Hottest Strat pickups that retain the Strat character?

[ironiguana]

This may not be what you are looking for, but I did the Mike Richardson wiring to one of my strats:

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/mikerichardson.php

The pickups in series really adds a hot boost but still retains that strat quality imo. 

 

[dbw]

now i specifically asked for a bowl of brown m&ms, a bottle of wild turkey and a pallet of coke to be waiting for me in the dressing room, you guys are the worst roadies ever, and I'm not going on stage unless my outrageous demands are met.

I don't want this.  I want large bread.

 

[onedrop]

In my experience, the hotter you go, the more change to the tone you get, ie, more pronounced mids, bit more bass, perhaps a little less high end.  Also it would vary massively depending on what body and neck you are using.

I think jim is spot on here. I would suggest finding the pickups you like the sound of the best (overwound, vintage, noiseless, whatever) and get a clean boost pedal to drive your amp bonkers.

Edit: Oops, Schmoopy already suggested this - give him some MnMs or something.

 

[MikeW]

Hey Jim.

I've used Texas Specials, the Lindy Fralin Blues Specials, and just recently put Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound for Strat in my latest build.

Texas Specials - hot, and keep a lot of the blusey and quack sounds, but are hard to get a smooth overdrive tone from with certain amps/amp settings.
Blues Specials - very true to the blusey tones, have great, deep tone, but hard to "drive" as well.
Quarter Pound - very hot, drive the amp superbly, but you do lose some of the top end and "bell" tones because of the high output.

Right now my favorites are the Quarter Pounders, but that's probably because I've been playing more and more stuff that requires a nice high gain sound lately.

 

[MrBump]

If you want high output and a quality build from a single coil, check out either the Sinners or Trilogy set from Bare Kuckle.

Mark.

 

[jmasin]

I can 2nd or 3rd the Texas Specials, high output but still very "Strat" (whatever that really means ).

The only issue with the Texas Specials is that I have a love/hate relationship with the bridge pickup.  Some days I love it, then other days it sounds like the bridge pickup is going to shatter all the glass in my house, burst my eyeballs and make my head explode.  It can get way too glassy - not trebly - it's strong, it's intense, but harsh.  The TS bridge pickup and a clean Bassman are not a combination I'd personally recommend.

 

[Nando Vallart]

I would say Bare Knuckle Pickups, The Sinner, the thing is 21k!!! 

 

[po_0784]

me too I second the Texas special p/u! But anyways, so many different types with subtle variations. It just happens that a lot of people I see in clubs use those Fender p/u and achieve great tones with them...they do the job. Most likely, I would be just as happy with SD, dimarzio area 51-62, or the "boutique" brands (Kinmann, Lollars, & others). I'm just against the boutique trend  :icon_tongue:

 

[Nando Vallart]

I'm just against the boutique trend  :icon_tongue:

Can I know why are you buying a Warmoth neck, so?  :dontknow:

 

[po_0784]

hehe, good question!

Just because im picky about fretsize  :sad1: lol

 

[juanhonglo]

Check out Harmonic Design pickups.  seriously.  I have their Vintage plus Pickups for my W tele and they are loud!

Only like 5.5k but have powerful magnets. easily louder than most vintage HB's.  Also cure the "problems" with tele pu's in general(a bit more bass/mids in the bridge and more clarity in the neck).

Just one hacks opinion tho. :icon_tongue:

 

[stubhead]

Regarding Harmonic Design pickups, I've heard a few that friends own, and it seems like the designer are barking up the same tree as Bill Lawrence. Here's the money quote:

The resistance reading is affected mostly by the diameter of the coil
wire and the number of turns. While each of these contribute to the
tone and output of a pickup, there are other important factors that
affect the output at least as much.
The music you play is converted to A.C. voltage by the pickup.
Resistance to A.C. voltage is Impedance and this can have a significant
effect on the tone. Some of the other elements that affect the tone are the size, strength, and
shape of the magnetic field, and how the coil is wound and positioned in
relation to the magnets and strings. None of these factors can be
measured on an ohmeter.

http://www.harmonicdesign.net/faqsfolder/faq1.html

They're messing around with inductance and field shapes, to get a strong pickup that doesn't pull on the strings. Lawrence has been doing this for 40 years or so, all the new Fender cobalt and noisless pickups are his designs, and he sells his own"Wilde" pickups that are as good as the best old Lawrence's that I've used for a long time.
http://www.billlawrence.com/
http://www.wildepickups.com/The_Wilde_Collection.php

http://www.billlawrence.com/Pages/Keystone_Singles.htm

 

[Ted]

me too I second the Texas special p/u! But anyways, so many different types with subtle variations. It just happens that a lot of people I see in clubs use those Fender p/u and achieve great tones with them...they do the job. Most likely, I would be just as happy with SD, dimarzio area 51-62, or the "boutique" brands (Kinmann, Lollars, & others). I'm just against the boutique trend  :icon_tongue:

That is a fair comment. A good player stands out whatever equipment he uses, but if you have the money and want to upgrade, dismissing boutique (small scale builders/producers) is a massive oversight. The boutique trend is the best thing that's happened in the gear industry. Of course you have to do a bit of research and speak to a few people as some of these so called boutiquers are better than others. I'm really into buying the best I can afford and take great delight in supporting small scale companies especially if they're British, (I'm UK based).

As for the OP, well, this is a very tricky question because, the more power and drive you want in strat pickups, this will inevitably cause it to lose some of the lovely subtleties of the classic strat tone, BUT, what you can do look at the Rio Grande Dual Calibrated Set (Muy Grande/Halfbreed/Vintage Tallboy), which would give you 3 different flavours. Good luck! 

 

[juanhonglo]

hey stub and all else who are interested; i just removed my HD tele neck pu and confirmed that it has two larger
magnets glued underneath instead of the usual pole piece magnets.  I'm  guessing  that is why there is let "strat-itis"
And also why there is a different magnetic field.  A hot single coil with strong pole piece mags tends to have a resistance
above 10k which makes it thicker and less glassy ( SD 1/4lb er for instance).

Also does Bill lawarence or bill and becky make true single coils  or just rails/stacked HB's?

 

[UTSC]

8k max or you'll lose the "woody".... I concur with the boost pedal idea. As pickups push out more power the tone of the body becomes proportionately less important. Though, I'm never sure if the "characteristic" Strat tone is "Purple Haze", "Sultans of Swing", "That'll Be the Day", "Cliffs of Dover", "Layla" or "Texas Flood"...  :toothy12: A single coil neck pickup with a floating whammy is one thing, Andy Timmon's Ibanez has a great Strat tone. "Quack" is something else entirely, having to do with a balance of output between two single coils, either bridge-middle or middle-neck. That's the reason Strat pickups are sold in sets and people take such care to balance the heights, when you change out one pickup for added juice you often lose the quack.
Aaah... all those 50's and 60's Strats improved with a Floyd Rose whammy and a honkin' DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker .... :hello2:

Just out of curiosity, why is it when a wah pedal is depressed fully and left in that position, the quack sound is replicated, even with humbucking pickups? Wouldn't the output between the two coils still be the same?