Fender Vintage 57/62 Pickups

harrisonmerwin

Hey all,

So i have played a few jams an done show with these new pickups in my Hardtail Jap Strat. Tonight I finally hooked up ALL my pedals just to have an amazing jam sesh with myself. I was switching between HUGE frusciante and mcready tones with just minor Tubescreamer adjustments. these pickups HOWL with a tube screamer and fender amp. I am absolutely AMAZED by these pickups, by far the best sound i have EVER created by my own gear. If you are looking for that classic strat sound, i wouldnt even suggest looking elsewhere for pickups.

exhausted

i can't really tell how i like mine thanks to all the hum right now.

they seem maybe a *little* too bright for me but i'm not sure yet.

keeponrockin

I was thinking of throwing a middle into my Godin.

TheLuckyOnes

can anyone tell me what's in a standard US strat??

i know it's not the 57/62's

been weighing the p'u options
for two Strats and a LP copy

moster78

TheLuckyOnes wrote:

can anyone tell me what's in a standard US strat??

i know it's not the 57/62's

been weighing the p'u options
for two Strats and a LP copy

Fender just has them listed as 3 American Strat Single-Coil Pickups. No further details.

harrisonmerwin

moster78 wrote:

Fender just has them listed as 3 American Strat Single-Coil Pickups. No further details.

yeah, they are just basic wound pickups with low-to midgrade parts to build them. They produce a little more hum/static than regular pickups because they don't focus alot of attention to proper electrical construction on them, the reason for that is so they can make more and a cheaper rate.

Novawind

But the '57/'62 set still has hum? How are they better than Hot Noiseless or SCN?

harrisonmerwin

Novawind wrote:

But the '57/'62 set still has hum? How are they better than Hot Noiseless or SCN?

I own a deluxe, so i know about the SCN's. They are EXCELLENT for recording softer stuff because you only hear what you play. The clarity is superb and seems to just make what you play shine. What i don't like about them is once you add a tubescreamer, a tube-amp with some decent gain, a couple more pedals, and a louder volume, you lose all the clarity and it just sounds a little too muddy in the low end, and a little to bright in the hi-end, regardless of where teh S-1 is switched. The 57/62's seem to cut out alot of the lower end muddyness, and the Mid-range is pumped up, which i like for my music (very post-grungy stuff, frusciante-ish, just fun rock) And the hi-end is really defined in the neck pickup, but not overly bright, so it avoids switchign during songs for solo's or anything. They hum a bit, but on stage no one will really be able to hear it, especially with gated mic's. In the studio as well, you only keep the sounds you want, so any gap in guitar playign can just be cut out, so you don't hear the hum. I have yet to play with hot noiseless, but it seems that they (hot noiseless and SCN) lack that scream you want to get from either controlled feedback, or just really hi gain bends and trills and stuff.

Novawind

The one nice thing I guess I can say about the 57/62's is that they're $114 (USD) instead of $130-$150 for vintage or hot noiseless, or even $200 for SCN.

The finicky thing with pickups is that you can't really return them if you don't like them (after installing, soldering etc.).

Reason being I'll get one of those three sets to replace the stocks in my mexi strat, if/when money and time permit. I also don't want to be disappointed.

exhausted

Novawind wrote:

The one nice thing I guess I can say about the 57/62's is that they're $114 (USD) instead of $130-$150 for vintage or hot noiseless, or even $200 for SCN.

The finicky thing with pickups is that you can't really return them if you don't like them (after installing, soldering etc.).

Reason being I'll get one of those three sets to replace the stocks in my mexi strat, if/when money and time permit. I also don't want to be disappointed.

a set of new SCNs is $130US on ebay now.

harrisonmerwin

nova,

what sound are you after, because it really varies from set to set.

exhausted

harrisonmerwin wrote:

I own a deluxe, so i know about the SCN's. They are EXCELLENT for recording softer stuff because you only hear what you play. The clarity is superb and seems to just make what you play shine.

this is why i love SCNs. my experience with them in my last strat was very good. and with my jazz bass. they fit my needs perfectly.

harrisonmerwin

exhausted wrote:

this is why i love SCNs. my experience with them in my last strat was very good. and with my jazz bass. they fit my needs perfectly.

yeah i love them for cleaner stuff, its just for my live rock show...they just don't produce the power i wish they could.

Novawind

harrisonmerwin wrote:

nova,

what sound are you after, because it really varies from set to set.

I'd love a cleaner sound than what I have now, but I'd still like some "oomph" if you know what I'm talking about. I'm not really into recording, so I don't know if the SCN's would be quite necessary.

Basically, Mike's live tones, SRV, Clapton, along those lines.

moster78

Novawind wrote:

I'd love a cleaner sound than what I have now, but I'd still like some "oomph" if you know what I'm talking about. I'm not really into recording, so I don't know if the SCN's would be quite necessary.

Basically, Mike's live tones, SRV, Clapton, along those lines.

Texas Specials?

harrisonmerwin

They all Play an "older" type of strat, except new clapton, because he has the endorsement obviously. That "ratty-rock-blues" sound is definately achieved with the 57/62s. Texas Specials woudl work good, And the custom 69's woudl give you a much Fatter sound, hendrix, trower, funkadelic. I wouldnt suggest getting the noiseless, it cuts out a bit of the dynamic quality of the vintage sound. So yeah either 57/62's, Custom 69's, or Texas Specials.

moster78

harrisonmerwin wrote:

They all Play an "older" type of strat, except new clapton, because he has the endorsement obviously. That "ratty-rock-blues" sound is definately achieved with the 57/62s. Texas Specials woudl work good, And the custom 69's woudl give you a much Fatter sound, hendrix, trower, funkadelic. I wouldnt suggest getting the noiseless, it cuts out a bit of the dynamic quality of the vintage sound. So yeah either 57/62's, Custom 69's, or Texas Specials.

harrison, Strat guru that you are, what do you know about the Big Dipper pickups that come in the John Mayer Strat?

harrisonmerwin

moster78 wrote:

harrison, Strat guru that you are, what do you know about the Big Dipper pickups that come in the John Mayer Strat?

They are just wound to "John Mayer Spec's". What they sound like is kind of different than most fender stuff. They are made for a real "shimmering" cleans sound an higher volumes. It maintains the "ballsyness" and doesn't increase teh hi end frequencies as much. So its a very "smoothe" pickup, not really meandt for really over driven stuff. It woudl be great for light blues, easy ryhtems, even less twangy country. You currently can't buy a set of these, but im sure there is some Ebay chop-shops.

moster78

harrisonmerwin wrote:

They are just wound to "John Mayer Spec's". What they sound like is kind of different than most fender stuff. They are made for a real "shimmering" cleans sound an higher volumes. It maintains the "ballsyness" and doesn't increase teh hi end frequencies as much. So its a very "smoothe" pickup, not really meandt for really over driven stuff. It woudl be great for light blues, easy ryhtems, even less twangy country. You currently can't buy a set of these, but im sure there is some Ebay chop-shops.

Yeah, I see people selling them on eBay from time to time, still attached to the pickguards, pots and pickup selector and all. I'm still trying to find a decent JM Strat to try out in store. The GC by me has one, but you can tell its been sitting on the wall for way too long. The fretboard is dried out and the strings are rusted to shit.