You could not have gotten something better in its category. For instance, they also have specially designed David Gilmour signature pickups that give some of the best qualities you’d expect from single-coils. Looking through their line of products, the 44513-02 set stood out to us. Top-end takes on the classic electric outline ... There’s a good colour choice and options include an HSS pickup configuration and a Stealth Black version. Almost all of the company’s Strat models come with this particular combo. For example, an “HH” configuration has a humbucker on the neck and a humbucker on the bridge; whereas an “SSH” configuration has single-coil, single-coil, and humbucker from neck to bridge. For instance, there are Strats with bodies made out of poplar, ash, basswood, and even mahogany in some rare instances. So you basically have 3 options to choose from here: high output pickups; moderate output pickups …which are the two most common. By Guitarist 06 March 2019. Bottom Line: Bearing standard Alnico V magnets, staggered pole pieces, and relatively lower output, they’re great for blues and jazz music. Tone Specific makes the Best Strat Pickups. Most guitars have at least 2, if not 3, pickups with either neck and bridge or neck middle bridge placements. It features a classic double-cutaway body design, paired with a very comfortable maple neck and a “6-in-line” headstock. Anything from those bluesy old school vibes and even up to heavy metal leads, you’ll be able to cover a lot of territories with them. While enjoying the ultimate balance in tone and flow, the mid-range rendition offers even better warmth. With so many pickups on the market these days, its almost overwhelming. The EMG SA features a bright and airy sound with a rich bottom end to the overall feel. What is the Best Pickup for a Strat? These pickup set are calibrated and they are perfect for players who love to play something unique with their new instrument. But despite the noise-reduction technology, the pickup poles still have a pretty wide area where they pick up the signal of the vibrating string, which adds a pretty rich harmonic content to the full sonic equation. Since you have a swimming pool cavity, my personal favorite Strat configuration is a Tele bridge pickup, Strat middle and neck. While we’re at the topics of Hot Rail pickups, there’s another combo that you can see on Stratocasters these days. It makes no difference whether you’re playing a premium made fender in America or an entry level Yamaha; with a new strat pickup, you can resolve any tone that you crave. But before we go more into these pickup sets, let us first explore the history of the Fender Stratocaster, as well as some interesting facts about it and what makes this particular guitar model so special. In this race, Leo Fender won when he finally launched his Esquire guitar model in 1950. My Review: The classic triple-single formation comes in many different versions, covering a lot of different sonic options. But even though it’s a humbucker pickup in the bridge position, it still comes with a slightly brighter tone that would help you retain some classic Strat qualities in the tone. However, they are designed according to the Fender pickups from the 1960s, so you’ll hear a lot of those frequencies in the mix. What’s pretty interesting is that these pickups manage to cover a lot of different musical styles. Of course, Leo Fender wasn’t the only one thinking about this as a young musician and inventor going by the name of Les Paul – we’re sure you’re familiar with his name – was also trying to make a breakthrough with solid-body electric guitar ideas. The best thing you can do for your strat is to get it a nice looking pickup that doesn’t just work but also delivers in appearance. The pickups deliver a classic bright vintage tone that reminds you of the great sound that rules the airwaves during the 1950s. Seymour Duncan makes noiseless Strat pickups using either a stacked or side-by-side design. But probably the most groundbreaking thing that the world saw with the launch of Fender Stratocasters back in 1954 was its rather innovative and (for the times) unconventional bridge. of December 2020. Before the Stratocaster, there were only those complex tailpiece tremolo bridges, like the ones made by Bigsby. And they’re especially interesting with the vintage-oriented stuff. These are classic single voiced vintage pickups that feature 6 chrome mounting springs and screws. And one of the main goals here was to have an almost noiseless operation. But there’s another one that we thought would be interesting to all those who like Fender Stratocaster guitars and improved sonic options with them. Type: A set of three single-coils But, frankly speaking, most of the brands in the market have almost the same pickups in appearance, qualities and overall functionality. Now, there are two really interesting things about this one. These are capable of bringing that sparkle and jangle that Stratocaster players love, all while preserving some punch in the midsection as well as the “beefiness” in the bottom ends. The V60 set is specially voiced to replicate the sonic qualities of what we could hear on those legendary Fender Stratocasters from the 1960s. And the most surprising part is that the good old triple-single-coil Strats are still the most popular