the strattiest strat pickups

[Derelict]

ok, so i have a G&L Tribute Legacy. Currently i have a JBjr in the bridge and dimarzio virtual2s in the mid and neck. after all these "upgrades" my guitar doesn't sound like a strat. there's no personality. in my quest for "tone" i have veered far away from it. the JBjr is just bland humbucker blah and the virtual2's sound sort of stratty (but not really), and don't behave like a single coil should.


i want something that is UNADULTERATED strat, and probably more early 50s sounding. i am looking at a fender custom shop '54 set. i have heard clips from www.acmeguitarworks.com and like them but was wondering on any feedback here and perhaps other clips. i DO NOT want humcalcelling.

[John Ward]

Fralin vintage hots are the strati- strat McStratiest especially in the 2 and 4 positions. But I was checking the price and they are spensive. The CS 54 set is on sale for $129 at angela.com

[Aaron Cheney]

Seymour Duncan SSL-1's are my favorite all-round strat pickup. Like them better than others I've tried.

A

[SLG]

The Lindy Fralin Real 54's are a good choice for unadulterated 1950's Strat tones. I have one guitar loaded with the 54's. Given the choice, I'd go with the Lindy Fralin Vintage Hots. They may not be as authentic sounding as the original 50's pickups, but they sound great, and are more versatile than the 54's for various types of music. The lower output 50's pickups do have their limitations. The VH bridge pickup's lead tone cuts through much easier than the Real 54 bridge pickup. Either set will give you great Strat tone.

[mischultz]

I love the 54 clips as well, but my favorite Strat set is Pete Biltoft's Vintage Vibe standard set. Classic Strat tone and great balance across the spectrum. Worth investigating.

Michael

ok, so i have a G&L Tribute Legacy. Currently i have a JBjr in the bridge and dimarzio virtual2s in the mid and neck. after all these "upgrades" my guitar doesn't sound like a strat. there's no personality. in my quest for "tone" i have veered far away from it. the JBjr is just bland humbucker blah and the virtual2's sound sort of stratty (but not really), and don't behave like a single coil should.


i want something that is UNADULTERATED strat, and probably more early 50s sounding. i am looking at a fender custom shop '54 set. i have heard clips from www.acmeguitarworks.com (http://www.acmeguitarworks.com) and like them but was wondering on any feedback here and perhaps other clips. i DO NOT want humcalcelling.

[Derelict]

Seymour Duncan SSL-1's are my favorite all-round strat pickup. Like them better than others I've tried.

A

i love those too. they are an option. i do dig them.

[Souled Out]

I just can't seem to put my Custom Shop Strat with WAGNER SR's down. I have many guitars and I grab for that Strat every night. I don't think they are noiseless, but I don't hear any 60 cycle hum. I am addicted I think.

[Derelict]

i want to keep my price down to REASONABLE amounts. what about the fender sets? they made the original strat pups people copy,so i would think they make some good 'uns.

[Derelict]

The Lindy Fralin Real 54's are a good choice for unadulterated 1950's Strat tones. I have one guitar loaded with the 54's. Given the choice, I'd go with the Lindy Fralin Vintage Hots. They may not be as authentic sounding as the original 50's pickups, but they sound great, and are more versatile than the 54's for various types of music. The lower output 50's pickups do have their limitations. The VH bridge pickup's lead tone cuts through much easier than the Real 54 bridge pickup. Either set will give you great Strat tone.

do you know if the fender fat 50s would compare to fralin vintage hots?

[monstermike]

I doubt you'll get precisely the sound you're looking for out of a G&L - the completely different bridge design, neck/body geometry (the G&L "strats" I've played all had the fingerboard sitting pretty high off the body compared to a Fender - more space between the strings and face of the body), and such make for a more modern-sounding guitar.

I'm sure others with more G&L experience than I have might be able to chip in more accurately or disagree with me completely.

[ToneKing]

For the money the Fender CS series (54's, Fat 50's and 69's) are hard to beat. I have CS pu's and boutique pu's as well. I don't know that I hear $100 + difference between them. Granted not all Fender pu's sound good, but I've also, had some clunkers from some well known boutique guys. In the end it is your ear that you have to satisfy.

