Which pickups for a New Strat Build

asimmd · November 2013

Hi Guys I was wondering which pickups you would choose for a classic vintage Strat sound? There are so many to choose from,I don't need them till January,so I have time to Make a decision. Thanks Alan

Ianpdq · November 2013

These http://www.soundsliveshop.com/p/Fender_Custom_Shop_69_Stratocaster_Pickups/FEN-099-2114-000?CAWELAID=1830891624&catargetid=1823339655&cadevice=c&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CIro0838y7oCFS_KtAoda0UAmg

stickyfiddle · November 2013

Oil City or Mojo are both hight regarded around here.

Failing that, I have had great results from BKP Mothers Milks and Rio Grande Midbottoms

ThePrettyDamned · November 2013

Oil city. Honestly, you won't look back.

I've got a pair of his strat pickups in my jazzbastard and they're wonderful.

asimmd · November 2013

Thanks Guys

To be honest,i was going to go with Oil City,i have not used them before and the suspense

as to how good they are is killing me.

I see there are a new set of Strat Pickups available,must look into those.

Alan

xwolf5150 · November 2013

Suhr V60LP.
Job done

andypwudtone · November 2013

What is it that gives you classic vintage Strat sound? Have a listen to these http://www.wudtone.com/2012/03/21/wuddys-5060-special-blends/ Marc @ MOJO pickups makes them to our spec ( we are on the 3rd variation improvement now) and they are very sweet.

We have had trade accounts for all the larger brands mentioned. The MOJO touch ( like Ron Ellis in the USA) wins over. Not had any Oil city as yet but I suspect the same genuine handwound benefits apply to both OIL and MOJO. Service from Marc at MOJO is second to none.

andypwudtone · November 2013

Alex Albrow ( he is cool (ala Matt Schofield) stylist ) put the Wuddy's 5060 Special Blend pickups to the test . MP3 link. http://www.wudtone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/00alexjazz.mp3

thewiddler · November 2013

Lindy Fralin Vintage Hots are fantastic. Defined, crystal clear cleans, really dynamic and chimey with a crunchy amp and suprisingly good grind and focus under gain, especially given they're a low-ish output pickup with balanced mids.

xwolf5150 · November 2013

All these so called vintage pickups still use the same antiquated magnet stagger designed for a wound third and much heavier guage strings.
Absolutely stupid.
There are winders who do it right.
Suhr is one.
D.Allen is another.
Kinman too.
I have all these and the improvement is real.

hywelg · November 2013

wolf5150 said:

All these so called vintage pickups still use the same antiquated magnet stagger designed for a wound third and much heavier guage strings.
Absolutely stupid.

Not stupid, just what has been used for years even on vintage pickups.
Lollar pickups have been available wound both ways for quite a while. read what Jason Lollar says about the differences
http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=flat-vs-staggered-pole-pickups

xwolf5150 · November 2013

And ?
I'd say he agrees with me.
The old fashioned stagger is outdated.

ThePrettyDamned · November 2013

Having a/b'd two identical wound pickups, one staggered, one not, I can happily say I couldn't hear any difference at all. But staggered looks nicer I think!

ICBM · November 2013

I hate staggered, especially with a high G - I always break my fingernails on them. Trumps any possible tone difference.

The bottom line is that all hand-wound vintage-construction Strat pickups with the same type of magnets and roughly the same number of winds sound more or less the same, to any degree you can tell in the finished guitar. Go with the ones from the company you like the best, can wind hotter/colder/with more mojo/look the best/cost less/come in a fancy box or whatever floats your boat.

I'm not saying they're all *exactly* the same, but they will all make your guitar sound like a Strat, and after that the differences are pretty subtle and easily outweighed by many other factors.

FX_Munkee · November 2013

I've got a set of Mr Weasel's "Triple Blues" in my US Strat and despite the fact it's a thick poly'd boat anchor, it now sounds wonderfully "stratty", "woody" "airy" and many other imaginary verbs I haven't the wit to think of.
Basically it makes all those noises that you'd expect a Strat to make.
Oh and they're flat poled, just to keep the rabble happy

asimmd · November 2013

What ab

asimmd · November 2013

What AB was a mistake,I pushed the wrong button,doh. I was going to say that I was going to try 12/52 strings but they all come with a wound third,which I don't like,the volume drop is horrendous I can't get used to it. So it looks like I'm back to my usual 11/49's. Yes I could get the 12/52 sets but I would have to buy a plain 3rd,which is 80p,then I would end up with a drawer full of wound 3rd strings. Alan

ICBM · November 2013

asimmd said:

I was going to say that I was going to try 12/52 strings but they all come with a wound third,which I don't like,the volume drop is horrendous I can't get used to it. So it looks like I'm back to my usual 11/49's. Yes I could get the 12/52 sets but I would have to buy a plain 3rd,which is 80p,then I would end up with a drawer full of wound 3rd strings. Alan

Just buy a Rickenbacker as well. They sound much better with a wound third. Problem solved.

