Any ideas for strat replacement pickups?

[RythmicIllusion]

Hey Everyone-

While working @ Advance Musicin Vermont, a fine fine music store, I bought a 03 American Strat. I love the thing, in that it is a total contrast to my PRS CU24. The strat really feels like part of me when I play it, whereass the PRS feels like an insanly expensive/well thoughtout instrument. I like that sort of variety ...just waiting for the dough for a UV777 to round out the pack

Anywho, while I don't dislike the stock american pickups, I can't say I love them. Im not looking for singlecoil sized humbuckers...that's what my PRS is for. Im also not looking for active pickups...as great sounding as those can be, they definetly don't have the detail that I find in wound single coils. Anything else is game, however.

Ampwise, I'm a brit amp man mainly. The pickups I envision wouldn't be in the smooth/fluid ynwgie tone category...much more bite and balls. The best way I can put the tone into words would be SRV on steroids. Tons of balls that sound awesome through mid and high gain amps.

Suggestions, anyone?

-Andy

[Kontalonis]

A HS3 in the bridge, and a YJM in the neck and mid would be a good combo i think. If you listen to Malmsteen you know that his sound is really thick and has a lot of definition. Also, check out the Blue and Red Velvet single coils also. Hope that helps!

[sitting duck]

Lindy Fralin Blues are the best I've heard for an SRV sound. Fabulous single coils. If you need noiseless, Kinman's are also really good. I'm a single coil purist though, so I don't mind the hummmmm....
Some of the Fender Custom Shop sets are very good - you may like the Fat 50's.

[power freak]

If you don't want/need hum-cancelling I would go Fralin's of some description, possibly the steel poled 43s or the blues special?

If you like humn cancelling but want to retain the s/c sound I like the Kinman pickups the SCn and 62 are my favourites. Also the good old Dimarzio virtual vintage series, the 54' and 2.2 and solo are my favourites.

[jay ratkowski]

Fralins are very nice.

Also, look for some used Tom Anderson pickups on ebay. They don't come around often, but they are very nice IMO. Sound good as single coils through old amps and as humbuckers with lots of gain.

[Gresh]

I've got a set of hot 54's in my strat...fralins. I love them except the bridge is still a bit bright for my tastes even with the base plate. The in-between tones are killer, and full neck is just glorious.

[rlintz]

I replaced the Fender Noiseless (aka toneless) pups out of my Fender American Deluxe and went with G&L pups out of an old Legacy. I believe you can buy them from G&L's site for $129 a set. Awesome tone - everything you'd expect in a single coil pickup.

A friend of mine who owns a '58 strat has said that the G&L pups are the closest he's heard to his vintage strat.

Let me know if you'd like to hear some mp3's to gauge the tones through a POD Xt.

[jemaholic]

Fralins have been voted the best for 10 years now.

'nuff said.

[strat110]

DiMarzio Virtual Vintage 54B in bridge and middle, and a YJM in the neck - thats where its at!

[RythmicIllusion]

Thanks all! I've been looking at the franlins quite a bit, they seem to be in the realm of what I'm looking for.

[Drew]

Fralins are supposed to be about as good as you get- never played them myself, but if you want your strat to sound like a strat, they'rre worth a shot.

I'm surprised how many YJM recommendations I'm seeing, as he's specifically said he doesn't want that tone.

I'm using a Gold Lace Sensors in my Strat- i love the neck, also am not 100% sold on the bridge, but through a moderately driven Marshall (TSL, Lead, gain just under 5), with a heavy pick attack I was getting great SRV/KWS heavy blues tones. and if you play dive bars, these are enarly dead silent, and as an added plus, there's almost no magnetic pull on the strings.

There's probably better pickups out there, but I have yet to play a better noiseless set of singlecoils.

I haven't been in Advance in probably a year and a half- last time I was there, they had a blue 7620 with a mirror guard screwed on (cosmetic only) they wanted $700 for. That thing still there?

-D

[strat110]

I suggested the YJM in the neck as it really compliments the VV54B in the bridge and neck (the set-up I have), it delivers a really good classic strat sound in that position and the lower output of it means it works well with the more powerful VV54B's.

I finally landed at this after Lace Sensor's., Duncan's and EMG's.

[jemaholic]

Regarding the YJM comments:

I've had a love-affair with Strats for 25 years.
I'm an older guy and have owned scores of Strats with Kinmans, Fralins, Virtual Vintage, Duncans and Muy Grandes as well as most of the Fender aftermarket offerings like Fat 50's, Noiseless, Lace Sensors....etc.....as mentioned in many of my prior posts. I have a few collector/vintage strats that have been featured in a few mags over the last 3-4 years as well as Warmouth-type kits I've built for haha's.

Until I bought this YJM a few weeks ago I had never had a guitar with these particular pickups and I'm pleasantly suprised with how they sound and respond. A well-kept secret and as someone already mentioned- vastly under-rated pickups. I don't know why I've never had them before, but I'm really glad I discovered them!

When I A/B's the YJM guitar with the SRV guitar, the YJM sounded more like SRV. If Fender or Dimarzio packaged these YJM pickups as SRV-on-steriods sound they would sell millions of them.