[Strung Up]

Strattiest. Right. WHICH Strat?

My faves are Suhr V60LP's. Listen to some Landau and Henderson to see if those sounds are what you're after vs. some other flavor.

[pbradt]

ok, so i have a G&L Tribute Legacy. Currently i have a JBjr in the bridge and dimarzio virtual2s in the mid and neck. after all these "upgrades" my guitar doesn't sound like a strat. there's no personality. in my quest for "tone" i have veered far away from it. the JBjr is just bland humbucker blah and the virtual2's sound sort of stratty (but not really), and don't behave like a single coil should.


i want something that is UNADULTERATED strat, and probably more early 50s sounding. i am looking at a fender custom shop '54 set. i have heard clips from www.acmeguitarworks.com (http://www.acmeguitarworks.com) and like them but was wondering on any feedback here and perhaps other clips. i DO NOT want humcalcelling.

In the absence of Hamels (I don't know if Alan is making them at this time), I'd go with Lindy Fralin "Real '54s," or Van Zandt "True Vintage."

No humbucker should EVER be in a Stratocaster, certainly not if you want it to sound like a Strat. Single coils are the ONLY way to go.

I have a set of VZ True Vintage I'm not using (I've got Hamels in my Strat now). PM me if you're interested.

[EXP]

I just can't seem to put my Custom Shop Strat with WAGNER SR's down. I have many guitars and I grab for that Strat every night. I don't think they are noiseless, but I don't hear any 60 cycle hum. I am addicted I think.

was waiting for somebody to suggest the SR's. i have a set on the way, recieved word today theyve been shipped.

:RoCkIn

[Souled Out]

was waiting for somebody to suggest the SR's. i have a set on the way, recieved word today theyve been shipped.

:RoCkIn

I am interested in hearing your thoughts after you tried them awhile. I had RS Guitarworks do some fancy wiring and install them as well.

[EXP]

I am interested in hearing your thoughts after you tried them awhile. I had RS Guitarworks do some fancy wiring and install them as well.

will do, im sure the review will have the word '' Hendrix '' in there.:D

[Derelict]

thanks for all the great suggestions guys; i really appreciate it. some of the clips i have heard from the fralins really sound good to me. i have to go do a lot of homework on this one and go listen to some of these in person. :dude

[AaeCee]

do you know if the fender fat 50s would compare to fralin vintage hots?Don't know about the Fralins, but the Fat 50s are killer pups! Make other strat pups sound anemic. Rich, lush, full, but still with that 'strattiness' you're after. Fabulous vintage vibe with great output. AC

[Seniorspike]

+1111 on the Suhr V60LP's... like them much better than the Fralin's which are my second choice

[The_Whale]

I doubt you'll get precisely the sound you're looking for out of a G&L - the completely different bridge design, neck/body geometry (the G&L "strats" I've played all had the fingerboard sitting pretty high off the body compared to a Fender - more space between the strings and face of the body), and such make for a more modern-sounding guitar.

I'm sure others with more G&L experience than I have might be able to chip in more accurately or disagree with me completely.

I have a Legacy and I agree with you completely; Legacys dont sound exactly like Strats.

My Legacy has "vintage" style (although not staggerd) pickups and it doesn't sound like a Strat.

[jesper]

Kinmam 56 MKll does the job noiseless.

[macula56]

i know you said no hum cancelling, but i've been using Duncan Stacks for years and they are beautiful sounding. totally Strat approved.

[HarryJ]

I don't believe that a stacked, dual coil hum-canceling pickup exists (yet) that will absolutely sound 100% single. Some come VERY CLOSE!

I removed a set of Kinman Woodstocks from this guitar after a few weeks. http://www.harryj.net/strat.JPG and replaced them with Virtual Vintage V2's http://www.harryj.net/strat_body.JPG

I liked the Kinman's, they had a throaty kind of quality, but found them to be very mid heavy, not very "strat" like... cool, but modern sounding IMHO

Shame your experience with the Dimarzio Virtual 2 pup's didn't do it for ya.
Does it 'fer me.

