How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

[uOpt]

I have this Fender Strat pickup that has been sold to me as a texas special, but it sounds "boutiquey" to me. It also has a CS sticker on the back and the texas specials are not CS. I dunno whether the pickups for non-CS guitars can still have CS stickers on the back.

It has dark coil wire, the white hookup wire is more of an orange and the beveling on top is rough. (ETA: actually there is no beveling but the top is rough-ish)

Between CS 54s, texas specials and fat 50s the texas specials have emanel isolation and the other two have formvar. Is it possible to figure from that what color is should be?

It sounds a bit rounder than the Surfers but there's a sparkle, and as I said the magnets look hand-treated.

Any clues?

 

[Jermo3178]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

Hmm... I thought there were CS Texas Specials and regular production "Texas Specials"?

 

[uOpt]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

Not according to this.

http://www.fender.com/guitar-bass-parts/pickups-and-preamps/?series=strat_pickups&sort=highest_price

The careful observer will notice that the cost is the same for the three pickups here, whether they are rated CS or not. I wouldn't be surprised if there is no real difference and if the CS sticker I have randomly ends up them, maybe depending on what guitar it was in.

 

[Jermo3178]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

Interesting.. I had always thought the TS's in say the Deluxe lonestar and American Special strats were "texas specials" and the CS versions were different.... my life has all been lies... lol

 

[uOpt]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

Well so they say that the 50s and 54s are beveled but mine is not, so mine should, among those three, be a texas special.

But that doesn't explain the CS sticker, unless as I said that's a random thing that Fender puts.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

I don't have a good answer about the stickers but CS54s and Fat 50s do have beveled poles.


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[The Dali]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

My understanding was that there were Custom Shop Texas Specials with cloth wire and the sticker, and the "Texas Specials" in the American Special Strats have the standard rubber wire and no stickers. I'm fairly certain that there are two versions of the "Texas Specials".

 

[The Dali]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

The older Texas Specials were "custom shop" I believe with the stickers. They got rid of that a while back when they started putting them in a bunch of production guitars.

 

[uOpt]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

OK, that fits then. Mine has a CS sticker, are not not beveled and have cloth wire.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

I had a set of Texas specials with the V custom shop silver sticker on the back. The poles were not beveled and they had cloth wire too.

 

[El Supremo]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

I assume you measured the resistance already? Formvar is often orangy and enamel purple-ish I believe.

 

[jeremy]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

sorta yeah. I think formvar is more yellowy but enamel is purpleish

 

[DreX]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

I have those same Texas Specials, cs sticker, cloth wire, red coil, I think they have some blue or red marker markings on them. Circa 2001. If current texas specials are different I'd like to know.

 

[uOpt]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

I didn't measure before I soldered it in. In any case, the difference in resistance between these pickups as speced is smaller than the variance from temperature, so it's a bit questionable use.

 

[The Dali]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

Yep, and I bet they sound great!

 

[DreX]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

I didn't measure before I soldered it in. In any case, the difference in resistance between these pickups as speced is smaller than the variance from temperature, so it's a bit questionable use.

I'm starting to doubt printed DC resistances in general, because in addition to heat changes, there's the variable number of windings due to the manufacturing process. All said and done, they're lucky if their dart even hits the board, and yet you'll see printed DC resistances with a two digits of precision, as if they're wearing white lab coats when they put these things together.

 

[El Supremo]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

I'm starting to doubt printed DC resistances in general, because in addition to heat changes, there's the variable number of windings due to the manufacturing process. All said and done, they're lucky if their dart even hits the board, and yet you'll see printed DC resistances with a two digits of precision, as if they're wearing white lab coats when they put these things together.

Every pickup I ever measured, came short of what it was specced out to be (which isn't a problem really). Even so, it still can be data (though not the most reliable) that can help point out which is which.

 

[Adieu]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

Dunno about 50s ones, but CS Texas Specials i had, afair, had black rough material baseplates cloth wire and stickers, and different measurements on different pups... CS 69's had gray fiber baseplates signed (initialed) by Abigail Ybarra and measured identical for all 3

 

[Adieu]

Re: How can I tell Fender CS 54s from Texas Specials from Fat 50s?

I'm starting to doubt printed DC resistances in general, because in addition to heat changes, there's the variable number of windings due to the manufacturing process. All said and done, they're lucky if their dart even hits the board, and yet you'll see printed DC resistances with a two digits of precision, as if they're wearing white lab coats when they put these things together.

Some will, some wont... Maxon/Ibanez Super 70s cough up 3 digits of precision at an even 7.92