Humbuckers have been paired with a 500k volume pot and a 500k tone pot, so using 250k pots would make them sound darker than you might want or expect. Some folks like to use a 500k volume pot with an HSS set up because you can use a 500k resistor to make that pot mimic a 250k pot when the single coils are in use.
All the same, are HSS Strats good?
Bottomline: if you need more “tone for the buck”, the HSS is a good instrument. It is definitely more strat (single coil) than a humbucker guitar, but it can be made to sound pretty close through amps and pedals.
Still and all, how can I make my Stratocaster sound better? Here are 25 ways to make your Fender Strat play and sound better than ever before....25 ways to upgrade your Fender Stratocaster
Tighten up your neck. ... Block the tremolo. ... And consider steel trem blocks. ... Clean up your neck pocket. ... Add a bridge pickup tone control. ... Swap out your saddles.
Basically, what does HSS Stratocaster mean?
Hum-Sing-Sing
Can you mix 250k and 500k pots?
Mixing 500k and 250k ohm potentiometers can be helpful if you want to brighten your single coils or humbuckers but don't want to commit to higher values for both pots. Experimentation is critical because you may find that specific configuration slightly alters the behavior of the controls in small but essential ways.
ToneShaper Guitar Wiring Kit, For Fender HSS Stratocaster, HSS2 (Auto-Split Wiring)
- No Compromise Bridge Humbucker: Auto-splits in 2-position, to retain that legendary Strat quack
- No generic parts (450G pots, 400V/600V caps) - only our custom parts, RIGHT for your application
- Tonally-Optimized Volume Pot: 500k in 1-position (bridge hum), switches to 250k in positions 2-5
- Professional wiring diagram - the highest-quality documentation in the industry
- Separate the Fender / Gibson Tones: Dedicated 1-position tone control does not affect 2-5 positions
920D Custom S5W-HSS Upgraded HSS Wiring w/ 5 Way Super Switch for S Style Guitars.
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Deluxe Wiring Kit for Fender Strat - .047 Orange Drop Cap - Stratocaster
- 2X CTS 450G Series 250K Dish Back Short Split Shaft Audio Taper Pots - 10% Tolerance
- 1X CTS 450G Series 250K Dish Back Short Split Shaft Vintage Audio Taper Pot - 10% Tolerance
- 1X Oak-Grigsby 5-way Blade Switch w/ White Switch Tip - 1X Switchcraft J11 I/O Jack
- 1X Orange Drop .047uF Capacitor + 4 Ft. Gavitt Vintage-correct Push Back Wire (2 X Black & 2 X White)
Deluxe TAOT Wiring Kit for Fender Strat - .022 Orange Drop Cap - Stratocaster
- 2X CTS 450G Series 250K Dish Back Short Split Shaft Audio Taper Pots - 10% Tolerance
- 1X CTS 450G Series 250K Dish Back Short Split Shaft Vintage Audio Taper Pot - 10% Tolerance
- 1X Oak-Grigsby 5-way Blade Switch w/ White Switch Tip - 1X Switchcraft J11 I/O Jack
- 1X Orange Drop .022uF Capacitor + 4 Ft. Gavitt Vintage-correct Push Back Wire (2 X Black & 2 X White)
Pre-Wired Strat HSS 5-Way Wiring Kit
Musical Accessories Wiring Harness Prewired with A500k B500k Pots for Stratocaster Strat Guitar
- Strat Wiring Harness One Volume/Two Tones/5 way switch
- 2 x A500k,1 x B500k Pots with 18mm Shafts/Base Dia: 16mm .047 capacitors
- This harness is completely prewired. All you need to do is solder your pickups to the switch and ground them to the volume pot.
Fender Tex-Mex Strat Pickups
Fender Modern Pickguard, HSS Stratocaster, 11-Hole - Black 3-Ply (3-Screw Hum)
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OriPure Prewired Strat Pickguard with Alnico 5 Pickup Humbucker Set HSS Strat Pickguard Fit Fender USA/Mexican Stratocaster Standard Modern Style, 4Ply Brown Tortoise Shell
- Prewired loaded strat pickguard set fit American/Mexican made Fender standard stratocaster modern style guitar part, hss pickguard with ALNICO 5 pickup humbucker set.