This recording was done with V2's. I play phrases with various pickup combinations. To me it's pretty damn "strat like" but "strat like" is so subjective.
http://www.harryj.net/SRV%20hj.mp3

This is the same guitar into a cranked SonicCord amp in class A/B 35 watt mode. Starts with bridge pup (vol at 6) at 14 sec. I crank the volume knob. I switch to various pup combos.
http://www.harryj.net/strat%20sonic%20wet.mp3

Here is a link to a page full of very specific VV audio clips
http://www.harryj.net/strat_VV.htm

I have been a Dimarzio endorser for years... I don't believe in marketing hype... I simply post clips. Tone is far too subjective

Curious to hear what you guys think of these.

Harry Jacobson
www.harryj.net (http://www.harryj.net)

[dbeeman]

John Suhr makes excellent strat pups

[gtrnstuff]

I don't believe that a stacked, dual coil hum-canceling pickup exists (yet) that will absolutely sound 100% single. Some come VERY CLOSE!

I removed a set of Kinman Woodstocks from this guitar after a few weeks. http://www.harryj.net/strat.JPG and replaced them with Virtual Vintage V2's http://www.harryj.net/strat_body.JPG

I liked the Kinman's, they had a throaty kind of quality, but found them to be very mid heavy, not very "strat" like... cool, but modern sounding IMHO

Shame your experience with the Dimarzio Virtual 2 pup's didn't do it for ya.
Does it 'fer me.

This recording was done with V2's. I play phrases with various pickup combinations. To me it's pretty damn "strat like" but "strat like" is so subjective.
http://www.harryj.net/SRV%20hj.mp3

This is the same guitar into a cranked SonicCord amp in class A/B 35 watt mode. Starts with bridge pup (vol at 6) at 14 sec. I crank the volume knob. I switch to various pup combos.
http://www.harryj.net/strat%20sonic%20wet.mp3

Here is a link to a page full of very specific VV audio clips
http://www.harryj.net/strat_VV.htm

I have been a Dimarzio endorser for years... I don't believe in marketing hype... I simply post clips. Tone is far too subjective

Curious to hear what you guys think of these.

Harry Jacobson
www.harryj.net (http://www.harryj.net)

Wow. A whole different animal than the first DiMarzio VVs that I tried in the 90's, and I tried all of them, incuding a couple of unreleased prototypes. The N+M especially sounds "right". That was always my problem with them, the combinations didn't sound right, plus the top end was odd, with either 500k or 1Meg pots. Kinman to the rescue. But now I may have to hunt down a set of the new V2s.
Realy nice playing, BTW!

[JDouglee]

Maybe Suhr V54s?

[lanesmat]

A few things to keep in mind - Pickup height makes a difference in tone, and I have found that Strattiness tends to increase as I lower the pickups.
In general, the more powerful the pickup, the more modern sounding the pickup becomes. There may be exceptions to this, but pickups greater than 6.0 Kohm sound more modern to me.
The guitar itself has a lot to do with that Strat sound. It has been my experience with Fender Strats that they will either have that tone or not, even with stock pickups. Good pickups with enhance the tone, but not give you the tone.

BTW, I have a set of CS 54's in my Strat which I am very happy with. If I decide to experiment with PUs again, I'd probably try the less powerful CS '69s FWIW.
Good luck.
Scott L.

[HarryJ]

Thx Gtrnstuff,

There are many different VV models, each with a different voice.

The neck pup was a DP410, voiced a touch warmer than stock strat

Middle DP407, a touch fuller than stock

Bridge was a prototype of the new DP414, voiced thicker and hotter than stock, sort of P-90 meets a strat pup that got into Sylvester Stallone's old medicine cabinet, if ya catch my drift :-)

The volume pot is 333K, tone 250K, although I have the middle pickup bypassing the tone pot for extra sparkle. Perhaps that is what you are hearing???

