Singlecoil PUps for '62 Strat-replica

[Tero]

Hello everyone.

I'd like to hear your thoughts and ideas for good early 60s style singlecoil Bare Knuckles for a Stratocaster.
I'm currently planning on getting myself a repro of '62 Stratocaster, with a slab-style rosewood fingerboard (I think I'll go for more expensive rosewood quality) and an alder body.

Seymour Duncan used to measure lots of Fender's old pickups and the data I found states the following:
Year    Ohms    Wire OD    Insulation    Turns    WD    MP    Wound
1962    6.22k    .0028"    Formvar    8220    TL/TG    South    Hand

This is of course an average.

What Bare Knuckle product would give me the best possible result when we are aiming to the "most authentic early 60s" Stratocaster?

- - - - -

I already have one repro-Strat from the same builder I'm planning to have this '62.
It's a '54 Replica Strat, with ash body, bird's eye maple neck and fretboard, BKP The Apache set installed on it... and those pups work JUST PERFECT. They definitely nail that mid-50s punchy Strat-tone. Here's a picture of that axe:

We even pushed that replica so far, I've got an authentic bakelite parts such as (football-type switch tip, miniskirt-knobs, round-shoulder pickup covers, thicker 1-ply pickguard etc.)

So guys (and girls if any), what Bare Knuckle pups you would recommend for my upcoming '62 repro Strat?

Thanks already for your kind assistance.
Cheers
-T

[FernandoDuarte]

You want it to sound like a '62?
Well, you should buy the '62 set... It's not on the list yet, but it is done, get in touch with Tim about it ^^

[Tero]

You want it to sound like a '62?
Well, you should buy the '62 set... It's not on the list yet, but it is done, get in touch with Tim about it ^^

Ohh... really?!?
That's like wonderful news to me :)

Thanks a lot mate.

PS. And yes... I want it to sound '62. Well, early 60s slab-fingerboard Stratocaster anyways. Don't know if there's much difference between '61 and '62. But '62 it shall be... I have some sort of weird fixation for that one :)

[FernandoDuarte]

^^ Seems like it fits the sounds and the fixation for the year, right? :lol:

Where are you wanting to have this slap fingerboard? I can't remember anybody who does it... Warmoth don't, USACG seems don't... Perhaps Bravewoods, but I'm ain't sure...

[Elliot]

As I understand it - the 62 set is at about 5.7k except in the bridge which is hotter at around 6.4k.  That's respectable 1962 territory but if you want BKP to wind you a set that is 6.2k in the neck and middle and at 6.6k or so in the bridge you only have to ask them.  I have a set that is alnico V, heavy formvar which is 6.1k in the neck and middle and 6.6k in the bridge and it  sounds very early 60s vintage in tone - despite the fact that it is flat poled for a modern radius.  

The Seymour Duncan values are an average - for real readings I look at this site regularly: http://www.eddievegas.com/store/products/Stratocaster-Guitar-Pickups/1.php - and in fact there is a genuine 1962 set on that site that reads 6.2k and 6.4 in the middle (although ideally you would want that in the bridge) - http://www.eddievegas.com/store/details/1962-ORIG-PRE-CBS-SLABOARD-FENDER-STRAT-PICKUPS.php

[Tero]

Where are you wanting to have this slap fingerboard? I can't remember anybody who does it... Warmoth don't, USACG seems don't... Perhaps Bravewoods, but I'm ain't sure...

No, I won't be using any of these Warmoths & Co.
I'm having a finnish guitar builder to build me one from the scratch.
www.finlandiainstruments.fi (I'm sorry he doesn't offer english translation of his website. Maybe a Google translator could help.)

We select the woods, I get to test and try out the neck profile during the process etc.
It's going to be a custom-made, not "spare parts" like Warmoth.

[FernandoDuarte]

Você só pode estar de brincadeira passando um link só em Finlandês :lol:

That's great! this slab fingerboard is really harder to do... Can't understand why fender did them...

There are some nice guitars there!

[Prawnik]

You want it to sound like a '62?
Well, you should buy the '62 set... It's not on the list yet, but it is done, get in touch with Tim about it ^^

Ohh... really?!?
That's like wonderful news to me :)

Thanks a lot mate.

PS. And yes... I want it to sound '62. Well, early 60s slab-fingerboard Stratocaster anyways. Don't know if there's much difference between '61 and '62. But '62 it shall be... I have some sort of weird fixation for that one :)

Da t'ing with da vintage Fender and Gibson pickups is that they can vary a lot not just from year to year, but from pickup to pickup.

