I can't decide which Strat Ants to get!!!! Can anybody help me!!! AARRGGHH!!

Re: I can't decide which Strat Ants to get!!!! Can anybody help me!!! AARRGGHH!!

Lewguitar said:
I would say that if you're a dyed in the wool Strat lover who loves that bright but deep, glassy but crystilline tone of a REAL Strat go for the Surfers. They're the ultimate vintage style Strat pickup, IMO.

If you're a player who loves Strats but has always found them to be a little to glassy bright and wished for a tone that's a little warmer, with smooth treble and fuller mids go for the Texas Hots.

Both are superb pickups but the Surfers have the classic bright, bubbley, deep tone of the best vintage Strat pickups of all time.

I use a combo: Surfers for the neck and middle and an overwound Texas Hot Custom bridge pickup.
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After much deliberation and reading this thread a few times, this is the statement that seems to stick. I can't say I'm a dyed in the wool Strat lover because I've never really played a "real" strat! Tex Mex and MIM pups I know well, I like certian qualities there, the glassiness for instance. But the much talked about "bell" tones aren't really there. And the glassiness in these pups strays into harsh way to easily. In short, I've always found them to be a bit of a tease. The american standard pups were underwhelming whenever I've tried them as well.

So, out of the strats I've played, yes they've not really been what I wanted all around.

I think I'll go with the Surfers, just to find out for myself if that's the tone I'm really after. Most of my favorite guitarists use a strat, or have used a strat for long parts of their careers. Gilmour, Mahr, The Edge...

They all used vintage ones of course, The Edge liked 70's strats for a long time though if I remember correctly.

Just got to make up my mind on the bridge pup now.
 
Re: I can't decide which Strat Ants to get!!!! Can anybody help me!!! AARRGGHH!!

I have both the Surfers & the Texas Hots. I love both and I know that is not helping you. I prefer the Surfers just a touch more, but really you would be happy with either. As Jeremy & Lew stated combining them is a good choice. I elected to keep them as sets ansd have the hotter bridge pickup in both. The TH are in a 57 RI that has also been modified with a Brazillian R/W fingerboard birdseye Warmoth neck. The other was a "parts" Strat that I put together from an Anderson body and replacement neck. The chime on the Surfers are a little more crisp. I also have 2 Clapton Strats with the Lace sensors. I prefer the LS over the new noiseless pickups in these guitars. Now I have a similar issue. I am building another strat (with a lot of help from my friends) this one will be a masterpiece with some custom graphics and everything. I elected to go with Fralins Blues Specials seeing that I had the Ants already. Looking forward to putting this together.
 
Re: I can't decide which Strat Ants to get!!!! Can anybody help me!!! AARRGGHH!!

Bludave said:
I have both the Surfers & the Texas Hots. I love both and I know that is not helping you. I prefer the Surfers just a touch more, but really you would be happy with either. As Jeremy & Lew stated combining them is a good choice. I elected to keep them as sets ansd have the hotter bridge pickup in both. The TH are in a 57 RI that has also been modified with a Brazillian R/W fingerboard birdseye Warmoth neck. The other was a "parts" Strat that I put together from an Anderson body and replacement neck. The chime on the Surfers are a little more crisp. I also have 2 Clapton Strats with the Lace sensors. I prefer the LS over the new noiseless pickups in these guitars. Now I have a similar issue. I am building another strat (with a lot of help from my friends) this one will be a masterpiece with some custom graphics and everything. I elected to go with Fralins Blues Specials seeing that I had the Ants already. Looking forward to putting this together.
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It's cool man, thanks for the input. Chime is a big part of what I'm after I think.
 
Re: I can't decide which Strat Ants to get!!!! Can anybody help me!!! AARRGGHH!!

yep.... you can NEVER have too many guitars
 
Thought I had my mind all made up then...

Thought I had my mind all made up then...

today I spent some time going back and forth between my RW and my MIM 50's. The 50's has APS-1's the RW the original Tex Mex.

I think the APS-1's are much more musical pups, duh. But there was something else I noticed, the APS-1's take OD much better. It's funny because the Tex Mex only really sound right with some breakup in the tone.

Now I am back to square one, sometimes I do really like to go overboard with OD. It seems the difference between the 2 kinds of pups I have at taking OD, is much more fundamental than the APS-1's better construction/voicing. I think the materials themselves have a lot to do with it (A2 vs. A5).

Since my RW is a better guitar overall, I am really looking to make it my number one if you will. Starting to go back and strongly reconsider the Ant 1's!

What do you guys think, the Antiquity 1's better than the 2's for use with med-high OD? Worth giving up the exactly traditional Strat tone for if you use OD a lot? How much are you really giving up?
 
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