Something better than '57/'62 pickups? [Archive]

supergenius365

01-22-2008, 04:47 PM

rydog2223

01-22-2008, 07:18 PM

I likey the 69' CS's meself.

K-Line

01-22-2008, 07:23 PM

Yes I have and have never looked back, Lollar Blondes. Smooth, slightly scooped mids that blow the Fenders away IMHO. The 69's are nice as well. I have a set of the handsigned Abby's that are very nice.

Chris T

01-22-2008, 07:35 PM

I like those pickups but...Duncan Antiquitys are my choice in both my 57 and 62 RI Strats...Texas Hot in the 62 and Surfers in the 57...

supergenius365

01-23-2008, 01:35 PM

KBR

01-23-2008, 01:39 PM

I have used Van Zandts since 88, and sold alot, I like em,
and Lollar's and Fralins all excellent Strats and Tele's.
for HBers I like Tom Holmes, Lollars & Voodoo's
P90's Lollars.

I used em all on over 50 cds.

Jason_86_951

01-23-2008, 03:13 PM

I had 57/62's in my alder/rosewood partscaster and under the suggestion of K-Line I tried the Lollar Blondes.

Perfect, that high end harshness is long gone. The Lollars are excellent. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Groovey Records

01-23-2008, 03:26 PM

Peter Florance is installing some VooDoo ST 60's on a MIM Strat for me and doing some neck work as well. Getting it wound slightly hot a little on the edge of out of control.

I like his work and attention to detail, His Humbuckers kick ass and take names later.

regards

Joe Tee

9fingers

01-23-2008, 03:50 PM

If you like the sweetness of the Alnico II Lollars, Duncan's APS pups (1's are staggered, 2's are flat) are a really nice sweet singing, quacky Alnico II pup for a reasonable price. ( no dis to Lollar intended).

JUSTJOB

01-24-2008, 11:15 AM

I really like the 57/62's with pure nickel strings.

supergenius365

01-31-2008, 07:45 AM

bump for more replies please

sqadan

01-31-2008, 08:27 AM

I have the 57/62's in my 62 reissue... I don't detect any high end harshness... Like the above poster, I'm using pure nickel strings though...

I'm tempted to try out some Fralins. Any opinions on those? How do they compare with the Lollars?

Blue4Now

01-31-2008, 09:02 AM

The cs fat 50's are fantastic. Slightly hotter that say the cs 69's and a little more scooped souding but they are soooo smooth and creamy. They overdrive great.

frank62

01-31-2008, 10:09 AM

jkats

01-31-2008, 06:05 PM

I have a set of the 57/62 pickups as replacements in a MIM 50s Classic with a .1 uf tone cap (rather than stock .022), and they sound great -- better than the stock Alnico 5 (of course) and at least as good as the Duncan SSL-1. But are we talking about the same pickups? There are two versions -- the non-bevelled magnet pre-1998 version that can sound less than inspiring, and the bevelled magnet version from 1998 on that was reverse engineered from a 1963 Strat pickup, which is the version I have been using and recommend.

VaughnC

01-31-2008, 06:13 PM

Lately, I kinda like the Duncan Surfers (their take on aged original '64 Fender's)...and they are one of the few non-Fender pickups I've tried that, to my ears, actually have that old Fender vibe to them.

I used to really like the Van Zandt Vintage+ set...but, for some reason, the last few sets I tried didn't sound as good as the one's I tried about 5 years ago.

However, in my experience, pickups have to be installed in wood that compliments their tone to sound their best. A few years ago I did an experiment with 6 similar Strats, with the exact same set of pickups, and it was amazing how different they sounded in each guitar. So, I've come to the conclusion that pickup swaps are a hit/miss scenario.

GuitarsFromMars

01-31-2008, 07:25 PM

wcr sr's...quite the vintage tone to my ear.

supergenius365

01-31-2008, 07:45 PM

For me the 57/62 is the Fender pickup by which all others must be judged. Pure nickel strings and precise pup adjustments will get you there. The other pups mentioned are very good indeed but they are not the classic Fender sound.

What height are you setting the pick ups? I have gathered from many posts here that Strat pickups work best when set almost level with the pickguard.

Also, what are some pure nickel strings? I am finding mostly nickel wrapped strings when I search on line.

