Best pickups for vintage Strat tone in my 56 Relic?

[fjs1962]

I've got a great 56 Relic, a One-Off with 9.5 radius and med-jumbo frets. The stock Fender pickups actually sound great, and I'm probably crazy to even consider changing them. Still, I recently put Antiquities in a couple of VOS Les Pauls I own that, while they sounded great with the stock pickups, they went to the next level of "vintage" tone once I put in the ANts.

So Now I'm thinking of trying Antiquities in my 56 Relic Strat, but I don't know which to get. The Texas Hot set looks more like a 50s pickup with the black base and beveled magnets, but weren't mid-late 50s Strat pickups alnico 5 magnets, not the alnico 2 used in the TH Ants? The Surfers (with alnoci 5 magnets) seem like they would have more of a 50s tone, but they look like 60s pickups.

So which should sound best in my 56 Relic, which is alder with a maple neck?

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Best pickups for vintage Strat tone in my 56 Relic?

If you want vintage smooth 50's style tone stay away from hots. (Hots are great for rock tho.) I can personally recommend alnico 2 if that is the tone you are after - there is a kind of subtle "blue haze" around the notes that no other type of pup has given me.
Your guitar will only ever be a reproduction of an old guitar so don't stress too much about authentic base plates etc. Get the sound that is right for you. Alnico 5's will give you more clarity, but for sheer fun, musicality and a sense of time travel every time you pick up your axe go for 2's.

 

[fjs1962]

Re: Best pickups for vintage Strat tone in my 56 Relic?

I guess I'm just a little confused with the naming of the ANtiquity Strat pickups. On the one hand the name Texas Hot sounds like it would be a overwound, Texas Blues sort of pickup, probably suited to a 60's RW board Strat, but then in the description Seymour says it's the closest thing he makes to a vintage 50s Strat pickup. I don't mind if it's a little hotter than the typical vintage wind, but I don't want some mid-heavy Texas Special sounding pickup.

Whatever I go with, I'll probably break the norm and use the same output pickup in the bridge instead of a hot one. I've always prefered the vintage output bridge pickup on a Strat, as long as the guitar itself sounds full that seems to work fine for me.

 

[jimijames]

Re: Best pickups for vintage Strat tone in my 56 Relic?

A lot of people here (myself included) love the antiquity surfers that SD makes, if you want a **** fine vintage sounding pickup, that's the way to go. Although, it's more 60's than 50's. If you want 50's, the texas hot's are great too, but I don't know what to say for vintage 50's sound. Kinman makes a great noiseless set for that, but they cost an arm and a leg for a set.