Pat Pending 63 sounding harsh compared to Fender CS Tex Special!!! Thoughts!!?

[Backbeatdeano]

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone might have any thoughts on my thoughts!?

So, I was in a music shop the other day with my Strat, and I ended up comparing it back to back with a Fender Custom Shop, which had some hand wound Texas special pickups in it, and to my horror, my guitar sounded like a turd compared to the custom shop. To be more specific, mine sounded a lot more harsh, whilst the CS sounded very open, the top end was not harsh at all, and sounded like it had much more of an extended range.

Just to give you some background, their specs are-

Mine-
-Fender American Standard Alder 2007 body
-Musikraft Roasted Birdseye Maple neck / 10/56 V profile
-Vintage style Truss rod
-Jumbo Frets
-Wudtone solid steel vintage style trem
-BKP pat Pending 63's
-Illitch Noise Cancelling system (BPNCS)
-BKP 280k Pots & BKP Cap

CS-
-Alder Body
-Roasted Maple neck / Rosewood board
-Vintage style Truss rod
-Jumbo Frets
-vintage style trem
-Hound Wound Texas Special overwound pickups

I know this is probably a bit of a silly post, but I would have expected the pat 63's to sound less harsh than overwound Texas special pickups.

So really my question is, do we think there's something suspect going on with maybe the electronics/wiring/pickups, or is there something truly magic about those custom Shop Strats. I feel like my axe, should on paper be similar to a CS, but in reality, the CS sounded soooo much more open, whilst mine almost sounds constricted and harsh in comparison.

Anywho, i just felt like i needed to get that off my chest!

Any thoughts would be interesting!

Peace out

[Telerocker]

The Pat Pend should sound more vintage glassy than the overwound TS. Maybe that is what you're hearing. Each guitar might require different ampsettings. Besides that, there will be probably a quality difference in tonewoods. I mean the CS is an expensive piece.

I have an Irish Tour in my custom made swampashstrat/maple neck/ebony board. It's sound warmer and fuller than the Mother's Milk in my ash Fender strat, which has that classy woody and glassy vibe. The Pat Pend is close to the Mother's Milk, where the Irish Tour should be more in the line of the Texas Special. It's comparing apples and pears, I guess.

By the way, my custom made superstrat sounds better/rings more than my Fender standard HSS. Bottomline: the CS might be just the superior guitar, regardless of the pickups.

[Backbeatdeano]

Yeh i feel ya dude. I guess you would hope it had something extra magic about it for that price! Thanks for the reply!

[Telerocker]

Yeh i feel ya dude. I guess you would hope it had something extra magic about it for that price! Thanks for the reply!

I guess Irish Tours might be a better fit in your guitar. Sometimes we think certain pickups will do the trick in the guitar, but the spectrum of the instrument might require a different set of pickups.