Vintage style Strat pickup(s)

[thesjkexperience]

I am looking for a very vintage sound for my CS Fender Strat '56 ri (alder and maple).  I play American roots styles mostly through a 5e3 tweed deluxe clone and a Swart AST Pro (lucky me!)  I get most of my sound from the amp turned up at least half way and use a few pedals for Vibe, Delay, Flang and fuzz/dirt/boost.  I am looking for a set that has warmth on the treble strings and a little classic glassy-ness on the wound.  Fat and percussive.

While I am a huge Rory G fan (my first son is Rory) I don't want an overwound sound as the set I had in there (4 year old Don Mare Night Flyer) was fantastic sounding, and are working great in a different Strat, but I am wanting clarity without ice pick.  I also know I don't want RWRP and prefer the 3 pickups to be similar in specification.

Does the person making BK pickups do custom tweaks to his sets to make the bridge closer in output to the middle and neck?  I haven't heard a great sounding #2 position when the bridge is wound hot.  I am in Colorado, USA, so would I contact BK directly, or have to go through a dealer?

I am leaning towards: Mother's Milk, '59 and '63 PAT Pend series and possibly the Apache or Sultan's though I am not too sure about the different magnet types.

Thanks for your help!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

[Telerocker]

Hi
Based on your description they could be Mother's Milk. They are glassy and woody, like an early sixties-Fender. The bottom is percussive enough for your needs. Topend is warm enough for me, but of course it's brighter then say the Apaches. Mine are in an ash Fender American Series.
I would ask Tim at BKP for a recommendation. He can tell you about baseplates, rwrp or not, wiring, pots and capacitor options.
Just my 2 cents..

[Andrew W]

With a maple board the conventional wisdom is go for Apaches. I have them in my Strat and find them wonderful, very expressive, beautiful clear tone but can certainly handle some grit when needed. I have Mothers Milk neck and middle pickups in a rosewood boarded Telemaster (Jazzmaster/Tele/Strat hybrid self build) and love them in that but I think that they might sound a bit too punchy in a maple boarded instrument. As always, ask Tim.

[38thBeatle]

I'd suggest Apaches too for what you want.

[thesjkexperience]

Thanks for the replies.  I may have it narrowed down to the Apaches and the '63 PAT Pend.  I have a better idea of what the '63 may play and sound like, but I have not spent any significant time with any pickup with out Alnico V as the magnets.

Do the Apaches play slight grit to medium OD very well?  The clean tones are great, but there are few demos I have found playing a medium gain blues or Alt Country.  I do play Surf as well, and my neighbors gave me The Shadows Farewell Concert dvd for xmas, but I do tend to use my Jazzmaster most of the time for that.

My next guitar will probably be a Jazzcaster/Telemaster type.  I am rather tall and the Jazzmaster body just fits so right!  I got a used LsL T-Bone this time last year and it is my first Tele in 30+ years of playing.  I can't believe how much I play it!

Back on topic, how do you contact Tim?  I am in the USA, so calling is out as all I have is a cell phone.  I'd like to see if it would be possible to raise the neck and middle about .1 or .2 ohms and bring the bridge closer in spec to the N & M.  I also need to reread the sticky about magnets!

[Andrew W]

I would say that Apaches cope very well with quite a bit of overdrive, I use them a lot with either a TS-808 or a Klon-a-like overdrive and get great tones with both.

I recorded this a few years back and it shows clean to medium filth with Apaches:
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=18339.0

Drop Tim an email, that's how I've always got in touch and they've always got back pretty promptly. They may be on holiday until the new year at present though.

[38thBeatle]

I'd agree with Andy- the Apaches deal with a bit of grunt very well. Crank things up and you will get a lovely warm but articulate tone.

[Telerocker]

They do, but I must say all the BKP's I own handle OD very well.

[thesjkexperience]

Sorry for the absence.  It has been a crazy week!

Thanks for the sound clips!  I sure wish I could try them through my rig first, but that is true with every pickup.  I am still not sure if I would like the attack of the Apaches verses an A5 type, so before I make a move I am going to see if anyone I know or the local store has a guitar with A2 pickups to try out.

I think in the short run I am going to attack the pickups in my LsL T-Bone first.  I do really like the bridge pickup, but I just don't like the traditional Tele neck pickup.