This has probably been asked to death, but whats the best pups for SRV tone?

Y

Young Angus

Kometose Tonologist
Assuming you've got the amp side of things sorted out, and you have yourself a nice strat, what single coils, duncan or other (like fralin) would give you an amazing tone like SRV?

SSL-5's, or perhaps fralins of some sort...?

PS. and assume you can play with feeling like him too ;)
 
Re: This has probably been asked to death, but whats the best pups for SRV tone?

any low output vintage will do it
 
Re: This has probably been asked to death, but whats the best pups for SRV tone?

didnt he use fender texas stock pups? and if you ask me, the best way to get his tone is his fingers
 
Re: This has probably been asked to death, but whats the best pups for SRV tone?

Fender Texas Specials simply won't do SRV. They are much too midrangey. For SRV tone( a small piece of it, anyway), you need a vintage style Alnico V single coil, heavy strings, and a heavy handed attack. The SSL-1's will do it, so will the Antiquity Surfers, and the Fender CS 57/62's will also do a decent job of it.
 
Re: This has probably been asked to death, but whats the best pups for SRV tone?

I agree
SRV had a big, stock Fender sound, NOT a heavily overdriven sound.

His overdrive was generated by his amps and tubescreamers, as much as his pickups.

Like a lot of folks, I thought of his tone as overdriven. One day I was driving home listening to him and I realized "no, it's a big, STOCK sound"

my amp tech concurred :)
 
Re: This has probably been asked to death, but whats the best pups for SRV tone?

Davey said:
and if you ask me, the best way to get his tone is his fingers
Click to expand...

Yes well ... :33: :jester: :nervous:
 
Re: This has probably been asked to death, but whats the best pups for SRV tone?

3 cent hero said:
any low output vintage will do it
Click to expand...

That's about right. :) SRV used vintage 50's and 60's 6K or under alnico 5 Fender single coils with staggered pole pieces.

He didn't use slightly overwound pickups like the Surfers, Texas Hots, Texas Specials and others.

That said, I think Duncan alnico 5 SSL-1's and Antiquity Surfers and 3% underwound Fralin Vintage Hots do a nice job with Hendrix and SRV tone.

If you're a player who prefers a little less glassy tone than true vintage, and feel more comfortable with a thicker Strat tone with more mids than vintage a5 Strat pickups, then I'd recommend the Antiquity Texas Hots. They have tons of personality and get a great tone too.

Lew
 
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Re: This has probably been asked to death, but whats the best pups for SRV tone?

Lewguitar said:
That's about right. :)
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whoa! someone has agree'd on something with me finally :laugh2:
 
Re: This has probably been asked to death, but whats the best pups for SRV tone?

SSL-1's or SSL-2's depending on the guitar they will be going into...this is assuming that the guitar/amp/fx part of the rig is correct!
 
Re: This has probably been asked to death, but whats the best pups for SRV tone?

just for the sake of emphasis, I was struck the other day by the description of the SSL-1 :
"SSL-1. An exact replica of the original Alnico V Stratocaster® pickups. The same type of magnet wire is used, as well as the same number of coil windings. The staggered rod magnets are hand-ground, then aged by the exclusive Dun-Aged™ process, lacquered bobbins and cloth-braid hookup wire complete the vintage look. Every detail is included to duplicate the bell-like tone and the high-end bite that made the vintage Strat® famous."
 
Re: This has probably been asked to death, but whats the best pups for SRV tone?

Clones of vintage a5 strat pickups are in the ballpark. But for my ears SRV's (at least #1's) distinctive flavor was on the bass side. It is a good old 6-6.20K strat single coil with a very well pronounced, upfront bass.

My humble opinion is that van zandt vintage +'s do the best job in terms of capturing that particular tone.

B
 
Re: This has probably been asked to death, but whats the best pups for SRV tone?

If anyone watched the Direct-TV freeview you saw Stevie Ray get "his sound" out of about 3 different guitars, one of them with lipstick tube pickups. I also read somewhere that he used Van Zandts in some guitars but I don't know if was any of his "famous" ones. cheers!------JIMO :dance:
 
Re: This has probably been asked to death, but whats the best pups for SRV tone?

jimo said:
If anyone watched the Direct-TV freeview you saw Stevie Ray get "his sound" out of about 3 different guitars, one of them with lipstick tube pickups. I also read somewhere that he used Van Zandts in some guitars but I don't know if was any of his "famous" ones. cheers!------JIMO :dance:
Click to expand...

Yep, couldn't agree more.

Everyone from Buddy Holly to D*ck Dale to Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton to David Gilmore to Mark Knopfler to SRV used the same 6K 50's and 60's Fender Strat pickups and standard vintage Strats.

Ultimately your tone comes from being who you are.

Van Zandts are excellant pickups too, BTW...as Dr Barlo mentioned. I have an old set of Van Zandts that sounds almost identical to the pickups in my '63 Strat.

My '63 is the Strat I've owned for about 30 years and is my benchmark for authentic vintage Strat tone.

SRV's '59 was really a '62 or '63 like mine....
 
Re: This has probably been asked to death, but whats the best pups for SRV tone?

The Fender Custom Shop '69s are a low output, glassy strat pickup with good bass. No one seems to talk about them ever, but for ~$110 a set, they are very reasonable.
 
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