Vintage Strat Body PU Cavity Depth & Noiseless PUs

[Gtr65]

Hey everyone,

I've got a Warmoth Vintage Strat body on order and have been researching noiseless pickups for it. I know that the pickup cavity route on the vintage is not as deep as the modern, and I've been getting more and more concerned that a lot if the noiseless pickups available may be too tall for it.

I think that the Kinman Woodstocks (AVn 69 & Hx85) are a little too tall (website says .669" minimum cavity depth; Warmoth Vintage = .625"). The Seymour Duncan STK-S single coils seem like they will be more likely to fit at .06" shorter height than the Kinmans. I can't find any measurement info on Dimarzio Areas.

If anyone could please share their experience with any noiseless pickups and their fit in the vintage body, it would be a great help.

Thanks very much.

 

[Telenator]

I have a Warmouth hardtail Strat body with Kinmans in it. No problem. ENJOY!  :hello2:

 

[Gtr65]

I have a Warmouth hardtail Strat body with Kinmans in it. No problem. ENJOY!  :hello2:

Thanks for your reply. I think, though, that your Strat body would be the Modern type for the hardtail bridge option. That would mean that the pickup cavities in your guitar are deeper than the ones in mine, the Vintage type Strat body. Forgive me if I'm wrong.

 

[Telenator]

There are a lot of vintage hardtails out there.

Have you looked at the Kinman website for this info?

It's a little screwy to navigate but there's a ton of information over there!

 

[AutoBat]

Also consider that your pickups aren't going to be completely in the cavity.  I don't think anyone runs the top of the pup flush with the pickguard.

This thought was going through my head when I read it the first time "Why get a vintage body if you're using modern electronics?"

 

[Gtr65]

Also consider that your pickups aren't going to be completely in the cavity.  I don't think anyone runs the top of the pup flush with the pickguard.

This thought was going through my head when I read it the first time "Why get a vintage body if you're using modern electronics?"

I wanted a Modern Strat Body but there were much lighter unfinished Alder Vintage Strat bodies than Modern ones over the period of time I was checking the Showcase, and I finally pulled the trigger on a very light Vintage one.

I'm really hoping someone out there who used a Warmoth VIntage Strat body for their build has experience with installing noiseless pickups in it, whether they be Kinmans, Dimarzio Areas, Duncan STKs, Fenders, Bill Lawrence, or whatever.

 

[Telenator]

Not to go off topic here but, in my experience (30 years) light bodies are highly over rated.

A body weighing less than 4 lbs will likely produce a "neck-heavy" guitar that is a real pain in the butt to play on a strap when you're standing.

Although I have heard 1 or 2 outstanding lightwieght guitars in my time, the vast majority don't project 10 feet past the band.

If you're a home player, or just do recording it's of no consequence. But if you're out there gigging, a light guitar can sometimes prove to be less than desirable.

I wish I knew where these "weight myths" started.

Back in the 70's everyone swore that a 12 pound Strat would sustain forever and for 7 years Fender built grossly over-weight guitars on purpose. Now everyone is on this lightweight craze and 10 years from now they'll all look back on this era in confusion as to how anyone could believe a feather-weight guitar was actually any good.  :icon_smile:


From one extreme to the other!

 

[pabloman]

I love how everyone is a effin expert yet can't answer your question. Sorry dude I can't help.

 

[Doughboy]

I have had Duncan STKs & Dimarzio Area Pus in my strat & they both fit well. The STKs were horrible sounding. The Area PUs are very good. I've tried Kinmans & wasn't impressed.

 

[dNA]

I love how everyone is a effin expert yet can't answer your question. Sorry dude I can't help.

lol. it's hilarious because it's totally true.
seriously makes me wonder if anyone replying has really read the post in detail...

sorry dude, i can't answer your question either.

