Fender SCN pickup opinions

[RockinProf]

Hi all,

Managed to find a US Deluxe Strat for a steal of a price. Acoustically it's phenomenal and it plays like a dream. I've already got a Gotoh 510TS-SF1 on the way to swap with the factory bridge to kick it up a notch. At the same time the pickups are very good, but not great. They're the Fender SCNs done by Bill Lawerence. I just restrung it and with locking tuners I don't want to just trash the strings after a couple hours of play wear, but from a peak under the pickguard it looks like all factory solder points.

Does anyone have experience with these pups? if I go to no load tone pots am I going to get more snap or just harshness? I think they have potential, but not married to them so if they just don't have it I'll go to a set of Classic Stacks or Dimarzio Areas (wife likes dimmers in the house).

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Fender SCN pickup opinions

No offense but with fender if you want “that” sound you’re going to need noise infused pickups. It’s all part of the mojo. Honestly.

I really dislike that stacked single coil sound

It doesn’t fool anybody and just sounds like a weak single coil sized humbucker

Really, I even dislike the tone Clapton gets from them.

If Hendrix and page did fine with traditional single coils we will too.


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[Adieu]

Re: Fender SCN pickup opinions

Just get CS69's or Fat 50s if you want true single sparkle, use the RWRP pos 2 & 4 or add a rail or stack to bridge if you want a noiseless option

 

[Golem]

Re: Fender SCN pickup opinions

Lawrence wasn’t happy with the way Fender ended up changing the SCN design. Clapton did not use SCNs. He used the Fender Elite, his signature with lace sensors, and now the fender noiseless which are the worst of the three but which sound good except in the notch positions.


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[Mincer]

Re: Fender SCN pickup opinions

See, the Classic Stacks are my favorite Strat pickups. Everything I like and nothing I don't.

 

[RockinProf]

Re: Fender SCN pickup opinions

This thread kinda went sideways. My question was actually about what the SCN pickups sound like if the tone pots went to no-load (freed up more top end). For context, I've got other strats that are true singles(mostly APS IIs), but there's a lot of noise at my house due to dimmers and electronic pollution. Playing out the band mix covers up the noise, so not a huge deal. This guitar is super comfortable and kind of bought it as a top quality rehearsal guitar. So I totally get that noiseless is a compromise, but looking for the least amount of compromise.

So, has anyone tried no load tone pots or say 1 meg tone pots with Fender SCN pickups? If so how does it alter the top end? Willing to give a few low effort mods a try before I go to something that reviews well.

Thanks!