ones. My Review: There’s a lot of exciting stuff in Seymour Duncan’s collection of pickups, so it’s pretty hard not to include yet another one of their Stratocaster sets. humbucker in the neck position, single coil middle and humbucker in the bridge. Type: Pre-wired pickguard with three single-coil pickups and basic Strat controls. Additionally, these feature a pretty great tone for hard rock and blues rock and will help you have those ZZ Top vibes. The N3 Noiseless Strat Pickups are manufactured in Corona, California, in … My Review: What other older guitar manufacturing companies developed over the years, Suhr took to a whole new level with their innovative approach in instrument building. And, once again, we have an authentic replica of the pickups that were available back on those old Fenders. Sure, plenty of companies and luthiers experimented with the concept in the 1930s and the 1940s, but none of these instruments made a breakthrough. These pickups are equipped with Alnico V magnets and also come with the staggered pole pieces. But what’s also really great is that they offer those awesome pre-wired Stratocaster pickguards with pickups and all the needed controls on it. My Review: Fender’s Pure Vintage Series has some other great examples that are worth noting here. These are often referred to as California ’50s pickups as they replicate the classic single-coil Fender Stratocaster tones from the 1950s. Discussion in 'Just Pickups' started by lchyi, Jul 31, 2006. Bottom Line: While Bare Knuckle is not as famous of a brand compared to some other mentioned in this list, this set is more than worth the price. And, of course, there are even versions with three humbucker pickups, giving a rather unusual twist to this instrument. Bottom Line: Fender Strats made back in the 1960s have their strong following. This is all rounded up with a nicely done pre-wired pickguard, along with all the necessary controls in there. I started with this idea, choosing the Classic Stack Plus Strat for the neck position. Another very popular combination of pickups for Fender’s or any other Stratocasters is the humbucker-single-single one. You will love the one coil design and the balanced, clear and crisp tone it generates. Type: Individual single-coil pickup These add to the overall output of the pickups. Featuring more wounds around their magnets, as well as flat poles, these are more vintage-oriented compared to some other pickups mentioned here. But, of course, you can’t expect a pro-level tone with them knowing that the entire set here is half the price of an individual pickup in some of the other examples that we mentioned in this list. However, when you buy individually, you won’t get any mounting hardware. These are super useful for those extra twangy tones, like for funk or country music, although they also work well in other settings. The Texas Specials are overwound for a generous helping of Lone Star sizzle but radiate a warm midrange and have a solid, pronounced low-end response, while staggered pole pieces make for a balanced output. But things are nicely balanced with two other pickups, Emerald and Silver, making this particular combo very potent and versatile. The same pickup cannot be used to play all those; so pickups come in different shapes, sizes, and types and produce different tones. In order to “muffle” the tone a bit, you can always use the instrument’s tone pots. You don’t find these kinds of Strat models that often, but they are still a thing. This Hilarious Conductor Perfectly Captures How Orchestra Rehearsals Go, The World’s Most Unusual Music Instruments, Legendary conductor Zubin Mehta to retire from Israel Philharmonic, 6 Relaxing Pieces of Classical Music for Meditation, 15 Best Classical Piano Lessons for Beginners Review 2020. The STK-S4n pickup is an excellent choice for guitarists who love to play pop, country, surf, rockabilly, classic rock, ska, and blues. V-Mods are definitely one of the most innovative and interesting Stratocaster pickups on the market. This is due to Fender’s decision to use different types of magnets for different strings on the same pickups. My Review: We already mentioned one Lace Sensor model here. The bridge pickup has a stronger output, making it a great option for hard rock and metal guitar players. https://www.guitarfella.com/best-guitar-pickups/stratocaster It creates a unique creamy and sublime blues-tone that is not only clear and strong but is also very expressive. This 11 holes, 3 ply pickguard is an affordable way to replace your American/Mexico strat style pickguard while keeping the original look. However, we saw two of the most important traits that changed the way other companies approached their guitar building business. Although a lesser-known brand, they still have some pretty great pickups considering the price. This is due to their special design, with a strong accent put on their shielding. The instrument development started in 1952, finally seeing its official release in 1954. I'm buying a rosewood Strat neck and cream scratch plate for starters, plus Gibson-type hat box knobs. I started this website with some of my friends who are musicians, music teachers, gear heads, and music enthusiasts so we could provide high quality music related content as well as some of the most accurate and in-depth gear review and demo