Question Silhouette Special HSS into HH

[chrismonaghan]

I know it seems crazy that I didn't buy a Silhouette for the HH style front and back over a Silo Special, but I'm not a fan of 24 fret guitars and deeper cutaways, so, here's my dialemma, I want to turn my Silo Special into an HH model and i'm not overly happy about the stock DiMarzio in the back.

It's going to need a major rework inside I know, but when it's finished it should be amazing!

I'm asking for any fellow standard rock players to recommend some decent humbuckers without going too overboard with price or going boutique like bareknuckle, any takers?

 

[paranoid70]

I can't help you with the recommendations - I am sure others will chime in. I just wanted to say welcome to the forum.

Don't forget to post before and after pics of your Silhouette - we never tire of looking at guitar pics.

 

[Roubster]

IF you want to rout it for a humbucker and know for sure that you will never sell it, than go for it. However the best advice I can give you is to try some single coil sized humbuckers that DiMarzio offers. They have Air Norton in the single coil stacked version. Also Satriani uses the Pro Track on his new 24 fret model, but will work great with 22 I'm sure. A lot of options for great tones without having to do something irreversible. Greg Howe also uses a DiMarzio custom (based on the Breed) single sized humbucker and he gets nice tones.

 

[threeminutesboy]

ask B2D he did that I'm sure he can help you

 

[John C]

Sorry, I'm a died-in-the-wool single coil guy so I can't recommend a pickup for you. However I do have a guitar suggestion - how about a SUB1?

SUB1s can be had pretty cheaply these days and they are already routed for 2 humbuckers under the hood. Of course they don't have a top contour - they are kind of like a Morse in that respect - but the neck is virtually identical in shape to the Silo Special neck. Just a thought before you get out the router.

 

[ZeRaskolnikoff]

I can give you is to try some single coil sized humbuckers that DiMarzio offers. They have Air Norton in the single coil stacked version.

+1

I have a DiMarzio Chopper in the bridge (although the most of guys put them in the neck position).

Very, smooth, creamy sound with great mid range, very balanced sound. Its sound is in between humbucker and sigle. Pretty loud, and very versatile! I actually wanna put one in the neck position in my next project!

You can buy one on ebay in any color you want for about $70.

Look at that this way: you don't like single-coil size humbucker - you sell it. You cant fix the moded cavity of the guitar!

 

[GWDavis28]

Why not just get an AL HH?? Then no rework needed on the Silo Special.

Glenn |B)

 

[chrismonaghan]

Thanks folks! I'm reluctant to take the router to it, so a single coil size humbucker would be fantastic but I have next to no knowledge on them! I'd probably want the neck matched with the bridge pickup as best as possible so I don't mind replacing both, but i'll probably take out the middle pickup too because for my playing style and hand size i'm having some serious issues with it being in the way!!

If you recommend something to pair up with that chopper pickup in the neck with something in the bridge equal output kind of gauge then that would be super! I'll look into it asap, again thanks for the responses folks!

 

[ZeRaskolnikoff]

Thanks folks! I'm reluctant to take the router to it, so a single coil size humbucker would be fantastic but I have next to no knowledge on them! I'd probably want the neck matched with the bridge pickup as best as possible so I don't mind replacing both, but i'll probably take out the middle pickup too because for my playing style and hand size i'm having some serious issues with it being in the way!!

If you recommend something to pair up with that chopper pickup in the neck with something in the bridge equal output kind of gauge then that would be super! I'll look into it asap, again thanks for the responses folks!

When I bought the Chopper I didn't have a chance to play with it either. BUT! There's plenty of demos on youtube, lots of reviews on harmony central which I used. And when i got the pup, I realized that my expectations towards the sound match the reality by 80% Or to say more, the pup was better than I suggested!

Also in dimarzio line many ppl like Pro Track and Fast Track pickups (also in neck position)

 

[ZeRaskolnikoff]

If you want to get a DiMarzio bucker to match the neck pup, you should go to DiMarzio forums and ask those guys - I'm sure they know what goes with what

 

[chrismonaghan]

Here's the guitar as it is now, even though, just yesterday I was trying to sell it, I decided I love it too much!

 

[B2D]

ask B2D he did that I'm sure he can help you

You rang?

