Stupid question, explain Strat pickup positions to me

[bry4321]

Humbuckers, OK, I just leave it on the bridge pickup 95% of the time.

I have no idea what to use or why on Strat-type guitars. 

This may be why I am drawn to single-pickup guitars 🤪

I am pitting HFC experts vs. Google A.I. on this one LOL

Strat pickup selections depend on the desired tone: Neck (Pos 5) for warm blues/jazz, Bridge (Pos 1) for bright, cutting lead tones, the Middle for rhythm or chime, and the iconic "quacky" Neck/Middle (Pos 4) or Bridge/Middle (Pos 2) for funk/blues, with Positions 2 & 4 offering hum-cancelling and signature "in-between" sounds. The best choice is subjective, but understanding these positions unlocks Strat's versatility. 

[RobB]

Your ears will tell you what sounds to use better than AI or the HFC.

Borrow a Strat from a friend and fukwiddit for a few weeks. 

Edited January 18 by RobB

[Jakeboy]

I find all the Strat positions useful, including the bridge pickup which many dislike. It just needs a tone control is all.

Strangely enough, my least fave Strat position is the neck pickup alone which most people adore. I like the Tele neck pickup better.

Follow @RobB’s advice and play a good Strat with good pickups through a good amp and find out which pickup positions speak to YOU.

Nothing sounds quite like a good SSS Strat.

Edited January 19 by Jakeboy

[beezerboy]

fwiw... the Eric Johnson Strat has a tone pot on the bridge. the other tone pot is for neck and middle

[RobB]

12 minutes ago, beezerboy said:

fwiw... the Eric Johnson Strat has a tone pot on the bridge. the other tone pot is for neck and middle

That’s how my Crews (and every other Strat I’ve owned) is wired. Really tames any spikiness. 

[diablo175]

Whudder middle pickups? 🤔 

[stonge]

3 minutes ago, diablo175 said:

Whudder middle pickups? 🤔 

the things that get in the way of my ham-fisted picking. Clank...

[diablo175]

16 minutes ago, stonge said:

the things that get in the way of my ham-fisted picking. Clank...

Yup. That's why I remove 'em   Only have my one Strat (what's left of it after numerous mods) w/ a middle p'up. But it's lowered and frankly, "Zza" doesn't get much play time. 

I modded these Charvel So Cal's to lose their middle p'ups. And yes, I don't spend a lot of time on neck p'up either so I made those both Sustianiacs.

 

[BadgerDave]

I've modified my Strat with a blender pot that allows combining the neck and bridge pickups.  The Bridge with a with about 20% of the neck and vice versa provide excellent lead tones.  Equal amounts of bridge and neck are gerat for a full rhythm sound.

I rarely use any other pickup settings.

[seeker]

Im just more from the Blackmore school of Strats.  Bridge and neck only. Never done what he did, resale value and all. 

[cmatthes]

I became a Strat guy after years of playing Gibsons and Hamers.  I hated the first Strat I had, even though it was gorgeous (an ‘82 Limited Edition Gold/gold, just like in the catalog) / it was as heavy as my Norlin LP Custom and the bridge pickup was unusable - total ice-pick.  I ended up with an ‘89 62 Reissue in Mary Kaye/gold, and that may be the finest Strat I’ve ever played, much less owned.  Traded it away for a 4-digit Standard (Brad Whitford’s old one), and it was years before I got another Strat/style - a ‘94 Daytona.  That definitely sold me on appreciating all the cool sounds you can get and how useful a good Strat really can be.  I probably have too many of them now, between Daytonas, Fenders and custom builds, but there’s nothing quite like that 2 or 4 position with a little compression.  They definitely make you play differently!

[hamerhead]

An LP-only buddy of mine NEVER played a Strat. I mean literally - after 50 years of playing - had never tried one. Friday I sent him home with my Daytona after he discovered how the intro to 'Free Ride' was supposed to sound. Seeing the light bulb come on for him was a treat.

