Finding specific Strat pickup sound

[Sjoerd1234]

hey guys,

I need some pickup tone help. So i'm looking for new pickups for my strat and there's a very
specific neck pickup tone I like to aquire but I just can't seem to pinpoint or describe it well.
My eric johnson strat really doesn't have it, though it kinda comes close.
A friends strat played in the same amp does have the tone. It's really hard to describe but when a
strat has it you can hear it with just a single note played. I would describe it as that tubey
(I mean litteraly tube as in hollow pipe), hollow maybe, warm neck pickup yuuuuuuuuwwwh sound.
Some strats have it, others that don't i would give a tone description as more flat.

These are some videos i found where the strat has the tone I mean. Keep the distortion, overdrive or clean settings out of the equation:
This 65 definitly has it. You can definitly hear it at 5:15-5:30.
https://youtu.be/jX3DuS2Ak3g?t=5m15s

This strat has the tone aswell, mainly at 3:19-3:30.
https://youtu.be/2UPNGQQ_QRI?t=3m19s

I'd say the strat in the video has the tone aswell, talking about the cleaner neck pickup parts at 0:32-0:38
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pfcZouZDNg

This one has the tone at 2:08-2:30
https://youtu.be/eZDwTTBIzg0?t=2m8s

Nice tone aswell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e25oEL37DE

mainly first 20 seconds. This guy has the tone, in the video it sounds more SRV like but the tone is hiding under there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpycdP3ijgk


And here is a video with a strat that specifically does not have the tone:
This is an EJ strat which sounds like mine. It does not have the tone as you can hear at 2:48-3:04.
https://youtu.be/oUlOKW09R08?t=2m48s

Funny thing this is a 65 aswell but it sounds different than the 65 on the other video. It just sound more flat, yeah flat comes to mind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3-D76RtREU

I can't seem to find a word for that tone. Is it mid scooped or is it the opposite, is it early or late 60's? Is it low wind or high wind? Is it called chime?
Antiquity's II surfer or psychedelic strat pickups maybe?

thanks!

 

[Mincer]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

Welcome to the forum!

Man, I hate that guy in the first 2 videos. But that being said, my thought is that the Antiquity II Surfer is that sound. It is more of an early 60s chime thing going on, but a little thicker. Interesting as I don't hear hum at all.

 

[Sjoerd1234]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

Welcome to the forum!

Man, I hate that guy in the first 2 videos. But that being said, my thought is that the Antiquity II Surfer is that sound. It is more of an early 60s chime thing going on, but a little thicker. Interesting as I don't hear hum at all.

Thanks! I really hope you understand what I mean. It's so hard to describe...

 

[TVFV]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

Welcome to the forum!

Man, I hate that guy in the first 2 videos. But that being said, my thought is that the Antiquity II Surfer is that sound. It is more of an early 60s chime thing going on, but a little thicker. Interesting as I don't hear hum at all.

You don't like Phil X!??!?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[Sjoerd1234]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

I'm curious about some other opinions. Do you understand what tone I mean and where do you think it can be found?

I find the first video I posted 5:15-5:30 really a great example of the tone I want
here's the link again: https://youtu.be/jX3DuS2Ak3g?t=5m15s
This one aswell:
https://youtu.be/eZDwTTBIzg0?t=2m8s

And this 2:48-3:04 the tone I do NOT want which I currently have:
https://youtu.be/oUlOKW09R08?t=2m48s

I find the Antiquity II Surfer videos on Youtube incredibly unclear and vague. There really aren't any good demos around.
And the psychedlics strat pickups have no content at all anywhere. Just that one video from SD themselves.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

Man, I hate that guy in the first 2 videos.

Me too. He couldn't be more stupid and annoying.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

You don't like Phil X!??!?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Right!!! How do you NOT like Phil X??

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

To me, that's a pretty generic strat sound that can be attained (for the most part) with righthand twchnique and pretty much any low wind single coil. Hell, I've gotten close with a basswood bodied squier sporting the stock 5k ceramics.