Anyway, none of the 3 pickups in these examples are what Dimarzio would consider their most strat like. Personally I think they kick major butt. I'm able to play clubs with nasty wiring and lighting issues with no hum. These guys are actually quieter than most side-by-side humbuckers.

I wish I had recorded the Kinman's 'fer side-by side fun, but that was quite a while ago. Are you able to post yours?


HJ

[gtrnstuff]

Thx Gtrnstuff,

There are many different VV models, each with a different voice.

The neck pup was a DP410, voiced a touch warmer than stock strat

Middle DP407, a touch fuller than stock

Bridge was a prototype of the new DP414, voiced thicker and hotter than stock, sort of P-90 meets a strat pup that got into Sylvester Stallone's old medicine cabinet, if ya catch my drift :-)

The volume pot is 333K, tone 250K, although I have the middle pickup bypassing the tone pot for extra sparkle. Perhaps that is what you are hearing???

Anyway, none of the 3 pickups in these examples are what Dimarzio would consider their most strat like. Personally I think they kick major butt. I'm able to play clubs with nasty wiring and lighting issues with no hum. These guys are actually quieter than most side-by-side humbuckers.

I wish I had recorded the Kinman's 'fer side-by side fun, but that was quite a while ago. Are you able to post yours?


HJ

If I ever get enough down time to make and post clips--it's hard to make it a priority. And then I don't have any VV left to A/B for you, to really give tham a shot with me and my rig.
The old VV and Kinmans were equally quiet; as you say, better than regular humbuckers. I work in too many situations where noise would be a issue to go back to true single coils.
The new V2 must be significantly changed, the old ones were spec'd for 1Meg pots, and 250k made them way muffled. On the DiMarzio site I notice that the old 406 etc. are still recommended for 500k pots.
Sounds like you sorted through the different models and found what works, from your clips.

[clothwiring]

The pickups in my Cunetto sound very close to my friend's 1956 Stratocaster. Good bite and output but have a great shimmering bell tone. I don't not know exactly what they are but I'm sure C.S. 50s of some sort. I can in no way put those pickups down.

[HarryJ]

I use different models for different guitars
This one is a chambered swamp ash body (2.6LBS unfinished) with maple/maple neck.

Steve Blucher is absolutely amazing, not only is he the designer, but I can simply ask " which pup's would you recommend for an 8 LB northern ash body and maple/rosewood combo, with a Gotoh 1088 and Callaham block"
I feel he nails it, he just has ears like a bat, and years of experience. Hasn't been wrong yet... 18 guitars 'n counting :-)

I realize there is a small faction of players who don't believe wood type or density has any affect on the tone of a solid body guitar. What ever... Feel free to chime in :-)

HJ

[paul14470]

I have to agree with the others, G&L looks like a strat, but its different, It can sound stratty, but Leo's original design was the ONE. I've bought & sold a lot of G&Ls, looking for the strat sound, and its in there somewhat, but not like a Fender. I think it has to do with the vintage 6 screw bridge. G&L bridges float high off the guitar, and the space between the strings and the pickguard is much higher than a strat, I've had some G&Ls that I couldn't raise the pickups high enough to come close to the strings.

Instead of investing more $ in it, sell it and buy a used Jimmie Vaughan. If I did this first, I would have saved a lot of time. Lower the tex mex pickups and you don't even have to swap those out.

[phoenix]

How about genuine strat pickups from your favorite time. I just got some extras for mine. I figured that if they didnt sound "Strattiest," I could adjust my brain.;)

[Falstaff]

I really like the Fender CS '54s that I have in my alder/rw Strat. They are very sweet and full sounding. I like them a lot better than the Duncan Surfers I had before.

[Seegs]

if you're referring to glassy strat tone with plenty of quack on the in-between positions you want lower power pickups...

VanZandt True Vintage or Vintage + will get you there although they are a tad aggressive but really nice clean
Lollar Blondes are truly amazing pus and will also get you there...they are very smooth and overdrive really creamy
Lollar Tweeds will be my next purchase and then I will decide between the about above sets...

all our wound to 6K or below...

