Suggestions for new Strat pickups?

[LivewireBlanco]

I'm looking at the Lindy Fralin Blues Specials with the base plate right now. SRV would be the tone I'm going for (big bluesy vintage sound). I also looked at Rio Grande pickups but they seem a bit hot, even their low output stuff is at the high end of vintage stuff. I found that the hotter you go the less "Stratty" they sound. I've heard the Lollar clips and I don't dig them. Opinions?

*Edit*

Forgot to mention it's a '07 Highway 1 Strat

[surfnorthwest]

That is the bitch about pickups, all those sound demos are not made using our guitars,chain, and amp. Then with Strat pickups you get all the hype with guys trying to justify the $200 they just dropped that didn't make that big of difference.

My take on it is to stay with the pickups Fender itself used to create the tones that have kept the Strat on top for 50 years. Can't go wrong with the Custom Shop Fat 50s or the CS 69s, I have a set of each in both my Strats and never even considered changing them, for me that really says something.

[Kongels]

Lollar Blackface, ignore the clips, lol. Isn't the baseplate to make it sound like a Tele Bridge? Which would be hotter...

[LivewireBlanco]

I like the bridge to not be so trebly, so hotter would be better. What is the tonal difference between the Fat 50 and CS 69 Surf? There's the '57/'62 from Fender too....

[surfnorthwest]

Don't know nothing about the 57/62s.

My 50th Deluxe has the Fat 50s and while they sound great they do not have the "honk" or "spank/quack" of the 69s. Perhaps the 69s do higher gain better also. But the 50s really excel for that clean stuff.

Both are great and you can read plenty of reviews. I know Steve has the CS 69s and so does Faze. I have them (middle and neck) in my new Custom Shop Strat, the bridge is a Texas Special which I really like also. If you talk with the guys at Fenders Custom shop they can tell you all kinds of reasons why they feel they are the correct pickup to duplicate the vintage Strat sound, but I am sure they want to make the next payment on their house also.

[Supernaught]

I had Tim at Bare Knuckle make a set of '62 pups for me, based on an original vintage set he liked and copied. If you want SRV/Hendrix tone, those are the boys to get.

He doesnt have them listed, but he makes them to order. They arent the cheapest in the world, especially if youre in the US, but they are superb.

[LivewireBlanco]

Well being that the Strat is not my #1 or #2 I don't think I would want to spend a fortune on pickups, although a good set might mean I would play it more. I might keep looking at the Fender CS pickups since they are quite a bit cheaper.

[slowpokerhino]

Don't do the baseplate. It does not make your pickup sound warmer. Tried one and hated it.

The 57/62 set is very good. Think of them as a lower output (not sure if they are though) version of the Texas Specials.
Texas Specials are great. A lot of people complain about how bright and harsh they can be. These people obviously are oblivious to the little knobs right below their strings labeled "tone" and "volume".
I move the little wire on the switch from the middle pickup to the bridge so that I have a tone control for the neck & bridge since those are the ones I use most often. If you roll off a little high end from the bridge it really is a very good sounding pickup.

My guitar came stock with the 57/62 set and I was very happy with them. When I got on my SRV kick many years ago I changed to the TS. Since then I've tried quite a few pickups in that guitar but always seem to end up going back to the TS. May be just what I'm used to, but they just sound "right" for that guitar.

[LivewireBlanco]

I did a bit of contemplating and Youtubing and went with the Fat 50's. A fatter 50's style pickup is what SRV had so those would make sense. Plus, they are over $100 cheaper than boutique pickups. I also threw in a Harwire Reverb pedal for good measure. Any suggestions on where to put it in my pedal chain? Before or after the OCD?

[slowpokerhino]

Put it last in your signal chain, or in the loop if you have one.

[Spotted Dog]

I've got a set of fat 50s (neck and middle) in my highway 1 bodied partscaster - I love'm. They drive the VM and my Z's in a really nice way, a little natural hair around the edges when pushed and the cleans are gorgeous.

[surfnorthwest]

went with the Fat 50's.

[LivewireBlanco]

Thanks for the input guys! This really is the best forum on the net for guitar players!

[Fuggle]

I have Fralin Blues Specials in 2 of my strats and I am now considering changing them. I put Lollars Blondes (low output 50's style) in my #1 strat and it sounds really great. I get a lot of compliments on the tone and I hardly ever play the strats with Fralins anymore. If you want the SRV thing, I would go a little hotter (ie. Lollar Black Face). These get rave reviews. I do not know what Lollar does but I have a set of his Imperials in my LP and I will never go back to other pickups again.

[LivewireBlanco]

I got the pickups today. Installed them and tried them out on my new Class 5! They are a bit stronger than I thought they would be, which is good and I also like the bridge pickup way better than the stock one for the Hwy 1 model. I haven't gotten to really dial it in but they are very articulate and I think they will be staying put.