[Mars Volta]

I got a Japanese 80's strat a few weeks ago and I love it except the pickups aren't really my thing. They're too low output.
It's made of basswood with a maple top I think (sunburst) and the fretboard and neck are maple.

I want a high output pickup for the bridge that can do high gain but still sound stratty so I got an Area '61. Not sure if it can do high gain but I heard some sound clips and it sounded good.
Then the middle I want to be twangy I suppose and the neck needs to be smooth for solos so I was thinking either HS-2 and HS-3 or 2 Area '58's.
I know Yngwie uses a HS-3 in the neck and I love his tone but does HS-2 work in the middle? How would I wire it? As a single coil or a humbucker with a coil tap? I'd still want it to be able to combine with the neck and bridge in positions 2 and 4.

Does anybody have any other suggestions? They need to be noiseless or quiet and I don't want any blade pickups or lace sensors because I have some aged covers and I want to be able to keep them and I won't with those pickups.

 

[LuredMaul]

Eric Johnson uses the HS2... so uhm yes

 

[-Rhaab]

yngwie uses yjm neck and middle and hs-3 bridge i thought? he does have a sweet tone

 

[LuredMaul]

I like his old HS3 neck tone better ....I have 2 HS3`s and 2 Yjm`s

 

[Mars Volta]

Will the HS pickups pair well with the Area '61? Will the outputs match up?
The Area '61 would be in bridge and that has an output of 142 and a DC Resistance of 6.46, HS-2 (middle?) has 90 output and a DC Resistance of 14.97 and the HS-3 (neck) has an output of 93 and a DC Resistance of 23.72.
I don't know what any of those things mean and I don't want to get that set and then switch from bridge to neck and get a huge volume loss (or the other way round) so that they're not practical to use on stage.

 

[Thrash]

Malmsteen uses a HS3 in the bridge and YJM's in the neck and mid. He disconnects the tone pot to give the pickups the most presence and treble possiable.

If you're going to use a tone pot use a 500k or 1m to get full performance out of the pickups. The area 61 will be fine with these two. Fender uses brighter pots like these for some of their strats.

The YJM's will balance fine with the Area 61 or any other single coil. I've seen YJM's in the neck or mid of many guitars with fairly hot bridge pickups (Chopper, JB,) and it sounds fine. Just don't go XN2, Evolution, Invader or anything that hot.

 

[jemaholic]

For 80's rock you will love the YJM's.


-jemaholic

 

[ryanb]

Get the Area 58s.

 

[Thrash]

Get the Area 58s.

I would put the YJM in the neck for great solo tone and a 58 in the mid. That way you will get the twang from positions 2, 3,& 4. The 58 will be much twangier than a YJM or HS2. It just depends on what you want.

 

[Mars Volta]

I ended up getting the HS-2, HS-3 and Area 61.
I couldn't find the YJM's or Area 58 anywhere.

I was going to put Area 61 in the bridge and then HS-2 middle, HS-3 neck but now I'm not so sure. Should I put one of the HS's in the bridge and the Area 61 in the middle?

 

[the.godfather]

Don't put the Area 61 in the bridge. I wouldn't anyway.
The HS-3 was born to be in the bridge position. They sound amazing there. So dont waste it by putting it in the middle or the neck.

As for the HS-2, I would use it for the middle myself.
Which would leave the Area 61 for the neck.

I loved the HS-3 in the bridge of my YJM Strat. I so miss that tone.
Yngwie's tone is the best.

Remember though, for best results, always use an overdrive pedal with the HS-3 and HS-2. They are low output pickups and you will only get the Yngwie tone with an overdrive pedal to push them "over the edge".