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The Pickup Place / Squier Mustang Classic Vibe 60s – Pickup Advice Needed

« on: May 15, 2025, 12:19:19 PM »

I recently got a second-hand Squier Mustang Classic Vibe ‘60s, and aside from a possibly misadjusted bridge, I like it more than I expected!

It came with only one pickup left from the previous owner (the photo I’m sharing is from the catalog, not the actual guitar, but it’s the exact same model and color). The pickup was originally in the neck position, but I moved it to the bridge—and surprisingly, I really like how it sounds. It's got a snappy tone, even with the short 24" scale.

That said, I'm planning to make some changes. First, I'm looking to install a noiseless single-coil in the bridge position—just one pickup for now. I also want to add a pickup selector switch that toggles between an inductor and a capacitor, so I can get a few different tones from the single pickup setup.

I’ll admit I’m not very used to single coils in the bridge, and I’ve been rolling off some treble with the tone control to tame the highs. But that’s fine, because I want this guitar to sound different from my others, which mostly have humbuckers.

Here’s my question:
Which pickup would preserve that bright, snappy single-coil sound (especially with the 24" scale) while offering some versatility?
After some research, I’m leaning toward either the Injector Neck or the Heavy Blues 2. I’d really appreciate any input or other suggestions!

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The Pickup Place / Satch Track vs Bluesbucker (bridge position)

« on: March 03, 2023, 02:09:27 AM »

I know they have a different size, but it's not a problem for my project.

For pop/rock/instrumental rock, I'm considering a single pickup guitar but with some options (with caps, resistors, partial split) to get some "variations" even with just a single bridge pickup.
From the descriptions and reviews I'm very interested in trying the Bluesbucker that could be what I'm really looking for (dynamic response, not too dark). But... I have a Satch Track that at the end I haven't used yet.
Do you think it's really very different from the Bluesbucker? Will it be too thin in the bridge position? Will it work properly using the two blade coils with caps/resistors to get different sounds?

I know you can say: test it! But my new build is far from being ready yet, and I'd like some expert opinons in the meanwhile.

By the way, since the neck will be 25", maybe I need more clarity and dynamic response for that reason too (losing a little transients/attack vs standard 25-1/2" necks). Apart from the Bluesbucker, I don't know if I should also consider the Air Classic Bridge, Fred, Paf Master Bridge...

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The Pickup Place / What happens if I put a cover on a blade pickup?

« on: March 12, 2019, 12:24:12 PM »

I'd like to know if you have any experience about covering a twin blade pickup (like the Chopper) with a plastic cover that is completely closed, I mean without the usual 2 cuttings of a standard pickup plastic cover with the two blades coming out.
I have a guitar with 2 nice pickup covers (similar to wood) and I'd like to keep them, putting a new pickup under them. I'd like to try the Satch Track in the bridge and the Fast Track 1 in the neck position.

Because of this closed covers, I guess that the pickup could be a little farer from the strings, even if I will remove its standard plastic cover (the one with Dimarzio logo on it), because with it, the pickup would be a little too large to fit into my "wood-colored" covers.

Do you know what impact I could have on the sound with a closed cover made of plastic?

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The Pickup Place / Suggestion for bridge humbucker pickup

« on: March 09, 2019, 04:47:03 AM »

Hello
I got a Chinese copy of a Strandberg (but with solid body, instead of hollow body), and after that my guitar tech fixed and adjusted it properly, I have to say it is not bad at all.
But I don't like the pickups a lot; they are maybe a copy of passive EMG, I'm not sure.
They are a little muddy, and comparing the recorded tone with my favorite guitar, I see that I should cut a lot around 300 Hz to get a nice sound from the bridge pickup.

I'd love your suggestions for modern rock music, some flexibility and good clarity and definition (and no shrill highs at all).
I'm looking at Fred and Titan for the bridge position, but I don't know them even if the reviews and descriptions could be good for what I'm looking for. They are just an example, and I'm really open to your comments and suggestions.

Since the pickups are angled, I need a standard spaced pickup, so I can't consider the pickups that are available only in F-spaced size.
This is my new "toy":


Later I'll look at the neck pickup, too. And probably my favorite choice could be the Humbucker from Hell.
But before replacing the original pickup, I'll try to tweak it by adding a capacitor in series to cut some bass frequencies.