Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

[EricBKR]

Hi to you all !

In 2002, Mike Eldred of the Fender Custom Shop produced 4 exact replicas of the white Fender Stratocaster played by Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock. The original is on permanent display at the EMP museum in Seattle. Of the 4, one went to Jimi's family, one to the EMP, one to the Fender Museum and one will be auctioned off in February 2003 by Cooper Owen in London.
These 4 Stratocasters were said to be exact clones of the original guitar, replicating every original scratch and mark as well as, more impotantly, the electronics. The original instrument's pickups were thoroughly measured and 4 clones were fitted the most faithfull replicas of the pickups.

I'd like to have the exact same kind of pickups in my '97 Jimi Hendrix Tribute Stratocaster.

Anyone knows where I can find reliable information on this ?

Thanks for your help !

Eric

 

[jeremy]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

welcome to the forum!

fender custom shop '69 are pretty much the same, the duncan custom shop can make you a set if you want even closer

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

You can't buy the jimi hendrix sound. You have to earn it.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

The "exact replica" market can drain your bank account fast, and you won't end up with anything more useful than a few that are available as production models.

I agree about the Custom Shop 69's.They get close to that raw live "Redhouse" tone. You can also get some of that vibe with Duncan SSL-1's and Fender Fat 50's. I have heard that Dimarzio Are 67's are also pretty close, but haven't tried them yet.

Tuning down to E flat can also add a little extra Jimi vibe to the tone on some songs.

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

The CBS Fender pickups were very consistent and there is really no secret or old school magic to them. Non RWRP middle, 5.7-5.9 dc, Alnico 5 polepieces, vintage stagger, enamel coated wire, machine wound, really stock, standard, and consistent stuff.

Fender CS 69s are the most accurate reproduction, same as any pickup off the assembly lines in 1969.
The Duncan Custom Shop has the Psych set, which I haven't tried, but it's the same deal.
BKP Mother's Milk are scatterwound instead of machine.
D. Allen Voodoo 69 too, both offer RWRP middle but BKP has the option to have it or not.
ANY 69 style pick up or even late 65 to early 70s style Strat single coil make will do you. Nothing was really totally special or unique about the Woodstock Strat except that it was in Hendrix's hands.

 

[Shooter.556]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

How tough is the security at the Hendrix Museum?

 

[EricBKR]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

Thank you you you all for your help.
I'm trying to put together a rig that would be as close as possible to Hendrix set-up used from Woodstock to Berkeley but I can tell you that I spend a lot of time and energy working to improve my playing skills.
I already have a set of CS69. They are great but Fender doesn't provide a left-handed version. The '97 JH Tribute is a lefty.
I'm after the exact measurements made by Mike Eldred, because I remember reading quite a while back, that he was surprised how low were the figures he recorded.
The case is still open.
Éric


Envoyé de mon SM-G901F en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

Thank you you you all for your help.
I'm trying to put together a rig that would be as close as possible to Hendrix set-up used from Woodstock to Berkeley but I can tell you that I spend a lot of time and energy working to improve my playing skills.
I already have a set of CS69. They are great but Fender doesn't provide a left-handed version. The '97 JH Tribute is a lefty.
I'm after the exact measurements made by Mike Eldred, because I remember reading quite a while back, that he was surprised how low were the figures he recorded.
The case is still open.
Éric


Envoyé de mon SM-G901F en utilisant Tapatalk

A left handed set of pickups? That be just turning a right handed set around, nobody makes left handed pickups. Hendrx didn't even bother flipping his pickups around, the pickups are in the right handed guitar facing the way they would stock but with the strings reversed, so the tallest pole piece would be under the D string instead of the G string.

Only thing I can find Mike saying about them that was special other than them being, his words, "bone stock" is that the bridge pickup happened to be the weakest one. So take out the pickups, get a multimeter to measure them all, find the weakest one and put it in the bridge, and make sure that the tallest pole is under the D string on each of the pickups. From the pics that I see of the stock 97 jh model, they already are in that way.

If you already have the CS69s, I wouldn't worry about it because any pickup switch, no matter how expensive, will only get you a tad closer if at all closer. It would probably be a better idea to put the money and the effort towards the amp and pedals at that point. Here they are.

http://jasobrecht.com/jimis-woodstock-setup/

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

Sounds like a cool project, what are the other details? (Amps, cabs, speakers.... Fuzz, wah, vibe... Etc.)

 

[EricBKR]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

A left handed set of pickups? That be just turning a right handed set around, nobody makes left handed pickups. Hendrx didn't even bother flipping his pickups around, the pickups are in the right handed guitar facing the way they would stock but with the strings reversed, so the tallest pole piece would be under the D string instead of the G string.

I don't see how I can flip a right handed stratocaster pickup around.

Only thing I can find Mike saying about them that was special other than them being, his words, "bone stock" is that the bridge pickup happened to be the weakest one. So take out the pickups, get a multimeter to measure them all, find the weakest one and put it in the bridge, and make sure that the tallest pole is under the D string on each of the pickups. From the pics that I see of the stock 97 jh model, they already are in that way.