Chow,
Seegs

[Eric Pykala]

+1 on Jim Wagner's SRs. Only pickups that unseated my former benchmark for Strat Tone, my old '62. Very 60's in tonality (think Jimi, Jerry, SRV), incredibly complex, and the quietest true singlecoils ever. You MUST upgrade the electronics to get everything out of them.
A close second for me is John Suhr's V60LPs, which I'm now dying to try with the Silent Single Coil circuit (still play a few rooms with nightmare wiring...).
Regarding the price of some of the boutique offerings, I have found time and time again that buying cheap means paying again later (and sometimes again and again). I YOU can't hear a difference, get whatever does it for YOU, but MY ears like Wagner handwinds. I started playing back in the days before aftermarket pickups even existed, so I personally think it's great there are so many excellent choices out there. Wonderful time to be a Player...-Eric.

[ScottB]

I'd like to try a set of SR's.

Anyone know the magic password?

Well, they're not boutique, but I've always been real happy with Duncan vintage staggered's.

Also, the pickup's in my Mex Robert Cray are pretty damn Strat-tastic! Can you say twang? I think you can.

[Alejandro]

I don't believe that a stacked, dual coil hum-canceling pickup exists (yet) that will absolutely sound 100% single. Some come VERY CLOSE!

I removed a set of Kinman Woodstocks from this guitar after a few weeks. http://www.harryj.net/strat.JPG and replaced them with Virtual Vintage V2's http://www.harryj.net/strat_body.JPG

I liked the Kinman's, they had a throaty kind of quality, but found them to be very mid heavy, not very "strat" like... cool, but modern sounding IMHO

Shame your experience with the Dimarzio Virtual 2 pup's didn't do it for ya.
Does it 'fer me.

This recording was done with V2's. I play phrases with various pickup combinations. To me it's pretty damn "strat like" but "strat like" is so subjective.
http://www.harryj.net/SRV%20hj.mp3

This is the same guitar into a cranked SonicCord amp in class A/B 35 watt mode. Starts with bridge pup (vol at 6) at 14 sec. I crank the volume knob. I switch to various pup combos.
http://www.harryj.net/strat%20sonic%20wet.mp3

Here is a link to a page full of very specific VV audio clips
http://www.harryj.net/strat_VV.htm

I have been a Dimarzio endorser for years... I don't believe in marketing hype... I simply post clips. Tone is far too subjective

Curious to hear what you guys think of these.

Harry Jacobson
www.harryj.net (http://www.harryj.net)
I did something similar. I removed the Fender Fat 50' from my strat and replaced with the vintage virtual 2, and believe me, my search is over
And before that I tried with the Hot Gold Sensor, SCN..but didn't work for me
I even have a 50th Anniversary American Series with the Ybarra's CS 54', and rather prefer the virtual 2. Great tone and hum free :AOK

Someting to add. If you are looking for the best humbucking: DiMarzio Virtual Paf Pro. My search is over here too

[Moushegh]

I've heard nothing but good things about the VV, but didn't someone post something Dimarzio changing the design?

I was very impressed with the CS '69s and '54s. I like the '69s a bit better, though.

[pbradt]

I've heard great tings about Duff Strat pups. He doesn't list A3 magnets for his strat pups, but i bet if you asked him, he'd wind some A3 Strat pickups for you. Or you could buy my Van Zandt "True Vintage." I also have a set of CS '50s you can have and they're already wired up with CTS pots and a CRL switch. PM me if you're interested.

[jakeddy]

I like Seymour Duncan 52's.

[Glaze]

Strattiest. Right. WHICH Strat?

My faves are Suhr V60LP's. Listen to some Landau and Henderson to see if those sounds are what you're after vs. some other flavor.

Out of all the new Strat pickups I've played through the 'Suhr V60 Low Peaks' and the 'Fralin Vintage Hots' are my favorite. These are not cheap pickups, but are well worth it to me.

I would go to your nearest Grosh(uses Fralins) and Suhr guitar dealer to try a guitar out that has these pickups in them. Then you will know if you like them. I own a Suhr personally and it is the best Strat style guitar I have ever owned.

Mike