Which pickups for a New Strat Build

asimmd

What it would have sounded like in the 50's would be nice.I already have an NOS56,but while it sounds really good,it doesn't have that biting growl I associate with the early Strats. Hope Ash reads this cos he's getting the job of building the pickups. Alan

ThePrettyDamned

asimmd;79874" said:

What it would have sounded like in the 50's would be nice.I already have an NOS56,but while it sounds really good,it doesn't have that biting growl I associate with the early Strats.



Hope Ash reads this cos he's getting the job of building the pickups.



Alan

He could probably do that in his sleep, he truly breathes pickup knowledge. And he's a lovely bloke, too. I hope he don't mind me saying this.

I'll never get pickups from anyone else.

OilCityPickups

Awwww shucks guys
Funny thing, the difference between a 'good' and a great strat sound can be in just a few little tweaks ....not just in them pickups. Strat trems are so much an integral part of the 'sound' that the wrong saddles or setup can just take the edge off a really stellar tone. I say this till I'm blue in the face, but: get your trem, nut, saddles, pots, caps and wiring 150% ... then it's time ... and only if you are still a little short of your ideal ... to swap out your pickups.

Strat pickups are the probably simplest pickup I make ... just eight parts excluding the cover and the hookup eyelets ... yet they are a real touchy thoroughbred to tweak. Wind it wrong or use the wrong magnets and you get compressed, nasal nastiness ... or painful, icepick treble. Just a tiny variation in bobbin height, magnet gauss, scatter pattern etc etc makes a ton of difference. Actually making an 'average' Strat pickup is very easy ... that's why I actually recommend them as a first time wind for budding hobby pickup winders. It's also why it's difficult to buy a really bad one ... even dirt cheap. Just follow Leo's well known recipe of about 8000 turns of 42awg wire ... and it'll happen. It's going 'the next mile' from 'that sounds pretty okay' to 'that sounds brilliant' that's difficult with a Strat wind.

thomasw88

reckon I've had about 15-20 types of strat pickups and tbh they're much of a muchness imo.   There is alot of  rubbish spouted about pickups.    you really dont have to spend that much on them, and the differences between a decent set of cheapo pickups made well and the hand rolled, polished with eskimo tusk blah blah are very very subjective.

     Before you replace the pickups you should probably be worth looking at experimenting with the height of the existing set -  playing around with that can make a mahoosive difference to the tone.   Before I sold one a strat a while ago, I put the stock pickups back in and honestly I must have been lucky with the heights, as it was the best it had ever sounded..

 Also, worth looking at the pots and switches and wiring, ie if its a cheapo set  or has  bad solder joints etc then that can have an effect on the sound.

I've got 3 strats at the moment, one has a set of bulldog texas floods which have been in for a few years now and sound pretty darn good, although they replaced various other sets that sounded pretty darn good.

Another has got an oil city stonetone with base plate in the neck and the stock middle and bridge pickups.   -  I went with Ash for this as I wanted something quite specific and he is quite cheap compared to alot of the other guys who imo massively overcharge for the job. He was very helpful, and delivered a very nice sounding pickup. 

Other strat, has the stock Tokai pickups in it, although I did swap out the bridge with a hotter pickup I had lying around.   If I change them which I think I might, then the next set is going to be either axesrus, irongear, or possibly one of the cheaper handwound people ie oil city. 

noisepolluter

asimmd said:

Thanks Guys

To be honest,i was going to go with Oil City,i have not used them before and the suspense

as to how good they are is killing me.

I see there are a new set of Strat Pickups available,must look into those.

Alan

I have a set of the oil city triple blues and love them. Just the right balance of output and twang.