You're right quoting Mike Eldred. My memory doesn't serve me right.
The '97 JH Tribute came fitted with a set of '68 stratocaster left-handed pickups (P/N 0051507000). I bought mine used 10 years ago. It was sporting CS69 and the original pickups were in the case : one was dead and another was a right handed pickup. If anyone has a spare set of these pickups Fender doesn't sell anymore, I'm interested in buying it.

If you already have the CS69s, I wouldn't worry about it because any pickup switch, no matter how expensive, will only get you a tad closer if at all closer. It would probably be a better idea to put the money and the effort towards the amp and pedals at that point. Here they are.

http://jasobrecht.com/jimis-woodstock-setup/

Jas Obrecht article is interesting questionable in many points.

Eric

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

I don't see how I can flip a right handed stratocaster pickup around.

Ok seriously some one tell me, is there a whole world of left hand pickups I apparently don't know about? I know humbuckers are adjustable and everything but is there actually a single coil set with a left hand specific stagger? I could swear just taking it out and turning it around would do the exact same thing and I could swear that is what they do for left handed model guitars.

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

http://www.seymourduncan.com/faqs/do-you-make-pickups-for-left-handed-guitars

They make them but the only difference is the stagger is reversed, or the wires are on the other side of the pickup.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

Hendrix played right-handed guitars upside down as a left-handed player. He just switched the strings on the neck backwards. Are you a lefty?

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

His guitar is effectively a left handed guitar strung righty. (I really wanted one when they were introduced in 1997 ) He needs left hand stagger pickups to simulate Jimi's right hand staggers being played lefty.

His guitar is probably routed SSS, so he can't physically flip the pickups around, as the "tri-oval" part where the wires are soldered won't fit in the standard route.

 

[GoldenVulture]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

:banghead:

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

This is an interesting topic to me.

You'd have to think the Duncan Custom Shop Psychadelics are dead nuts Hendrix replicas. First of all, they are masterminded by the same person who actually talked with Jimi about pickups and tone. Plus they are machine wound I would think. At the time of the late 60's, Fender had already began entirely machine winding it's pickups w/o any modern CNC scatterwind process. Not sure if The Psychs incorporate a CNC scatterwind or not.

I don't know exactly what makes those 4 sets of pickupos the OP mentioned so different. The Fender Custom Shop '69's probably are as good or better than most. It's been said the alnico magnet compostion was different in 1969 than it is now, and also the wire, although pickup makers do have stuff made to spec for them. One winder know even claims he has the exact same alnico magnets labaratory analyzed and even the wire and made for him as it was back in 1969, and I have some of his pickups, and they are indeed good, but again, he scatterwinds, so theres that-thats not authentic.


I JUST bought a set of Chubtone '69's ( BTW i dredged up and old gear page thread where Gearjoeser says they nail Hendrix tone), and they ARE hand scatterwound ( on a machine, so not Pure handwound like some winders do like Zhangligun). Any Boutique hand scatterwound pickup would have to be an interpretation of the real Abyy wound hendrix Fender 69's which wrere entirely machine made with no scatterwind I think.

Its hard to think that some '69 Boutique hand scatterwound pickups might actually be "better" than the original '69 pickups, although I would think they aren't as "authentic" ...Hope you catch my drift, i'm trying to reel this in.

Anyway, My first guitar was a brand new 4 Bolt 1971 Black Custom color "hendrix"Strat, I got when I was 16, which I squandered before very long, because I guess I didn't deserve such a great guitar.

 

[EricBKR]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

This is an interesting topic to me.

You'd have to think the Duncan Custom Shop Psychadelics are dead nuts Hendrix replicas. First of all, they are masterminded by the same person who actually talked with Jimi about pickups and tone. Plus they are machine wound I would think. At the time of the late 60's, Fender had already began entirely machine winding it's pickups w/o any modern CNC scatterwind process. Not sure if The Psychs incorporate a CNC scatterwind or not.

I'll try to get a set of left-handed SD Custom Shop Pyschedelic Strat set. If I ever get to know the exact measurements of the original Hendrix white strat, I could have the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop winding a set to exact specs.

Maybe I should try to get informations from Fender Custom shop. Or from Mike Eldred himself, but I don't know how to contact him, since he left Fender.

Eric

 

[jeremy]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

Ok seriously some one tell me, is there a whole world of left hand pickups I apparently don't know about? I know humbuckers are adjustable and everything but is there actually a single coil set with a left hand specific stagger? I could swear just taking it out and turning it around would do the exact same thing and I could swear that is what they do for left handed model guitars.

most vintage style strat pups have a triangular bobbin on the bottom so you cant really flip them around

 

[Mincer]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

Here is some info about the Psychedelic Strat set.

 

[LLL]

Re: Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Strat pickups

You can't buy the jimi hendrix sound. You have to earn it.

Yes, and you must be left-handed as well.