If you've never owned a Strat, you're missing half of what's out there. bry4321 - do this:

https://reverb.com/item/93425593-hamer-usa-daytona-1994?utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=93425593&utm_medium=android-share&utm_source=android-app

Many good things will happen if you do.

[kizanski]

I have always been a Strat first, Les Paul second kinda guy.
The Strat just always felt "right" to me. Perfectly natural feeling for me.

It might have something to do with the Jeff Beck - Wired album cover. 

Edited January 19 by kizanski

[RobB]

2 hours ago, hamerhead said:

https://reverb.com/item/93425593-hamer-usa-daytona-1994?utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=93425593&utm_medium=android-share&utm_source=android-app

That’s an obscene deal. Cheap as a fat whore.

[velorush]

My recipe after being a Strat guy since 1986:

1. first tone control wired as Master Tone - all pickups
2. second tone control wired as neck blend control
3. 50's wiring (eliminates the need for a treble bleed)
4. neck and neck/middle position great for rhythm when accompanying most any other instrument
5. middle position - contrary to popular opinion, the funk lives here. You'll find your 2/4-position devotees, but middle is the funk. Also works great for accompanying rhythm when the neck is just too honky and dark
6. middle/bridge - anything 70's Clapton, Gaines-led Skynyrd and 80's chorused rhythm. Works great for a lead tone when you're not trying to be over the top
7. bridge is great for lead when gained up some. I almost never use the bridge if playing clean, but I don't play country at all 

I used the old (non-Custom Shop) Texas Specials for years but then started exploring more vintage flavors. I didn't think I cared for the Fender 57/62's, but that ended up just being the guitar. I like Suhr ML pickups a lot (more than the V60LP) and the Gilmour set is fun for a change of pace.  @cmatthes will attest to the fun of TV Jones/Gretsch 'Trons in a Strat and they're humbucking, to boot. [/opinion]

[benjammin308]

2 hours ago, velorush said:

My recipe after being a Strat guy since 1986:

1. first tone control wired as Master Tone - all pickups
2. second tone control wired as neck blend control
3. 50's wiring (eliminates the need for a treble bleed)
4. neck and neck/middle position great for rhythm when accompanying most any other instrument
5. middle position - contrary to popular opinion, the funk lives here. You'll find your 2/4-position devotees, but middle is the funk. Also works great for accompanying rhythm when the neck is just too honky and dark
6. middle/bridge - anything 70's Clapton, Gaines-led Skynyrd and 80's chorused rhythm. Works great for a lead tone when you're not trying to be over the top
7. bridge is great for lead when gained up some. I almost never use the bridge if playing clean, but I don't play country at all 

I used the old (non-Custom Shop) Texas Specials for years but then started exploring more vintage flavors. I didn't think I cared for the Fender 57/62's, but that ended up just being the guitar. I like Suhr ML pickups a lot (more than the V60LP) and the Gilmour set is fun for a change of pace.  @cmatthes will attest to the fun of TV Jones/Gretsch 'Trons in a Strat and they're humbucking, to boot. [/opinion]

Got a wiring diagram for that?

[Gabe]

4 hours ago, velorush said:

My recipe after being a Strat guy since 1986:

1. first tone control wired as Master Tone - all pickups
2. second tone control wired as neck blend control  

That is exactly how I wired my 2004 Fender CS 50th anniversary Stratocaster. 
 

97 % of the time I am using the bridge/middle position with the neck dialed in 50 % for a nice quack, or the neck only  

Wired this way it is just a flip of the pickup selector switch  

Wired differentily as a complete blender pot the bridge would be added when switching to the neck position, and that is not what I want  

Good blender pots are available from Lindy Fralin, with waring scheme  Not expensive  

 

Gabe 😀

 

 

Edited January 20 by Gabe
Spelling error

[Gabe]

On 1/18/2026 at 6:02 PM, beezerboy said:

fwiw... the Eric Johnson Strat has a tone pot on the bridge. the other tone pot is for neck and middle

And on the Eric Johnson Strat the first tone pot is for the neck, the second for the bridge, middle pickup does not hava a tone control. 
 

