Strat pickups

Seziertisch

@timmypix What block and saddles do you have? They could just as much the thing voicing the guitar darker than you prefer,

A change is not necessarily always an “improvement”

fretmeister

OilCityPickups said:

With Strats I always sort: bridge block, saddles and electrics before considering new pickups. Of course you may just have a dark sounding Strat as you have suggested. Pot changes will help ...

How much and what type of change does the block cause?
It is actually obvious or is it a matter of tiny differences?

I have a wonderful strat that I love (With Lollar Blackface pickups) but I like to tinker!

timmypix

Seziertisch said:

@timmypix What block and saddles do you have? They could just as much the thing voicing the guitar darker than you prefer,

A change is not necessarily always an “improvement”

Wudtone Holy Grail stainless steel block and saddles. Really improved the acoustic resonance of the guitar, made it more lively. Enhanced the bass, yes, but also made it brighter compared to the stock bridge (2002 Highway One) which did the job but I was curious.

Lestratcaster

OilCityPickups said:

With Strats I always sort: bridge block, saddles and electrics before considering new pickups. Of course you may just have a dark sounding Strat as you have suggested. Pot changes will help ...

I did this to my Strat last summer and the trem block upgrade made a huge difference. More sustain, sparkle and "position 2 cluck" (i.e neck/middle position) which I never had before.

Still went and put some StoneTones in though. They sound great.

ten77guitar

I think there’s only so far you can go with changing pickups, pots etc. Some guitars are just brighter and snappier than others. I know that’s not the answer you wanted but I know from experience you can waste a lot of time and money trying to ‘improve’ a guitar when it would have been better to have just found another one with the characteristics you want.

timmypix

ten77guitar said:

I think there’s only so far you can go with changing pickups, pots etc. Some guitars are just brighter and snappier than others. I know that’s not the answer you wanted but I know from experience you can waste a lot of time and money trying to ‘improve’ a guitar when it would have been better to have just found another one with the characteristics you want.

I think to be honest you're probably right. If by all accounts the Mother's Milks are meant to be about as bright as they come, I can put some higher value pots in but my guitar is the way it is. The next step would be changing the body, which seems drastic, no matter how pretty @GoldenEraGuitars' Instagram posts look....

thegummy

Ask your brother in law if he'd let you temporarily put his pickups in your guitar - I'd bet you'd get the sound you like because I think it's a very small portion of the sound that comes from the rest of the guitar, I think the same pickups will sound very similar in any guitar (especially when the guitars are so similar anyway).

bbill335

i really REALLY like Mojo's 64-69 for bright, present pickups with prominent midrange. I have a set that I need to try in my main strat.

Fez

LastMantra said:

Could you not try a compressor pedal or something to add a bit of snap? Seems a shame to swap the pickups if you actually like them

One of the toneprints on the TC Hypergravity really brings out the top end spank on a strat. You could also try a graphic EQ.

imalrightjack

Fralin Vintage Hot get a BIG recommendation from me. Best Strat pickups I’ve heard. 

johnhe

My honest, and fairly strongly held, opinion is that if MMs don’t have enough bright, glassy snap, then the pickups are probably not the issue. I’ve been through several strats, and changed pickups in almost all of them. I think that good pickups can only amplify what is already there. 

I honestly think you’d be better looking for a different guitar with the tonal characteristics you like. Everyone needs two strats - a dark sounding one and a brighter one!!

Eric_C

Contact Mark Foley and he’ll wind you strat pickups to whatever spec you want. He’s a top bloke and his pickups are incredible. I have 4 different sets in my strats and they all sound amazing.

rossi

Most strat pickup issues seem to be related to height in my experience .Screechy Squier cheapos?.Try winding them down and they dont  sound bad  at all .I am sure I have dismissed various strat pickups as not for me when they just needed a bit of attention .