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Changing Strat pickups.

Posted on 3/6/25 at 6:13 am
Posted by LSU alum wannabe
Katy, TX
Member since Jan 2004
27568 posts
Posted on 3/6/25 at 6:13 am
Christmas to me was a Fiesta Red Strat. American Vintage 2 (1961) model. Not a REAL 1961 for those who may not know.

Guitar is awesome. Pickups are muddy. I could not appreciate this in store. No way I can keep a guitar like this and not enjoy playing it. Plan is to sell the current pickguard as a loaded pickguard. They sell for $199. Not expecting to get that. Then use that cash to replace.

A. FretShack is just too rich for my blood. Love to give him my business, I’d be divorced.

B. Bootstrap pickups? Just found these the other day. The make and Alnico 2 and 5 combo pickguard. “American made and hand wound” for under $100 for a set of PUPS? Has to be a catch.

C. Fender loaded pickguard. Looking for them to sound similar to a set of CS Fat 60’s I have. But not the same pick ups.

D. Anything else no pricier than a set of
cs pickups.
Posted by Easye921
Mobile
Member since Jan 2013
2896 posts
Posted on 3/6/25 at 7:47 am to
I hear Fender Pure Vintage 59s are great. I use Klein's in all my Strats, but they're a bit pricey and his customer service is awful.
Posted by A12 Oxcart
On the float out in the Belt
Member since Dec 2022
997 posts
Posted on 3/6/25 at 8:01 am to
I swapped out my stock pickups for DiMarzio Virtual Vintages a long time ago and have been very happy with them. They're around $100 each now, though.
Posted by SingleMalt1973
Member since Feb 2022
21892 posts
Posted on 3/6/25 at 11:00 am to
Lollars are very good pickups but not sure they are in your price range, The don’t sell prewired pick guards, but wiring them is pretty simple.



I would go,with the Blondes, which is their 50s style with a scooped mid range, that should take care of the muddy sound you don’t want.
Posted by TheFretShack
Member since Oct 2015
1342 posts
Posted on 3/6/25 at 12:46 pm to
The stock pickups, based on their name and the era of their inspiration, should be 42awg heavy Formvar A5s that clock in just under 6KDCR each. More importantly, they should sound bright based on their blueprints. If yours sound muddy, you may want to recheck your pickup heights in relation to the strings, your preferred string alloy, and the overall freshness of your strings.

Not only Carondelet (The Fret Shack) but Klein, Dimarzio, Lollar, Fender Custom Shop, and/or most everyone else reputable that will potentially be mentioned in this thread will exceed budget. ALL OF US price our S pickups at around $100 each, so WE are ALL priced too rich for your blood. Do your research before you misrepresent my business or my products.

I say try the Bootstraps. The price works for your marriage, their pickups get solid reviews, and their web FAQs indicate they have a very liberal return policy should you not be impressed.
Posted by LSU alum wannabe
Katy, TX
Member since Jan 2004
27568 posts
Posted on 3/6/25 at 3:43 pm to
quote:

ALL OF US price our S pickups at around $100 each, so WE are ALL priced too rich for your blood. Do your research before you misrepresent my business or my products.



Poor sentence written by me.

My pickups I will take out are $199. I don’t expect to get that and will use that money to HELP PAY for replacements.


I know I am in the 250-350 range for PUPS especially since I want a loaded pick guard. I am willing to used on reverb as well.
Posted by LSU alum wannabe
Katy, TX
Member since Jan 2004
27568 posts
Posted on 3/7/25 at 5:25 am to
Oh yeah I did not address your suggestions.

Tried them already. I did have the wrong strings on it. Switch to a coated DR string set and it is better. Only better.

PUP height. Researched that. They were too high. I brought them all the way down to the deck and slowly raised them one pickup at a time. I only got them “ok”. Even measured the height of my strat I have zero problems with. Different magnets/pups and all. Tried to replicate those heights. Of course still tweaked those.

Thanks for chiming in man. Cool to be able to ask a question and have a dude who does this for a living take the time to answer it. And the guy has a YouTube channel so you know it’s not a random dude. The answers may “crush dreams” but they are accurate. Lol
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