SD Antiquity Texas Hot vs Fender Custom Shop Texas Special
- Thread starter frank9815
- Start date
Re: SD Antiquity Texas Hot vs Fender Custom Shop Texas Special
welcome to the forum!
my suggestion is to get the antiquity II surfers, they sound like a great old set of pups from a '62 strat. for less money get the california set of three ssl1's. the best deal on vintage strat tone going. used is always a fine option as well to save a few bucks.
those are both very vintage sounding sets, many people arent used to and dont like a vintage output bridge pup. if you are one of those people look at the ssl5 for the bridge. the antiquity II line has three pups in it, normal, rw/rp for the middle and a custom bridge pup that is slightly hotter than the other two and that is another option but it isnt as hot as the ssl5.
welcome to the forum!
my suggestion is to get the antiquity II surfers, they sound like a great old set of pups from a '62 strat. for less money get the california set of three ssl1's. the best deal on vintage strat tone going. used is always a fine option as well to save a few bucks.
those are both very vintage sounding sets, many people arent used to and dont like a vintage output bridge pup. if you are one of those people look at the ssl5 for the bridge. the antiquity II line has three pups in it, normal, rw/rp for the middle and a custom bridge pup that is slightly hotter than the other two and that is another option but it isnt as hot as the ssl5.
Boogie Bill
New member
Re: SD Antiquity Texas Hot vs Fender Custom Shop Texas Special
I have a set of the Antiquity Texas Hots in a couple of my G&L Legacys, with the RW/RP middle and the Hot bridge. I really like them. Most of my Legacys are stock with the Duncan flat-top SSL-2s or the G&L equivalent CLF100s. These have a vintage bite; the bright, poppin' Strat tone we love. The TH Ants have much darker, richer, mid-thick tone...almost P-90 fullness. I love them for rock and blues.
The Fender Texas pickups are totally different...much brighter and they have a gritty edge to them that I don't care for. They sound closer to the vintage style Duncans than the Texas Hots.
The difference between the stock Legacy pickups and the Texas Hots is readily apparent, yet I really have a hard time picking a favorite. I love them both, and I really love having the choice. I can thicken the mids on a stock Legacy with my Mesa amps, but the TH set doesn't have the same level of snappiness or quack of the stock pickups. So those for brownie-era Clapton, Cray and Chic; and the TH set for newer Clapton overdrive, SR and rock.
One of these days I'm going to have to grab a set of Ant Surfers to compare, they get great reviews.
Bill
I have a set of the Antiquity Texas Hots in a couple of my G&L Legacys, with the RW/RP middle and the Hot bridge. I really like them. Most of my Legacys are stock with the Duncan flat-top SSL-2s or the G&L equivalent CLF100s. These have a vintage bite; the bright, poppin' Strat tone we love. The TH Ants have much darker, richer, mid-thick tone...almost P-90 fullness. I love them for rock and blues.
The Fender Texas pickups are totally different...much brighter and they have a gritty edge to them that I don't care for. They sound closer to the vintage style Duncans than the Texas Hots.
The difference between the stock Legacy pickups and the Texas Hots is readily apparent, yet I really have a hard time picking a favorite. I love them both, and I really love having the choice. I can thicken the mids on a stock Legacy with my Mesa amps, but the TH set doesn't have the same level of snappiness or quack of the stock pickups. So those for brownie-era Clapton, Cray and Chic; and the TH set for newer Clapton overdrive, SR and rock.
One of these days I'm going to have to grab a set of Ant Surfers to compare, they get great reviews.
Bill
PFDarkside
of the Forum
Re: SD Antiquity Texas Hot vs Fender Custom Shop Texas Special
Which SRV/Mayer tones are you looking for? I ask because SRV recorded the uptempo blues songs with #1 with ~'59 pickups, Lenny and Riviera Paradise with the Lenny Strat (which was '64 style pickups) and the Hamiltone for Couldn't Stand the Weather.
For #1 tones, I'd go with Surfers, for Lenny tones Fender has the new '65 set, but the CS69s are similar too. For the Hamiltone... Well, I don't think you are looking for that.
On the Mayer front, he used an SRV sig with Texas Specials early on, he uses the Monterrey Pop Strat (with presumably CS versions of the '65s) for a lot of live blues songs, then he has the Big Dippers (which are essentially under wound Texas Specials) in the sig guitars and finally the "Black One" with mystery pickups. Rumor has it the secret to the Black One's Neck/Middle tone is an A3 Neck and A5 Middle.
My Strats have:
CS69/CS69/CS69
APS1/SSL1/SSL1
The SSL-1 is straight up SRV with a cooking Fender amp and Tube Screamer, the CS69s are a great Woodstock Jimi AND I swear they do a good Lenny Strat impersonation as well. I stumbled upon the APS-1/SSL-1 N/M combo, I like the smokiness of the APS-1 for blues, and I swear the combo sounds a lot like the Black One tone.
A lot to digest, but depending on the specific tones you are looking for any combo of SSL-1, Surfer, 65 and CS69 and Texas Special is going to get you close. Or better yet, get two Strats.
Which SRV/Mayer tones are you looking for? I ask because SRV recorded the uptempo blues songs with #1 with ~'59 pickups, Lenny and Riviera Paradise with the Lenny Strat (which was '64 style pickups) and the Hamiltone for Couldn't Stand the Weather.
For #1 tones, I'd go with Surfers, for Lenny tones Fender has the new '65 set, but the CS69s are similar too. For the Hamiltone... Well, I don't think you are looking for that.
On the Mayer front, he used an SRV sig with Texas Specials early on, he uses the Monterrey Pop Strat (with presumably CS versions of the '65s) for a lot of live blues songs, then he has the Big Dippers (which are essentially under wound Texas Specials) in the sig guitars and finally the "Black One" with mystery pickups. Rumor has it the secret to the Black One's Neck/Middle tone is an A3 Neck and A5 Middle.
My Strats have:
CS69/CS69/CS69
APS1/SSL1/SSL1
The SSL-1 is straight up SRV with a cooking Fender amp and Tube Screamer, the CS69s are a great Woodstock Jimi AND I swear they do a good Lenny Strat impersonation as well. I stumbled upon the APS-1/SSL-1 N/M combo, I like the smokiness of the APS-1 for blues, and I swear the combo sounds a lot like the Black One tone.
A lot to digest, but depending on the specific tones you are looking for any combo of SSL-1, Surfer, 65 and CS69 and Texas Special is going to get you close. Or better yet, get two Strats.
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