Fender pickups

[Inflames626]

Hi guys,
I'm the usual metal EMG 81 type guy who is thinking about branching out into more vintage territory, especially with Lace Sensors and Fender custom shop stuff.

Are Fender's custom shop line of pickups the same as what they would put in their American deluxe models? The idea is to put the nice pickups into cheap guitars, as I'm sure a lot of us do here. Specifically, I'm looking at their '54 single coils. Why bother with imitators when you can just buy original Fenders built to vintage specs (if not always components)?

My understanding of the tiering of most manufacturers' product lines is progressively more complex electronics at each price point. This might be a big deal for someone with no electronics experience who wants a lot of switching options, but if a person can buy the actual pickups from the deluxe models and put them in something else themselves, I see no reason why one should be handcuffed to buying an American deluxe model just for better electronics (wood preferences, subjectivity, etc., aside--only talking electronics here).

Thanks.

[LReese]

Re: Fender pickups

I would not call any one of the pickup builders imitators. It could be the cheap product might fill your specs to a T. The small winders in my experience tend to bend over backwards to please you.

Fender does make nice pickups - these days I tend to go with whatever's stock with a few exceptions. I tend to think Fender Custom Shop is = to Seymour's production stuff quality wise - coils might be machine wound, but there's a heap of hand-lovin TLC involved. Specs could vary a little and that's where you might find tonal nirvana if you are picky enough and willing to try enough pickups.

I don't think unless you are going masterbuilt you will get handwound pickups.

If you're buying replacement pickups - the 'Ol SSL-1 is not a bad place to start. I have a Jackson from the 80s that came with them stock and it did have something special going on. Unfortuately bad things happened in the hands of a teenager and well... I'm thinking it will soon live again in stock form.

[Inflames626]

Re: Fender pickups

I would not call any one of the pickup builders imitators. It could be the cheap product might fill your specs to a T. The small winders in my experience tend to bend over backwards to please you.

Fender does make nice pickups - these days I tend to go with whatever's stock with a few exceptions. I tend to think Fender Custom Shop is = to Seymour's production stuff quality wise - coils might be machine wound, but there's a heap of hand-lovin TLC involved. Specs could vary a little and that's where you might find tonal nirvana if you are picky enough and willing to try enough pickups.

I don't think unless you are going masterbuilt you will get handwound pickups.

If you're buying replacement pickups - the 'Ol SSL-1 is not a bad place to start. I have a Jackson from the 80s that came with them stock and it did have something special going on. Unfortuately bad things happened in the hands of a teenager and well... I'm thinking it will soon live again in stock form.

Thanks Reese.

I'm not saying they're cheap imitators. More like most things that manufacturers make now days are based off of old Gibson and Fender designs to varying degrees. Fender singles and Gibson PAFs are points of reference for everything. As far as aftermarket makers, they might even be improvements, like back in the 70s and 80s when SD and DiMarzio were basically improving Fender and Gibson stuff as boutique quality stuff then mass producing/selling it for the working musician. But I'm interested in trying to match the old stuff without paying for fluff like handwound that jacks up the price (and adds a degree of unwanted margin of error).

I wouldn't choose a Fender if I were going with metal or anything, but since I'm trying to find the most original, true to vintage design I can get (I don't even like new, noiseless singles, as they don't sound close enough to the originals for my tastes).

Since I mainly record, a little noise from singles wouldn't bother me since I'd be playing enough notes to cover the sound. But, yeah, under hot lights or something, I'd be worried about noise. Most aftermarket singles I've tried, while they sounded okay as far as being clean, just didn't sound single coil-ish enough to me. I might as well have been using an EMG 60, SD Jazz, or DiMarzio PAF Pro humbucker in the neck or something, albeit at lower volume due to the singles having less output.

[LReese]

Re: Fender pickups

I wouldn't choose a Fender if I were going with metal or anything, but since I'm trying to find the most original, true to vintage design I can get (I don't even like new, noiseless singles, as they don't sound close enough to the originals for my tastes).

I think that's the issue - they're all over the map. In those days they were a completely handmade product so there's an element of variation. Add to that evolution, like magnet types.

I would not say for a minute Fender's 54 is true to vintage design. Its based on vintage design, so its in the ballpark. Suhr has 3 models based on actual vintage pickups from the sixties.

I remember a chart Seymour made that showed average specs from the fifties up to the early '80s.

Several years back, I bought a Fender '54'RI without original pickups - I went through about a dozen sets (Including various Suhrs and Duncans) before settling on the one that fit. Not sure you want to go through all that but if you are picky you might wind up doing just that.