Further, guitars were not like cars that had features peculiar to a model year. It is not as if in 1962 Fender decided to wind pickups so that they would be more suitable for surf music, or started aiming for a British Invasion sound by 1965. Rather, these were guitars and pickups that were mass produced in a factory, mostly by workers who were not trained luthiers, many of whom had never seen (forget played) an electric guitar before their first day on the production floor. Fender was not selecting hotter pickups for the bridge position, nor were Gibson employees debating which PAF humbucker was best suited from which guitar. Rather, the workers tried to meet their production numbers.

You must meditate on this until you understand the concept and its ramifications fully.

[AndyR]

You must meditate on this until you understand the concept and its ramifications fully.

I love this statement :D

I have the same weird fixation for '62 strats, Tero. But (without having played a real one through an amp), I'm fairly certain that different 62s with their original pups will give me different sounding guitars anyway.

If I'm going for BKPs for a "62" vibe I look at three sets at the moment:

Irish Tours
Mother's Milks
The "62 Set"

I only have experience of the ITs, but this is what I think they would each do in the same guitar:


Mother's Milks - woody, stratty. Good all-rounder for that early 60s vibe.

ITs - A bit hotter, and thicker in the upper register. Slightly harder and grittier when used with just-breaking-up amps. Gets us mere mortals into Rory Gallagher territory quite easily.

"62 Set" - I believe these are based on a real set of 62 pickups, just a single set, that Tim had his hands on. I suspect that the name is "temporary" and, if the set becomes generally available in the shop, the name will change so that it doesn't imply "this is what a set of pickups from 62 should sound like". From what I've heard, I believe this set will be slightly hotter than MMs, but warmer and more bubbly-sounding than ITs. I'd choose this lot to get me more easily into SRV territory instead of Rory Gallagher.

However, I expect each set to be able to cover some of the others' territory. Eg. My ITs do a very reasonable "woody" tone if you don't raise them too close to the strings and don't hit the guitar too hard. They do "bubbly" strat if I turn the guitar volume down, turn its tone up, and play softly (usually on neck, or neck+middle).

There are other options with BKPs to get "early 60s" - I think I've read about people on here getting Apaches with AV magnets. I understand that could be regarded as "vintage correct" for some of the early 60s strats. It would probably sound authentic enough with standard Apaches... I even felt quite "early 60s" when my Sultans were in a rosewood board strat...

I think, if it was me (in a full-on "get me a 62" mood), I'd choose Mother's Milks if I didn't want any extra push from "slightly hotter" pickups. If I wanted the extra push I'd choose ITs if I needed more Rory than SRV (I did :D), or the "62 Set" if I needed more SRV/Jimi than Rory...

[Tero]

I have the same weird fixation for '62 strats, Tero. But (without having played a real one through an amp), I'm fairly certain that different 62s with their original pups will give me different sounding guitars anyway.

If I'm going for BKPs for a "62" vibe I look at three sets at the moment:

Irish Tours
Mother's Milks
The "62 Set"

Long time since we last wrote about this. Things have evolved and my custom-made '62 replica Strat finally got the pickups. Thanks to Mr Mills who sent me email because of this thread and suggested me to have this BKP '62-set.

Here are few pics before soldering...




I couldn't be much happier with the tone and the looks :)
Fatboy's aged GreenGuard in an olympic white Strat with braz.rosewood fretboard looks killer!

So... thank you guys and extra special thanks to Tim Mills (BKP) and Mark Foley (FatBoy).

[Nolly]

Congrats dude, those are some of my absolute favourites out of the strat range. Truly awesome pickups!

[AndyR]

Nice :D

Let us know how it goes.

[Tero]

Nice :D

Let us know how it goes.

Here's the final product... a custom '62 Strat replica :)

Fatboy's neat GreenGuard, BKP's custom '62 pups, brazilian rosewood fretboard etc. etc.


Here's the close-up of fretboard wood


And a close-up of plastic hardware


I couldn't be much happier than I am. Teemu of Finlandia Instruments made awesome job capturing the '62 spirit and feel. It plays and sound absolutely great.

[Telerocker]

Congrats! Nice strat you have.

[itamar101]

Wow... This thread is 2 years old...

Anyway, congrats. That's a beauty.