I have a Squier Strat (I bought this pack ) and I've had it for over a year already and I not too happy with the tone I'm getting. So I want to upgrade the pickups on it before I get a new guitar. I do want better tone out of the guitar but this is also an education exercise for me. Anyway does anyone have any recommendations on pickups(I want to replace all three). The kind of tone I'm looking for are classic rock tones like the solos from "Hotel California" and "Stairway to Heaven."
So far Im eyeing these pickups:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/shop/product/buy_fender_vintage_noiseless_strat_pickup_set?full_sku=100475751
I think you'd get a lot more bang for your buck upgrading the amp first. Just my 2 cents.
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
If you are looking for that vintage tone, as I would surmise from the songs you listed as examples, then those would be the wrong pickups for you. Those are "noiseless", one of the things that contribute to that classic sound is the noise you get from a single coil pickup.
You can go to guitarfetish.com and pick out a pickguard and set of pickups and they will wire it and send it so all you have to do is attach it and start playing. All for the same price as what the noiseless will cost you.
Or, if you feel comfortable wiring in the pickups yourself you can pick up 2 or 3 different sets of pickups there for the same price as what you'd pay for the noiseless.
I have a set of these http://store.guitarfetish.com/jrestalprpis.html in one of my squier strats and I love them
Immature? Of course I'm immature Einstein, I'm 50 and in a Rock and ROll band.
New Band site http://www.myspace.com/guidedbymonkeys
I think you'd get a lot more bang for your buck upgrading the amp first. Just my 2 cents.
Well I already do have a different practice amp(the stock amp sounds horrible distorted) which sounds a lot better. Also a friend of mine gave me a Marshall Lead 12 mini stack (but the control knobs need to be fixed). I also have a PODxt for amp modeling and effects. I would really like to get a tube amp, but that's out of my price range right now. Like I said earlier, this is also an education exercise for me to see how guitars work and are built.
Wow! Great site! I'm amazed at the prices. Those pickups you suggested seem to fit what I want.
http://store.guitarfetish.com/70clblprpias.html
I see all their prewired pickguards for under $40 ( http://store.guitarfetish.com/wipi.html )! Do they come with the pickups wired in already? Are they good quality pickups. Forgive me for sounding a bit doubtful but this is a nice bit of money I will be saving. I'm definitely leaning towards the pickups you suggested though.
If you are looking for that vintage tone, as I would surmise from the songs you listed as examples, then those would be the wrong pickups for you. Those are "noiseless", one of the things that contribute to that classic sound is the noise you get from a single coil pickup.
You can go to guitarfetish.com and pick out a pickguard and set of pickups and they will wire it and send it so all you have to do is attach it and start playing. All for the same price as what the noiseless will cost you.
Or, if you feel comfortable wiring in the pickups yourself you can pick up 2 or 3 different sets of pickups there for the same price as what you'd pay for the noiseless.
I have a set of these http://store.guitarfetish.com/jrestalprpis.html in one of my squier strats and I love them
Wow! Great site! I'm amazed at the prices. Those pickups you suggested seem to fit what I want.
http://store.guitarfetish.com/70clblprpias.html
I see all their prewired pickguards for under $40 ( http://store.guitarfetish.com/wipi.html )! Do they come with the pickups wired in already? Are they good quality pickups. Forgive me for sounding a bit doubtful but this is a nice bit of money I will be saving. I'm definitely leaning towards the pickups you suggested though.
If you are looking for that vintage tone, as I would surmise from the songs you listed as examples, then those would be the wrong pickups for you. Those are "noiseless", one of the things that contribute to that classic sound is the noise you get from a single coil pickup.
You can go to guitarfetish.com and pick out a pickguard and set of pickups and they will wire it and send it so all you have to do is attach it and start playing. All for the same price as what the noiseless will cost you.
Or, if you feel comfortable wiring in the pickups yourself you can pick up 2 or 3 different sets of pickups there for the same price as what you'd pay for the noiseless.
I have a set of these http://store.guitarfetish.com/jrestalprpis.html in one of my squier strats and I love them The standard pre-wired are fine they are the standard pick ups, probably not much different from what you have now. I went for the Handwired http://store.guitarfetish.com/hawipi.html so I could choose the exact type of pick up I wanted and the pickguard.
Immature? Of course I'm immature Einstein, I'm 50 and in a Rock and ROll band.
New Band site http://www.myspace.com/guidedbymonkeys
go dimarzio 8)
even god loves rock-n-roll
Duncans!
"That’s what takes place when a song is written: You see something that isn’t there. Then you use your instrument to find it."
- John Frusciante
Semour Duncan Hot Rails at the bridge. They are humbuckers that will fit into the single coil slot. Do you want more sustain, gain and smoothness? Hot Rails will do the trick. Got one in my Strat and I love it.
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
hey gus this would be a great poll. dimarzio's or duncancs, i'm on it 8)
even god loves rock-n-roll
I replaced one of my strat pickups with a DiMarzio Fast Track. It's a humbucker and it sounds great - warm and a bit heavy at the same time. It really gives the strat a nice sound. It's in the neck now, but I'm thinking of moving it to the bridge and putting Area 61's in the middle and neck position. There are lot's of choices out there and it really depends on what sound you are looking for.
Steve
I am not brand specific. To me that Fast Track is just as good as my Duncan. Either would give you the sound you seek.
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
Lion2,
You said you might be interested in a tube amp. You could look at the Epiphone Valve Junior($100). Your Speaker from your Marshall will probably work with it.
As for the Pre-wired Pickguards from guitar fetish, I have this one.
http://store.guitarfetish.com/prpiastoshwi.html
I took all parts out of it and put it in my Red SX Strat, didn't want the pickguard itself. Those Pickups are SO much better than the original Pickups in the SX or in my Fender Strat. Well the Fender MIM Strat pups and the SX strat pups are almost identical. An odd thing about this Pickguard is that the POTS are 500K. Does anyone know why this is??
My 2 cents.
My dad would always talk about retirement, and allude to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And I say all you've got at the end of the rainbow is death. You're riding the rainbow right now. - Mark Borchardt
Lion2,
You said you might be interested in a tube amp. You could look at the Epiphone Valve Junior($100). Your Speaker from your Marshall will probably work with it.
I've decided to also get the Valve Junior amp head. I saw pictures of the back and it has 4ohm, 8ohm and 16ohm outputs. The head of my microstack has 8ohms. It also has a warning saying "Do not use loudspeakers of less than 8ohms." Im assuming the speakers on my microstack are at least 8 ohms. So can I use them on the 4ohm slot of the valve junior? Since I have two speakers I would like to connect on the 8ohm slot one of the others. How dangerous is it to put a speaker of lower ohms than the amp?
wow, that guitar fetish site really is incredibly cheap
just for kicks and giggles i put together: 2x humbucker lipstick style pickups, 2x push/pull volume controls for coil tap, new toggle switch and a set of locking tuners, all delivered to my door for about 150euro
im pretty sure i know where my first pay check in the summer is gonna go :-)
This is my signature. Fear it.
