Pickup and guitar advice needed

[Knuckles]

Hey Tim,
Very interested in buying my next pick-ups from you.. my questions are as follows.

Would you recommend I buy a mexican strat and replace the pick-ups, or do the same with an American one? I'm hoping you say Mexican here, as I don't have LOADS of money.. it's just if I'm changing the pick-ups (one of the things that bumps up the price for the american strat i believe?) then it hardly seems worth getting the US strat (although obviously there are other advantages)

What pick-ups would you recommend for a pretty versatile guitarist who wants to play everything from clean funk (i.e talking heads), warmy acousticy sounding stuff (if thats even possible, i havent achieved it before), to thick harmonics-laden solos/leads ala smashing pumpkins/zwan? Basically a good all-rounder set of pickups? I don't know if such a set exists but if you could advise me that would be great! I don't want anything too muddy/dirty, i appreciate clarity even when what I'm playing is pretty heavy (so nothing in the way of early hard rock/dirty blues, as with the poor sound systems in most of the gig venues around here any "soupyness" in guitar tone is made to sound a hundred times worse when its coming out of the speakers). If you've ever heard of Be Bop Deluxe their lead sound is possible closest to what I want - clear but not lacking in thickness.

 Also if you could describe the characteristics of a few of the pickup sets that would be great. I'm assuming:

"the sultans": dire straitsish
"slow hand": clapton
"mothers milk" red hot chilli peppers
 "apache": shadows

as rough guides?

i'd just like to know how the trilogy suite sounds/whos tone it is closest to, and the same thing regarding the sinner, oh and does "irish tour" refer to rory gallagher?

And lastly how much do you charge to fit pickups/wired scratchplates?

Thanks a lot,
Phil

p.s if you could use Laymen's terms that would be great as Im useless at anything electronics based and I don't know much about the technology regarding pickups - I just know what I like! so if you could use words to describe the sound as opposed to the technology that would be really useful.



 :)

[Tim]

You're bang on with your assumptions of names and tones  and from what you're describing I think Irish Tour single coils would be the way to go as they're clear but have some power too.
I think the Trilogy Suite set would be too hot for what you're after-if you're coming to Strats from a humbucker equipped axe then they're great as they're much thicker sounding than usual singles-too much for funk though..

As for Mex vs US, I think you'll have to try both and see which gives you the feel you're after-the pickup change would upgrade both drastically!
I've played very good versions of both-at the end of the day it's you hands that will be the judge.

Prewired guards are no problem-we do standard(stock colours) and deluxe(fancy colours)-all wired up with cloth push back cable, CTS pots and CRL switch. Have a look in the shop on the site for prices.

[HJM]

There's some Jap reissues coming back - check them out!

Also sub £1000 US Strats are built in Mexico and finished in the US!!

I'd be tempted with a Mxican, and replace everything, just leave the body and neck!

[Tim]

Check out the product pages on the site but:

Apache-clear, fat and punchy, low output but enough power to dirty up nicley.
Sultans-more high end cut than the Apache with a touch more output.
Mother's Milk-classic '60s Strat tone, bright, clear and plenty of bite.
Irish Tour-hot vintage tone, more mids but not spikey. Hotter than the others but not overkill and retains plenty of versatility. Along with the Apache, one of our best sellers.
Slow Hand-darker mids, similar power to the ITs-like the differnece between Brit blues and US bluesmen.

[Knuckles]

Thankyou very much, the Irish Tour is sounding very tempting. :D

Oh I have one more question if that is cool.. how do your pickups compare to lace sensors? They're pretty popular now and considered "the best pickups" by a few of my mates, I wondered what your view on them is?

[Tim]

Thankyou very much, the Irish Tour is sounding very tempting. :D

Oh I have one more question if that is cool.. how do your pickups compare to lace sensors? They're pretty popular now and considered "the best pickups" by a few of my mates, I wondered what your view on them is?

Lace sensors are made totally differently to BKP single coils-we wind ours traditionally with plain enamel or Heavy formvar onto hand made bobbins. Lace Sensors are very flat sounding to my ears but that's just me, I find they're nothing like a real single coil and don't sound Straty in the slightest.
Proof is in the pudding-try 'em for yourself and see what you think!

[R/2e]

I totally agree with Tim here, I used Lace sensor Golds for about a year, I loved the fact they were dead quiet compared with a normal Strat, but the sound just didn't do it for me, flat as Tim describes, gets a bit lost in the mix and not really Stratty.  Compared with Apaches they're chalk and cheese, wiht the Apaches for the first time ever I have a bridge pickup in the Strat which is useable by itself, and they clean up in the classic fashion with the volume (which the Lace Sensors didn't do too successfully).  I would guess Clapton used the Lace Sensors because of the quietness, particularly in the studio, (he now uses Fender noiseless) but he couldn't do without his active onboard boost. I'm a big fan of the Irish Tours as well.

[Knuckles]

Thanks guys!

Ah curses, I actually have ANOTHER question. As I was checking out the payment page for the pickups i noticed the
Magnet:
Vintage Stagger
Flat Profile

option. What is the difference between these two options?


Cheers. :)

[Tim]

Vintage stagger features different height magnetic poles and is suitable for vintage radius guitars(curve of the fingerboard. Flat profile is for flatter radius necks, it also balances a little better.
Some players prefer the look of a vintage stagger even with flat radius necks, it does effect the volume balance string to string though.

If you're replacing pickups check what you've already got.

I must admit I play Apaches with a vintage stagger and I have a compound radius fingerboard-I don't have any problems at all.

[Knuckles]

Vintage stagger features different height magnetic poles and is suitable for vintage radius guitars(curve of the fingerboard. Flat profile is for flatter radius necks, it also balances a little better.
Some players prefer the look of a vintage stagger even with flat radius necks, it does effect the volume balance string to string though.

If you're replacing pickups check what you've already got.

I must admit I play Apaches with a vintage stagger and I have a compound radius fingerboard-I don't have any problems at all.

And a modern Mexican strat would presumably have a flat profile yeah?

Cheers, sorry for all these questions but I need to be sure I get the right thing as I've not got loads of money or anything. :)

[Tim]

I'm not familiar with the whole Fender range but if it's a the Mex version of the US standard then I'd gues it's got a 9.5" radius or greater so a flat profile would give a better balance of power across the strings.

Don't panic though, anything you buy from us is exchangeable as long as it's in original condition. We supply all our pickups with the wire tinned and ready to go, I suggest wiring up without cutting the hook up wire  down to check it's what you want-then cut to size when you're 100% happy.

[Knuckles]

Right, thanks a lot! :)

[motormouth]

There's some Jap reissues coming back - check them out!

Also sub £1000 US Strats are built in Mexico and finished in the US!!

I'd be tempted with a Mxican, and replace everything, just leave the body and neck!

:!: All US made strats are made in U>S>A>.I worked for the largest music retailer in the U.S,and had plenty of orientations on the equipment we sold.California to be exact,totally not mexico.If it was made in mex,it will clearly say mexico.THE japanese versions are comming back too.,with a slimmmer neck at the nut,nicely tapered.Japs, seem to play smoother,and sound quite different.I'd take a jap,over a mex!LOL,funny<~~,,,,hehehe. :twisted: Actually,the japs are made at the same plant,that jackson guitars are,since fender bought out jackson,some time in 02'.Peace!

[HJM]

I stand corrected - got that info from the UK distributer too!

[TwilightOdyssey]

. Lace Sensors are very flat sounding to my ears but that's just me, I find they're nothing like a real single coil and don't sound Straty in the slightest.

No, it's not just you ... Lace Sensors are poo.