What Strat pickups?

[tiefnig]

I wanted to buy some Texas Specials, but after talking to a couple of really good guitar players I know they don't think they're the right thing for me. The say they are too twangy and have way too much bite.

So, what do you guys think I should get?

Texas Specials, even though I've been told they won't satisfy me

Vintage Noiseless pickups

Custom Shop 69' pickups

(all fender of course)

Sounds I want:

I like claptons tone from the Cream Reunion 2005.
Stevie Ray Vaughan's tone is something I want to be able to get also
Hendrix's tone in "castles made of sand" or "little wing"
Overall I want pickups that have balls and can bite and also be soft.
I love John Mayer's tone on Gravity.

I don't want those "ice-pick highs" when I play chords on the neck pickup or solos on the bridge pickup. Just a "chilled out" kind of sound that responds well to my playing.
I need those amazing cleans and the distorted strat blues sound.

I hope you guys can help me, I know you are all strat experts!

edit:
I wanna thank Duhvoodooman for some samples of the Texas Specials.
They gave me a little idea of them. some samples of the custom shop 69's would be cool. I already listened to robert's blue guitar on his website, so I got an idea of the vintage noiseless.

 

[Robert]

If you don't need noiseless pickups, go with the real deal. If you do need them, check out DiMarzio Area 58/61.

Fender 69's (or 54's) are sweet.

Suhr V60 LP are terrific. http://www.suhrguitars.com/pickups.aspx

 

[chordshredder]

Really like Fender 69's, First I tried Texas Specials in my 1980 Fender MIJ reissue 1969, didn't care for the extreme magnet height variances and had to bottom them out in the route, didn't sound great with a maple/maple neck. I use a tweaked Boss DS-1 for Clapton sounds - Layla, Crossroads, a modded Boss SD-1 (TS-808 clone) for SRV, and channel settings in the amp for Little wing or clean Hendrixy stuff.


If you want to compare pickups some good clips are at:

http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/Strat_Pickup_Sound_Clips_W1.cfm

 

[tiefnig]

So you guys are pretty much for the 69's?
I like the name of those

What's the main difference about texas specials/69s?
Soundwise?
I was told the Texas specials are only good for SRV and aren't that nice clean. is this true?

I forgot to say that I love John Mayer's tone on "gravity".

If I switch to the lead channels of my ENGL the singlecoils in my MIM seem to get pretty noisy, which sucks, so I guess I'll have to go in the direction of the Dimarzios or Vintage Noiseless or Hot Vintage Noiseless

I listened to the dimarzios and I didn't like them at all.

 

[Iago]

the '69 doesnt have all that upper mid-range and harsh treble, the output is a bit lower too..

Why dont u think about the Toneriders?

www.tonerider.com

Seems like a great deal. Many people are talking about those in other forums, and I think they have what you want.

 

[duhvoodooman]

Based upon the pretty wide range of Strat tones you mention that you'd like to reproduce, I'd think you'd want something with a nice ringing clean sound. From what I've heard of the Vintage Noiseless on Robert's new Player's Strat, they sound pretty tough to beat. The CS '69's are very nice, too, but Fender is charging a freakin' fortune for them now. The VN's sound great and the price is much more reasonable.

I like my Texas Specials very much, but keep in mind that I was specifically going for an SRV-ish tone. They clean up pretty well with the volume turned down, but aren't going to get as clean as you may want. It's easy enough to make clean pickups sound dirty, but pretty tough to go the other way. Kind of like trying to take salt out of your food! BTW, I find that adjusting the height so that the pickup covers are about 1/8" above the pickguard works well for the Texas Specials, at least on my Strat. The action is set up medium-low, and this puts the closest magnet (G) about 3/16" from the string. Higher than that gives noticeable "ghost" notes when played hard, and lower begins to noticeably degrade the tone.

One comment on Clapton's Strat tone--keep in mind that he typically uses an onboard preamp in his Strats that strongly pushes the midrange. Kind of a Strat-humbucker hybrid sound.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

The OEM Tex Mex on my 60th can get a "Gravity" tone I think, and do the rest of what you want also I would think. They still come original on the JV strat.

http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0992131000

 

[duhvoodooman]

The OEM Tex Mex on my 60th can get a "Gravity" tone I think, and do the rest of what you want also I would think. They still come original on the JV strat.

http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0992131000

Another excellent option! And you can get a full set of 3 for about $80 new, here in the US at least. Super reasonable!

 

[marnold]

If you want to make your head cave in, go to the FDP Forum's "Pup Tent" where such matters are debated daily to pretty much no conclusion. Most, if not all, of the pickups you mentioned are used in production Strats. I'd suggest heading to your local guitar super mart and trying those Strats out yourself.

FWIW, I tried an SRV Strat and didn't like the Texas Specials at all. YMMV. I've read good things about the CS69s and 54s.

