They also have a lower overall output when compared to humbuckers and Ps. Read our chart for some inspiration, but make sure you check out some reviews and watch a couple of videos of each pickup in action, to give you a solid idea of what they sound like.
Then you can buy your ideal set, fit them to your axe, and play the night away. Good luck! The bridge pick up is the perfect pickup for surf style music IMO. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Right there your guitar has HUGE upgrade.
If you have a certain tone on mind, look to the more boutique types from Fralin, Lollar, etc. Now you have new Fender Pickups, and a beautifully sounding all tube amp.
That tone will be night and day from what you had prior!! Fender Tex Mex Strat pickups are the best value of the bunch.
Have many of the above in a junk drawer…. Don mare, and Virgil arlo pickups are in my strats, white o tones and s my tone quest is over, and am happy with my strat tone. Well worth the money and waiting times. I have had them in two guitars and find them to gritty and hot. I have a newer Strat Elite Not crazy about the stock pickups.
My band plays a bit of everything — rock, pop, Motown, country. No heavy metal. So I need an awesome warm clean … but something that can get dirty too Zep, Aerosmith, Santana, etc.
ALL suggestions welcomed and very much appreciated. To make it short… I bought a Mexican strat, and I installed area 58 67 61 Di Marzios loaded pick guard from D Cristal clear tone. But very far from classic strat tone. Finally I sold my loaded Di Marzio pick guard set and I simply bought used Squier strat classic vibe 50s pick ups on Reverb And problem solved.
Is alnico 3. So you better set them close to the strings. A Stratocaster in particular, as previously mentioned has 3. The classic setup for a Fender Stratocaster is a trio of single-coil PAF pickups with the phase and polarity reversed between each.
This means the middle pickup should be reverse wound so they don't affect each other's fields negatively and any hum is canceled out. This helps prevent the guitar from feeding, as single-coil pickups are very direct and are prone to picking up background electrical activity. This set-up allows for 5-way switching, giving you a good range of vintage Strat sounds from their recognizable bright twangs to their grittier driven ends. Typically, the bridge pickup will be wound with a higher density to give it higher output capabilities.
From today's selection, we would wager the Tex-Mex set are a great affordable option that gives you a diverse set of tones to create your own sounds. Obviously, they won't compare with a set of Fender Custom Shop, or of Eric Johnson's but that's pretty much a given.
Short answer no, not without modifying your pickup placements to accommodate a fat Strat configuration which can wreck your body if it isn't already a model suitable for an HSS setup.
However, as demonstrated with the Seymour Duncan pickup, there are humbuckers out there made to fit a single-coil slot. That gives your guitar tones some Gibson-like gumption. A fresh set of pickups can really transform any guitar and give it a new lease of life, even if it isn't actually a Stratocaster but a Strat inspired off-brand. Pickup installation is fairly hassle-free and the range of Strat PUP options on the market is pretty tempting, to say the least.
As long as you are familiar with the general rules of thumb regarding neck mid and bridge configurations, and have a little wiring know-how, you should find yourself a happy-shopper.
If you're looking to emulate a specific sound or genre, you might want to consider looking into some of the Fender's signature sound series sets inspired by, and even brainstormed and developed with, some of music's most notable guitarists.
Though the single-coil set-up hasn't changed drastically since Leo Fender introduced the Strat in many different sounds can be achieved - it's all down to the winding. If you've enjoyed this review by Music Critic , please leave a positive rating: 3. Bad Hmmm Oke Good! We are proud to provide impartial reviews, helping you find new bands and artists and the best musical instruments and equipment for your money. You support us through our independently chosen links, which may earn us a commission.
Learn more about us here or meet the writers. Find out about our Product Rating process and policies here. You just can't beat the classics. Copyright - MusicCritic , all rights reserved. Fender Tex-Mex Strat Pickups 3. What is the Best Pickup for a Strat? Conclusion If you've enjoyed this review by Music Critic, please leave a positive rating:. At a glance: Our top 3 picks. Great tonality. Quality manufacturing. Click here for price. Hot distortion. Jimmie Vaughn vibes. Range of tonal qualities.
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For those more interested in a thicker, heavier sound, the Cali '50s aren't your best bet. The EQ bend of this set leans high, giving preference to treble frequencies with scooped midrange.