information on the internet. However, these are three smaller-sized humbuckers, accompanied by one volume and two tone control pots. Orchestral Musicians Bring Whales To Surface – This Will Take Your... Elgar’s Nimrod Vocal Performance Will Make You So Emotional. In this article, I’ll review the best Strat pickup at each price point. With these, you can have a balance in volume and level of resistance. We very much like how they work with some distorted high-gain tones when you roll off the volume a little. The RA-2 comes with a fully prepared pre-wired pickguard and features the standard triple single-coil formation that most of the Fender Strat lovers prefer over other options. But while most pickups these days feature Alnico V magnets, here we have Alnico II, Alnico III, and Alnico V combination. Bought a new set of pickups for my Strat. My Review: It would take us a lot of time to fully explain the greatness of Fender guitars and Fender pickups. And although we have pronounced and very clear high-ends, these pickups aren’t that “chimey” and “thin” with their output. The best electric guitar pickup for metal depends on your preferences, and always remember that you don’t need to settle on one kind of the rest of your life. Fender Pure Vintage '59 Strat Pickup Set . This combination is not that common so you’ll get the chance to sound somewhat unique with it. You can just cut out a larger hole in the plastic pickguard or even buy a new one that fits your needs. First off, we have only one tone (or treble roll-off) control for all three of the pickups, which is somewhat unusual for Strats, although it keeps things a little simple. My Review: Looking through all the big names in the world of guitar, there’s hardly any musician that could emulate what Eric Johnson does. Sure, they’re not that cheap when you check out the price tag, but you can’t ever go wrong with these. The Red pickup and its sensor design allow the player to have a fat, punchy humbucker-style tone rendition at the bridge. Of course, they’re also useful for other genres, but just bear in mind that these are their strongest territories. We provide you with the latest breaking news and videos straight from the music industry. Lindy Fralin Blues Specials Strat Pickups provide a thick, warm, and fat sound that’s perfect for the Blues. For quite some time now, they’ve been surprising the lovers of classic Stratocaster tones with the almost hum-free operation. Sterling do a standard scale (25.5") SSS configuration Cutlass (that Andertons one is the short scale variant), so if you can find somewhere selling them nearby, it's definitely worth a try as the Sterlings I've tried are great value guitars. Again, if the overall output of your strat is getting low, then you know there is a need to change your pickup. This means that you can put it in the bridge, middle, or neck position and achieve good results. My Review: Looking through all of the pickups on the market, most notably those intended for Fender Stratocaster guitars, you’d notice that things can get a bit pricy. Instead, they excel in being the best in providing that authentic vintage style fender tone that flows alongside its quiet performance. Of course, just like other EMG examples that we mentioned here, these come with active electronics, making them very useful for lead players. Active or passive: Passive. The Area™ Strat® Replacement Pickguard features solderless connectors for easy installation in any guitar with a standard 11-hole pickguard. The white vinyl design further makes them suitable on any strat. The bridge pickup features Alnico II magnets, while middle and neck ones have Alnico IV magnets. Or you can also go with guitar pickup types like a single humbucker in the bridge position and put two single coils in the middle and neck pickup positions. Active or passive: Passive. HUMBUCKER refers to a full-size pickup with 2 coils like the drawing on the left. The Squier Bullet Strat is a guitar 100% designed by Fender with three single-coil Strat pickups, a thin lightweight body, a 6-saddle tremolo bridge, and a satin neck finish. But nonetheless, if you go with such a combo, you’d definitely have a lot of fun with it, especially if you’re playing heavier music. This is all due to the company’s special design and shielding solutions, which somehow manage to keep those single-coil sonic qualities and keep things quieter and controlled. So let’s get into this. Active or passive: Passive. Nonetheless, their performance qualities shine in other settings as well. Type: A set of three single-coils with a pre-wired pickguard and standard Strat controls And they work well in pretty much all settings, anything from those super squeaky cleans and up to heavily distorted fuzz-drenched tones. This program is designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon. Here is... Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. Bottom Line: Fender’s Yosemite set is a pretty balanced and versatile one. My Review: We’ve already mentioned a couple of different Lace Sensor Stratocaster pickup combinations here. The only way to get rid of it is to have a humbucker, although this kind of a pickup completely changes the tone and lacks that much-appreciated Stratocaster “twang” and “jangle” that these guitars are so well-known for. However, EMG’s DG20 pickups will have a better dynamic response and will add those sparkling bright overtones to the mix, all while keeping things under control. These are actually three completely different pickups. Like every other single-coil pickup out there in the market, strat pickups are also prone to hum, particularly when you start turning up the volume and distortion level. Although we kind of take this guitar for granted these days, thinking that it brings nothing new to the table, its design and features marked a real revolution in the world of guitar. Along with the use of a simple 5-way selector switch, this Strat configuration has a reputation for packing some pretty versatile tone-shaping options. But what I was really excited about was the ObsidianWire Custom HSS wiring harness I was about to install.. Talk about painless. Although not getting that close to some stuff that we already mentioned here, the Wilkinson Lic White ST pickups truly do a great job for their price. And the guys over at Fender truly did an amazing job at bringing the good old times back to life. The rich, warm humbucking bridge pickup adds a touch of thickness to the instrument's voice, while special electronics ensure traditional Strat tone is close at hand; ready to go at a moment's notice. By this design, you can rest assure that this pickup will not constitute a rebel or nuisance by tugging on your guitar strings like a thug in Chicago. The pole pieces are also staggered, making the overall sonic output very controlled and balanced all over the audible spectrum. Nonetheless, things are pretty balanced all over the spectrum and you can get a lot of different tones going on, although you’ll always notice those vintage vibes in there. $96.59. By Guitarist 06 March 2019. The pickups feature an enamel coated magnet design that ensures they remain durable and active across different musical style application. The note definition is excellent, even as the chords reads out nice and the lead tone offers a bright and cut-through band mix. It would be challenging to find a competitor that can boast of better quality and reliability than what Fender has up its sleeves. However, the classic “twang” and the sharp attack remain on almost any of the examples that you can find on the market these days. SSS configuration stratocaster with blender pot ( 7 sound options strat) Some say this is the oldest mods for strat, and i would say this is the best one. The owner of this website does not guarantee offers on this site, and all offers should be viewed as recommendations only. Utilizing these traits and your instrument’s controls, you get a lot of options to shape your sonic output. ... Based on your information we will pick the top three recommended pickups that are best for your application. Think long and hard about your pickup configuration Sure, you can always replace pickups further down the line – but it would be much more cost-effective to invest in a Fender Strat that's voiced to your needs. Additionally, many guitars with this humbucker-single-single formation have an additional coil-splitting option for the humbucker, practically turning this guitar into a regular old triple-single Strat with a push of a button. There are two pretty interesting things when it comes to the SSL-4 pickup. When shopping for your strat pickup, think about the Alnico magnet/slug wrap design. These will be able to sparkle in the clean settings and roar in the heavily distorted lead settings. If there is any question, suggestion or something else in your mind that you may want to tell us, just let us know in the comment session below, and we will respond to you quickly. With the name of the manufacturer carefully crested below the 6-quarter inch diameter magnets, this pickup is genuinely a high output single-coil design. After all, the coils are much closer together and are positioned in a different way compared to normal-sized humbuckers. This way, the pickups manage to deliver that much-appreciated punch, all while retaining the sharp attack and brightness that single-coils are known for. Cranked it and it will scream with extreme power. The Pure Vintage ’59 set features real cloth wiring, as well as the vintage bobbin construction. What’s more, there are examples of the so-called “pre-loaded” or “pre-wired” Stratocaster pickguards with all of the pots, pickups, wires, and other components packed into it. There is, however, a slight difference in tone compared to regular humbuckers, although this can make your Strat sound very unique. But what’s pretty interesting with these pickups is that they come with active electronics. 6) Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Flat SSL-4 Pickup for Strat. 