Why is this happening then?

Fuengi

So, picked up an early 80s Hondo Fame Strat copy from @Flanging_Fred last week, it's for my son to learn. 

Been 'testing' it for him as he's not coming until Friday. Unlike my other Strat or my Tele it seems to drive my amp into breakup overdrive perfectly at reasonable volume, and retains perfect single note clarity. According to @Flanging_Fred he fitted Affinity Squier pickups. Sound more like Texas Specials! 

Hotter pickups? What's going on? 

GoldenEraGuitars

Fuengi said:

So, picked up an early 80s Hondo Fame Strat copy from @Flanging_Fred last week, it's for my son to learn. 

Been 'testing' it for him as he's not coming until Friday. Unlike my other Strat or my Tele it seems to drive my amp into breakup overdrive perfectly at reasonable volume, and retains perfect single note clarity. According to @Flanging_Fred he fitted Affinity Squier pickups. Sound more like Texas Specials! 

Hotter pickups? What's going on? 

What volume is the guitar at bud? Roll the volume down to 2-4 and check out if it retains clarity. Could be hotter pickups with a treble bleed. That’s what I have in my Strat 

Fuengi

lonestar said:

Fuengi said:

So, picked up an early 80s Hondo Fame Strat copy from @Flanging_Fred last week, it's for my son to learn. 

Been 'testing' it for him as he's not coming until Friday. Unlike my other Strat or my Tele it seems to drive my amp into breakup overdrive perfectly at reasonable volume, and retains perfect single note clarity. According to @Flanging_Fred he fitted Affinity Squier pickups. Sound more like Texas Specials! 

Hotter pickups? What's going on? 

What volume is the guitar at bud? Roll the volume down to 2-4 and check out if it retains clarity. Could be hotter pickups with a treble bleed. That’s what I have in my Strat 

That's the thing, it's driving it at low volume. I'm going through a DOD Looking Glass on high gain but it's still driving the amp unlike unlike the other guitars.

Fuengi

BTW the amp is a Yerasov GTA 15 which is pretty clean.

GoldenEraGuitars

Quite possibly high output pickups then?

ICBM

If they're Affinity pickups they will have steel polepieces with a big ceramic magnet on the bottom, rather than separate Alnico magnets like 'proper' Strat pickups. These pickups have quite a high output and a slightly 'rough' natural tone to them particularly when playing chords, which a lot of people don't like because they don't have that classic bell-like clean tone. But if it sounds good to you, don't worry about what other people think of them...

Alegree

Ceramic magnets & steel poles actually have a lower output than alnico rods, all other things being equal. It won't be down to that.

Flanging_Fred

The pickups came from a squier strat that I bought from the classifieds here a few years ago.  I don't think the strat was an Affinity as it had a full thickness body ( it may have been an SE or 20th Anniversary or something?).  Anyway the pickups definitely have bar magnets rather than individual ones. I checked them out while restringing before putting it up for sale.

Fuengi

Flanging_Fred said:

The pickups came from a squier strat that I bought from the classifieds here a few years ago.  I don't think the strat was an Affinity as it had a full thickness body ( it may have been an SE or 20th Anniversary or something?).  Anyway the pickups definitely have bar magnets rather than individual ones. I checked them out while restringing before putting it up for sale.

Whatever they are they sound good!