Help me understand these odd strat pickups

[metale]

Hi, everyone.

Anyone know about this kind of strat pickups?

Staggered poles on top, a grounded baseplate on the bottom (everything becomes magnetic as far as the mounting screws), what seems like a vertical bar magnet and drowned in wax.

Mounting screws thread into baseplate only.

They come in two of my old MIJ strat copies.

Thank you!

 

[ICTGoober]

Re: Help me understand these odd strat pickups

I remember seeing these in the past, but never determined their maker.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Help me understand these odd strat pickups

Cheap OEM ceramic p'ups, present in sub-$70.00 Asian guitars, including old Squier Bullets.

HTH,

 

[metale]

Re: Help me understand these odd strat pickups

I'm surprised, won't hide it

I have these in my blue MIJ which I bought used in 2002. They are the best sounding strat pickups I've owned, and one of the main reasons I now bought a second one (black).

Until I opened the black one and confirmed the same type of pickups, I always thought the Blue's ones to be aftermarket and alnico! If the ones on the black are anything like the other set, I would have paid for each pickup the £35 I paid for the whole black guitar.

So what's the deal with those? Super short pole pieces touching the bar magnet? Because the bar seems to go quite high inside the pickup.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Help me understand these odd strat pickups

They are the best sounding strat pickups I've owned

That's all that matters. :cool2:

 

[metale]

Re: Help me understand these odd strat pickups

Agreed. Which in a way is a bit of a bummer, since I bought a strat-sized Pearly Gates for the black one and now I'm reluctant to take the stock one out. Got to put it through the paces to see if these pickups stack up to the Blue's ones.

For reference, strat pickups I own/owned and compared these to:

• Stock ~'96 Squier ceramics
• Kent Armstrong 60s style alnicos
• SD SSL5
• Fender Fat 50s
• Duncan designed set (SSL1 style)
• Bare Knuckle Trilogy Suite

I may as well install the Pearly Gates in the middle and keep the stock neck and bridge, what do you think? The PG is a neck/middle model. Would give a SHS setup which is uncommon. Maybe put a 3 way switch in Tele config (N, N+B, B) and turn a tone pot into a blender to blend between the 3 way and the PG, from 100% 3 way to 100% Pearly Gates.