texas special vs ssl-1
- Thread starter rich nyc
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kmcguitars
GuitarArtologist
Re: Texas special vs ssl-1
Re: Texas special vs ssl-1
To my ears the Texas Specials sound kinda dark. The SSL-1 has all the chime and sparkle you need for Hendrix's Little wing. The best production Vintage Strat PuP IMO.
Re: Texas special vs ssl-1
To my ears the Texas Specials sound kinda dark. The SSL-1 has all the chime and sparkle you need for Hendrix's Little wing. The best production Vintage Strat PuP IMO.
ErikH
Well-known member
Re: texas special vs ssl-1
They're night and day. The Texas Specials have a little more output and more mids than the SSL-1's. Both are great. If you want the classic 50's to early 60's Strat tone, go with the SSL-1. If you want the 60's tone with a little more punch and girth, go with the Texas Special.
They're night and day. The Texas Specials have a little more output and more mids than the SSL-1's. Both are great. If you want the classic 50's to early 60's Strat tone, go with the SSL-1. If you want the 60's tone with a little more punch and girth, go with the Texas Special.
Mr. B
New member
Re: texas special vs ssl-1
If you are willing to waste the amount of money Fender is now asking for Texas Specials, you may as well get the Duncan Antiquity Surfers. I know a lot of people praise the texas specials and get some good tones out of them, but honestly I don't know how. The one TS neck P'up I own ended up in the cheapest beater squier guitar I own, and it spends all of its time at school for the students to play.
If you are willing to waste the amount of money Fender is now asking for Texas Specials, you may as well get the Duncan Antiquity Surfers. I know a lot of people praise the texas specials and get some good tones out of them, but honestly I don't know how. The one TS neck P'up I own ended up in the cheapest beater squier guitar I own, and it spends all of its time at school for the students to play.
STRATDELUXER97
Stratoblaster Tone Meister
Re: texas special vs ssl-1
The TS pickups have more output and mids as mentioned and are darker....Personally I Like the Fat 50s alot more than the TS pickups as far as CS Fender pickups go...I've never liked the TS pickups!
The Surfers have that great vintage/bell-like chime,but they don't posses the mid content of the TS or even the Fat 50s..
The TS pickups have more output and mids as mentioned and are darker....Personally I Like the Fat 50s alot more than the TS pickups as far as CS Fender pickups go...I've never liked the TS pickups!
The Surfers have that great vintage/bell-like chime,but they don't posses the mid content of the TS or even the Fat 50s..
Jeffrec
New member
Re: texas special vs ssl-1
I'm with John on the Fat '50's. Great sounding pups. I originally bought a set of TS's for my Strat, but couldn't get into them. Returned them for the '50's. Definitely glad I did. The SSL1's are nice as everyone has said. I had them in an old Strat I used to have.
I'm with John on the Fat '50's. Great sounding pups. I originally bought a set of TS's for my Strat, but couldn't get into them. Returned them for the '50's. Definitely glad I did. The SSL1's are nice as everyone has said. I had them in an old Strat I used to have.
bungalowbill
Luckybastidologist
Re: texas special vs ssl-1
ssl-1's are good old fashioned glassy Strat pups. The TS's are kinda harsh and have a lot of mids, but sometimes are really good if the strat you have sounds lifeless and anemic.
ssl-1's are good old fashioned glassy Strat pups. The TS's are kinda harsh and have a lot of mids, but sometimes are really good if the strat you have sounds lifeless and anemic.
STRATDELUXER97
Stratoblaster Tone Meister
Re: texas special vs ssl-1
Not to totally bash the Texas Specials,cause a friend of mine uses them and gets great tone from one of his strats...Maybe the TS pickups are one of those pickups that are more dependent on being in the "right" guitar?
Plus I don't care for the Fat 50 bridge pickup at all....The 69 pickups intrique me,but these days I'm totally sold on the Surfers!
Not to totally bash the Texas Specials,cause a friend of mine uses them and gets great tone from one of his strats...Maybe the TS pickups are one of those pickups that are more dependent on being in the "right" guitar?
Plus I don't care for the Fat 50 bridge pickup at all....The 69 pickups intrique me,but these days I'm totally sold on the Surfers!
stevie_bees
Cat In The Hatministrator
Re: texas special vs ssl-1
I've always felt that the TS work better under a bit of dirt, but suffer when played clean. The SSL-1's positively sparkle when played clean. Not everybody likes the sound of the alnico 5 magnets in the SSL-1 under when distorted. I don't use extreme levels of dirt with mine, so I love the tone they give me.
I've always felt that the TS work better under a bit of dirt, but suffer when played clean. The SSL-1's positively sparkle when played clean. Not everybody likes the sound of the alnico 5 magnets in the SSL-1 under when distorted. I don't use extreme levels of dirt with mine, so I love the tone they give me.
ErikH
Well-known member
Re: texas special vs ssl-1
I love the Texas Specials and have a full set in my Strat. That guitar has never sounded better, other than when I had an Air Zone or Custom Custom in it.
