Stratocaster Pickups
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stratamania
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I don't think you will get a definitive answer.
Best is subjective.
As a suggestion perhaps a set of Suhr V60 or V60LP would be a very good option. (They also use the same magnets as were used at that time).
Best is subjective.
As a suggestion perhaps a set of Suhr V60 or V60LP would be a very good option. (They also use the same magnets as were used at that time).
Strat Avenger
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Dimarzio Area 61, or if you want maximum brightness and quack, Area 67.
$80 each.
$80 each.
BigSteve22
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Check out the SD STK's. I used an STK-4 in the neck and middle, with an STK-6 in the bridge. Good, solid single coil tone, (IMHO), and completely noiseless. Decently priced at about $85US each.
Another option might be Bill Lawrence "Micro Coils":
https://www.wildepickups.com/products/micro-coil-strat-set-of-three
Although I've used Bill's Tele pups, I've never used these, but others here have recommended them.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that Bill Lawrence pups are also extremely reasonable at about $150US for the set!
Another option might be Bill Lawrence "Micro Coils":
https://www.wildepickups.com/products/micro-coil-strat-set-of-three
Although I've used Bill's Tele pups, I've never used these, but others here have recommended them.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that Bill Lawrence pups are also extremely reasonable at about $150US for the set!
Cagey
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Big fan of the Bill Lawrence Microcoil Strat set. Sound the most like Strat pickups, but without the noise and very affordable. Given a choice for an authentic-sound Strat build for me, it would either be those or the Fishman Fluence Strat set. Those are substantially more expensive though, and require power. I have both sets, and highly recommend either.
guitarstv
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Do you want noise cancelling humbuckers that are pickup sized, or real single coil pickups?
For real single coils I'm a fan of Seymour Duncan SSL-2s in the neck and middle of a strat - they sound like what a classic strat should sound like to my ears. Prefer the beefier SSL-6 in the bridge though.
For real single coils I'm a fan of Seymour Duncan SSL-2s in the neck and middle of a strat - they sound like what a classic strat should sound like to my ears. Prefer the beefier SSL-6 in the bridge though.
Strat Avenger
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Hum-cancelling single coils are real single coil pickups. They are single coil pickups that have an additional coil under the main coil, which is reverse wound for hum cancelling. 60 cycle hum (or 50 in other parts of the world) does not improve the tone, and it's utterly ridiculous to put up with it here in the 21st century. Yes, noiseless single coils 20 and 30 years ago did not sound like traditional single coils (lacked high end, and didn't "quack"), but that is a thing of the past. The Dimarzio "Area" series absolutely nail the vintage single coil sound and without the hum. For something with a little more power with only slightly less high end, the "Injector" is a good choice. It's simply absurd that people continue to put inferior 70 year-old technology in their guitars.guitarstv said:
guitarstv
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Yes, I'm well aware of how the single coil sized stacked humbuckers you're describing are constructed. It's this construction that prevents them from sounding like a real single coil pickup (you're right though, the new generation of stacks are a lot better than the old ones). Each coil picks up part of the string sound out of phase - cancelling the hum. But that changes the way the pickup responds and sounds because of the variance in signal that each coil picks up. I've always been interested in trying a guitar with the Ilitch system to see if it's closer than stacked humbuckers - but I'm not made of money. 
Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that 60 cycle hum improves tone at all, it's a PITA. Many of them sound really nice and get close (I've had good experience with the DiMarzio Area series, Seymour Duncan's STK-S4s, and Fender N4s), but none that I've tried really nail the single coil sound - they don't have the same thing going on in the higher frequencies. Playing live especially (or playing with high gain), I prefer single coil sized humbuckers (nobody can tell pickup nuances in a noisy bar or through a wall of distortion) but recording a clean sound I'd much rather have real single coil pickups.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that 60 cycle hum improves tone at all, it's a PITA. Many of them sound really nice and get close (I've had good experience with the DiMarzio Area series, Seymour Duncan's STK-S4s, and Fender N4s), but none that I've tried really nail the single coil sound - they don't have the same thing going on in the higher frequencies. Playing live especially (or playing with high gain), I prefer single coil sized humbuckers (nobody can tell pickup nuances in a noisy bar or through a wall of distortion) but recording a clean sound I'd much rather have real single coil pickups.
BroccoliRob
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Shout outs to the Injectors and Areas, and i still got love for the streets
Strat Avenger
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guitarstv said:Yes, I'm well aware of how the single coil sized stacked humbuckers you're describing are constructed. It's this construction that prevents them from sounding like a real single coil pickup (you're right though, the new generation of stacks are a lot better than the old ones). Each coil picks up part of the string sound out of phase - cancelling the hum. But that changes the way the pickup responds and sounds because of the variance in signal that each coil picks up. I've always been interested in trying a guitar with the Ilitch system to see if it's closer than stacked humbuckers - but I'm not made of money.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that 60 cycle hum improves tone at all, it's a PITA. Many of them sound really nice and get close (I've had good experience with the DiMarzio Area series, Seymour Duncan's STK-S4s, and Fender N4s), but none that I've tried really nail the single coil sound - they don't have the same thing going on in the higher frequencies. Playing live especially (or playing with high gain), I prefer single coil sized humbuckers (nobody can tell pickup nuances in a noisy bar or through a wall of distortion) but recording a clean sound I'd much rather have real single coil pickups.
My Area 67s sound identical to my original 1990 Fender Stratocaster single coils. There's nothing missing but the noise.
guitarstv
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DOOM said:
That's a great combo!
I think you'll be pretty happy with it . . . I've been running the SSL-2/6 (same wind pickups, just flat pole rather than staggered - sound almost identical) for a couple years and find them very versatile. You've got Gilmour in the bridge, and Frusciante in the neck+middle.
I ended up reverting my guitar to traditional strat wiring (with no tone on the bridge). If you find the SSL-5 needs a little more brightness/cut, that's always an option.
Strat Avenger
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DOOM said:
So you ended up with noisy pickups.
:dontknow:
