it's my favorite guitar sound.

[@CharvelLloydNS]

First of all, thank you for your video, discussion and really tasty playing! The middle pickup? I'm all about it! In the beginning of the last year I've entered a blues/hard/southern rock project and I had a Squier Strat on my hands with HSS scheme. I barely use the bridge humbucker even though we have some heavy songs in our set and the neck one is used maybe just for a couple of solos. Even in the "thrash-country" instrumental (based on the classic "Orange Blossom Special") I use the middle pickup as it provides the right balance, not too trebly as the bridge humbucker... I mostly practice on the middle one. It has really grown on me around eight years ago not even on a Strat but an 80's-esque Charvel. I'm not a fan of the 2nd and 4th positions on Strats, I consider them overused and sometimes these "chimes" are over the top and you really need to know how to "cook" this sound for it not to be too sweet. And you know, DiMarzio's SDS-1 overwound "P-90 in a single coil" reeeeeally shines in the middle position, I tell you, the sweetest lead tone you can get.

[@surfysonic9847]

Happy New Year, Mike! I like all three pickups on their own but my favorite pickup setting on a Strat is bridge & neck - achieved with the 7-Way Mod (also known as the David Gilmour Mod) - bridge, bridge & middle, middle, middle & neck, neck, bridge & neck, and all 3 pickups together. My Fender Vintera '50s Stratocaster Modified comes stock with a S-1 switch for 7-way mod functionality and I bought a 7-Way Mod wiring harness for my Fender American Vintage II '61 Stratocaster. The bridge & neck setting is lovely for my surf and alternative tones.

[@ChrisJCarter]

Great guitar playing Mike!

[@rockerbuck967]

Great video - you've made a middle grounder out of me :)

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Wahoo, lovely to hear!

[@waynerick5755]

Nicely done

[@3rdmm]

Check out Robin Trower!

[@ralphrobert8206]

I actually use the middle more than any other position on my strat especially if playing old school R&B and soul.

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Good man!

[@ralphrobert8206]

I find it cuts much better than the other strat positions in a mix especially if there are other guitars and/or a keyboard. My strat is actually my backup (tele #1) unless I want to just sit in the back of the mix to fill out the sound. For instance when my son has a piano recital and I back him up with guitar I will go for the Strat neck PU.

[@ralphrobert8206]

BTW, I think your strat is still fantastic and great playing. Now that you have had it for a while have you made any changes?

[@1989stoneroses]

i’m definitely guilty of forgetting the middle, on its own anyway

[@CorbCorbin]

It’s because anything I play there, immediately sounds better at the neck. In a live setting, it can be great for a different flavor on a solo, as long as one is still cutting through the mix.

[@raymster8450]

Mike, Excellent, I don't care which pickup you're using. I just enjoy the music!

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Aww thank you Ray, means a lot.

[@JimmyDel]

Middle pickup definitely does not get enough love. I suppose maybe its due to an awkward position on the switch (if coming from a Gibson background) or something? Either way, it's always worth experimenting with. Would you ever do a video on how you use the volume and tone knobs on your guitar during gigs or sessions? Like where do you run it for rhythm and lead? I feel like that's another area that some people forget about since we libe in the age of pedals for controlling volume and boosts.

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Very good suggestion! Will def do something on that.

[@JimmyDel]

@@MikeBradleyofficial thanks Mike!

[@Eth_C]

You’re definitely gonna hate what I did lol. Was in a punk rock band where my only electric guitar was a hss Strat. I found that I was mostly using either the neck or bridge pickup so I removed the middle pickup but kept the wiring the exact same. Essentially it meant that I had kill switch in the middle position, and was able to use the middle pickup’s tone knob for the bridge pickup in the in between. Since I left I’ve definitely thought about adding the middle pickup back but I hope to get a proper sss Strat someday since whenever I use those I will go for all positions including the middle pickup and the 2nd/4th positions.

[@rikkitikkitavi3118]

Oneof my U.S.A. Strats has these " Tex-Mex " , and to my ears there is no goos sounding position.