5) Seymour Duncan STK-S4n Classic Stack Plus –Neck Pickup. And it’s definitely justified, especially if we look into some of their single-coil pickups, like the SSL-4 model. However, they can also come with a 5-way switch, allowing more tone-shaping options compared to the regular 3-way switching that you find on guitars with just two humbuckers. Bottom Line: Made by Suhr, these pickups are pretty versatile for different settings. When your strat pickup starts tugging on your strings, it’s because it is getting wane and there is a need to replace it. Any string type connected through these pickups will surely enjoy comfortable balance in volume because of the staggered pole pieces. Sure, you can also add some noise reduction pedals to your signal chain, but the humming will be present while the notes are being played, or more precisely when the noise reduction pedal is above the set threshold level. These are exactly the components that are responsible for this vintage-oriented tone that the pickups produce. This pickup can be split, so when it is used in conjunction with another rw/rp single coil, it will cancel the hum, and give a better quacky, notchy sound. Like you would expect, the pickups have excellent five positional designs that ensure they can cope with more solid stuff. These pickups offer a truly spectacular sound that looks like that of a single-coil pickup. Seymour Duncan Billy Gibbons Signature Red Devil Set (Best Mini Humbucker), 11. They’re very useful if you want to upgrade a cheaper Strat, like those made by Squier. As a result, you get that very punchy yet controlled tone that’s perfect for blues-inspired music. Active or passive: Passive. Sure, they’re pretty expensive, but they’re worth every single penny. But what’s quite amazing is that you don’t often find a triple humbucker combo for such a low price. For a brief period, we also had unmarked Broadcasters, also known as the “No-Casters.” However, the guitar finally got its famous name that you already probably know of, the Telecaster. While it’s pretty common in country and funk music (where it’s almost mandatory), you can find Strats in rock, hard rock, heavy metal, jazz, blues, pop, and plenty of other genres. However, there are some budget-friendly options to check out, and we thought that some of them are definitely worth mentioning here. Fender Tex-Mex Strat Pickups . With a combination of different types of magnets, they feature a pretty balanced tone, making them fairly versatile. Picture the headcap of the neck as the face of a clock, with the top being 12:00 and the nut being 6:00. Knowing how Suhr is a company dedicated to making quality instruments and setting standards way up high, it’s only obvious that you’re going to get some pretty awesome pickups with them. I was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania. Deluxe Strat HSS Now you know, but a thornier question remains: Which pickup arrangement is right for you? The Seymour Duncan SL591 pickup comes as a single-coil voiced –sized humbucker pickup with adjustable pole pieces for fine-tuning the string balance. Also note that there’s some quite interesting history behind the Strat’s pickup switch. Using the standard Stratocaster controls, you’ll be able to create anything from sparkling funky tones and up to growling heavy leads. Whether you’re playing a Fender Strat or any other alternative Stat style guitar (be it a cheaper or a more expensive one), you can always customize your guitar to capture that tone you’re looking for. Lastly, you may want to consider the brand name behind the pickup you are buying. There are 4 solid conductor hookup cables that accompany this pickup. Popular Related Articles: The Most Incredible Fender Statocaster Guitar Models Available, Type: Set of three single-coils Seymour Duncan SJBJ-1b JB Jr. Humbucker Strat Pickup. Sure, we always automatically assume that active pickups are intended for heavier music. Position. Therefore, getting three of these would definitely be a nice change for your Stratocaster, especially if you need a more modern twist to your tone, and yet feel like keeping all the basic essential qualities that come with single-coil pickups. The California ‘50s strat pickup from Seymour Duncan is a set of three single-coils design. Bottom Line: These are classic Fender Stratocaster pickups that you find on a lot of the company’s guitars. Suhr Michael Landau Standard Single-Coil Set, 14. Even from a standoff, all fans of Fender would love these pickups. CMUSE is a participant of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program – it is designed to provide an aid for the websites in earning an advertisement fee – by means of advertising and linking to Amazon.com products. Our picks of the best Strat-style electric guitars from brands such as Xotic, Friedman and, of course, Fender itself. On the other hand, they’ll do the job just right if you want to freshen up a Squier Strat or any other cheaper Strat version. However, this combo remains pretty popular among those who prefer brighter tones. Bottom Line: These are pretty similar to classic stock pickups on Fender Strat guitars. The most popular and the most “Strat-like” configuration is SSS, followed by an SSH configuration, which maintains a lot of the classic Strat mojo by keeping single coils in the two top positions and replacing the bridge pickup (which is most susceptible to hum) with a humbucker to combat noise and provide a more modern tone. Start by checking the spec sheets for your guitar and find out the D.C. resistance of the pickups (it is roughly related - though not always linearly so - to the pickup's output) and see if the manufacturer's website gives any verbal descriptions of the pickup's character. You’ll get a pretty sharp attack with all of your notes, which is what some guitar players prefer. Although not much of a big deal, it still requires some precise cutting in order to make things work. Adjust the height of the new pickups to ensure that one