Which is your favorite Stratocaster pickup setting playing dirty?

[tremoloman]

I figure I had to make to make 2 polls since playing distorted is an entirely different sound and feel.

[duhvoodooman]

I like the middle/bridge position with that nice Strat "quack" to give a distinctive dirty tone. I've noticed the quack is quite a bit more emphatic with the Texas Specials than it was with the Lace Sensors I had in my Strat previously.

[tremoloman]

I'm a bridge guy all the way. Since I like to incorporate pinched harmonics, squeals, and feedback its really the only position I can use that lets me play my 80s tunes properly.

I do like the neck for tapping though... thick, mean, & clean!

[Bloozcat]

I actually like the middle pickup. I run them wide open without a tone control on all my Strats, which gives them a big, midrangy tone with a quack all it's own and great pinch harmonics as well.

I used to consider the middle pickup as useless except in combination with the bridge and neck. I was reading an article in Guitar Player once about the band Free. The song All Right Now was actually played on a Strat's middle pickup. There was another article once about a Steely Dan song that was similarly intriguing.That really got me curious and started me on tweaking and playing with middle pickup Strat tone until I found usable tones. By moving the tone control from the middle pickup to the neck, it not only made the middle pickup usable, but it also really enhanced the quack on the #2 & #4 positions as well.

[tremoloman]

I actually like the middle pickup. I run them wide open without a tone control on all my Strats, which gives them a big, midrangy tone with a quack all it's own and great pinch harmonics as well.

I used to consider the middle pickup as useless except in combination with the bridge and neck. I was reading an article in Guitar Player once about the band Free. The song All Right Now was actually played on a Strat's middle pickup. There was another article once about a Steely Dan song that was similarly intriguing.That really got me curious and started me on tweaking and playing with middle pickup Strat tone until I found usable tones. By moving the tone control from the middle pickup to the neck, it not only made the middle pickup usable, but it also really enhanced the quack on the #2 & #4 positions as well.Funny that you mention that. I NEVER use the middle pickup alone. I just never found it useful by itself but love it mixed with the neck & bridge. Maybe I'll stop being stubborn and give it another go.

[TS808]

Probably more out of "habit" I've used the bridge pickup the most when soloing. I pretty much got used to doing that after having so many guitar teachers as a kid drumming into my head to use the bridge pup. Old habits die hard ;)

[Spudman]

All of the above. Is there any other way? By the way...what is "clean?":R

[Tone2TheBone]

Usually neck but I also wanted to do a middle vote. I really like the middle pickup sound now.

[sunvalleylaw]

I like the middle/bridge position with that nice Strat "quack" to give a distinctive dirty tone. I've noticed the quack is quite a bit more emphatic with the Texas Specials than it was with the Lace Sensors I had in my Strat previously.

I'm with you, DVM. Maybe because my strat has the Tex Mex pups. I also think it is a little more full sounding if I add the middle to the bridge.

[Big_Rob]

Darnit I messed up on my poll answer


Bridge all the way. Although I really dont use my Strat for heavy distortion, thats what my Ibanez AS73 with double humbucking goodness is for :DR

[Big K]

heck I just looked and I meant to vote for Bridge/Middle guess I failed the frickin quiz also... High Commander: please move my vote to the correct tab

[LagrangeCalvert]

I do have a neck on switch for my pups on my strat (its a push/pull vol. pot) and I use that to get a really really FULL sound. I can also go bridge/neck, and thats also a killer sound. Once I get my two new pups, that guitar - with all its mods - will be complete. I like the bridge when its really dirty, but I also like the neck when there is just a little grit in the channel

[elavd]

Bridge+Middle with the tone control in ZERO (no treble). I like this Woman Tone alike sound ;)

@ Bloozcat: Can you show us a wiring schematic of your strat? I am very interested in trying doing your "trick" ;)

[helliott]

I picked neck-middle, rolling off tone as required. My Strat has the S1 system, so I also use the neck with S-1 engaged, which gives me a very cool and slight quack, not as pronounced as the middle/neck, but quite a bit more so than the neck alone. I love the S-1 options, also in the middle spot. Can't really count my bridge pickup as it's a Fatstrat, so that's a humbucker spot.

[TS808]

Wow, the last time I voted I said bridge. Since then, I've been using the neck pickup more and more. I like the fatter sound and better sustain I'm getting out of the neck pup.