Best pickups for Hendrix?

gnugear

gnugear

New member
I'm wondering what THE pickups set is for Hendrix.

I've got the Antiquity Texas Hots and I love the warmth ... but maybe they're a little too hot? I don't seem to have the sparkling clarity that I hear with other single coils. They sound more like SRV.

What do you think ... maybe the Antiquity surf model, or something else?

I'm going for the Band of Gypsies sound.
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

gnugear said:
I'm wondering what THE pickups set is for Hendrix.

I've got the Antiquity Texas Hots and I love the warmth ... but maybe they're a little too hot? I don't seem to have the sparkling clarity that I hear with other single coils. They sound more like SRV.

What do you think ... maybe the Antiquity surf model, or something else?

I'm going for the Band of Gypsies sound.
Click to expand...


Antiquity Surfers...if you're on a budget SSL-1's
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

yea, the surfers would probably be best........but i switched out my surfer neck pickup for the texas hot, and prefer the TH much more........ idk, seems everybody here loves the ant II surfers except for me......... i guess it just didnt jive with my guitar right or something
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

flank said:
yea, the surfers would probably be best........but i switched out my surfer neck pickup for the texas hot, and prefer the TH much more........ idk, seems everybody here loves the ant II surfers except for me......... i guess it just didnt jive with my guitar right or something
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I prefer Alnico II magnets and I like the texas Hots...but for Hendris I think the Surfers would be a bit closer.
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

yea, the Texas Hot through a vintage fender is IT for me..... i love the sound, and its very close to hendrix........ cept i guess an old marshall set clean would be the closest way to get to it
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

What's the difference between the surfers and the Texas hots?

I'm playing through a couple of plexis by the way.

Lastly, is anyone intersted in a trade?
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

the guy who invented fire said:
I prefer Alnico II magnets and I like the texas Hots...but for Hendris I think the Surfers would be a bit closer.
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Jimi used alnico 5 pickups as did SRV and anyone else who plays a Strat made before about 1975. I'd go for Duncan SSL-1's or if you can spend a little more, the Antiquity Surfers are the finest Duncan alnico 5 Strat set I've ever used. Lew
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

the surfers are A5 magnets.......which would have been what hendrix had in his....... the texas hots are A2 mags......which would make it sound warmer with more mids, as your probably know

so the surfers are the 60s sound through and through i suppose, though the one i had just sounded flat and empty in my particular strat........ the Texas Hot sounded better to me, and i guess i just naturally prefer more mids i suppose

as far as output, my surfer cames in with 6.41 k written on it, and the texas hot is 6.37...... so it actually has a little less to it than the surfer, so not a hot pickup in anyway i think

thats how i see it anyways
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

Lewguitar said:
Jimi used alnico 5 pickups as did SRV and anyone else who plays a Strat made before about 1975. I'd go for Duncan SSL-1's or if you can spend a little more, the Antiquity Surfers are the finest Duncan alnico 5 Strat set I've ever used. Lew
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true, true...That is why I don't care for most vintage Fender Strats...for me, an Strat pup with Alnico II magnets is a killer tone, a Strat pup with Alnico 5 magnets is fine but I have a heard time getting a tone that I like for myself.
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

Maybe it's the A2 mid hump that I'm hearing. Since my Marshall is pretty mid heavy the A5 might be a better match.

Is the Surfer and Texas the same wind with a different magnet ... or is it a different pickup all together? Maybe I can do the Custom 5, CC trick and just do a magnet swap?

If not I'd still be up for a neck/middle pickup trade if anyone is interested.
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

gnugear said:
Maybe it's the A2 mid hump that I'm hearing. Since my Marshall is pretty mid heavy the A5 might be a better match.

Is the Surfer and Texas the same wind with a different magnet ... or is it a different pickup all together? Maybe I can do the Custom 5, CC trick and just do a magnet swap?

