best fender strat pickups
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bagman67
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Tipperman said:
+1 on the CS69's - I've played some and liked 'em pretty well. If you want to shell out a few more bucks, you could go upmarket some - or you can also check in with TroubledTreble (Ken) on this forum and save some dough - his Roadhouse pups are the bomb.
http://www.roadhousepickups.com
Strat Avenger
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Dimarzio Area-67 for Neck & Middle, Dimarzio Injector for Bridge.
jrbird1138
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I would say out of you list the Texas Specials, however I have heard Bill Lawrence Wilde pickups and would like to try them. They seem to be pretty well rounded.
reluctant-builder
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From your list, I'd also say Texas Specials. I have them and I love them. Bought them before I knew about the boutique market, but I really don't regret anything but the price. That said, you could probably do better going with Ken at Roadhouse, based purely upon what I've gleaned of his reputation and what I've heard recorded with his pickups.
Strat Avenger
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Texas Specials do sound very good, but they hum....and I can't stand hum!
dudesweet157
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They don't get much love from the board anymore, but once upon a time, everybody here thought Rio Grandes were the dog's bollocks (we tend to have fads like that). I have a set in my Strat (Tallboy/Tallboy/Halfbreed), and they're very good. To my ears, they sound like nice, vintage style Strat pickups with extra low end beefiness which warmed up my my very bright Swamp Ash and Maple/Ebony Strat in a good way.
line6man
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There is no "best." Questions like this are too subjective for you to ever find a definitive answer. First off, everyone has a different ideal tone. Until you provide some sort of descriptor of what you are looking for, all you are going to get are worthless, unsupported opinions. Second, there are many variables involved. One set of pickups might sound amazing in one guitar through one rig, but terrible in another through a different rig.
What kind of Strat is this, and what kind of tone do you want?
What kind of Strat is this, and what kind of tone do you want?
I own 3 strats, one with SCN noiseless set, another with vintage/hot niseless combo and 3rd one with roadhouse pickups.
They all have different characters of sound - although would put the SCN pickups as most versatile, differing tonal range category (Mainly owing to s1 switching on the same guitar) I think i like the sound of roadhouse pickups the most.
However, as it was pointed out before, pickups are only part of the picture when it comes to how the guitar will sound or which one is the best.
You play a friends guitar and it sounds awesome - you go put the very same pup set in your guitar and expect the same tone without thinking much about the rest of the factors; body and neck, bridge and tuners, your amp or effects, even room acoustics will affect the outcome and chances are great that you will not get the very same tone.
They all have different characters of sound - although would put the SCN pickups as most versatile, differing tonal range category (Mainly owing to s1 switching on the same guitar) I think i like the sound of roadhouse pickups the most.
However, as it was pointed out before, pickups are only part of the picture when it comes to how the guitar will sound or which one is the best.
You play a friends guitar and it sounds awesome - you go put the very same pup set in your guitar and expect the same tone without thinking much about the rest of the factors; body and neck, bridge and tuners, your amp or effects, even room acoustics will affect the outcome and chances are great that you will not get the very same tone.
:icon_scratch:vtpcnk said:
Jimi Hendrix
Led Zep
Jeff Beck
Robin Trower
Stevie Ray
The Doors
Cream
Canned Heat
:icon_jokercolor:
I've seen many people play blues / rock on many a different shape guitar & combo of pickups used.
So it's one of those HARD questions to answer, as all have different takes on the sound needed & different amps etc.
Every ones ears are different, what I might call a bluesy sound others would say no way.
Don't worry even I have asked this type of Q ... recently when building my Blue Quilt Strat 'Bluesy'
Could even use SD's or BKP to get the sound you want. :icon_biggrin: ..... Good Luck
jackthehack
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line6man said:
:icon_thumright: +1, kinda of like asking which dancer is best at fellatio...
I like the Fender Custom shop sets (Fat 50's/69's/Texas Specials) and the Rio Grande Dual calibrated sets myself, but your mileage may vary.
If your list is really the below, note primary PUs used on your favorite classic albums:
Jimi Hendrix - late 60's stock Strats (think CS 69's)
Led Zep - Stock vintage Telecaster + LPs with humbuckers
Jeff Beck - Vintage Strats + LP with humbuckers
Robin Trower - 60's Strats (see Hendrix above)
Stevie Ray - 60's Strats (Texas Specials were developed when CS took apart his #1 apart to clone and noticed slight overwinding)
The Doors - SG with P90s
Cream - Gibsons with humbuckers + 50's Strat later
Canned Heat - Harvey Mandel, mainly LPs/Es-335s with humbuckers
It would be instructive to watch every Billy Gibbons video you can find on YouTube playing every thing from a Warmoth Tele body with a single RG bridge pickup to vintage '59 LP to silly Ed Roman monstrosities to current Gretsch signitures with Filtertrons, he always sounds pretty much the same regardless of axe/pickups as blues is all in your fingers anyway...
reluctant-builder
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It's a valid point that asking what kind of pickups others like is totally subjective, but I don't believe that the opinions you'll receive are inherently worthless.
What you're looking to glean from all of this is an inference; you're looking for a direction in which to go by whittling down a plethora of options to a manageable list ... and by asking us -- many of whom are accomplished players or seasoned builders, to even not-so-accomplished players with significant experience who have, perhaps, better ears than we do hands -- I think you're going to wind up with a decent list from which to base your choices.
Don't look at what any of us has to say as definitive. Ultimately, it's up to you to determine what works best with your rig. But I think the feedback has been mostly helpful, so far, and could be a handy map for you.
My experience with Strat pickups is decidedly limited. I had stock MiM pups which I found totally useless and I replaced them with Texas Specials, which I find to be the bee's knees. Contrary to Street's comments, in the single pup positions, they barely hum at all in my guitar and they are quiet as death when chosen in tandem (bridge or neck + middle).
I've got a maple-neck, three-piece alder body Strat and it's got all the bite and twang I could ever hope for, and I love it. It's a great guitar for country and blues, with the Specials installed.
What you're looking to glean from all of this is an inference; you're looking for a direction in which to go by whittling down a plethora of options to a manageable list ... and by asking us -- many of whom are accomplished players or seasoned builders, to even not-so-accomplished players with significant experience who have, perhaps, better ears than we do hands -- I think you're going to wind up with a decent list from which to base your choices.
Don't look at what any of us has to say as definitive. Ultimately, it's up to you to determine what works best with your rig. But I think the feedback has been mostly helpful, so far, and could be a handy map for you.
My experience with Strat pickups is decidedly limited. I had stock MiM pups which I found totally useless and I replaced them with Texas Specials, which I find to be the bee's knees. Contrary to Street's comments, in the single pup positions, they barely hum at all in my guitar and they are quiet as death when chosen in tandem (bridge or neck + middle).
I've got a maple-neck, three-piece alder body Strat and it's got all the bite and twang I could ever hope for, and I love it. It's a great guitar for country and blues, with the Specials installed.
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