- Pickguard: Made of 1 ply celluloid and 3 ply PVC material(brown tortoise),11 screw hole in the side of pickguard, 3 pickup holes(single coil - single coil - humbucker).
- Neck pickup: dual rail pickup, resistance is 10-11k ohm; middle pickup: single coil pickup, flat fixed pole pieces, resistance is 5.8k ohm; bridge pickup: double coil humbucker, 6 fixed & 6 adjust pole pieces, resistance is 13.6-14k ohm.
- Knob: A500k pots for tone, B500k pot for volume. With 2-way mini switch on-on (2A 250V,5A 120V).
- Package:1 x HSS loaded pickguard Set, 25 x guitar screws.
Set of Alnico V Single Coil Pickup Set SSS for Strat Style Guitar Black Color
- 100% Brand New, Never Used
- Full tone color, stable sustain effect, keeps sound clarity
- Magnet: Alnico V
- Output DC Resistance: Neck 5.5 K, Middle 5.6 K, Bridge 5.6 K
- Pickup Pole Spacing: 48mm/ 50 mm / 52mm
13 More Questions Answered
The rule used to be “use 250k potentiometers with single-coils and 500k pots with humbuckers.” But let's play with that notion a bit. ... If your single-coil pickups seem dull and lackluster, try stepping up to 500k pots. (Or try “no load” pots, available from Fender and other manufacturers.
If a MIM strat's body and neck are constructed properly, then they are nothing less than a foundation for what is possible. The same applies to a MIA strat, but the cost of entry is so much lower with the MIM piece that it makes sense to spend less up front.
The HSS Stratocaster is very similar to the SSS version, with the exception of a Fender humbucker replacing the single-coil bridge pickup. ... This makes the HSS Strat better suited to metal and hard rock, but don't go thinking you'll get deep, dark extreme metal tones out of it.
Single-coil pickups tend to have brighter, crisper tone. Comparitively, humbuckers typically have what guitarists describe as a “thicker” sound; one that is perceived as rounder and warmer. ... Conversely, humbuckers tend to be more popular with jazz, heavy rock and metal players.
Here are our honorable mentions for the Stratocaster's best year:- 1954: This was the Stratocaster's very first year in production. Similarly to first-issue books, the 1954 Stratocaster is the most collectible compared to all of the other years. ...
- 1957: The next great year for the Stratocaster came in 1957.
Duncan gave Jimi Hendrix a bag of early 1960s Strat pickups that he had rewound. Jimi's guitar tech, Roger Mayer, installed the custom-wound pickups in Jimi's famous white Stratocaster that very night. Jimi was so impressed with the pickups, he had Seymour carry the guitar up to the stage.
The 6 Best Amps for a Stratocaster- Fender Blues Junior IV.
- Vox AC15C1.
- Fender '65 Twin Reverb.
- Boss Katana-50 MKII.
- Bugera V5 Infinium.
- Fender Mustang LT 25.
Is a Mexican Strat as good as an American one? Nope. It doesn't sound as good or play as well. However, for the price, it's an exceptional instrument, and much better than most other guitars in its price range.
Because single coils also sound great – and they sound different. Single coils tend to be brighter and crisper, with greater note definition between strings, while humbuckers are often louder, darker, and heavier. Most (but not all) Fender® guitars use single-coil pickups.
Kirk Hammett used an HSS Strat at a point, he even has an EMG signature HSS set. Andy Timmons uses HSS Strats. Those and the ones the others mentioned are a few. If you think people don't like the bridge humbucker tone on a Strat just look at EVH and many of the hair metal bands in the 80's.
When a control pot is added, part of that signal doesn't make it to the amp because some of the highs don't get past the pot. These highs go through the pot, and bleed off to ground. ... This is why 500K pots keep your sound brighter than 250K: their higher resistance won't allow as much of the signal to bleed off.
Pots for Humbuckers and Single Coils Humbucking pickups are typically paired with 500K pots and single coils are typically paired with 250K pots. Standard humbucking pickups tend to cancel out some of the higher overtones, so 500K pots are often used to prevent extra high end from bleeding off.
What is the difference between 250K & 500K pots? Either 250K or 500K pots can be used with any passive pickups however the pot values will affect tone slightly. The rule is: Using higher value pots (500K) will give the guitar a brighter sound and lower value pots (250K) will give the guitar a slightly warmer sound.