Question aboyt Fender Texas Specials & SRV

[Lewguitar]

I had a set of these when they first came out and all three pickups measured well over 6.5K.

I found this website ( http://www.rhsdesign.com/fender51/history.htm )by a guy who made some replicas of Roy Buchanan's '53 Tele and SRV's '63 Strat and he claims he measured the Texas Special pickups and that the three NOW measure: 5.84K, 6.67K and 6.84K.

That seems like a very good idea: 5.84K for the bubbley bouncy tone of a vintage Strat neck pickup...and then progressively hotter ( 6.67K & 6.84K ) for the middle and bridge pickups.

Lew

 

[Lee_M.]

Re: Question aboyt Fender Texas Specials & SRV

I know that with the new gizzillion dollar SRV guitar clone that Fender has produced that they spent a good amount of time analyzing #1's pickups. Although I haven't gotten any specs on them, I would imagine that they would be in the 6K (or less) range. I hope that Fender offers those pickups on a one-off basis, but it is unlikely. From what everyone says, here, the Duncan Antiquities do a very fine SRV tone despite the 10K Custom Bridge. Heck - you have them, don't you? Do they sound like SRV? I know that my Fralins sound perilously close (even with the standard wind for the Vintage Hots).

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Question aboyt Fender Texas Specials & SRV

I know that with the new gizzillion dollar SRV guitar clone that Fender has produced that they spent a good amount of time analyzing #1's pickups. Although I haven't gotten any specs on them, I would imagine that they would be in the 6K (or less) range. I hope that Fender offers those pickups on a one-off basis, but it is unlikely. From what everyone says, here, the Duncan Antiquities do a very fine SRV tone despite the 10K Custom Bridge. Heck - you have them, don't you? Do they sound like SRV? I know that my Fralins sound perilously close (even with the standard wind for the Vintage Hots).

I do have a set of the Antiquity Texas Hots with the almost 10K Antiquity Custom bridge in my favorite newer Strat, an '88 MIJ. I love 'em, and they're great for blues, Texas or otherwise...but they're chunkier and not as transparant as the 40 year old originals in my '63 Strat...it's just like SRV's '63 but not a slab board. I gotta admit I like the Fralins alot too...they have the chime and the Antiquitys have the chunk.

But I'm still curious if all Fender Texas Special sets now have a neck pickup wound to under 6K...because that's what SRV used. All three pickups in my old '63 measure 6K or under too.

Lew

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: Question aboyt Fender Texas Specials & SRV

I had a set of Texas Specials for about 2-days...I hated them and returned them for a set of Custom Shop 'Fat '50's, which I love. I did measure the TS's at the time, but forgot the reading. It didn't matter, I wouldn't have kept them. I doubt SRV would have liked them. In fact, I remember an interview with Chris Duarte, who said the same thing. He didn't like them and didn't think Stevie would have either.

Now, I remember a Butch Snyder post where he said you have to drop the TS's down lower than recommended to get real tone from them. Never tried it, but Butch is a h*ll of a player, so he may be right.

Jeff

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Question aboyt Fender Texas Specials & SRV

I had a set of Texas Specials for about 2-days...I hated them and returned them for a set of Custom Shop 'Fat '50's, which I love. I did measure the TS's at the time, but forgot the reading. It didn't matter, I wouldn't have kept them. I doubt SRV would have liked them. In fact, I remember an interview with Chris Duarte, who said the same thing. He didn't like them and didn't think Stevie would have either.

Now, I remember a Butch Snyder post where he said you have to drop the TS's down lower than recommended to get real tone from them. Never tried it, but Butch is a h*ll of a player, so he may be right.

Jeff

I felt that way about the Texas Specials I had too...but Fender seems to have tweaked the specs since I bought my set when they first came out. I'm just asking out of curiosity...I don't want to buy a set or anything. Lew

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: Question aboyt Fender Texas Specials & SRV

I felt that way about the Texas Specials I had too...but Fender seems to have tweaked the specs since I bought my set when they first came out. I'm just asking out of curiosity...I don't want to buy a set or anything. Lew

It's nice to know they worked on the TS. Maybe they listened to the negative feedback. I'ld be interested in hearing a new set.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Question aboyt Fender Texas Specials & SRV

I've heard the Texas Specials and the Fat 50, which I use now, side by side in guitars.
The Fat 50's have much better tone. A lot closer to what I consider a Stevie Ray tone. I think they're around 6.6/6.2/6.4, or close to that. Less middy than Texas
Specials.