While the Antiquity II Surfer set has some similarities to the '50s single coils, the Surfers are a little brighter, with a higher DCR rating on the bridge pickup. They have more "pluck" and "twang", giving them almost a country, finger-picking feel. Clean, sparkling lead is the best home for this set, similar to the tone you'd expect from a John Frusciante Stratocaster. Even on higher gain settings the response isn't bad, especially if we're still talking about high-register lead. Tremolo picking, bends, hammer-ons, and vibrato all have a really nice sound and feel with these pickups.
All of those movements sound clear, bluesy, and are a bit more addictive to play. With staggered and aged Alnico 5 magnets, everything about this pickup set is distinctly '60s and perfect for any and all playing styles that lean into vintage blues or classic rock. This makes them the most expensive set on this list, which is partly why we don't like them as much as the California set. Though similar to the California set, the Antiquity single coil pickups have a little more midrange and less treble.
Seymour Duncan's Hot Rails Stratocaster set is a great option if you want to make your Strat more versatile. It uses a high output ceramic magnet which let you get heavier with higher gain levels or quieter when you dial back into softer, more subtle playing. Ceramic magnets in a Stratocaster give off a tone that's very similar to what you heard out of the Seattle grunge scene in the early '90s.
Most of this demo is recorded with a fairly high amount of gain, which is a strength of the Hot Rails design. You can still get that twang and "quack" that we've noticed in other sets, but it's a little smoother and adds some thickness that works well with the higher gain.
It's a great compromise for those wanting a heavier tone, but like the vintage appeal of the Stratocaster. Flickr Commons image via Slowdawn. In other words, they're both heavy and bluesy, ideal for lead and heavier rhythm playing. For fans of the Strat that want the option to get a little heavier, this is a great mod. Compared to the vintage sets we covered earlier, the Hot Rails are a much heavier set, providing more output and warmth. From an EQ perspective they emphasize more low-end and midrange.
Fender's Texas Special pickup set does an amazing job of bringing out the snap and bluesy draw of your pick or finger-picking technique. In that regard it's similar to the Antiquity set, but a little smoother and less glassy. It has some dirt to it and some really subtle aggression that tips its hat to Stevie Ray Vaughan's playing style and tone.
Image via Wikimedia Commons. They're a great set for blues or country fans and have some added appeal if you're more of a lead guitar player. Though pricing varies depending on the retailer, Fender Custom Shop pickups are usually a lot less than the Seymour Duncan Strat sets.
The Texas Special set in particular has a lot more "quack" in the response, similar to the California set. Again, think Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar tone. It's smoother and warmer than other vintage sets, but still has plenty of "snap" and puts a lot of emphasis on the right-hand movements.
Like the Fishman humbuckers we recommend for Les Paul electrics , their Stratocaster single coil set uses the same stacked coil technology.
It sounds like a cross between the smooth, full-bodied tone of an active pickup and the bell-like sparkling tone of a passive single coil. While the single coils are voiced a little higher for Stratocaster playing styles, they sound fantastic in just about all circumstances, even with heavy gain.
You're getting the sparkling high-end of a single coil set without sacrificing the smoothness and low-end strength of humbuckers. If you want the ultimate in Stratocaster versatility, this is probably the set I'd recommend above all the others. They're arguably the best Strat pickups available, so we don't mind this price at all. Fishman's technology gives you a blend of tones that's both bright and sparkling, as well as warm and heavy.
It's a strange blend of passive and active pickup tones that is completely unique, giving your Stratocaster a lot of versatility. This is one of Fender's most classically-voiced Stratocaster pickup sets, producing a lot of brightness on the high end with an almost glassy resonance.
We like these for Stratocaster purists who want a really high quality tone that is distinctly Fender and reminiscent of '60s rock and roll. It's not punchy, but you do get some warmth that comes out pretty clearly on the neck pickup. Most conventional Stratocaster pickups are made up of single coil magnetic polls, usually in groups of three; one for the bridge, middle and neck positions.
They produce a brighter and more bluesy tone, though come in a lot of different variations that can handle higher or lower gain levels. Telecaster pickups are similar in that they use a single coil design, though are a bit warmer and shaped differently to fit the Telecaster bridge and body type.
Stratocaster pickups, especially some of the original designs, are voiced with a vintage tone that's more often used by lead guitar players who want to cut through a mix. Even the Stratocaster single coil pickups with a heavier tone are still going to have a crispness and bluesy quality to them.
While some Strat pickups are designed for deeper tones and heavier gain levels, they aren't known for those tone qualities. Players who prefer a lighter, more vintage-leaning tone will find Stratocaster pickups to be best suited to their style. Most of the Fender brand Stratocaster pickups are going to be good for blues tones, though the same could be said of the Seymour Duncan sets.
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