Hey,
Looking for strat pickups for surf rock and blues.
Any good advice?

I've been watching tons of youtube videos, but it's hard to decide cause of all the variables.

Looking at GFS custome 63 staggers, fender 57/62, fat 50's, and custom 54's....any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I picked up the Fender "Fat 50's" since they're in Dick Dale's Strat and regardless I kind of play older stuff like that - I like them a lot and would recommend them if that's the sound you're after.

I've used the 57/62s and the Fat 50s but in different guitars so I can't make a comparison. They both sound great and you can't go wrong with any of them.

What I found out after some p/up swapping in my guitars is that the character of the guitar is always there, and that the pickups don't affect the tone much. What are your current p/ups? Are you unhappy with the tone you're getting?

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I'm a fan of Don Mare pickups if authenticity of old Fender pickups are what you're after. I have two sets (strat/tele) and they work great - lots of character, vibe and tone. The one thing I noticed about some of the lower budget pickups are while they sound good at a low practice volume they seem to fall apart (eg. get muddy, blatty, harsh, etc) when up at gig volume. A good pickup will retain it's clarity, articulation and tone when at gig level.

Last edited: Apr 03, 2014 09:22:50

There are a ton of great pickups out there right now. I've stuck with Fender and Seymour Duncan pickups, various kinds:

Seymour Duncan:
Antiquity Surfer
Alnico II Pro

Fender:
'57/'62 reissue
'65 reissue
Fat '50s

All five sets sound really good to my ears, and I can't say I could pick one over another. I have to say, though, that I'm really impressed with the sound of the new Fender '65 reissue pickups, they sound fantastic, and have just been made available as replacement pickups.

All of these are vintage-style pickups. Overwound pickups will distort more easily, which is usually not good if you want to play surf music - though clearly some surf guitarists go for a pretty dirty sound, in which case it might be fine.

Good luck!

Ivan
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revhank wrote:

Check out Jason Lollar's strat pick ups.

Lollars are great sounding pickups, I have a set of Blackfaces in my Strat and I couldn't be happier with 'em. They surf pretty well, but they also handle anything else I throw at them very well: country, blues, rockabilly, punk, ...

Not the cheapest pups on the market but worth every dime!

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I have Bare Knuckles '63 Veneer Boards in my American Strat standard (although I asked for them to be flat profile as I prefer that with modern necks) and they do surf, blues and beyond.

I recently assembled two different pickguards for my two Strats.
First of all, I recommend wiring the Tone2 pot on the Strat to the bridge pickup (layout being Vol/T1/T2) then you get the choice of rolling off some of the brash highs from the bridge pickup.
On one pickguard, I assembled the Seymour Duncan SSL-1 California 50s set and on the other, the Fender CS Fat 50s. Pickup height will influence the sound; I generally lower my pickups lower than most people because I prefer the sound that comes through the amp...there needs to be a balance across the pickups so that when you use the PU selector it doesn't jump in volume (unless that is a desired effect).
I played surf/instro/hot rod RnR gigs on Oct 31/Nov 1st for the first time using those two new pickup assemblies. Loved, loved, loved it.
Honestly, the two sets of pickups will have their sonic differences but they are all shades of great. I also use No-Load 250K tone pots for both Strats and being able to bypass the tone is an interesting option that opens up new combinations in the 2&4 selector positions
SD Antiquities were my first choice but lack of availability within a short period of time was a huge factor when I was on the hunt for pickups.

Lorne
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Vancouver BC Canada

Last edited: Nov 05, 2014 20:02:46

I've been on a Strat pickup tone quest over the lockdown. After trying out numerous sets, I now have three favorite sets for surf: Fender 57/62s, Fender Pure Vintage 65s, and Duncan SSL-2s. My favorite depends on the day; it's nice to have the option to switch guitars. It's also nice to have the option of vintage stagger or flat. Can't go wrong with any of these sets for surf.

Hi,Horax!
I have a MIJ 94 60s strat that I thought sounded good, but a friend said that I was leaving a lot of tone on the table with the stock mij pickups.
I put in a set of Fender fat fifties, and wwow!Fantastic tone...Good for any genre or style!