Lee_M.
Brockburst Toneologist
To all ~
I've waited to post this thread for quite some time since I wanted to get reacquinted with my '92 Clapton Strat and get a feel for how she sounds acoustically and plugged-in through my Vibrolux - it had been a while since I played her given how obsessed I've become with my Les Paul. I also needed to put the Ant I's through their paces to give this thread some integrity. So, after 3 months of listening and testing, here goes:
LIKES:
DISLIKES:
CONCLUSION:
~The Ant I's have a smidge more mids than I expected from a vintage Strat pickup and that may due to the fact that the they are wound with thinner wire rather than the traditional 42 awg wire that is normally used on vintage strat pickups. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on that.
~In the correct guitar (not my "deadwood" Clapton), these pickups would be PHENOMENAL. Like I said, you can hear the SRV tones trying/wanting to jump out of the guitar, but my guitar's natural acoustics were holding them down. It is a classic case of one pickup does not fit all guitars. The wood on your guitar ABSOLUTELY makes a difference.
~Overall, I give these pickups a standing ovation :arms: because the early Claptons (which are phenomenal playing guitars with great necks) are tough to turn into SRV-type axes - frankly they sound like poop, stock. These pickups have done a phenomenal job of getting her into the "great" sounding category, but I will need the Surfers to really bring her back to life.
OUTRO:
~Like I said, for a bright Strat, these would be the most phenomenal pickups on the planet if you want the versatile, semi-vintage Strat tones ala SRV. If you have a darker sounding guitar, though, you need to look for something else like the SSL I's or Ant II's. As the resident 'Deadwood Toneologist', I recommend the A5's for maple board, non-nitro strats. The Surfers will have to be my next purchase.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lee Moore
Search Words:
Antiquity I , I's / Antiquities for Stratocaster
Surfers
SSL I , SSL I's
Clapton Stratocaster / Strat
SRV
I've waited to post this thread for quite some time since I wanted to get reacquinted with my '92 Clapton Strat and get a feel for how she sounds acoustically and plugged-in through my Vibrolux - it had been a while since I played her given how obsessed I've become with my Les Paul. I also needed to put the Ant I's through their paces to give this thread some integrity. So, after 3 months of listening and testing, here goes:
LIKES:
Neck Position:
~Great clarity and vibe. Decently round through my vibrolux but not too much shimmer. Under high gain conditions with my Landgraff, I can do a very convincing SRV vibe - it is quite scary, actually, and rather fun.
Middle Position (RW/RP):
~Very usable once I adjusted the neck pickup to my liking. At first, the pickup sounded a smidge dark, but I was able to re-adjust the pickup height to compensate. I'm not sure what guitar "terms" to use to describe this pickup other than I really liked it and achieved a great slide tone with moderate gain. Overall, I was very pleased with it and loved playing slide in that position.
Bridge Position:
~This one required the most height adjustment because I tailored my sound around the neck pickup. And, since I have a universal tone control for all three pups, I needed to the get the pickup height just right.
~No ice-picky tones or harshness with the Custom Bridge. I didn't prefer the clean tone that much, but I've never used the bridge of a Strat to rip clean runs.
~Under high-gain condition, this pickup ROCKS. It compresses very well and takes my Landgraff/Klon combo with ease. This was the most exciting part about the guitar since I now have a useable bridge pickup that allows for decent tones in the #4 position (even though the pickup is overwound by vintage standards).
~Great clarity and vibe. Decently round through my vibrolux but not too much shimmer. Under high gain conditions with my Landgraff, I can do a very convincing SRV vibe - it is quite scary, actually, and rather fun.
Middle Position (RW/RP):
~Very usable once I adjusted the neck pickup to my liking. At first, the pickup sounded a smidge dark, but I was able to re-adjust the pickup height to compensate. I'm not sure what guitar "terms" to use to describe this pickup other than I really liked it and achieved a great slide tone with moderate gain. Overall, I was very pleased with it and loved playing slide in that position.
Bridge Position:
~This one required the most height adjustment because I tailored my sound around the neck pickup. And, since I have a universal tone control for all three pups, I needed to the get the pickup height just right.
~No ice-picky tones or harshness with the Custom Bridge. I didn't prefer the clean tone that much, but I've never used the bridge of a Strat to rip clean runs.
~Under high-gain condition, this pickup ROCKS. It compresses very well and takes my Landgraff/Klon combo with ease. This was the most exciting part about the guitar since I now have a useable bridge pickup that allows for decent tones in the #4 position (even though the pickup is overwound by vintage standards).
DISLIKES:
~Overall, because my Clapton is such a dark sounding guitar, the Alnico II mags just weren't bright enough for her. It is a shame because you can hear the SRV "chime" and "shimmer" itching to jump out of the those pickups - just not in my Clapton. She is such a piece of "deadwood" that I'm afraid I'll have to go with the Surfers to brighten her up.
CONCLUSION:
~The Ant I's have a smidge more mids than I expected from a vintage Strat pickup and that may due to the fact that the they are wound with thinner wire rather than the traditional 42 awg wire that is normally used on vintage strat pickups. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on that.
~In the correct guitar (not my "deadwood" Clapton), these pickups would be PHENOMENAL. Like I said, you can hear the SRV tones trying/wanting to jump out of the guitar, but my guitar's natural acoustics were holding them down. It is a classic case of one pickup does not fit all guitars. The wood on your guitar ABSOLUTELY makes a difference.
~Overall, I give these pickups a standing ovation :arms: because the early Claptons (which are phenomenal playing guitars with great necks) are tough to turn into SRV-type axes - frankly they sound like poop, stock. These pickups have done a phenomenal job of getting her into the "great" sounding category, but I will need the Surfers to really bring her back to life.
OUTRO:
~Like I said, for a bright Strat, these would be the most phenomenal pickups on the planet if you want the versatile, semi-vintage Strat tones ala SRV. If you have a darker sounding guitar, though, you need to look for something else like the SSL I's or Ant II's. As the resident 'Deadwood Toneologist', I recommend the A5's for maple board, non-nitro strats. The Surfers will have to be my next purchase.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lee Moore
Search Words:
Antiquity I , I's / Antiquities for Stratocaster
Surfers
SSL I , SSL I's
Clapton Stratocaster / Strat
SRV
Last edited:
. Great review on the pickups, sounds like I'd love that setup in my strat if I didn't like the A2P/Twangbanger setup so darn much. Thanks for taking the time to type it up!
