It might look like a Strat® guitar pickup, but the SDS-1™ adds punch, gain, and warmth reminiscent of the best old soapbar pickups. The adjustable pole pieces don't pull as hard as regular rod magnets, so you can get the pickup closer to the strings for stronger output. The highs are less exaggerated and the bottom is deeper than most singles for a rounder, darker tone. If your guitar's bridge position sound is too edgy, without the push needed to drive your amp, remedy the situation with an SDS-1™. Add a pair of True Velvet™ pickups for sparkle, or a True Velvet™ in the neck and an FS-1™ in the middle for balanced tone choices.

Recommended For: Bridge position.

Tech Talk: The bar magnets that power the SDS-1™ are ceramic, but the sound and feel are very similar to Alnico-equipped soapbars, partly due to the big steel polepieces and spacer bar. This type of magnet structure also has noticeably less magnetic pull than standard rod-magnet pickups, even though the output is very high for a single-coil.