[@ianyoung8392]

I think people don't use the middle pickup because you can EQ your amp to sound like it in the bridge or neck position. It's an inbetween sound that can be achieved in other ways and combining coils gives you a closed vowel sound that lends better to specific styles. The middle pickup is so middle of the road that you can balance either your bridge or neck to have similar chill cleans. For tonal usefulness I think the Tele middle position has a lot more unique character to add. However lets say you barely use the middle pickup, if ever why not put a very unique and weird pickup in the middle as a completely different gear? e.g. if someone was a session guitarist and had some songs where they want a PAF sound but 90% of the time they do Stevie Ray Vaughn covers. Then for the odd rock song that middle pickup could be a DImarzio ProTrack as a secret weapon. A gear that sounds classic rock, louder output and could just be a boost for solos. If I have a middle pickup in my guitar then it has to add radically different sounds to the bridge and neck, not somewhere very close to in between. When you serve a song and you need a smoother or brighter tone you go neck or bridge. I have very loud pickups in my bridge and neck so I have something calmer in the middle to create amazing split sounds. The middle pickup creates split diversity but by itself it doesn't spank, sparkle or have the velvet of split inbetween positions. But having a totally different pickup in the middle as some sort of secret weapon also makes more sense. Guitars are easily EQ'd with amps and pedals to to get the same or 95% the same of a tone in bridge or neck if you're creative with good ears. For session playing or a set there are so many other better choices to compliment a room of musicians.

[@begooode380]

Chris Duarte is big on the middle pickup, iirc

[@jasonlee8667]

They do

[@thomaspick4123]

On Strats and Teles, I do not like the bridge pickups. The other selections are okay.

[@dcflake5645]

I use it all the time. I guess it's hard to be heard in a mix sometimes though being in that mid range. Gets lost in the vocals and drunms and doesn't have any clear character.

[@ozzyfarrow9872]

Happy new year mate

[@sdkee]

The only ass position on a strat is the bridge. Fortunately that is readily fixed by applying a humbucker.

[@teledriver1398]

My first/learner/real guitar is my Squier II Strat, bought new in 1990 (MUCH improved/tweaked over time- it is now my Number 3 out of 6 electrics, with Fender 57/62 pups). I only used the middle until a few years ago when I started exploring the other positions, lol. I'll echo @veciroker- live I was only middle, at home it's the other 4 positions.

[@adhaskym.a9536]

I use the middle quite a bit, and frets are thick. What size are those?

[@joe7string]

I live on middle.

[@christoscholevas]

Really nice sound! I never owned a Strat though 😢😢

[@tunnel7]

Where ya been Mike missed ya m8.

[@laurentblond6760]

Eric Clapton only plays with the middle pickups.... 🎸🎶

[@30smsuperstrat]

Eric Clapton picked up the middle Beatle's wife.

[@castrucciocastracani0]

​@@30smsuperstratoh my.... ahahhahahhahah

[@JONNIE_ROCKER]

3,4,5.

[@robertspelman-marriott2366]

Stevie Ray Vaughan was a big middle pickup guy!!!!!!

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Yes good point!

[@robertspelman-marriott2366]

@@MikeBradleyofficial hey man, full of good points on occasions…. Currently half cut in the blues bar in London having a rodding good time! Flick the switch to the middle and crank up to 11!

[@crigonalgaming1258]

Middle pickups don't have that quack of the neck and/or bite of the bridge, which Strat users generally gear towards. It's this neutral limbo where it doesn't excel in anything particular, but works well when combined with the other two pickups. I use the middle when playing lush ambient sounds with my reverbs or any scenario when I don't want my Strat to sound like a Strat.

[@Musicology1975]

I always use things in the middle.🥵

[@easter_sunday]

The middle is my go to on a Strat. I dunno. Maybe I'm weird(?)

[@jltrem]

Clapton uses it. I use it far more than the bridge.

[@walkerhjones]

❤

[@paul3463]

Sssh. Stop giving away my tone secrets.

[@jensschettler1732]

I think it is Kind of a myth that nobody uses the middle posish. All people i know even back in the day my teacher used the middle. I mean really everybody use it. I dondt know where this myth comes from.

[@jimhagan4990]

Jerry Garcia lived on the middle

[@jimhagan4990]

My thought is the middle is the most “acoustic” pickup. That may be controversial.

[@BradRocker]

You using 10's or 11's on that beauty?

[@-Star-Soul]

I use it all the dang time. The instrument is quite versatile. The problem is that few musicians can do anything new with it. They all copy someone else's old techniques. Same old same old. Prove me wrong.

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

True story.

[@thomaspick4123]

You can play fast. So what. It does not move me.

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts

[@wesworach7441]

Middle pickup is great , just ask Scott Henderson ! Nice demonstration , mate !

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Thank you very much.

[@ykristianhd]

I use middle+neck and middle+bridge to try to reduce hum sound