best noiseless strat pickups

[TimH]

I'm starting to play in a country band and really need my strat to be as noise free as possible. I love the low output SC sound but there is just too much noise in some bars that I don't see this being an option. I've heard great things about the dimarzio Virtual Vintage pups, I work for an Anderson dealer and I'm sure they are great but I'm wondering if there is an option I've overlooked in the boutique market?

So what's your fav?

 

[modRod]

kinmans. i got the avn blues in mine. very happy with them. absolutely no noise and by fiddling around with the height of the pickups you can shape the tone to your likings.

 

[alderbody]

how about the best strat pickups that are also low noise?...

The WCR SR's with propper body shielding and star grounding can be extremely quiet. (almost noiseless)

 

[Unburst]

Kinman, Barden or DiMarzio Virtual Vintage are all good.

There is no "best"

 

[Chiba]

Kinmans are the most 'Stratty' sounding noiseless pickups I've tried, I have his Woodstock+ set in 2 of my guitars.

--chiba

 

[OldMan]

@alderbody (sorry for hijacking this tread)
I have a "Thessaloniki specific problem" and also a "language problem" can you tell me your email? ore send me one?

Thanks!

OldMan

 

[DonW]

I'm devotee of Kinmans. Tried a bunch of others but my AVN 56 p/u's definitely take the cake for noiseless, stratty tones. Their shipping is very reasonable and service is great.

 

[bspears]

Another vote for the Kinmans

I have a set of the Hank Marvins and the Woodstocks and love them both.

 

[Garrett Bagby]

You need a set of Bill Lawrence L280's. Dead silent, real single coil tone and very easy on the budget. Amazing clarity. All my future replacement pickups will likely be BL's.

www.billlawrence.com

 

[rwe333]

Several nice ones - I like the many options in the DiMarzio Virtual Vintage line, plus their customer service is great.

 

[Cokemachine]

Tim, check out the Kinmans. That Dingwall of mine has Kinman Blues in it, but I think the Traditional or the Woodstocks would be more of what you're looking for. I've never been a fan of the Anderson pickups, with the exception of the M series. Barden's, even if you could get your hands on some, are too high output for what you're after. The BL280's are cool, but I find that the Kinmans are more organic sounding. They might be something to look at though if price is a concern. The Virtual Vintage p/u's are OK, but are a little flat sounding in my opinion. ModRod's comment about playing with the height on the Kinmans is so true. You can dramatically change the tone by adjusting the p/u height on the Kinmans.

 

[Supertgtr]

You need a set of Bill Lawrence L280's. Dead silent, real single coil tone and very easy on the budget. Amazing clarity. All my future replacement pickups will likely be BL's.

+1.

 

[Power Freak]

I like Lace Holy Grail's for most applications. They are slightly less "vibrant" than Kinman's which are the most like real singles but I prefer that sound personally.

 

[RvChevron]

Have tried Tom Anderson, Lace sensor and Bill Lawrence (the real ones).

For that chimey, bell and piano like strat tone with nice snap and attack we all love?

Kinman Traditional MK2 in neck and Woodstock in mid take the cake!!! For me anyway.

In particular, the Traditional MK2 is, according to Chris, more stratty than a strat, and I concur!!

I like them just for their tone, even if they are not hum cancelling, I'd still think they sound just great.

For those who haven't try the new traditional mK2, worth a try.

OK, I'd admit they to "feel" a little "rubbery/elastic" compared to real single coils.

Did I mention they are "dead" quiet and squeal free?

 

[dazco]

Originally posted by Power Freak
I like Lace Holy Grail's for most applications. They are slightly less "vibrant" than Kinman's which are the most like real singles but I prefer that sound personally.

I have a set of HG's and i replaced the neck and middle with the former pups, vanzandts. I didn't need noiseless in the neck and middle so i opted to go back to the VZ's. But in the bridge, i left the 13k bridge version of the grails because it just sounds perfect there. Nothing else seems to do what it does, which is to have a great SC tone at clean to medium settings that never sounds tinny or harsh, then gets fat and a bit humbucker like at high gain. Not that it sounds like a hum at high gain, but it seems to retain the SC qualities i love like the un-compresseed sound of an SC but takes on the fullness of a hum. The lower gain tones have a sound that just makes you feel like you can cop any very stratty bridge tone you've ever heard but w/o ever sounding thin or harsh. very very elastic feel too. I've always been a neck or bridge/middle guy, especially neck. But since i started using the grail in the bridge i hardly ever switch from the 1st position when just playing at home. It's absolutly addictive. But as i said, the neck and middle grails didn't do much for me.

 

[carltonh]

If you check the www.billlawrence.com website, he has a new, more Stratty noiseless SC. Kinman has claimed that Bill's pickups couldn't get the vintage alnico Strat sound, so Bill took that as a challenge and created the L200.

In comparison, the L280 was designed to be a more flat response single coil sound, Bill's ideal. The L200 is for Strat tone purists. It has the lessened lower mids and pronounced upper mids of vintage Strat pickups. However, it is so new that I haven't seen any reviews yet. I'll get one eventually I think.

 

[dmbandtimmy]

What do you guys think about Fralins. I was thinking about replacing the pickups in my american deluxe strat that has the noisless fender pickups in them. I think I have it narrowed down to the Fralin vintage hots or a set of Kinmans (either the Blues or the Woodstocks). I have a maple neck and an alder body so was thinking that the Woodstocks might be too bright :/ If anyone has any advice on them I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[Garrett Bagby]

Fralins aren't noiseless.

 

[Slick51]

Ditto on the Kinmans. I've had two sets (AVn 56s and 63s I believe) on guitars for about 6 years...and you can count the equipment I've kept that long on your fingers, and have a couple left over!

Slick51

 

[pbradt]

I've never heard a set of noiseless pickups I'd give you a plugged nickel for. NONE of them sound like REAL single coils.

I've heard most of them, Fenders, Kinmans, Lawrence, Lace, DM. None had any "juice," they all sound sterile to me.

I like weak single coils, and I'll take hte noise if the tone comes with it.

IMO, noiseless = toneless.