is not louder than the other. These pickups are shorter than Telecaster pickups and are not mounted onto a plate, plus they also have a much higher output. I’m looking for a set of pickups that has the best chance to get me closer to a PULSE tone. Sure, these aren’t exactly the pro-level pickups, but they are more than useful if you’re operating on a budget. The pickups feature the famous Alnico 5 magnet plus their enamel coated magnet wire. The three conductor cable included allow the player to split the single coil mode, and the fact that you can also use it with rosewood and maple fingerboards shows how versatile it can be. You’ll find the Stratocaster guitar model used in an abundance of genres, anything from jazz to blues, heavy metal subgenres, and even pop music. This gives you a focused and enhanced range of timeless classic tones as well as the ability to control noise. To put it simply, these are technically humbuckers packed in a very convenient single-coil pickup size. These “hotter” single-coil pickups are rather interesting, since they manage to keep the clarity and brightness, and yet they can work well for some heavier-sounding settings. Best Pickup For Strats. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. There’s the Emerald in the neck position, Silver in the middle, and Purple in the bridge position. With its high specs and a price that does not exceed $500, this is a great bargain for you! Conceived as an “idealised” Strat tone, The House Special S Type 1960 (HSST 60) pickups are based on readings that were taken from a few different examples of great sixties Fender Strat pickups. While a single-coil pickup will cost you less and save you a fortune, buying a set often comes with bonuses like the inclusion of mounting hardware, which is not mostly available when you buy an individual pickup. Most aspiring musicians pick up traditional instruments such as the piano, violin or guitar. Bottom Line: With all the vintage features, these pickups bring out the qualities of those Fender Stratocaster guitars made back in the 1950s. We have alder bodies, maple necks, maple fretboard, as well as the very slick contoured body design. In your case, I would keep the the stock SSS configuration. My background is in Electrical Engineering earning a Bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State University and with my engineering experience I’ve developed as a designer of guitar amplifiers and effects. The main difference is that we have one volume and one tone control, as well as a coil-split switch for the bridge position. The sound is fuller with a rich tone for modern rock. Bottom Line: This is a pretty versatile yet underrated combination of pickups. Aside from Alnico V magnets, we also have a Formvar-coated wire which impacts the tone and makes it pretty unique. Bottom Line: Being active single-coils, this set of EMG SAVX adds a lot of expressive qualities and high-ends in there. But instead of packing his new guitars with a bunch of metal components on the visible part of the body, Leo Fender tucked it all in on the instrument’s backside in a very practically positioned body cavity. You can hear that juicy “swelling” when you turn it all back up. The pickups in early models employed alnico 3 magnets, but louder, brighter alnico 5s became standard within a few years. The attention-grabbing warm sound makes them a great option anytime. This is due to their design, which includes a mix of Alnico III and Alnico V magnets, staggered pole pieces, as well as cloth-covered lead wire. My Review: If we’re talking about Stratocasters and single-coil pickups, Fender Texas Specials have to be in the discussion. Another nice aspect of these pickups that is worth mentioning is that the ceramic magnet construction makes them durable and with high resistance. Even to this day, most Fender Strats bear the same traits as the original models produced back in the 1950s. Since they’ve achieved classic status, it was only a matter of time until Fender would try to replicate their awesome tone and feel. It is the type of pickup that’s suitable for classic rock, blues, garage, and traditional metal and nu-metal, as well as heavy rock musical rendition. This particular feature helps them reduce the mains hum noise that single-coils are usually known for. Due to their design and features, these are useful for both modern and vintage-oriented stuff, making them a great choice for versatile and virtuosic players. Despite a somewhat uninteresting dedicated name, this particular single-coil pickup combo truly delivers a wide palette of tones that you can make with them. What’s more, they even work great in clean settings, allowing those sparkling tones in all three of the positions. However, when you start noticing a hum on the tonal rendition of your play, then you know there is a need to change the pickup. Although you’d assume that the dual-humbucker pickup combo is reserved for Gibsons and Gibson-style guitars, they’re also found with some Fender Stratocasters. These pickups are also specially voiced for each position, providing players with a nice balanced output, no matter the pickup switching position and additional effects that you’re using. Although it’s common for Telecasters and some other guitars, there are Strats with two single-coil pickups to be found. However, here