Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

[zozoe29]

Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

They are rated at a similar 9.5/9.7k output in the bridge, and 7.5 & 6.3k for the mid & neck, respectively. Both being slightly over the top SC's, I wonder how they compare in attitude. I s'pose I'm looking for something relatively vintage 60's sounding, but a bit hotter, with those stellar sounding middle positions. Also, any suggestions on Rio Grande's for the same?
Thanks all!!
z

 

[DreX]

Re: Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

Re: Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

The Custom Shop Strat Replacement is hard to make sense of. SD's site says the neck/middle model is wound to 7.5k, then this site http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/...stom-Shop-Strat-Replacement-Pickup-Set-Ivory/ is selling a set which claims 8.3k neck/middle, and yet I see the word "vintage" being thrown around despite the high DCR. Generally speaking, once you get past 7k with 42AWG wire, the pickups get hot and start leaving vintage territory. It looks like it's a Custom Shop order too, not an off the shelf item, so you'd have to wait for them. All in all, I'd look elsewhere.

"vintage 60's sounding" single coil can mean different things. The Duncan Antiquity pickups are degaussed somewhat, so they're not exactly "hot" so much as they are dark. I think you might be happy with the SSL-1, though. Fully charged A5, fairly loud, yet still very vintage in tone.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

Re: Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

Haven't tried the Custom Shops, but I can endorse the Texas Hots. I them in two of my G&L Legacys. They have the power bridge and the RW/RP middle. The stock pickups are either G&L CLF-100s or SSL-2s in my older Legacys. The Ants are a nice change, fuller...but yes,...darker.

Bill

 

[zozoe29]

Re: Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

Re: Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

Thanks folks, but finally, what's the lowdown on the Ant. Surfers? They also look appealing, but the sound?
z

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

Re: Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

I have surfers in my main guitar. They are probably my favorite pickup of all time. Really fluid and piano like. Sound very musical. I don't know, I'm not good at describing "tone," I just know I really dig them. The texas hot are really cool sounding pickups too. I just got a chance to try them recently, they are much more midrange-y and chewy feeling. They handle dirt really well but I didn't like the cleans as much as the surfers so the surfers stayed.

 

[Natman]

Re: Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

Re: Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

I had Texas Hots and while I dug the bridge (a lot) neck position was too smooth/smoky for me. The A2 removes some of the boing/snap that you expect with A5...

 

[zozoe29]

Re: Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

Re: Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

Very cool info to ya'll,, SO, if I were to go with a Texas Hot/Surfer/Surfer (B/M/N), would the bridge Texas be too hot to match up with the middle Surfer in the #2 position, or is simply lower/raising the pups a reasonable fix??
z

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

Re: Has anyone compared SD's Custom Shop Strat® Replacement & the SD Texas Hot?

They should be just fine. You may have to do some tweaking with pup heights, but that is to be expected with ANY pup combinations/personal tastes.