Genius idea. 
But it is only one small jumper wire to have the tone control also work for the middle pickup, if so wished. 
 

Gabe 😀

Edited January 20 by Gabe

[The Shark]

On 1/18/2026 at 4:29 PM, RobB said:

Your ears will tell you what sounds to use better than AI or the HFC.

Borrow a Strat from a friend and fukwiddit for a few weeks. 

What he said.  You'll need more gain and less top end.  JMHO...

Edited January 20 by The Shark

[cmatthes]

The TV Jones thing works great in a Strat platform:

 

 

The ultimate combination for me was definitely Strat with Trons inspired…

[velorush]

@benjammin308

14 hours ago, Gabe said:

Good blender pots are available from Lindy Fralin, with waring scheme  Not expensive  

Easy to make your own with a pot you probably have sitting in a drawer: How To Make A No Load Tone Pot — Six String Supplies

Takes easily less than 30 minutes.

I technically did the half-blender pot - it blends only the neck into the middle/bridge and bridge selections. Having it blend both ways (adding bridge to neck and vice versa) seemed too fiddly to me. 

14 hours ago, Gabe said:

And on the Eric Johnson Strat the first tone pot is for the neck, the second for the bridge, middle pickup does not hava a tone control. 
 

Genius idea. 
But it is only one small jumper wire to have the tone control also work for the middle pickup, if so wished. 

I prefer the master tone because otherwise the choice is: 1. no tone control on the middle pickup, or 2. two tone controls in the circuit on the 4 position. 

 

ETA: my take on the @cmatthes theme:

 

I ended up pulling the TV Jones out of this and putting in regular Strat pickups (Suhr ML). This is a fairly medium weight alder body. I am thinking a chambered mahogany body would sound much better and maybe a maple neck to offset the mahogany warmth. 

Edited January 20 by velorush

[cmatthes]

8 hours ago, velorush said:

I am thinking a chambered mahogany body would sound much better and maybe a maple neck to offset the mahogany warmth. 

Stike may or may not be wrapping up something similar to this for me as this thread gets bounced around… 🤞

[stobro]

9 hours ago, velorush said:

@benjammin308

Easy to make your own with a pot you probably have sitting in a drawer: How To Make A No Load Tone Pot — Six String Supplies

Takes easily less than 30 minutes.

I technically did the half-blender pot - it blends only the neck into the middle/bridge and bridge selections. Having it blend both ways (adding bridge to neck and vice versa) seemed too fiddly to me. 

I prefer the master tone because otherwise the choice is: 1. no tone control on the middle pickup, or 2. two tone controls in the circuit on the 4 position. 

 

ETA: my take on the @cmatthes theme:

 

I ended up pulling the TV Jones out of this and putting in regular Strat pickups (Suhr ML). This is a fairly medium weight alder body. I am thinking a chambered mahogany body would sound much better and maybe a maple neck to offset the mahogany warmth. 

I'm pretty sure that's the wiring in my Billy Corgan Strat. I had a Fralin loaded pickguard assembly put in. The original Dimarzio strat-size humbuckers just weren't Stratty enough for my taste. The Fralin split-blade pickups still sound like a Strat, but without noise.

[velorush]

@cmatthes I picked up a chambered hog body today. Something called a Fender Player II (a Mexican Strat) body. It’s HSH, so I’ll have to use the TV Jones routing template to make room for the third Classic and I should be good to go. 
 

@stobro we moved into a new church building around ten years ago. I was amazed at how quiet single coils can be with wiring done to code! The old building had been added on so many times the circuits were a spider’s web of noise. It’s been great to play a Strat again. 

[Dave Scepter]

Here's an example of using strat bridge and neck pickups... bridge for rhythm and neck for arpeggios