EdGrip · November 2013

I can vouch for both Marc (Mojo) and Ash (Oil City) - both are true English gents who'll listen to your inane demands and make you a very satisfied customer.

OilCityPickups · November 2013

I Agree fully that the fifties stagger is antiquated and fairly pointless ... I offer it on a couple of pickup sets as an option ... but a plain curve or 'flush' is, in my experience a better option if you don't want the 'look'. Some people do however so you have to offer them

ToneControl · November 2013

asimmd said:

Hi Guys I was wondering which pickups you would choose for a classic vintage Strat sound? There are so many to choose from,I don't need them till January,so I have time to Make a decision. Thanks Alan

do you mean vintage as in what a strat would have sounded like in the 50s when new, or what an old pickup that's lost some magnetism sounds like now? I assume the latter. Personally I go for the former, just checking

asimmd · November 2013

What it would have sounded like in the 50's would be nice.I already have an NOS56,but while it sounds really good,it doesn't have that biting growl I associate with the early Strats. Hope Ash reads this cos he's getting the job of building the pickups. Alan

ThePrettyDamned · November 2013

asimmd;79874" said:
What it would have sounded like in the 50's would be nice.I already have an NOS56,but while it sounds really good,it doesn't have that biting growl I associate with the early Strats.

Hope Ash reads this cos he's getting the job of building the pickups.

Alan

He could probably do that in his sleep, he truly breathes pickup knowledge. And he's a lovely bloke, too. I hope he don't mind me saying this.

I'll never get pickups from anyone else.

OilCityPickups · November 2013

Awwww shucks guys

Funny thing, the difference between a 'good' and a great strat sound can be in just a few little tweaks ....not just in them pickups. Strat trems are so much an integral part of the 'sound' that the wrong saddles or setup can just take the edge off a really stellar tone. I say this till I'm blue in the face, but: get your trem, nut, saddles, pots, caps and wiring 150% ... then it's time ... and only if you are still a little short of your ideal ... to swap out your pickups.

Strat pickups are the probably simplest pickup I make ... just eight parts excluding the cover and the hookup eyelets ... yet they are a real touchy thoroughbred to tweak. Wind it wrong or use the wrong magnets and you get compressed, nasal nastiness ... or painful, icepick treble. Just a tiny variation in bobbin height, magnet gauss, scatter pattern etc etc makes a ton of difference. Actually making an 'average' Strat pickup is very easy ... that's why I actually recommend them as a first time wind for budding hobby pickup winders. It's also why it's difficult to buy a really bad one ... even dirt cheap. Just follow Leo's well known recipe of about 8000 turns of 42awg wire ... and it'll happen. It's going 'the next mile' from 'that sounds pretty okay' to 'that sounds brilliant' that's difficult with a Strat wind.

thomasw88 · November 2013

reckon I've had about 15-20 types of strat pickups and tbh they're much of a muchness imo. There is alot of rubbish spouted about pickups. you really dont have to spend that much on them, and the differences between a decent set of cheapo pickups made well and the hand rolled, polished with eskimo tusk blah blah are very very subjective.

Before you replace the pickups you should probably be worth looking at experimenting with the height of the existing set - playing around with that can make a mahoosive difference to the tone. Before I sold one a strat a while ago, I put the stock pickups back in and honestly I must have been lucky with the heights, as it was the best it had ever sounded..

Also, worth looking at the pots and switches and wiring, ie if its a cheapo set or has bad solder joints etc then that can have an effect on the sound.

I've got 3 strats at the moment, one has a set of bulldog texas floods which have been in for a few years now and sound pretty darn good, although they replaced various other sets that sounded pretty darn good.

Another has got an oil city stonetone with base plate in the neck and the stock middle and bridge pickups. - I went with Ash for this as I wanted something quite specific and he is quite cheap compared to alot of the other guys who imo massively overcharge for the job. He was very helpful, and delivered a very nice sounding pickup.

Other strat, has the stock Tokai pickups in it, although I did swap out the bridge with a hotter pickup I had lying around. If I change them which I think I might, then the next set is going to be either axesrus, irongear, or possibly one of the cheaper handwound people ie oil city.

noisepolluter · November 2013

asimmd said:

Thanks Guys

To be honest,i was going to go with Oil City,i have not used them before and the suspense
as to how good they are is killing me.

I see there are a new set of Strat Pickups available,must look into those.

Alan

I have a set of the oil city triple blues and love them. Just the right balance of output and twang.

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Which pickups for a New Strat Build

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