I was wondering if anyone has used Fender's Texas Specials in their Strats? I have read mostly indifferent reviews by blues players and am wondering if anyone uses them for surf style? Any reviews on them? Thanks.

HEY THERE, HI THERE, HO THERE !!!!

I play them but try to keep the volume knob at about 8 and they can sound pretty good. over that and they go harsh. Here's my strat on 8.

The Kahuna Kings

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kahuna-Kings/459752090818447

https://thekahunakings.bandcamp.com/releases

I've had TS's in a what was my main Strat for the last 20+ years. They sound best when screwed down almost flush with the body. They are the most finicky pickups I've ever owned - meaning some pedals and amps LOVE them and some HATE them. I would not buy another set, and have a love/hate relationship with them these days. One thing I will say about them is if you want your own personality on a Strat, everybody sounds a little different with TS pickups. They have a real personality vs other pickups I've heard.

Thanks for the opinions. I have read that they vary according to the type of body they are in and that height is also a factor. I currently am using Custom Shop AY 69's in a mid 90's aluminum body strat and really like that sound, but it seems to have more of a Hendrix tone then Dick Dale.
To the players who have had their Texas Specials for a long time, do you think there is a sound difference between the early versions and the newer ones? Thanks again.

p.s. Great playing Stratdancer!

HEY THERE, HI THERE, HO THERE !!!!

plexi69 wrote:

I have read that they vary according to the type of body they are in and that height is also a factor.

p.s. Great playing Stratdancer!

You bring up a good point about height. Just from trying a boatload of guitars recently (in effort to quantify neck, frets & radius I'm looking for) I've come away with the notion that pickup height on individual guitars can have a big influence, regardless of pickup. I accept this as something that is part & parcel of the Strat animal and 1 notch (1/4 turn) of a Phillips screwdriver can make a difference. Certainly Stratdancer's found what works for that guitar/pickup/playing scenario for him and don't think anyone would say that doesn't surf in a very definitive way. I don't own TS's but have played them (don't know if they were old vs. new).

My current Strat has 57/62's on it and they have a couple different heights that are wonderful (and some garbage in between). Listening to Stratdancer I'd certainly never grab one with TS's and say "ah krap, I can't surf this." But I might want a few minutes with a screwdriver.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Samurai wrote:

As for me the sound of guitar on Tsar War is a perfect surf-rock sound that i sometimes try to copy, especially on Exolumina and Apes of Wrath)))

Thanks, Samurai! But neither of those songs had the Texas Specials on it.

And what puckips you went to after texas specials?

To stock Fender '57/'62 pickups. Half of Tsar Wars was recorded in the summer of '98 with my red Strat with Texas Specials and my old Jazzmaster, and then the other half in the summer of '99, and by then I had two '62 AVRI Strats that I used for the rest of the songs (and the Jazzmaster on one or two). Apes of Wrath was my black '87 Strat (with flatwound 12s, D'Addario Chromes, possibly the only time I recorded with flatwounds on a Strat), and I think Tsar Wars was my shoreline gold '97 Strat, as was Exolumina (though it's possible it was the black Strat on that one, I just don't remember - either way, it was the stock '57/'62 pickups, if I remember correctly).

Later on, by '03 or so, I put Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pros in my fiesta red Strat and Seymour Duncan Antiquity Surfers in my Shoreline Gold Strat, and those two have been my main two guitars from the beginning of the Madeira until last year. Love both of those pickups.

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube

I'm not in love with this pickup and have wanted to change out the bridge to make my 93 AS a better surfer. At this point I'm living with it and it is adjusted to about 1/8th above the board and I carefully pushed the center high poles down to smooth the sound. Once again I try to never let the volume go above 8 and have even jammed a few picks under the v control so I don't bump it. The tone control is backed way off also.

I will probably leave this guitar as is for now as I am searching for a new number one strat for my preferred player. I have played a bunch of strats lately and the best player has been a 2008 AS but will need a pup change. I have played a bunch of post 2012 AS's with fat 50's per Ivans review and the fat 50's are wonderful pups. Very bold low end response with clear high end that aren't harsh at all. I love the pup but haven't found a neck and that is like the 2008 that is at a local shop. I should just buy the thing and order pups for it.

The TS makes a great jangle rock pup and can be coaxed into doing surf but I think it will always leave the desire to change it out.

The Kahuna Kings

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kahuna-Kings/459752090818447

https://thekahunakings.bandcamp.com/releases

That's cool! They will definitely put an edge to your sound. That's why I'm leaving them as is in my 93 AS and shopping for another rig with a different and more vintage flavor.

Here's my 93 with TS's on a fun little recording I did several years ago.

The Kahuna Kings

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kahuna-Kings/459752090818447

https://thekahunakings.bandcamp.com/releases

Last edited: Nov 18, 2014 14:02:11

Samurai wrote:

Yep - these are TS) they've got some pros and cons - but they definitely got their own character and so it's pretty difficult to part with them even when they are not 100% satisfying)

Well said. Now if an ambitious person were to just make a quick change pup docking station for the guitar someone could change pups quickly and get any flavor they like song to song. That's my invention that I would make if I could.

The Kahuna Kings

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kahuna-Kings/459752090818447

https://thekahunakings.bandcamp.com/releases

I've got Texas Specials on my American Special Strat, and couldn't be happier with the surf sound. I have found the perfect amp on GarageBand, it really has a surfy vibe to it. To each their own I guess, but I am very happy with my Strat sound!

MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New EP Louder Than Life available on bandcamp and website. Taking guitar lessons from Jimmy Dale.