Chris Monaghan - Hey man! I'm in the same boat you are in... I like HH guitars for what I do, but I like the balance and feel of the 22 fret Silo Special better than the Silhouette.

I took a router to my Silo Special and cut the neck slot out for a humbucker and then ordered a chandler custom pickguard for it. (thought a SUB1 guard will also work if you can get your hands on one) and I'm quite pleased with the results. It's been my #1 player since 2006.

Here's the guitar as it appears now...

Here's a cell phone pic of a recent experiment showing some of the routing job.

I don't use a tone control the way I play, so I don't have one. It's a simple 5-way MegaSwitch E-model blade switch going to a single 500K volume knob and that's it. The Silent Circuit is long gone. The only thing "under the hood" that's original is the quick-connect clips and the output jack.

The pickups are a Crunch Lab in the bridge and an Air Norton in the neck.

I've also got had stainless steel 6115 size frets put into the guitar - it plays pretty effortlessly.

 

[whitestrat]

I did that, and I regretted it. The BEST option would be to throw a single coil sized humbucker like the protrack or air norton S into the neck. I have 2 silo specs. One was done in HH (routed) and one in HHH (protrack, cruiser, mojoe) running 500k pots. I much prefer the protrack option.

Try the single sized humbucker first.

The chopper is still single coil sounding. The protrack, air norton s, tonezone s, sd's lil59, and screaming demon are your best bet.

 

[B2D]

I did that, and I regretted it.

Any particular reason why? You've said that you prefer the Pro Track as a pickup but you really didn't say why you regret having done the routing.

 

[whitestrat]

Any particular reason why? You've said that you prefer the Pro Track as a pickup but you really didn't say why you regret having done the routing.

Well, mainly because I discovered I could get all the humbucker tones I ever wanted and much more with the protrack AND didn't need to rout the cavity. If I had tried the protrack first, I would have never bothered to cut.

Besides, the protrack has not only paf styled tones, it preserves the really sweet aspects of a neck single coil as well! Any single sized humbucker also works like that. Mainly the size of the magnetic field at play, I think.

With that current config, I get strat, tele and les Paul tones all in one guitar. Yes, even the nice in-between quacky tones!

 

[B2D]

Ah I see now.

Well it's not like you can't take the guitar routed for the humbucker in the neck and put a SSH pickguard back over it. You live, you learn I guess.

 

[straycat113]

Chris I understand your dilemma but I would look at all options before doing anything. As far as a stacked humbucker check out a DiMarzio Fast Track as I have a set in one of my Teles for almost 20 years and they kill. I also understand about the middle pup issue as I used to go nuts with the pick hitting the middle pup until I read years ago an interview with Blackmore who had the same issue as does Yngwie and they both just sink them even with the pick guard which is what I do as you dont have to pull it out and have that ugly gaping hole.

If this is your #1 ax then there is really no boundaries as what you can do as the main objective is to make the guitar sound and play as best possible, there are simply ways these days to get there without ripping it apart.

On the other hand B2d moded his ax to his specks and seems really happy with the results and also did a nice job of covering up the ugly.lol I take out the volume knob and pot in my Strats B2D and have them wired different which makes them more comfortable to me. Not that it matters as I see you have black tape over the tone knob hole, but checkout looking for little decal to use instead as some are really cool.

 

[whitestrat]

Ah I see now.

Well it's not like you can't take the guitar routed for the humbucker in the neck and put a SSH pickguard back over it. You live, you learn I guess.

Of course I can. That guitar is now being refinished to a custom finish, and will have a SSS config with all stacked humbuckers including a tonezone s in the bridge. Heheheh... Live and learn.

 

[Jeb]

hi!!
I did put stacked humbucker in my silo spec. I play in a metal band and a Irish punk rock tribute band and I love to play blues. So I wanted to add some higher output pups but I wanted to keep the original versatility of the guitar.

For now I have a regular tone zone humbucker at the bridge, a air norton S at the neck and a fast track 1 in the middle. The guitar scream!!! Virtually a double humbuckers setup without any routing.

The next thing I would like to try is a Seymour Duncan JB at the bridge

 

[Jack FFR1846]

I have the same issue with the middle pickup being in the way. You can adjust the middle pickup all the way down and basically ignore it.