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Most 'time period accurate' Hendrix Strat pick ups.

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  • Most 'time period accurate' Hendrix Strat pick ups.

    I know Hendrix play'ed several Strats (and many other guitars)
    I want to take the hot ceramic (Squire pick ups) units out of my partscaster.
    It feels like 13K humbuckers.
    IF i want something that is a lot more touch sensitive than the above mentioned stock Squire ceramic (with extra base plate magnets on all three) units, that will be as close to Hendrix's 1960's Strats, what is out there today ?
    Formerly known as; SirJackdeFuzz (7400+ posts)

  • #2
    Anything is better than hot ceramic single coils. He played pre and post CBS Strats, although live was a lot of post CBS because he could get them.

    I really like the Fender CS69, they are bright and clear, very dynamic and sound great with a fuzz face. However, I also like the SSL-1s, they are fatter and warmer but still sound excellent for Jimi tones. In the Duncan world I think the Psychedelic pickups are similar to the late 60’s gray bottom strat pickups, you could try those too. Duncan also has the Hendrix signature pickups, but I’m still not sure what they really are based on.
    Oh no.....


    Oh Yeah!

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    • #3
      He had a dozen or so Strats over the time, but the oldest ones (Carol and Saville) seem to be 1964. All other seem to be younger, therefore up to 1968. There only one that should be 1969, because he bought it in July 1970 at Mannys NY.
      So it pretty safe to say they have to be Plain Enamel wound, Alnico 5 staggered, south up, and with a DCR 5.8 to 5.9 k ohms, grey/ black flatwork.

      So i say Fender Pure ˋ65

      Last edited by hamerfan; 05-04-2021, 08:35 AM.
      I get the feeling the A8 will blow your skirt up more so - Edgecrusher

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      • #4
        the fender cs 69 or pure 65 should be right there. i think the 65 is a bit hotter than the 69. i love the ssl1 but thats a little beefy for what hendrix used most of the time. im sure the psychedelic strat pups are great. i have a set of the duncan hendrix pups and ive been playing them a lot. i did move the tone control to the bridge so i can tame some of the high end as i do on most of my strats. kinda cool that the magnets are reverse staggered so its more like what hendrix would have had due to flipping the guitar. not better or worse, just a little different.

        any of the pups mentioned here will be a huge improvement over what you have. these are all low output bright single coils, when i say the ssl1 is beefy, thats only compared to these other even lower output thinner sounding pups. many people find the ssl1 is too wimpy in the bridge if they arent used to a vintage strat.

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        • #5
          Of course, there is the Hendrix signature set. Any perioid-correct 60s pickups will certainly be a little pricey. The Antiquity II set replicates an early 60s sound, too.
          Administrator of the SDUGF

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          • #6
            Most of the pickup sets you're going to be recommended may cost about as much as the guitar

            A fun, easy, cheap project you could try first is to remove the ceramic magnet and poles and replace them with proper alnico poles.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by jeremy View Post
              the fender cs 69 or pure 65 should be right there. i think the 65 is a bit hotter than the 69. i love the ssl1 but thats a little beefy for what hendrix used most of the time. im sure the psychedelic strat pups are great. i have a set of the duncan hendrix pups and ive been playing them a lot. i did move the tone control to the bridge so i can tame some of the high end as i do on most of my strats. kinda cool that the magnets are reverse staggered so its more like what hendrix would have had due to flipping the guitar. not better or worse, just a little different.

              any of the pups mentioned here will be a huge improvement over what you have. these are all low output bright single coils, when i say the ssl1 is beefy, thats only compared to these other even lower output thinner sounding pups. many people find the ssl1 is too wimpy in the bridge if they arent used to a vintage strat.
              So what do the Hendrix sound like? What are they built most similar to?
              Oh no.....


              Oh Yeah!

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              • #8
                for cheap really good pups, a used set of ssl1 is hard to beat. swapping the magnets like in the video can totally be done, ive never had it go as easily as in the video. i have a set of odd size fender jazz pups and those damn ceramic magnets do not wanna come off the bottom.

                they are #42 formvar and all like 5.8k or so. they are bright, scooped and spanky. the bridge is very thin and sharp but with the tone control you can tame the high end. the reverse stagger sounded a little weird at first but ive gotten used to it. they sound kinda like a mid/late 60s strat pup as you would might expect for a hendrix pup. they work great with my sunface, soul bender, fulltone mas malo, and keely blacktop. i think most people would really like the neck and middle pups, a 5.8k bridge pup isnt for everyone

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                • #9
                  Considering Seymour used to wind Jimi's pickups himself I'd bet the signature set would be as close to it gets. The loaded pickguard is on my wish list.

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                  • #10
                    these are supposedly the same thing that seymour gave to jimmy and put in one of his guitars. they sound very hendrixy. seymour has always kept meticulous notes so im sure he could look up exactly what he did

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by esandes View Post
                      Considering Seymour used to wind Jimi's pickups himself I'd bet the signature set would be as close to it gets. The loaded pickguard is on my wish list.
                      I think that statement is a bit generous. It’s seems to be closer to “Seymour wound a set for Jimi one time”. Roger Mayer said:

                      Although Hendrix used a custom string gauge, Mayer certainly didn't mess with the stock pickups in his Strats. He didn't feel the need.

                      "When I was working for the government, we had access to certain kinds of equipment. We were encouraged to have a hobby, so I went through all the different number of turns you could have on a pickup very quickly, right from square one. I wound up a whole range of pickups.

                      "Basically, what became very apparent with pickups is exactly what I thought before we started: They really don't make much difference! I would say they're one of the most vastly overrated parts of the guitar itself. If you understand electronics, you understand that as the inductance of the pickup increases—that is, as the number of turns on the pickup increases—all that happens is you get a larger output, and you effectively get less high-frequency response due to the fact that the inductance of the pickups rises. It's a trade-off.

                      "And after making several experiments, which probably covered all the number of pickup turns that are available now, I came to the conclusion that Leo probably had it about right! There wasn't much to be gained by deviating from the 7,000 turns or so on a regular pickup."
                      Jimi's right-hand man dishes on what made Hendrix's custom string gauges so important, and why guitar pickups "really don't make much difference" to the sound




                      Oh no.....


                      Oh Yeah!

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                      • #12
                        i dont agree with roger with a bunch of things in that quote and its not the first time ive seen him quoted with things that i have not found to be true in my experience

                        They really don't make much difference! I would say they're one of the most vastly overrated parts of the guitar itself
                        thats bs

                        There wasn't much to be gained by deviating from the 7,000 turns or so on a regular pickup
                        when leo was with fender they were putting about 8k turns or more on strat pups and even after he left, they never dropped to 7.5k, let alone 7k turns

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                        • #13
                          Although I can't dismiss the opinion that pickups have little to no impact on the signal chain, I would disagree.

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                          • #14
                            I've gotten Hendrix tones out of low wind 6k-7k 60s type singles and out of 7-10k Tex Mex / Texas Hot types. It works a bit better with the lower 6k types, but just changing the amp or amp settings can counteract the differences to a degree, enough to make that music.

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                            • #15
                              I don't think Mayer is too far off base . . . as it pertains to the audience. They came to hear the musician. Not the equipment.

                              But as it pertains to the individual musician, who's trying to find their tone, it's everything.

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