Thanks

sqadan

02-01-2008, 08:07 AM

What height are you setting the pick ups? I have gathered from many posts here that Strat pickups work best when set almost level with the pickguard.

Also, what are some pure nickel strings? I am finding mostly nickel wrapped strings when I search on line.

Thanks

Yeah... Set the pickups pretty low to avoid harshness... I get much better control over the sound with the pickups set low. The bass side is always just peeking over the top of the pickguard with about twice that rise on the high strings. That's for the Neck and Middle, the Bridge is set a touch higher than that.

Here's a pic so you can get an idea:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2092/2050882785_2020f9efae_o.jpg

As for pure nickel strings... I use DR Pure Blues. The last a long time, feel super smooth, and have great tone.

frank62

02-01-2008, 08:20 AM

^What he said. Pup adjustment is crucial on the Stratocaster. Different gauges and types of strings come in second place. I like the Everly B52 sets. I agree the newer beveled magnet 57/62 pups are the better ones.

supergenius365

02-01-2008, 08:28 AM

Yeah... Set the pickups pretty low to avoid harshness... I get much better control over the sound with the pickups set low. The bass side is always just peeking over the top of the pickguard with about twice that rise on the high strings. That's for the Neck and Middle, the Bridge is set a touch higher than that.

Here's a pic so you can get an idea:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2092/2050882785_2020f9efae_o.jpg

As for pure nickel strings... I use DR Pure Blues. The last a long time, feel super smooth, and have great tone.

Those are slightly higher than mine, but in the same ball park. I'll try the DR's, thanks. I've wanted to try B52's as well as I think Tom Petty calls them the "foundation of my sound", or something like that.

For those who asked, I have the later beveled pole piece version.

KCWM

02-02-2008, 10:13 PM

I tried lowering my pickups like the picture above. I had to raise them back up a tad.

I also put some DR 11's on (they were out of 10s). The strings do definitely sound nice, but I'm just not resonating with the pickups.

I think it's time to move out from under this 60th anniversary strat.

squeally dan

02-14-2008, 06:42 PM

WHere's the best place to get some nickel strings? MF?

supergenius365

02-14-2008, 06:46 PM

WHere's the best place to get some nickel strings? MF?

I got some DR Pure Nickel from GC. That was the only brand they had. Haven't tried them yet.

squeally dan

02-19-2008, 08:02 AM

Thanks

JUSTJOB

02-19-2008, 10:53 AM

I know there are a gazillion "What Strat pickup should I get?" threads here.

I want to know if anybody has switched from the 57/62 pickups to something they felt was much better.

I feel the 57/62's I play have a harsh high end.

Honestly, I agree with other recomendation that you need to try a set of pure nickel strings. I bet you will like the tone way better. It almost seems like they were designed for pure nickel strings, and are a great tonal match. That is how I run mine and they sound great,and are nice and smooth.
Best Regards!

squeally dan

02-19-2008, 12:10 PM

I put some 57/62's in my 92 SRV strat in place of the stock TS's and this guitar is now pretty perfect for the music I play. It was already my #1 but for my funk/R&B band it now fits perfectly. It sounds more like what I think a strat should sound like.

supar6

02-19-2008, 12:34 PM

I too REALLY like the 57/62's in my '62 AVRI. They seem to have the PERFECT blend of tone for my ears. I have the pup height set a little above the pickguard - just a tad higher than the pics that have been posted - and just a beautiful tone! I feel like I've tried just about everything out there and can't beat the57/62's.

I will say that the Fralin vintage hots also sound fantastic but they are just a bit brighter in the neck and muddier everywhere else.. but overall re fantastic.

I use Nickel Rocker 11's on just about everything I play. I used DR's for a period of time and while I did like the strings it seemed I had to intonate my axe's everytime I changed strings. Come to find out that since the DR's are pretty much hand made the string wind can be different almost everytime. This isn't to say they are a bad string at all but if you're picky about intonation you may wanna check out the Nickel Rockers.

supergenius365

02-19-2008, 02:51 PM

Come to find out that since the DR's are pretty much hand made the string wind can be different almost everytime. This isn't to say they are a bad string at all but if you're picky about intonation you may wanna check out the Nickel Rockers.

This is exactly what my tech/repair guy/luthier says. Very inconsistent. He believes D'Addario are the most consistent strings available.

I have some nickel strings I am going to put on as soon as my current ones wear out as per suggestions here.