we have something a little bit different. Essentially, you get two coils within a pickup that fits a regular single-coil pickup slot. Neck. But although we have this subtle accent on the mids and the bottom end, you’ll still get that classic punchy tone that Strats are known for. And it’s also not uncommon to find a humbucker-single-single pickup set to put into your Strat. You can always go with the standard formation, but you can also do what you want in order to achieve your desired tone. Page 1 of 2 - What's the best PICKUP configuration - posted in Guitar Q & A: What is the best pickup configuration? I recently bought a Fender SQ LTD CV 50 Strat MN Black 2020, and I’m working on my budget black strat. But when you employ the bridge version of the Hot Noiseless pickup, be ready for a screaming sound with a high gain. And although the brand is not that widely known, they make some surprisingly great pickups that are worth checking out. Bottom Line: This is arguably one of the best single-coil pickup sets out there. Switching through all of the 5 pickup positions and combinations, you’ll notice that things are evenly balanced and that nothing quite sounds louder or much quieter in some places. Considering its price and performance, this is easily one of the best Stratocaster pickups out there, Type: A set of three single-coils Another aspect to look into is if you want to buy in a set or individually. Of course, there’s also the standard 5-way switch in there. The Lace sensor blue guitar pickup option, in turn, delivers a bit more of higher output in line with the warmer humbucking sound of the ’50s. Best of all, there are options for a remarkably vintage-looking Buttercream finish and HSS configurations to compliment a Modern C-shaped neck profile with a 9.5"-radius fingerboard and a two-point tremolo bridge with bent-steel saddles. The surprising thing about these pickups is that, despite the fact they feature a ceramic body design, the sound they create exceeded expectation. we will get a bridge+neck pickups option just like a telecaster(! However, there are a couple of “unexpected” features here. It was later improved and released as a two-pickup version, known under the name of Broadcaster. With the inclusion of a three-inch data CD, you will be able to know and utilize all that pertains to Lace diagram, wiring and color functionality. This pickup can be split, so when it is used in conjunction with another rw/rp single coil, it will cancel the hum, and give a better quacky, notchy sound. 7) Wilkinson Lic White ST Strat Vintage Voice Single Voice Pickup. In this particular case, we’re looking at the company’s SSL-1 pickups and a full triple set. As always, the best course of action is … Overall, I would say the Fender Texas Special is the best Strat Pickup for blues and works well for many other musical styles as well. The pickup configuration for the Area™ Pickguard is an Area 58™ neck / Area 67™ middle / Area 61™ bridge combination for great vintage sounds with no hum. Definite to be a decent buy for quality sound and noiselessness. Unlike other vintage pickup configuration, the reverse middle pickup offers you a broader range of tonal flexibility. There’s the cloth wiring, as well as the vintage-oriented fiber-bobbin construction, making them as close as possible to the originals. If you would prefer to dig a little deeper into the fundamentals of Strat pickups check out our buying guide at the bottom of the page here. For instance, it’s not rare to see a very useful combo with a humbucker in the bridge position and two single-coils in the middle and the bridge position. However, one of the recently more popular formations includes three Hot Rails pickups in all three of Strat’s positions. Secondly, there’s an additional switch for coil-splitting which practically turns it into a standard triple single-coil configuration. Sure, it’s not as big or a brand compared to other stuff that we’re detailing here, but this prewired pickguard with a full set is well worth the price. As for the silver option, it delivers a fat single-coil sound with amazing midrange and encouraging output. Our picks of the best Strat-style electric guitars from brands such as Xotic, Friedman and, of course, Fender itself. The sound they provide is crisp and clear from the onset. The sound quality is another reason why so many Fender fans are changing their pickups. Body and neck. If you are looking for a beautiful set of pickups to customize your strat, these pickups from Wilkinson are your best bet. Although not pronounced, the midrange manages to keep things fresh as well, allowing for pretty balanced and controlled performance. Although it seems a little “unconventional,” the results are definitely interesting and worth checking out if you’re a fan of classic single-coil “twangy” and “jangly” tones. On the treble side of the bridge, there was a nicely placed hole for the whammy bar handle. Fender Texas Special Set (Best For Blues), 2. Active or passive: Active. The sound that I have tried to emulate is the 50/60’s ‘Twangy’ Sound that The Shadows we’re so famous for producing, that’s the sound I’ve been after! These are, however, the results of different kinds of custom-made adjustments and Fender doesn’t quite make guitars like these. 