I play it more now than my other guitars. They have a love/hate relationship with everybody. There's really no middle ground.
They are a little darker but not *that* much darker and I don't think they are dark by any means. I get plenty of sparkle out of 'em. They are great when played with some dirty like Stevie said. That's one thing I love about 'em because I play with overdrive most of the time anyway. They do clean up well just by rolling back the volume knob.
I love the Texas Specials and have a full set in my Strat. That guitar has never sounded better, other than when I had an Air Zone or Custom Custom in it.
I play it more now than my other guitars. They have a love/hate relationship with everybody. There's really no middle ground.They are a little darker but not *that* much darker and I don't think they are dark by any means. I get plenty of sparkle out of 'em. They are great when played with some dirty like Stevie said. That's one thing I love about 'em because I play with overdrive most of the time anyway. They do clean up well just by rolling back the volume knob.
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: texas special vs ssl-1
I had a set of the first run of Texas Specials. They're a little differant now...I think the middle pickup might be hotter now so the balance is a little better. They're calibrated differantly than when they first came out. I liked them...but found that I prefered the Duncan SSL-1's, which I found to be brighter, bubblier and more transparent.
Personally, I think the SSL-1's are closer to what SRV used in his '63 Strat because I own a real '63 Strat and the SSL-1's definately sound more like the pickups in my '63 than the Texas Specials did.
The Antiquity Surfers remind me of the pickups in my step brother's '62 Strat, which I always thought sounded a little better than my '63. According to Seymour, those pickups from '62 tend to be stronger than Strat pickups from the 50's and mid 60's. I think he's right.
I don't think SRV recorded anything with Texas Specials...the pickups he used were stock early 60's Fender Strat pickups and according to Cesar Diaz, they were on the weak side: around 6K or so.
I had a set of the first run of Texas Specials. They're a little differant now...I think the middle pickup might be hotter now so the balance is a little better. They're calibrated differantly than when they first came out. I liked them...but found that I prefered the Duncan SSL-1's, which I found to be brighter, bubblier and more transparent.
Personally, I think the SSL-1's are closer to what SRV used in his '63 Strat because I own a real '63 Strat and the SSL-1's definately sound more like the pickups in my '63 than the Texas Specials did.
The Antiquity Surfers remind me of the pickups in my step brother's '62 Strat, which I always thought sounded a little better than my '63. According to Seymour, those pickups from '62 tend to be stronger than Strat pickups from the 50's and mid 60's. I think he's right.
I don't think SRV recorded anything with Texas Specials...the pickups he used were stock early 60's Fender Strat pickups and according to Cesar Diaz, they were on the weak side: around 6K or so.
STRATDELUXER97
Stratoblaster Tone Meister
Re: texas special vs ssl-1
I was told that SRV used stock wound pickups,but another source at SD a number of years ago also said that SD had wound some pickups for SRV? Guess we'll never know the truth to that one...He wasn't around to use the Texas Specials though..
I was told that SRV used stock wound pickups,but another source at SD a number of years ago also said that SD had wound some pickups for SRV? Guess we'll never know the truth to that one...He wasn't around to use the Texas Specials though..
Jeffrec
New member
Re: texas special vs ssl-1
+1 Chris Duarte also said the Stevie never used TS's and felt he wouldn't have liked them, after he trued them himself (Chris, that is).
+1 Chris Duarte also said the Stevie never used TS's and felt he wouldn't have liked them, after he trued them himself (Chris, that is).
ErikH
Well-known member
Re: texas special vs ssl-1
Well, according to Cesar, Stevie "did" use the TS's for a short time and there are no recordings with him using them. He did however play one of the early SRV sig models on David Letterman before they were available to the public and we all know that has TS's in it.
I think they sound great at the recommended height settings that Fender gives. 8/64" (3.6mm) on the bass side, 6/64" (2.4mm) on the treble side.
Lew, my middle is around 6.3-6.5k, neck is right at 6.0k and the bridge is at around 7.0-7.1k. At the recommended heights they're wonderful to my ears. I moved the bridge up a little closer to the strings for some more bite there.
They're really meant to get that big fat tone without using bridge cables for strings. It makes it really nice for players that use 10-46 or even 9-42 strings.
Well, according to Cesar, Stevie "did" use the TS's for a short time and there are no recordings with him using them. He did however play one of the early SRV sig models on David Letterman before they were available to the public and we all know that has TS's in it.
I think they sound great at the recommended height settings that Fender gives. 8/64" (3.6mm) on the bass side, 6/64" (2.4mm) on the treble side.
Lew, my middle is around 6.3-6.5k, neck is right at 6.0k and the bridge is at around 7.0-7.1k. At the recommended heights they're wonderful to my ears. I moved the bridge up a little closer to the strings for some more bite there.
They're really meant to get that big fat tone without using bridge cables for strings. It makes it really nice for players that use 10-46 or even 9-42 strings.