Some of the small winders might do handwinding for a reasonable up charge. Its not really winding by hand, just guiding the wire by hand, just like was done in the '50s/60s.

[Inflames626]

Re: Fender pickups

I think that's the issue - they're all over the map. In those days they were a completely handmade product so there's an element of variation. Add to that evolution, like magnet types.

I would not say for a minute Fender's 54 is true to vintage design. Its based on vintage design, so its in the ballpark. Suhr has 3 models based on actual vintage pickups from the sixties.

I remember a chart Seymour made that showed average specs from the fifties up to the early '80s.

Several years back, I bought a Fender '54'RI without original pickups - I went through about a dozen sets (Including various Suhrs and Duncans) before settling on the one that fit. Not sure you want to go through all that but if you are picky you might wind up doing just that.

Some of the small winders might do handwinding for a reasonable up charge. Its not really winding by hand, just guiding the wire by hand, just like was done in the '50s/60s.

Thanks again, Reese.

I was always kind of suspicious of handwiring, if only because it made each pickup unique based upon operator error. I mean, yeah, you get some gems, but you also get some duds. I feel more comfortable knowing that a model I have is right on spec because if I want to buy the same set again I know I'll get exactly the same tone.

And I guess I should rephrase. I'm not looking for exactly the same pickups as a 50s Strat, but, out of current production models, the one that sounds closest without sounding simply like a clean neck humbucker at half volume in a single coil housing.

Have you tried the Lace Sensor Golds? Of all the pickups I've heard but not tried myself, those sound awesome, and they're not very expensive, either.

[Inflames626]

Re: Fender pickups

And, I guess back to the original question:

The custom shop line of pickups is pretty much the same as what you'd get in an American deluxe, minus advanced wiring options?

[jmh151]

Re: Fender pickups

Lace Sensor Golds- I have them in my Clapton strat. They sound great with the Clapton electronics and mid boost, but no one seems to care for them on their own

[Inflames626]

Re: Fender pickups

Lace Sensor Golds- I have them in my Clapton strat. They sound great with the Clapton electronics and mid boost, but no one seems to care for them on their own

JMH, are those the vintage ones that they put in Fenders stock in the 80s, or the ones they're making now? They have the regular line and then a vintage reissue line that is supposed to be identical to the ones they had when they had the deal with Fender.

[jmh151]

Re: Fender pickups

JMH, are those the vintage ones that they put in Fenders stock in the 80s, or the ones they're making now? They have the regular line and then a vintage reissue line that is supposed to be identical to the ones they had when they had the deal with Fender.

I have the original Lace Sensor golds in my Clapton strat that Lace made for Fender, before Fender switched to the Fender Noiseless pickups. At a point Fender stopped using Lace pickups on their guitars, and Lace continued to manufacture and sell them.

The Vintage sensors are a new design, not reissues of the 80s lace sensors

[Inflames626]

Re: Fender pickups

Ah okay. I thought these were simply reissuing the 80s versions.

http://www.lacemusic.com/S100.php

[LReese]

Re: Fender pickups

Looks like the American Deluxe has the N3 pickups.

If I needed noiseless, I'd use single coils and if I needed noiseless I'd spring for an Ilitch pickguard - or - use Seymour's Vintage Rails/Duckbuckers.

Lace Gold with the Clapton preamp is nice or the Lace Hot Gold if going passive is a good choice - a little less attack but another close enough for me situation.

[Chickenwings]

Re: Fender pickups

CS54's are nice pickups. I like fat 50's too - and texas specials. There's is others i prefer, but in the end they will all do the job for you. Regardless of brand, it really comes down to which model of pickup gives you the subtleties you require personally.

[GilmourD]

Re: Fender pickups

And, I guess back to the original question:

The custom shop line of pickups is pretty much the same as what you'd get in an American deluxe, minus advanced wiring options?

American Deluxe Fenders have always had Noiseless pickups in them (Vintage Noiseless, Samarium Cobalt Noiseless, N3), so I'm not sure why you keep bringing them up in regards to the Custom Shop line of pickups.

[GilmourD]

Re: Fender pickups

Ah okay. I thought these were simply reissuing the 80s versions.

http://www.lacemusic.com/S100.php

The Gold, Silver, Red, and Blue on this page are what Fender was using back in the day. These are just those pickups relabled.

http://www.lacemusic.com/sensors.php

[dotsdad]

Re: Fender pickups

American Deluxe Fenders have always had Noiseless pickups in them (Vintage Noiseless, Samarium Cobalt Noiseless, N3), so I'm not sure why you keep bringing them up in regards to the Custom Shop line of pickups.

The new American Standards (not Deluxe) have Custom Shop Fat 50's pickups.