SSH or HH Soloist?

[Glenn KK]

So...what's you favourite Soloist routing? S-S-H or H-H, maybe with PU split?

[dannyr]

H-H! Damn middle pickup just gets in the way.

[RobRR]

Yeah, HH for sure. Middle pups get in the way, and I like the nice fat sound of a hum at the neck.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I like my SL1, but I put in a bladed middle pickup that's a little shorter and it's screwed down as far as I can get it, out of the way.

I guess I'd say I prefer the SL2H overall, but also like to have the SL1 for that particular sound (Classic Stack in the neck position) because it's close enough to a Strat with your eyes closed but it doesn't play anything like a Strat, which is good IMO.

[neilli]

Out of those two, I'd go for H/H but H/S would be my preference...

[Glenn KK]

I'm asking this question to you because I really don't know which Soloist should I get.

Sure, i have to try them. Yesterday i tried a ferrari red SL1 and i discovered that the middle PU is uncomfortable, but i like the two humbuckers (in fact, i have two guitars with HH routing).

So...HH with coil split or SSH? i can't give myself an answer
The one i saw, used -MINT-, is a SL1

PS: i play hard rock and heavy metal, from Led zeppelin to Iron Maiden.....through AC/DC, Jethro Tull, ZZ Top, Def Leppard and stuff like this....

:think:

[dg]

The middle pickup bothered you, right? What if most people here say you should go with the SL1? I'm OK with either layout, but on HSS guitars I usually end up with a Hot Rails in the neck and the middle pickup lowered all the way. My very favorite layout is HH with a 5-way super-switch, but you can get something similar in an SL2H with push-pull pot(s).

[neilli]

i tried a ferrari red SL1 and i discovered that the middle PU is uncomfortable, but i like the two humbuckers

Well surely there's your answer - SL2H.

[Glenn KK]

The middle pickup bothered you, right? What if most people here say you should go with the SL1? I'm OK with either layout, but on HSS guitars I usually end up with a Hot Rails in the neck and the middle pickup lowered all the way. My very favorite layout is HH with a 5-way super-switch, but you can get something similar in an SL2H with push-pull pot(s).

Well, i think that i have only to get used to this middle PU...i'm only looking for some opinions on which model is the best for the genres i listed..and I wouldn't put a Hot Rails in the neck position.

At the end, i think i'll go for the SL1 because by for now i didn't found a nice SL2H for sale, at a right price

[neilli]

Don't forget that most (not all) hardrock/metal plays use humbuckers all round. So having a neck single coil isn't necessarily the sound you're looking for...

[SEAN RAF]

I bought my SL1 for versatility, then discovered I'm not versatile...SL2H, you should get what I like...

[Gibsonmac]

Hate middle pickups, HH all the way, HS is alright too, but Fuck HSS in the ass

[dg]

I bought my SL1 for versatility, then discovered I'm not versatile...SL2H, you should get what I like...

That brings up a good point! Sometimes I think versatility in a guitar can be overrated. When I'm looking for a single coil tone, what I usually hear in my head is a strat or tele, and I've never found another guitar where the middle or neck single (much less a split hum) cuts it. It's too big a compromise for me. That's just me, and I understand that others may feel differently or play in situations where they need one guitar to do many things.

[MetalMedal II]

That brings up a good point! Sometimes I think versatility in a guitar can be overrated.

My #1 example of this was the Jimmy Page model LP I had several yrs back. With all 4 posts being push-pull, it got a total of ~24 pickup combinations, of which I used the standard 3 (probably 1 more than most!). That was one of the reasons I sold it.

[MartinBarre]

HSH.

Get the HSS and put a Hot Rails in the neck.