What is the consensus with the Fender Player Stratocaster (made in Mexico) pickups?

[5F6-A]

I quite like them although they are "pokey"... what do people think?

 

[Hawkmoon269]

I think the general consensus is that they’re cheap and don’t sound good. But if you like them then that’s what matters

 

[HERSCHEL]

They’re pretty solid. The older ones were fatter/warmer while the Player series tend to be crisper with more high end.

 

[Mike R.]

*Slightly* hot, but not really a hot pickup.
Maybe a little more middy than vintage but not a terrible sounding pickup at all.
I would say a mix between modern and vintage tone.
For reference, I own one.

 

[Auditory Driving]

Personally, I love them. It was a great surprise.

I wish I could say the same about Fender's quality control though.

 

[Jonathan]

I have an HSS. I saw a significant improvement, for my preferences, after replacing the pickups. That improvement was getting tones more associated with classic Strat sounds (deep, clear neck pickup tones and chimey, sparkly in-between positions. The stock pickups had a more middy response that some players may (or in my case, may not) prefer.

 

[Jaredt771]

I hated the way mine sounded. Changed to the Fishman Fluence single coils and I’m a fan

 

[Hawkmoon269]

I have an HSS. I saw a significant improvement, for my preferences, after replacing the pickups. That improvement was getting tones more associated with classic Strat sounds (deep, clear neck pickup tones and chimey, sparkly in-between positions. The stock pickups had a more middy response that some players may (or in my case, may not) prefer.

This was my experience as well. Very mid-y sounding pickups with no real sparkle or depth. I put Fender Fat 50’s into the guitar and all of a sudden it sounded like a strat for the first time. This was a MIM from 2000 though, so maybe they’ve gotten better since then.

 

[Auditory Driving]

This was my experience as well. Very mid-y sounding pickups with no real sparkle or depth. I put Fender Fat 50’s into the guitar and all of a sudden it sounded like a strat for the first time. This was a MIM from 2000 though, so maybe they’ve gotten better since then.

Correct, those were ceramic pickups, very different from the alnicos in the player series.

 

[ndparse89]

Pickups are the easiest way to upgrade a guitar. So to that I say, nothing wrong with the Mexican strats. As long as the wood is decent, everything else can be upgraded to being just as good (or better) than the American Standards.

 

[Tabor]

I can’t tell who is just posting in this thread about Made In Mexico strat pickups in general and who is posting about the Player series in particular. In theory this thread is about the Player Series but even within the Player series there are different models too which very likely have different pickups.

I had a 2018 Player Strat and thought the pickups were plenty bright. I could see people calling them spikey but I didn’t find it hard to get a good sound with a little EQ adjustment at the amp and/or use of the tone knob on the guitar.

Now I have a 60s-style Player from ‘06. The pickups sound a little warmer and more balanced overall vs the newer more modern ‘18 player. I expect the pickups are different but then again so are other things about the electronics and the fretboard wood... each little thing can have a little impact and it all adds up but overall I think the pickups are pretty good in both guitars. I haven’t thought of replacing them.

 

[grungychamois]

If only taking the pups in a Mexican Standard into consideration, I actually prefer the pups in the Classic Vibe Strats from Squier. Moving up the Fender line, much better pups than both to be had, even at very reasonable cost.

 

[Gooseteeth]

These pups are great. Also a great middle pup sound. Plenty versatile and not lacking in high end