Introducing The Philip Sayce “Mother” Stratocaster Pickup Set

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Introducing The Philip Sayce “Mother” Stratocaster Pickup Set

Philip Sayce is a true master of his craft, wowing audiences around the globe with his blend of blues, rock, and meticulously crafted tone. Since the late ’90s, one guitar has been the driving force behind the sound of his solo career and his time performing with artists including Jeff Healey, Melissa Etheridge, and Uncle Kracker. The “Mother” Strat® is a modified 1963 Fender Stratocaster®, an incredible workhorse whose wear and tear match the intensity of Sayce’s electrifying performances.

Philip has been known to bust out an impromptu slide guitar solo with a beer bottle. One fateful night, the original 1963 pickups in Philip’s guitar got doused with beer and eventually bit the dust after succumbing to corrosion and shorting out. However, when he swapped them out with some special pickups sourced from a 1958 Strat®, “Mother” took on a whole new life and legendary sound. These slightly underwound late-’50s pickups brought out a clear, full-bodied sound that has been the hallmark of Philip’s guitar tone ever since.

By taking great care to reverse-engineer the pickups from “Mother,” the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop was able to recreate the singing, punchy Strat sound that emanates from this magical guitar. Chimey, bell-like cleans easily morph into the sizzle that can be achieved by adding an overdrive or one of Philip’s favorite fuzzes. The Seymour Duncan “Mother” Stratocaster® Pickup Set gives you period-correct Alnico 5 magnets with just the right wind to match the feel and responsiveness of Philip’s original guitar.

The first 500 sets of the Philip Sayce “Mother” Stratocaster® Pickups are specially aged in the Custom Shop to match the look of the originals. They include a certificate of authenticity signed by Philip and Seymour W. Duncan inside the limited-edition packaging. All sets are pad-printed with Philip’s signature on the flatwork.

For those wanting great vintage Strat® tone and Philip’s powerful sound in their own Strat®-style guitar, look no further than the Philip Sayce “Mother” Signature Stratocaster® Pickup Set.


Magnets:

Neck - Alnico 5

Middle - Alnico 5

Bridge - Alnico 5



DC Resistance:

Neck - 5.72k

Middle - 5.78k

Bridge - 5.86k



Cable Type:

Neck - Waxed Cotton


Middle - Waxed Cotton

Bridge - Waxed Cotton
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I love that dude. Seen him so many times at The Baked Potato in LA which is a tiny little shack and he absolutely blows the doors off everytime. I got these pickups sitting next to me right now! :)
 
Agreed . . . I like bright pickups, but those are too bright for my tastes - at least with the volume/tone wide open. I bet they would work nicely if you keep the controls rolled off a bit all the time.
 
I love that dude. Seen him so many times at The Baked Potato in LA which is a tiny little shack and he absolutely blows the doors off everytime. I got these pickups sitting next to me right now! :)

the baked potato is a little gem. ya know chef dave who was there for a while? plays blues harp too. he moved here maybe a year ago.

i really like those pups, might have to try a set. so many good sounding pups out there
 
I don't know Chef Dave but if he has any hand in prepping those monster potatoes than I applaud him
 
looks like 5.6k, 5.7k, 5.8k then 5.7k, 5.8k, 5.9k? betcha they sound great. what they going in?
 
My buddy is going to put them in the gold sparkle strat I made him a while back

My set.....not sure? Might just sit on them for a bit. I have some strats but I'm happy w/ how they sound. Maybe it will be my excuse to make another guitar. :)
 
So far they are less trebly than my other sets (including the Eric Gales set - which is far less treble than the Hendrix/Psychedelic sets).

But like the Hendrix set, it's got some unique things going on, up it's sleeve. I noticed that the low/bass frequencies are smooth while the highs are rougher with a hairy element surrounding them, that could explain why some would think the set sounds too trebly at first. That's the opposite of my experience with the Hendrix set which has some hairy element around the lows while the highs stay clean and glassy.

If you listen to the video through a set of good in ear monitors, you will hear all this right away. If you listen with some pc speakers, or phone speaker or standard headphones you'll miss these what these sound like in real life examples.
 
I think when you get into the splitting of the smallest hairs with high-end single coils, it is more difficult to show nuance through a phone or tablet speakers.
 
I think when you get into the splitting of the smallest hairs with high-end single coils, it is more difficult to show nuance through a phone or tablet speakers.

Yup, unfortunately that's where the problem lies, that and the people who order their headphones from Crutchfield....!
 
i absolutely agree. listening on your phone or laptop is a poor representation of the recording. even a pair of relatively cheap speakers or studio monitors makes a big difference in what ya hear
 
And...even a recording is a poor representation of what it is like to actually play high end Custom Shop pickups.
 
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