 

[Sjoerd1234]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

To me, that's a pretty generic strat sound that can be attained (for the most part) with righthand technique and pretty much any low wind single coil. Hell, I've gotten close with a basswood bodied squier sporting the stock 5k ceramics.

Thanks for your reply. I would say this makes the choice easier. I do feel some strats don't have the tone. My Eric johnsons hasn't and I believe those pickups are based on vintage 50's?
Would you say a choice between early 60's pickups (say antiquity II surfers) and late 60's (say Psychedelic Strat or CS69's) would not matter so much to achieve the tone? Both are Alnico V pickups

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

To me, that's a pretty generic strat sound that can be attained (for the most part) with righthand twchnique and pretty much any low wind single coil. Hell, I've gotten close with a basswood bodied squier sporting the stock 5k ceramics.

+1 on the right hand technique,that is a big factor.
It is a pretty standard strat tone, but the gear makes a difference too and how you use it.
It really depends a lot on your amp. If you want it in spades then "tubey" is exactly the right word because you need to have a fender amp of the blackface variety and have it running hot enough so that the compression comes from the power tubes rather than the preamp.
Also (and i know a lot of folks will not only disagree but howl me down for saying it) I reckon the texas special neck pickup is stellar for that overdriven tubey neck pickup sound. For sure there are more chimey pickups for real clean tones, but wind up the amp and youll see what the texas specials are best at.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

The differences in those vids seem more down to amp+recording more than anything.....and yes, the player too.

But if you want the fuller strat tone rather than the lively bouncy tone, then the ssl1 or 2 with its more turns and fatter tone will probably be one of the best choices do what you want.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

I think you'd be fine with either set, to be frank. Just play with the heights and the way you pick and you should be able to get a lot of that sound with either. I can get that sound with my basswood MIJ 62RI loaded with Albert Lee pickups (low output, small polepiece alnico II's) and with a Godin SD that has a Fast Track 1 in the neck and a stock Godin ceramic in the middle as well as with my brother's Squier Std strat with the stock ceramic pickups. Interesringly enough, the "strattiest" of my strats, a '77 ash body with a maple Am Std neck has a hard time getting that sound. It's loaded with an EMG DG-20 pickguard.

 

[Sjoerd1234]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

+1 on the right hand technique,that is a big factor.
It is a pretty standard strat tone, but the gear makes a difference too and how you use it.
It really depends a lot on your amp. If you want it in spades then "tubey" is exactly the right word because you need to have a fender amp of the blackface variety and have it running hot enough so that the compression comes from the power tubes rather than the preamp.
Also (and i know a lot of folks will not only disagree but howl me down for saying it) I reckon the texas special neck pickup is stellar for that overdriven tubey neck pickup sound. For sure there are more chimey pickups for real clean tones, but wind up the amp and youll see what the texas specials are best at.

All right, I have a 67 blackface that shouldn't be a problem. About Texas specials I do feel they are really bright sounding. Almost sharp to my ears. But I'll take a look at them again.

The differences in those vids seem more down to amp+recording more than anything.....and yes, the player too.

But if you want the fuller strat tone rather than the lively bouncy tone, then the ssl1 or 2 with its more turns and fatter tone will probably be one of the best choices do what you want.

Would you say the tone I want is really fat? Not bouncy? God these terms about describing strat sounds really make no sense to me at all... Can you give me an example of a lively bouncy strat neck pickups sound and a fat neck pickup sound?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

The tone you are looking for isn't fat. It is a very typical idealized Strat tone. I think the Surfers nail it, but you can probably get there with SSL-1 or -2 as well.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

All right, I have a 67 blackface that shouldn't be a problem. About Texas specials I do feel they are really bright sounding. Almost sharp to my ears. But I'll take a look at them again.


Would you say the tone I want is really fat? Not bouncy? God these terms about describing strat sounds really make no sense to me at all... Can you give me an example of a lively bouncy strat neck pickups sound and a fat neck pickup sound?

I'm merely giving names to the tones I hear in the videos you say are what you want and not what you want.
But thats the amp as much as anything.....blackface low volume clean is very bouncy. Get it more cranked and it gets fatter with the same pickup.....and less treble on the dial helps too.

