[Wildwind]

Guitar is a Melancon Pro Artist S, chambered. Despite that, the guitar sounds pretty vintage-y. Music style is p&w, so think rock/pop/blues/country (we cover a lot of stuff).

Current setup for many years - Area 61 bridge, Area 58 neck/middle. 7-tone wiring, tone control wired directly to bridge (this is a 2-knob guitar).

These have served me well, but I am feeling the need to make a change. I'm looking to go warmer, maybe more bluesy. I really don't run pristine cleans - club clean and light crunch are used the most, but also higher-gain tones are needed at times. I'm mainly a Fender amp sort of guy (Axe-Fx II).

On hand is a VV Heavy Blues 2 (just purchased) that I was going to put into the bridge. But YT demos have me thinking, as a couple used the HB2 in the neck and the tones were amazing! Yesterday I ordered a Virtual Solo thinking that will go into the bridge instead.

Current thoughts - HB2 neck, Area 58 middle, and VSolo bridge. I do like some quack but not going for vintage. Definitely want some fatness and warmth from the bridge and am not after a vintage voicing there. I do have an Area 61 that could go in the middle, not sure how much that will cost me in "quack."

Current pots are 250K. Guitar is a touch dark - would I be better served switching these out? Answers to this question seem to go both ways, but I'll gladly switch them given good reason. I guess I wonder if the change is needed if all I need to do is turn up the treble or presence a bit. Am I missing something in this process?

I'd appreciate any thoughts and advice.

[darkbluemurder]

Virtual Solo is an excellent choice for the bridge position if you want vintage look but a slightly hotter sound. While it still sounds like a strat bridge pickup it does not have any of the icepick you encounter so often with strat bridge pickups, and it balances well output and tone wise with an Area 58 or 67 in middle/neck.

Area 58 is my top choice for the middle position.

Both the Virtual Solo and Area 58 work well with 250k pots.

I have the HB2 in the neck position of another guitar but that one is HSS with 500k pots all around. It sounds absolutely ace in that set-up - fat yet bright and cutting at the same time. Whether it works with 250k pots I don't know since I have not tried. If the neck and neck/middle combo are too dark with the 250k pots you could use a 500k volume pot and add resistors to ground for the bridge and middle pickups. With two 1 meg ohm resistors in parallel (= 500k ohms) the bridge and middle pickup see a load closer to a 250k pot.   

So yeah - definitely worth a try.

Cheers Stephan

[darkbluemurder]

Alternatively you could try the Area 61 in the neck position - that one would surely work well with 250k pots.

Cheers Stephan

[Wildwind]

Thanks! Great info and confirmation. I will go ahead as planned.

I did try an Area 61 in the neck of this guitar a year or so ago. At first I loved it, but that didn't last. I was happy to re-install the Area 58. Still, I might try it again at some point, maybe in my h/s/s Strat.

Virtual Solo will be here Tuesday. I will leave the 250K pots for now, but think they'll be fine.

I'm still curious about an Injector bridge and an VV 54 Pro somewhere - neck or middle.

[slugworth]

I have used all of the pickups mentioned extensively in multiple positions. I would put the HB2 in the bridge. I usually love high output pickups but to me when you go as high output as the Virtual Solo, you lose what is great about a strat bridge pickup. The HB2 is big enough output-wise to chunk and scream, but it will still get stratty and do a lot better with the pop/country end of your repertoire, while still being outstanding with rock and blues.

You say you want to get slightly warmer and more bluesy than your current setup. I think you would really like my favorite Dimarzio strat combo: Heavy Blues 2 in the bridge, VV 54 Pro in the middle, and Area 67 in the neck.

[KH Guitar Freak]

Heavy Blues 2 and Virtual Vintage Pro 54 in middle and neck might work too

[Wildwind]

Yeah, I want to get a 54 Pro soon. I do have another Strat...

Thanks! My Virtual Solo arrives tomorrow and should get installed this week. Can't wait!!