If not I'd still be up for a neck/middle pickup trade if anyone is interested.
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As faras I know the coils on Ant 1 are the same as Ant 2's...but you don't do magnet swaps in a Single Coil
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

flank said:
the surfers are A5 magnets.......which would have been what hendrix had in his....... the texas hots are A2 mags......which would make it sound warmer with more mids, as your probably know

so the surfers are the 60s sound through and through i suppose, though the one i had just sounded flat and empty in my particular strat........ the Texas Hot sounded better to me, and i guess i just naturally prefer more mids i suppose

as far as output, my surfer cames in with 6.41 k written on it, and the texas hot is 6.37...... so it actually has a little less to it than the surfer, so not a hot pickup in anyway i think

thats how i see it anyways
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Actually, every Antiquity Texas Hot and Surfer is differant. Every one is a slightly differant DC Resistance which lets the seller put together a custom set. For example, some people like the neck and middle pickup to almost match. Others like the middle pickup to be stronger so it blends with the bridge pickup for a slightly throatier or stronger tone. I alwasy at least try to have the middle pickup be just a touch stronger than the neck pickup. Surfer and Texa Hot Custom bridge pickups can be anywhere from just over 9K to almost 10K.

Lew
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

Like Lew has always said, if your not real sure, you can always go with a Custom Bridge Texas Hot, and then Surfers in the neck and middle...
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

flank said:
yea, the surfers would probably be best........but i switched out my surfer neck pickup for the texas hot, and prefer the TH much more........ idk, seems everybody here loves the ant II surfers except for me......... i guess it just didnt jive with my guitar right or something
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Flank....I Love the Surfer neck and middle,but I Like either the Texas Hot or a Twangbanger in the bridge...The Surfers retain the articulation and clean sparkling tones I prefer in the neck and middle...My bridge pickup needs to be a bit warmer,not as chimey,and with a bit of extra mids...

John
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

STRATDELUXER97 said:
Flank....I Love the Surfer neck and middle,but I Like either the Texas Hot or a Twangbanger in the bridge...
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Me too...though I prefer the Texas Hot Custom to the Twangbanger. The Twangbanger is very cool too, tho!
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

Lewguitar said:
Me too...though I prefer the Texas Hot Custom to the Twangbanger. The Twangbanger is very cool too, tho!
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lew....Have you actually tryed the Twangbanger in the bridge? If so,what is it about the TH that you prefer over the TB? Is it the Tele vibe of the Twangbanger that you can do without in your strat? I think you in fact told me that?

John
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

STRATDELUXER97 said:
lew....Have you actually tryed the Twangbanger in the bridge? If so,what is it about the TH that you prefer over the TB? Is it the Tele vibe of the Twangbanger that you can do without in your strat? I think you in fact told me that?

John
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I have a Twangbanger and a set of APS-2's in one of my 57 RI Strats. I like it alot. I have not tried it with Antiquities...just the APS-2's. It's great...no complaints at all.

I just prefer the Antiquities overall to the APS-2/Twangbanger combo because they sound old to me and have more of a vintage vibe...feels more comfortable and familiar.

But I could play a gig with the APS-2's and Twangbanger and be very happy I'm sure!

Honestly though: the Surfer/Texas Hot set feels like the pickups I've been wanting ever since I started playing Strats, and that was about 1970!

Lew
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

We cant ask him which ones are best because he has been dead for quite sometime!!! :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:
 
Re: Best pickups for Hendrix?

theodie said:
We cant ask him which ones are best because he has been dead for quite sometime!!! :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:
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I guess Jimi was pretty adament about wanting to play new guitars though. And he didn't seem to mind playing those CBS era Strats that alot of us used to cringe at.

I don't think Jimi always sounded great. Sometimes his live tone was pretty brittle.

Everybody has thier favorite live Hendrix show, but for me, I liked the music I've heard from the Monteray Pop Festival best. He just seemed so happy and so on!

And so soulful too...playing all those R&B chords and Curtis Mayfield type fills.

I love that stuff!
 
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