 

[Gtr65]

I have had Duncan STKs & Dimarzio Area Pus in my strat & they both fit well. The STKs were horrible sounding. The Area PUs are very good. I've tried Kinmans & wasn't impressed.

Not sure if you have the Vintage Series Warmoth body, but in any case I appreciate the feedback (no pun intended) on the pickups you've tried.

I did manage to find the height measurement of the Dimarzio Areas (http://www.dimarzio.com/sites/default/files/diagrams/vvdimensions.pdf) and, fwiw, they do seem to be shorter than the Kinmans and the Duncans.

I'm also now considering being prepared to deepen the pickup cavities if necessary. Of course, that opens up a whole other line of inquiry (i.e., Dremel, chisel, etc.).

 

[Cagey]

I just measured my pickup height above the pickguard, and they're sitting approximately .225" up from the surface. Add in .090 for the pickguard, and we're at .315" from the surface of the body. I have Dimarzio Area pickups in that Strat, which are .795" from their lowest point to the top of the cover. There is approximately .125" clearance between the tallest pole and the strings, and I'm using a Wilkinson vibrato. Given all that, it means there's only a requirement for a .480" cavity depth. This is a modern body, and I know the vintage bodies are a little more shallow in the cavity areas, but still. You should be fine.

 

[Gtr65]

I just measured my pickup height above the pickguard, and they're sitting approximately .225" up from the surface. Add in .090 for the pickguard, and we're at .315" from the surface of the body. I have Dimarzio Area pickups in that Strat, which are .795" from their lowest point to the top of the cover. There is approximately .125" clearance between the tallest pole and the strings, and I'm using a Wilkinson vibrato. Given all that, it means there's only a requirement for a .480" cavity depth. This is a modern body, and I know the vintage bodies are a little more shallow in the cavity areas, but still. You should be fine.

This is exactly the info I've been trying to find. I'd pretty much decided on Dimarzio Areas, and this settles it.  Thanks, Cagey!!!!

 

[Cagey]

You're welcome. And I think you'll be very pleased with the Area pickups. But, if you haven't bought them yet and you're willing to do a fairly low-cost experiment (relatively speaking), you might want to try the GFS Neovins. They're a noiseless pickup in single coil form factor like the Area pickups, but they're constructed slightly differently and they do a really good job of sounding like a single coil. I put a set of their "Power Rock" pickups in one of my Strats, and was very pleasantly surprised. For just a little more than the cost of a single Seymour Duncan or Dimarzio, you can have a whole set of these things, and I think they compare very favorably. To me, they actually sound more like single coils. But, that's just me and a highly subjective opinion.

 

[Stew]

... big thumbs up for Bill Lawrence Noise-free singles ... at $44 each they're almost as good a buy as the GFS ones  :icon_thumright:

 

[Gtr65]

Thanks, Cagey & Stew. The thing is, though, that after agonizing for so long about which pups to go with, it's kind of a huge relief to have it settled (Dimarzio Area 58/67/61).

 

[Stew]

no prob Gtr65 ... make sure you let us know how the Areas work for ya  :icon_thumright:
I was originally gonna put Areas in my strat but the price for them here in Oz is crazy ... I decided to try Bill's pickups 'cause the price was so good and they've worked out great!

 

[Cagey]

Thanks, Cagey & Stew. The thing is, though, that after agonizing for so long about which pups to go with, it's kind of a huge relief to have it settled (Dimarzio Area 58/67/61).

I understand. No matter who you talk to or how many YouTube videos you watch or how many manufacturer's demo clips you listen to, you still never know what the bloody things are going to sound like until you install them. It's always a crap shoot. So, you pays yer munny and ya throws yer dice. I suspect that's part of the reason some people pay so much for some pickups. There's an underlying hope that if you pay a lot, you can't go wrong. There must be a reason they're so expensive, right? I mean, besides the cost of heavy marketing/advertising and usurious dealer markups?

But, you won't be sorry with the Areas. They are some sweet pickups.