[marcwormjim]

My particular “have my cake and eat it” search doesn’t fit the title field:

One of my guitars is HSH with two low-output PAF-types and an FS-1 in the middle. This means that positions 2 and 4 on my 5 way (outside coil + middle) annoy me with their drop in output. I typically compensate for this by raising the height of the FS-1, but my middle-pickup-syndrome pushes me toward finding a middle single coil hot-enough that I can lower it out of the way and still have it balance.

The simplest solution is to replace the humbuckers with Bluesbuckers, but I first want to try a higher-output middle such as the SDS-1 or Dark Matter 2.

I know I’m not the first to scratch this itch - Let me know what you think, gentlemen.

[greenlion]

What do you want the middle pickup to do tone-wise? I have an Air Zone Bridge and Paf Pro neck with an Area 61 in the middle, and I don't notice a huge drop in output. You say you have LOW output humbuckers and a more powerful middle than the 61. It sounds like your problem is definitely being caused by having your middle pickup too low. You won't get the best out of any middle with it adjusted extremely low. You might step up to something like the Chopper and give it a try.

[marcwormjim]

I typically compensate for this by raising the height of the FS-1, but my middle-pickup-syndrome pushes me toward finding a middle single coil hot-enough that I can lower it out of the way and still have it balance.

The simplest solution is to replace the humbuckers with Bluesbuckers, but I first want to try a higher-output middle such as the SDS-1 or Dark Matter 2.

My high middle pickup is not too low, and I am not replacing it with a rail humbucker. I need a single coil for hum-cancelling when it’s in parallel with the weak split pickups, but I’d **ideally** like to find one hot-enough that I can lower it out of the way of my pick.

I’ll just bump the thread with my solution and findings down the line.

[DarthPhineas]

To be clear, are you wanting to avoid all hum-canceling options or just the “rail” types?

[greenlion]

You never said what tones you were after, so its hard to make suggestions. There are a lot of higher output single coils out there.

[darkbluemurder]

Truth is that both HSS and HSH set ups are compromised to some extent. You can balance the humbuckers either so that they match the single coils in output when split - then the humbuckers will be louder in series mode. Most people don't mind - the louder setting is rather welcome as a solo boost. Or you can balance them so that they will match the single coils in output when in series mode - then they will sound thinner when split. With such a set up, some players do not split the humbucker(s) but that is personal preference. With the combination of low output humbuckers split when combined with a strong middle pickup I would expect that the middle pickup will then dominate the #2 and #4 settings.

But you cannot have both, i.e. expect that the single coils will balance the humbuckers both in split and in series mode. It is simply not possible, unless you have a humbucker where the single coil mode is not much lower in output than the series mode. Insofar the Bluesbucker choice makes sense.

I don't think the middle pickup is the key to the solution here. In addition, unless you want a dark middle tone the SDS-1 appears to be a very questionable choice for the middle position.

For what you want to achieve, a set of Bluesbuckers together with the Injector neck or Virtual Vintage Heavy Blues 2 in the middle could work well.

Cheers Stephan