Which pickups for a New Strat Build

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Hi Guys I was wondering which pickups you would choose for a classic vintage Strat sound? There are so many to choose from,I don't need them till January,so I have time to Make a decision. Thanks Alan
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  • Oil City or Mojo are both hight regarded around here.

    Failing that, I have had great results from BKP Mothers Milks and Rio Grande Midbottoms
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • Oil city. Honestly, you won't look back.

    I've got a pair of his strat pickups in my jazzbastard and they're wonderful.
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  • asimmdasimmd Frets: 115
    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

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  • Suhr V60LP.
    Job done
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  • andypwudtoneandypwudtone Frets: 287
    edited November 2013
    What is it that gives you classic vintage Strat sound? Have a listen to these http://www.wudtone.com/2012/03/21/wuddys-5060-special-blends/  Marc @ MOJO pickups makes them to our spec ( we are on the 3rd variation improvement now)  and they are very sweet.    We have had trade accounts for all the larger brands mentioned. The MOJO touch ( like Ron Ellis in the USA) wins over. Not had any Oil city as yet but I suspect the same genuine handwound benefits apply to both OIL and MOJO. Service from Marc at MOJO is second to none.  
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  • andypwudtoneandypwudtone Frets: 287
    edited November 2013
    Alex Albrow  ( he is cool (ala Matt Schofield) stylist ) put the Wuddy's 5060 Special Blend pickups to the test .  MP3 link. http://www.wudtone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/00alexjazz.mp3
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  • Lindy Fralin Vintage Hots are fantastic. Defined, crystal clear cleans, really dynamic and chimey with a crunchy amp and suprisingly good grind and focus under gain, especially given they're a low-ish output pickup with balanced mids.   
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  • All these so called vintage pickups still use the same antiquated magnet stagger designed for a wound third and much heavier guage strings.
    Absolutely stupid.
    There are winders who do it right.
    Suhr is one.
    D.Allen is another.
    Kinman too.
    I have all these and the improvement is real.
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  • hywelghywelg Frets: 4302
    wolf5150 said:
    All these so called vintage pickups still use the same antiquated magnet stagger designed for a wound third and much heavier guage strings.
    Absolutely stupid.

    Not stupid, just what has been used for years even on vintage pickups.
    Lollar pickups have been available wound both ways for quite a while. read what Jason Lollar says about the differences
    http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=flat-vs-staggered-pole-pickups
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  • And ?
    I'd say he agrees with me.
    The old fashioned stagger is outdated.
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  • Having a/b'd two identical wound pickups, one staggered, one not, I can happily say I couldn't hear any difference at all. But staggered looks nicer I think!
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    I hate staggered, especially with a high G - I always break my fingernails on them. Trumps any possible tone difference.


    The bottom line is that all hand-wound vintage-construction Strat pickups with the same type of magnets and roughly the same number of winds sound more or less the same, to any degree you can tell in the finished guitar. Go with the ones from the company you like the best, can wind hotter/colder/with more mojo/look the best/cost less/come in a fancy box or whatever floats your boat.

    I'm not saying they're all *exactly* the same, but they will all make your guitar sound like a Strat, and after that the differences are pretty subtle and easily outweighed by many other factors.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • FX_MunkeeFX_Munkee Frets: 2477
    I've got a set of Mr Weasel's "Triple Blues" in my US Strat and despite the fact it's a thick poly'd boat anchor, it now sounds wonderfully "stratty", "woody" "airy" and many other imaginary verbs I haven't the wit to think of.
    Basically it makes all those noises that you'd expect a Strat to make.
    Oh and they're flat poled, just to keep the rabble happy :)
    Shot through the heart, and you’re to blame, you give love a bad name. Not to mention archery tuition.
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  • asimmdasimmd Frets: 115
    What ab
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  • asimmdasimmd Frets: 115
    What AB was a mistake,I pushed the wrong button,doh. I was going to say that I was going to try 12/52 strings but they all come with a wound third,which I don't like,the volume drop is horrendous I can't get used to it. So it looks like I'm back to my usual 11/49's. Yes I could get the 12/52 sets but I would have to buy a plain 3rd,which is 80p,then I would end up with a drawer full of wound 3rd strings. Alan
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    asimmd said:
    I was going to say that I was going to try 12/52 strings but they all come with a wound third,which I don't like,the volume drop is horrendous I can't get used to it. So it looks like I'm back to my usual 11/49's. Yes I could get the 12/52 sets but I would have to buy a plain 3rd,which is 80p,then I would end up with a drawer full of wound 3rd strings. Alan
    Just buy a Rickenbacker as well. They sound much better with a wound third. Problem solved.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • EdGripEdGrip Frets: 736
    I can vouch for both Marc (Mojo) and Ash (Oil City) - both are true English gents who'll listen to your inane demands and make you a very satisfied customer. :)
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9986
    tFB Trader
    I Agree fully that the fifties stagger is antiquated and fairly pointless ... I offer it on a couple of pickup sets as an option ... but a plain curve or 'flush' is, in my experience a better option if you don't want the 'look'. Some people do however so you have to offer them :)



    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11791
    asimmd said:
    Hi Guys I was wondering which pickups you would choose for a classic vintage Strat sound? There are so many to choose from,I don't need them till January,so I have time to Make a decision. Thanks Alan
    do you mean vintage as in what a strat would have sounded like in the 50s when new, or what an old pickup that's lost some magnetism sounds like now? I assume the latter. Personally I go for the former, just checking
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