 

[Sjoerd1234]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

The tone you are looking for isn't fat. It is a very typical idealized Strat tone. I think the Surfers nail it, but you can probably get there with SSL-1 or -2 as well.

Thanks. I am convinced pickups make the difference. I played a strat last week with the same neck and frets as mine and it did sound exactly the way I want

 

[freefrog]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

hey guys,

I need some pickup tone help. So i'm looking for new pickups for my strat and there's a very
specific neck pickup tone I like to aquire but I just can't seem to pinpoint or describe it well.
My eric johnson strat really doesn't have it, though it kinda comes close.
A friends strat played in the same amp does have the tone. It's really hard to describe but when a
strat has it you can hear it with just a single note played. I would describe it as that tubey
(I mean litteraly tube as in hollow pipe), hollow maybe, warm neck pickup yuuuuuuuuwwwh sound.
Some strats have it, others that don't i would give a tone description as more flat.

These are some videos i found where the strat has the tone I mean. Keep the distortion, overdrive or clean settings out of the equation:
This 65 definitly has it. You can definitly hear it at 5:15-5:30.
https://youtu.be/jX3DuS2Ak3g?t=5m15s

This strat has the tone aswell, mainly at 3:19-3:30.
https://youtu.be/2UPNGQQ_QRI?t=3m19s

I'd say the strat in the video has the tone aswell, talking about the cleaner neck pickup parts at 0:32-0:38
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pfcZouZDNg

This one has the tone at 2:08-2:30
https://youtu.be/eZDwTTBIzg0?t=2m8s

Nice tone aswell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e25oEL37DE

mainly first 20 seconds. This guy has the tone, in the video it sounds more SRV like but the tone is hiding under there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpycdP3ijgk


And here is a video with a strat that specifically does not have the tone:
This is an EJ strat which sounds like mine. It does not have the tone as you can hear at 2:48-3:04.
https://youtu.be/oUlOKW09R08?t=2m48s

Funny thing this is a 65 aswell but it sounds different than the 65 on the other video. It just sound more flat, yeah flat comes to mind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3-D76RtREU

I can't seem to find a word for that tone. Is it mid scooped or is it the opposite, is it early or late 60's? Is it low wind or high wind? Is it called chime?
Antiquity's II surfer or psychedelic strat pickups maybe?

thanks!

In my understanding, what you're searching is a tonal response with a "high Q factor": in this case, the "resonant peak" of the pickup(s) is narrow and pointy enough to make it sound "tubey" - while a "low Q factor" produces exactly what you say: a flatter sound, more even across the audio range.

If this reading of your requests is correct, you may find what you want in any low DCR / A5 rods / PE wire Strat PU in the late 60's style: those with grey bottom baseplates, in most cases (Fender CS69 or any boutique pickup with the same specs like the Duncan Psychedelic evoked in your links).

BTW, if memory serves me, your EJ Strat features A3 mags : A5 is a better way to achieve what I'm talking about.
Now, the Q factor of any pickup can be tweaked to some extent thanks to the value of the pots used: higher resistance = higher Q factor. Try 500k pots in your EJ Strat and see what happens (if it's too bright, it's always possible to tame the high range without lowering the Q factor, thanks to some "high capacitance" cable).

FWIW. Good luck in your quest.

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

Welcome to the forum, I wish more posts asking for pickups had as many similar reference tones as your did.

Like most have said here, what you're looking for is a pretty 'standard' vintage strat tone, and can be achieved by many pickups. SSL-1's, the psychedelics you linked etc. A lot of it is in how you attack the strat as well.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

Yeah, I think the sound has a lot to do with how the strings are attacked. Standard strat stuff, although I don't play my strat that way

 

[Sjoerd1234]

Re: Finding specific Strat pickup sound

Yeah, I think the sound has a lot to do with how the strings are attacked. Standard strat stuff, although I don't play my strat that way

Well I played different starts myself past week. One had the sound, one didn't. The same playing style was applied