I've gone through all of this rigmarole trying to pick pups for my Tele. I never found a Tele that had the pups I wanted to hear (not even the Texas Special Teles, which I've heard are WAY different from the Strat ones). It's always best to let your own ears be the guide.

 

[chordshredder]

tiefnig;

Lots of good ideas posted, Can I suggest while you have it tore down to put in the pickups you take the time to shield the pickguard and all the cavities, with the great high gain amp you have, if you havent already I think it would help a lot. On my guitars the tone is cleaner with the added shielding. Actually the best sounding clean strat Ive heard was SRV's #2, the white one, and it didn't even have strat pickups, it had lipstick pickups running into a Dumble amp, He played Tin Pan Alley using that combo a lot.
Hope you find your sound.

 

[Lev]

If you want to test out some CS69's head to your local fender dealer and try out the Classic Player 60's strat, it ships with CS69's. I have one and the pickups were the reason I bought it - you'll have no problem getting a Gravity tone with these PUP's.

 

[elavd]

I had both Vintage Noiseless and Custom Shop 69 on a strat. I sold both of them, but still I think that the CS69 set is probably closer to the sound that you are looking for.

The reason I sold the CS69 set was that I didn't like the 2 & 4 positions. The middle pickup is not RWRP so the result is an annoying (to my ears) volume drop on these 2 positions. Also there is no hum canceling on these postitions too...

 

[sunvalleylaw]

The Fender Tex Mex ones I linked earlier that come in the JV strat have the RWRP middle PUP. Sounds like a trip to a guitar shop that has Fenders and a JV (or one of the 60th Ann. MIMs) and a Classic Player's 60's is in order. I think the bridge pup in the JV is supposed to be extra hot and wired a little differently somehow, so that may affect things.

 

[LagrangeCalvert]

Ok....I am in no way trying to toot my own horn here guys...and I deff am NOT getting paid to promote SD pups....but here me out. I wanted the absolute most flexible strat possible...I play lots of different music. SO I sat down for about 3 months and figured out just how to get almost any tone out...cept out of phase sounds. So here we go. Another note...this is an EXTREME way to get these settings I know...but now I need only ONE guitar to do almost every genera of music.

I started off with a MIM 50's strat....(I will ONLY go over the pup and pot mods...nothing else or I will be here forever) and put CTS full size pots, with a push pull volume pot (all 250K) that is used as a "NECK ON" switch to turn that stock switch into a 7 way switch...you get the bridge/neck and "all pups" with the reg. tones.

Then I started by sandwiching a JB in the middle pos. with two Seymour Duncan QP staggered's in the bridge and neck.

The JB is great in the middle...completely smooth and great for classic rock rhythm and great for subtle southern fried leads...lots of warmth from this pup.

Now...the main event. The QP....these puppies have SERIOUS output! 14.2 DC resistance...its uber output (it trumps active HB's) is matched by its UBER magnets...so this also makes the sound HUGE.

Heres the part where your all scratching your head right?...here we go.

The JB is a 4 wire mini HB so you can coil tap it for SC sounds in the middle.

And those insane QP...well they are tapped to....what you say?...yeah, you can drop the output from the hefty 14.2...to 7.1 to get some real vintage sounds out of it....heres whats cool about this setup....you can mix and match all the settings....the 7 way switch...with the pups in tap or not also.

How is 21 different sounds WITHOUT playing with the tone knobs sounding?

My absolute favorite thing is to have an amp on the verge of breakup...just with a little grit behind it with the single coil bridge on cut mode...then go to full on for a lead....no need for a boost pedal, and on a lead channel any of those pups do NOT mess around.

Here is the pics BEFORE I put the switches in for the cuts/taps.
I hope this give you some insight and some more possible options.

I know this setup isn't for everyone...but I was in the same situation as you were.....needing a flexible guitar without having to buy a crapload of stomp boxes...and switching guitars all the time.

This is just some ideas for you to feed on.

 

[duhvoodooman]

Very slick setup there, Lagrange!

I'd suggest you package the guitar up and send it to me, so I can conduct a thorough tonal evaluation!!

 

[LagrangeCalvert]

Very slick setup there, Lagrange!

I'd suggest you package the guitar up and send it to me, so I can conduct a thorough tonal evaluation!!

You pay for shpping and INS....and its on the way!

Do a complete review of it.....ship it back in a week and I'm fine with it.

As a part time luth, anyone that will help get my stuff on the map is good.

 

[SuperSwede]

Again, let me recommend Lundgren pickups.. He makes them by hand using old machines and materials. The 50´s formvar sounds fantastic. I havent tried the other single coil pups such as the 60´s. This really is boutique pups for reasonable money. They are available in US too, check his website.

http://www.lundgren.se/index.asp?folid=19&micid=98

 

[BJunior]

I've heard great things about the Kinman Pickups...

