Fender Humbuckers any good?

[Gerr]

I just got a Fender Blacktop Jaguar HH to use as a student guitar per the advice of my guitar teacher as my small hands are struggling with my Les Paul Studio. Apparently I need to "build" my stretch and will likely use this guitar for 6-12 months, maybe longer.

http://www.fender.com/guitars/jaguar/blacktop-jaguar-hh-rosewood-fingerboard-black

My question is are the stock pickups, which Fender calls "Hot Vintage Alnico Humbuckers" any good? I saw a review saying they have A5's in them, but Fender isn't known for making good humbucker pups that I am aware of, so wondering if these are total crap, or might be half way decent?

If you were to replace the stock pups, which SD pups would you go for and why? I will mainly play/learn on AC/DC.

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: Fender Humbuckers any good?

From the ones i've tried at GC they sounded decent enough. You may find that you like them and don't need to replace them. But if you do decide to make a change the 59 sounds like a good candidate along with the Custom 5 if you want something a bit hotter.

 

[75lespaul]

Re: Fender Humbuckers any good?

Honestly, only you can determine whether they are "any good" or not. Tone is subjective and unless you've got to worry about tone because you're jammimg with a band or recording, those pickups should serve you well until you're ready to rock some upgrades or get another guitar. If you're intent on swapping, I agree that the 59 or any other vintage voiced pickup will get you where you want to go. Now if you REALLY wanna get into Angus territory, there's the Brobucker which is often referred to as "Angus in a box" or "Iommi in a box".

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Fender Humbuckers any good?

The Fender stuff doesn't sound bad. It's generally usable, but the right Duncan always beats it.

I've tried a lot of Duncans in alder strats, and I think my favorite is probably the C/59 Hybrid. It's got mismatched coils and falls right in between a 59 and Custom 5. It's got the right amount of output and great tone.

Regular spacing works fine, but ideally you'd want to order a trem spaced pickup for a strat.

 

[Jocelyn]

Re: Fender Humbuckers any good?

I think they are decent. Of course upgrading to Duncans will give you better tone (which again is subjective). I would and suggest keeping them stock for now and upgrade them later. A 59 set is a very good choice.