Texas Specials without the hum?

[UberMetalDood]

I love the sound of Texas Specials but can't stand the noise. I know this is a kind of a long shot, but does anyone makes noiseless strat pickups that sound exactly like Texas Specials?

 

[wolf5150]

Re: Texas Specials without the hum?

I'm gonna suggest my usual suspect and the only singles I use...

Kinman 62

'nuff said :friday:

 

[Bones]

Re: Texas Specials without the hum?

I think for Duncans maybe some Custom Stacks? I would just try to shield the crap out of a strat to eliminate as much hum as possible.

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Texas Specials without the hum?

I'm gonna suggest my usual suspect and the only singles I use...

Kinman 62

'nuff said :friday:

Do they have a high output? The problem I'm having with single coils is matching them up with a humbucker. Texas Specials have just under the amount of power I'm looking for in a strat pickup.

 

[erikm5150]

Re: Texas Specials without the hum?

I can't say if they sound "exactly" like texas specials, but I use the dmz area 61 and they have that hot texas kind of tone.
if you want hotter, the virtual vintage heavy blues 2 would fit the bill.

 

[wolf5150]

Re: Texas Specials without the hum?

Yea they are a bit hotter, I've got them in my Silhouette special mated with a JB in the bridge and it's fantastic.
Obviously there's a volume drop but that's why I use neck singles instead of Humbuckers, I like the contrast.

I absolutely love these pickups.
There are sound samples on You Tube and on the Kinman site.

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Texas Specials without the hum?

Yea they are a bit hotter, I've got them in my Silhouette special mated with a JB in the bridge and it's fantastic.
Obviously there's a volume drop but that's why I use neck singles instead of Humbuckers, I like the contrast.

I absolutely love these pickups.
There are sound samples on You Tube and on the Kinman site.

Thanks I'll check them out again.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Texas Specials without the hum?

Taken from this site...

Classic Stack Plus middle and Vintage Hot Stack Plus neck for a punched up Strat tone

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Texas Specials without the hum?

If you have the coin, I hear good things about the Suhr BPSSC

$250 Arggh!!! That sounds pretty cool but the price tag is just too crazy for a few wires and some plastic that probably cost about $10.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Texas Specials without the hum?

You could make some RFI shields for the coils and see how that works.

 

[krusher]

Re: Texas Specials without the hum?

If you love the sound of the texas special' pups, you can get rid of the hum, but it certainly won't sound the same, thats what makes true single coils special, very toneful, but noisey.

 

[LReese]

Re: Texas Specials without the hum?

$250 Arggh!!! That sounds pretty cool but the price tag is just too crazy for a few wires and some plastic that probably cost about $10.

Its actually cheaper in the long run - Noiseless pickups ain't exactly cheap themselves. I bought all of mine used @75 to 80 off a new one. But with TS pickups, you need a new neck pickup (standard polarity for the middle position {or flip the poles in your middle pickup and reverse leads}, but I'd just sub whatever I had on hand) and/or a superswitch (to defeat the BPSSC in #2,3, and 4 positions).

I'm using one right now with a 2 Neck Antiquity II's and Twangbanger.

IMO, its the best available option right now if you're looking for vintage tone. It is not the 100% option, as someone pointed out on another post last week there's a very slight difference that I perceive to be a little difference in gain. That demo was the built in system, which is a little more effective than the backplate. Its not enough to even get me to think about hesitating getting one.

That being said I'm open to trying other options. I want to try the newest Kinmans. I like our host's Vintage Rails. Lace Sensors I liked (Hot Golds). Bill Lawrence's new microcoils intrigue me. I had one strat with EMG SV's that was pretty good in the individual positions but a bit tight in the low end.

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: Texas Specials without the hum?

If you're doing your best to match output with a humbucker and you like the sound of your Texas Specials I'd recommend the Vintage Hot Stack Plus. I like the Classic Stack Plus in the middle because I always prefer glassy, vintage output middles regardless of how loud my neck and bridge pickups are. But if you prefer a more even output then by all means use the Vintage Hot Stack Plus in both positions.

 

[notesfield]

Re: Texas Specials without the hum?

I would throw another vote for the Dimarzio Area series. If you are running 500k pots I would say Area 61. If you have 250k try the 58 or 67 which are brighter making the 250k roll off their highs. All of the Area series do a great job of strat tones with some level of amp gain. If you are doing the Marshall or medium gain thing the Area's are the ticket. If you want single coil sparkle and chime with a clean Fender amp you are better off sticking with true single coils because nothing else sounds exactly like that. You can get varied degrees of close but not exact.
If this is a SSH type of strat used for rock, check out the Areas.

I love the sound of Texas Specials but can't stand the noise. I know this is a kind of a long shot, but does anyone makes noiseless strat pickups that sound exactly like Texas Specials?

 

[icantbuyafender]

Re: Texas Specials without the hum?

the hum adds to the character. Raw and rockin'

Much like a BB1/2/3 that isn't wax-potted.

 

[rzbk777]

Re: Texas Specials without the hum?

GFS has a noise cancelling set called "Mega Texas". I never tried them myself.