Kinman Pickups

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Whoa Lagrange, that sounds killer!

 

[LagrangeCalvert]

Again, let me recommend Lundgren pickups.. He makes them by hand using old machines and materials. The 50´s formvar sounds fantastic. I havent tried the other single coil pups such as the 60´s. This really is boutique pups for reasonable money. They are available in US too, check his website.

http://www.lundgren.se/index.asp?folid=19&micid=98

Those pups look nice!....Im gutting a squire strat....and I think I am gonna be getting some of these, and some CTS pots.....

The Squire is supposed to be for my girlgriend....but if I throw these in there,It'l be hard to get it from my hand.

 

[abraxas]

The sheer number of options you have for the sound you want is quite bewildering!

Let me add another vote for the Suhr V60LP pickups. In my ears this is the definite "sixties" Strat sound.

I don't know if this is going to help you or not, but have a look at this link:

http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/Strat_Pickup_Sound_Clips_W1.cfm

They are testing a number of different pickups on the same conditions, if this is possible at all. At the very least, it shall give you a broad understanding of the differences between different brands.

Also, don't underestimate "cheap" pickups like the various GFS offerings.

 

[duhvoodooman]

The sheer number of options you have for the sound you want is quite bewildering!

Let me add another vote for the Suhr V60LP pickups. In my ears this is the definite "sixties" Strat sound.

I don't know if this is going to help you or not, but have a look at this link:

http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/Strat_Pickup_Sound_Clips_W1.cfm

They are testing a number of different pickups on the same conditions, if this is possible at all. At the very least, it shall give you a broad understanding of the differences between different brands.

Also, don't underestimate "cheap" pickups like the various GFS offerings.

COOL LINK!! Bookmarked that one....

 

[tiefnig]

Ok....I am in no way trying to toot my own horn here guys...and I deff am NOT getting paid to promote SD pups....but here me out. I wanted the absolute most flexible strat possible...I play lots of different music. SO I sat down for about 3 months and figured out just how to get almost any tone out...cept out of phase sounds. So here we go. Another note...this is an EXTREME way to get these settings I know...but now I need only ONE guitar to do almost every genera of music.

I started off with a MIM 50's strat....(I will ONLY go over the pup and pot mods...nothing else or I will be here forever) and put CTS full size pots, with a push pull volume pot (all 250K) that is used as a "NECK ON" switch to turn that stock switch into a 7 way switch...you get the bridge/neck and "all pups" with the reg. tones.

Then I started by sandwiching a JB in the middle pos. with two Seymour Duncan QP staggered's in the bridge and neck.

The JB is great in the middle...completely smooth and great for classic rock rhythm and great for subtle southern fried leads...lots of warmth from this pup.

Now...the main event. The QP....these puppies have SERIOUS output! 14.2 DC resistance...its uber output (it trumps active HB's) is matched by its UBER magnets...so this also makes the sound HUGE.

Heres the part where your all scratching your head right?...here we go.

The JB is a 4 wire mini HB so you can coil tap it for SC sounds in the middle.

And those insane QP...well they are tapped to....what you say?...yeah, you can drop the output from the hefty 14.2...to 7.1 to get some real vintage sounds out of it....heres whats cool about this setup....you can mix and match all the settings....the 7 way switch...with the pups in tap or not also.

How is 21 different sounds WITHOUT playing with the tone knobs sounding?

My absolute favorite thing is to have an amp on the verge of breakup...just with a little grit behind it with the single coil bridge on cut mode...then go to full on for a lead....no need for a boost pedal, and on a lead channel any of those pups do NOT mess around.

Here is the pics BEFORE I put the switches in for the cuts/taps.
I hope this give you some insight and some more possible options.

I know this setup isn't for everyone...but I was in the same situation as you were.....needing a flexible guitar without having to buy a crapload of stomp boxes...and switching guitars all the time.

This is just some ideas for you to feed on.

thanks man! I really appreciate that you wrote that much. I like your guitar.
I only want this guitar for clean and light distorted bluesy sounds though.
On stage I use the Ibanez and the strat, the strat only for the bluesy stuff.
I'm really happy with 5 positions I don't want more than that.

No offense and thanks for trying to help me out like that.

Your guitar is incredible though, totally sick. R

 

[Big_Rob]

Im using these with great success. They're overwound and a bit hotter than the stock Strat p-ups

http://store.guitarfetish.com/ovstserewowh.html

 

[tiefnig]

Those Lindy Fralin pickups seem like they're the best, but you can't get those in germany...

 

[chordshredder]

When you decide on the pickup, take it one step further and try nickle plated steel strings, a set of pure nickel, and maybe stainless. Play each for a while and then settle in on the ones you like the best with that pickup/guitar/body/ neck combo. But dont change the sizes from your original unless you want to rework the nut and have to tweak the bridge spring settings. The plated steel should be brightest, the pure nickle warmest, more vintage.