1 volume, 2 tone control knobs and 5 … Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot Single-Coil Sets. As far as the pickup configurations go, there have been a few other variants aside from the standard triple-single. So here, we’re looking at their awesome Yosemite pickup set that’s made especially for those who prefer to have a wide variety of sonic options, all while keeping true to classic single-coil Strat properties. However, the company has a lot of exciting stuff to offer, something for everyone’s taste. My Review: While there are certainly some better-known brands out there, we’d say that Bare Knuckle pickups are worth mentioning here as well. You could turn on the bridge pickup, the middle pickup or the neck pickup, but no combinations thereof. Here we have the V-Mod pickups, with each of these three being specially voiced and tweaked to fit their respective positions on a standard average Stratocaster. This section is for those of you who want to learn more about strat pickups before reading reviews. And if you want some pretty unconventional Stratocasters, then you can always go with a triple-humbucker combination. More Info Close. And what’s pretty useful here is that you don’t need much effort to put this combination into practice as there aren’t any edits and cuts that you need to make on your Strat’s pickguard and electronics cavity cover. No ratings yet: VIEW DEAL: Product Highlights. However, aside from this system, the tremolo bridge has also changed drastically compared to what we saw on the Telecaster (as well as the Esquire and the Broadcaster). 3) Seymour Duncan California ‘50s Strat Pickup Set. The SH-10 Full Shred might seem like a strange choice to match with vintage single coils, but the output is very close when split. Despite so many innovative additions and bold decisions, the bridge was pretty reliable and the guitar stayed in tune, even after heavy tremolo arm use. Being completely flat and featuring no staggered poles, they are super useful for guitars that feature flatter fretboard radius. Top-end ... There’s a good colour choice and options include an HSS pickup configuration and a Stealth Black version. I personally love the Seymour Duncan Broadcaster bridge or Fender Nocaster bridge and either Fender CS 69s or Bare Knuckle '63 Veneer Boards in the neck and middle. This month, we again dive into parallel/series pickup switching for your Stratocaster. Along with other of its features, they bring the best of vintage and modern-oriented stuff into one fully diverse package. My Review: But among all of Fender’s pickups, the company is especially proud of their Noiseless single-coils. Looking at all of the guitar’s specifications, it’s pretty obvious why Fender Stratocaster, in all of its variants over the years, became so widespread and popular. The Generation 4 Pickups is another excellent set of 3 pickups from Fender. Home » Guitars » 25 Best Strat Pickups in 2020 (All Price Ranges). Whether it’s a clean, overdriven, distorted, or extremely saturated fuzz setting, these pickups will always bring a lot of high ends to the equation. For strat guitars, the pickup configuration is denoted as SSS which means that three single-coil pickups are placed on the guitar with spacing in between. And what’s rather interesting is that these are active pickups. The HSS strats (humbucker in the bridge position) are intended to give a "fatter", more "metal" bridge pickup sound, hence the name "fat strat". In my opinion, these are the best Strat pickups for blues and classic rock! The STK-S4n Classic Stack Pickup features as a single-coil humbucker construction. In fact, these are probably the most popular single-coil pickups for all Strat players as they’ve defined that classic Texas Blues tone. Of course, it is also accompanied by one volume pot and two tone controls, as well as a standard 5-way pickup selector switch. Interestingly enough, even some hard rock and heavy metal riffs can sound pretty great with these single-coils. Additionally, they also don’t mess with the overall aesthetic features of these guitars that plenty of musicians and fans love. There’s also a pretty amazing balance throughout the whole range that a standard 6-string guitar covers. Additionally, the ML pickups come with staggered pole pieces, which gives out those vintage-oriented vibes in there as well. They’re especially useful if you favor an overall balanced performance between all the positions and all the strings. Fender includes Alnico 5-level magnet construction that further enhances the excellent tone dynamism you get from this pickup. Additionally, they sound “fatter,” similar to the classic P90 pickups. Additionally, the bridge pickup is a bit hotter, making it useful for some potential riffing as well. This triple-single formation allows for some very “twangy” and “jangly” tones, which still makes Stratocaster guitars quite popular among blues, country, as well as surf rock players. Check Out Our Recommended Replacement Pickups For Fender Strats . However, there’s a lot more great stuff in their arsenal that’s not intended for harsh-sounding metal riffing and soloing. Lindy Fralin Blues Specials Strat Pickups. I want a HSH pickup configuration, i.e. Active or passive: Active. Nonetheless, expressive qualities are still there, making these pickups dynamically responsive. 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