Replacement strat pickups

C

ChrisRocks

New member
I have a US highway 1 strat that I want to change out the stock pickups. They are too similar to the Texas specials I have in my main strat. I don't want humbuckers or high output... Just a nice vintage strat quack. Any suggestions?
 
Re: Replacement strat pickups

I also have a highway 1 strat and I changed the pickups out about a month ago. I went to my favourite local shop and spoke with my guru. I told him I wanted something vintage, but with good presence and just enough balls to stand tall in classic rock songs. He recommended the Lollar Blackface set. They are still vintage-y to my ears, but have a little more output and presence than the Tweeds or Blondes from the same company. Think mid-60s strat tone.

Since I've installed them, I actually use position 2 and 4 on my strat. The pickups sounds very chimy and defined without being weak. For me, they were the best of both worlds, giving me that vintage tone when I wanted it, and a little modern touch when needed.
 
Re: Replacement strat pickups

The Fender Fat Fifties set is tastefully aggressive when you dig in hard and chimey when you pick lightly.

EDIT - If your H1 Stratocaster has the Fender Hot Alnico3 pickups, you can change the rod magnets. The bobbins are plastic. It is possible to gently push out the magnets with no fear of harming the copper wire coil. Changing to a different Alnico formulation should change the sound.
 
Re: Replacement strat pickups

Funkfingers said:
The Fender Fat Fifties set is tastefully aggressive when you dig in hard and chimey when you pick lightly.

EDIT - If your H1 Stratocaster has the Fender Hot Alnico3 pickups, you can change the rod magnets. The bobbins are plastic. It is possible to gently push out the magnets with no fear of harming the copper wire coil. Changing to a different Alnico formulation should change the sound.
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I did not know that. Now I feel just a tad bit smarter, and will now have another project that I can look forward to. I have a couple of them in a drawer. They were being sold on Ebay for pretty cheap, and I've had them in a few guitars. I love some things about them, but dislike other things about them.
 
Re: Replacement strat pickups

ChrisRocks said:
Just a nice vintage strat quack. Any suggestions?
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I have Fat 50's and Blackfaces loaded into Strats right now. The boutique makers really excel when it comes to quack, because boutique makers like the Lollar Blackface or Fralin Vintage Hots are scatter wound and have a presence (very high frequencies) that reaches higher up to the ceiling than Fat 50's, Texas Specials or any of Fender's mass produced sets that are more neatly wound on their bobbins. The reason for this is that when wires are side by side each other they produce capacitance, and this eliminates high frequencies. Scatter winding puts space between the winds and reduces that capacitance. That extra presence makes for a richer quack sound in positions 2 and 4. You have to pay a little more for the Fralins or Lollars, but if you're going to go through the trouble of "upgrading" from stock MIM pickups, go all the way, I say. Don't stop at 50%.

I have some D Allens and BNP overwounds coming soon. They also have a good reputation in the overwound vintage single coil category though, so I look forward to being able to recommend them, or not, whatever the case may be.
 
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