Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

[Butch Snyder]

I am really jonesing for a new Strat. I have my mind pretty well set on a Fender 60's Strat in Lake Placid Blue. I love that model. The pickups, like most stock pickups, need to go. I would like to replace them with a set of nice meaty pickups that are a little higher output than vintage-type pickups. If Seymour made a "Texas Specialesque" pickup, that's what I would go for. Hum-canceling would be nice but not mandatory. Antiquities are an option too. Please give me some thoughts here.

Thanks much...

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

Go for the Antiquity Surfers with a 9.5K Custom bridge pickup...either the Surfer Custom or the Texas Hot Custom. The Texas Hot Custom will be alnico 2 and will have more mids and a pluckier chewier tone. The Surfer Custom will be alnico 5 like the Surfer neck and middle and will have a brighter and glassier tone. There is nothing better than the Surfers, IMO. There are some, like the Fralin Vintage Hots, that equal them, but none that better them, and the Vintage Hots are not quite as strong as the Surfers in terms of output.

 

[wickedmartini]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

I just dropped some Hotrails in two of my Strats. Love em'.! I would highly recommend them especially if you are looking for a higher output pickup with some balls and versatility. I also dig em' cuz I wasn't forced to carve up my Strats in order to put them in. Hope that helps...

 

[jeremy]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

i LOVE the texas hots with the custom bridge, they are probably my favorite right now but they are probably not bright enough for you. the texas specials (at a similar 6.5k ish) are brighter due to the alnico 5 magnets. personally i dont like the texas specials all that much, the high end is a little harsh to my ears.

my guess is that you would love a set of antiquity II surfers, non-custom bridge with a bassplate to add a little more bottom.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

my guess is that you would love a set of antiquity II surfers, non-custom bridge with a bassplate to add a little more bottom.

I'm leaning towards this set definitely with the baseplate on the bottom....

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

I'm leaning towards this set definitely with the baseplate on the bottom....

Do you want the bridge pickup to be wound the same as your neck pickup? That's what you'll have if you don't go for the Surfer Custom as the bridge pickup.

Personally, I don't like all three of my Strat pickups to be wound to the same DC Resistance. That's the way my original '63 Strat is and all vintage 50's and 60's Strats are. Makes the bridge pickup sound thin and brittle, although you'll be able to fatten it up slightly if you add the baseplate to the bridge pickup.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

I love the Albert Lee set in my MIJ 62 RI. If I'm not mistaken, you're familiar with them (you did have an EB Albert, right?). They're very similar to APS flats, but with a bit of a kick at the bridge pickup. I like them as much as my friend's Antiquities (Texas Hots with Custom bridge) that are in his '57 strat.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

my first surfer set didnt have the custom bridge and they read 6.37k/6.32k/6.78k and there was pretty good balance between the positions. it was a brighter spankier tone than the custom bridge that i use now

 

[koolkat]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

It really doesn't get any better than the surfers when it comes to classic strat tones. You may also want to consider the Twangbanger for the bridge position. It definitely adds some beef to the bridge position while still retaining the classic strat vibe. Kind of a cross between a tele and a strat.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

Benjy, look at my avatar....

Lew & Jeremy, I think you both make great points. I would like a bridge pickup about 9.5k or so. I want it hotter....

Koolkat, whatever bridge pickup I choose, I'll put a baseplate underneath it. That much I'm sure about....

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

Twangbanger/2 Surfers is becoming a popular set.......and for good reason.
It sounds like it would suit you.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

Twangbanger/2 Surfers is becoming a popular set.......and for good reason.
It sounds like it would suit you.

I'm beginning to think so myself....

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

my first surfer set didnt have the custom bridge and they read 6.37k/6.32k/6.78k and there was pretty good balance between the positions. it was a brighter spankier tone than the custom bridge that i use now

I agree Jeremy. But that requires asking the dealer to open up the boxes and see what the DC Resistance is and find you a hotter "neck/middle/bridge" pickup to use as your bridge pickup. That can be done because they do vary alot in terms of DC Resistance. Unless you ordered the set from the Custom Shop, your bridge pickup would have been a "neck/middle/bridge pickup"...not a bridge only pickup.

Did you custom order your set so that it included a baseplate on the bridge pickup? That's a differant deal altogether.

The Antiquity box has three pickup designations on it though and a little box to the left of each description that is checked for whichever of the three descriptions fits the pickup in the box:

Neck/Middle/Bridge
Middle (RW/RP)
Custom Bridge

 

[Lee_M.]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

Butch,

My recommendation is to see how bright the guitar is, first, before you swap pups. That makes a huge difference (as you know) in whether you get the Ant I's or Ant II's. My Clapton didn't take to the Ant I's; they were too dark.

Being a Tele player, you will need the A5 mag to get a bit more brightness out of the Strat. Not all Strats are 'ear-piercers', so I recommend starting with the Ant II's and then switch to the Ant I's if necessary.

Skip the Fralin stuff. He makes good stuff and I have his Vintage Hots, but the Duncans are simply better.

 

[Imp]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

Twangbanger/2 Surfers is becoming a popular set.......and for good reason.
It sounds like it would suit you.

was scrolling down thinking exactly the same thing

john might see this, they're his favourite strat set i think..

tom

 

[madstrummer]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

I highly recommend the Fender custom shop 54's for a strat. I just went that route and am totally satisfied.
I really wanted to go with the antiquity surfers at first, but can't bring myself to justify the cost.
I went with a more reasonably priced set and I am really impressed with what I got for just over a hundred bucks.
YMMV
OF course, if I had the cash to burn the antiquities would definitely be my first choice!!!
I love the aged look.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

I love the Albert Lee set in my MIJ 62 RI. If I'm not mistaken, you're familiar with them (you did have an EB Albert, right?). They're very similar to APS flats, but with a bit of a kick at the bridge pickup. I like them as much as my friend's Antiquities (Texas Hots with Custom bridge) that are in his '57 strat.

Benjy and all,

Yes, I remember my Albert Lee Model guitar very fondly. I loved the APS-2's that were in it. I use them as a level-set for the tone I want out of a Strat. I would like their tone but a tad hotter; especially from the bridge pickup. The bridge pickup on an Albert Lee guitar has a little metal strip underneath it to serve as the baseplate. I replaced the strip on mine with a baseplate from a Twang Banger and it made a huge difference. This leads me to believe that a Twang Banger would be the best choice for a bridge pickup. I don't want the uber jangle of a 60's style pickup. I want the pickups to be fatter and meatier than that without being too hot. This thinking is leading me away from the Surfers. I'm actually thinking about either the APS-1 or APS-2 in the neck/middle positions. I would go with the APS-1's because the Strat I'm looking at has a 7.25" neck radius and the APS-1 has staggered poles.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

Another avid fan here of the Twangbanger/Surfer/Surfer.....For sure! This is my favorite and most used combo in my blue strat..

 

[kjrocks]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

I'd say twangbanger too ,but for the neck and mid ,I'm still trying them all out,but my favorites so for are the APS-1's

 

[jeremy]

Re: Set Me Up w/Strat pickups....

lew, i bought three surfers no rw/rp or anything and put the lowest one in the middle, hottest one in the bridge and the in between in the neck. the baseplate was something that i added myself. it really helped fatten up the bottom end.

i use the surfer custom now and when i get around to it im gonna put a base plate on that one too