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Post subject: Classic series 50's Stratocaster pickups
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 12:08 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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I am going to buy a used 2003 Fender Classic series 50's Strat MIM, and one of the pickups is dead(neck). Does anyone know what kind of output these vintage Alnico stock units have? I want to keep it stock, so I need a Fender replacement.
Does anyone own this guitar, and can tell me what you think of it. Thanks!!!


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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 5:42 pm
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They vary somewhat, but I just measured the DC resistance of my set and they read...

5.70k
5.72k
5.74k

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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:21 pm
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Smark, what do you think of that guitar? Thanks for the info on the pups.


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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:36 pm
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It's always hit and miss with these, but when I got it, this particular one was a fantastic player right out of the box and had some excellent tone. As a rule, the Mexican Deluxe models are great bargains. Some are not as good as others, but I have had real good luck with them.

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Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 7:04 pm
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I've worked on several hundered MIM's, and they are notoriously poor in the electronics end of it, and hardware is suspect. Fit and finsih can be hit and miss. What happens is guys pick them up because they're cheap, then re-fit them with better PU's, hardware, and sometimes even replace a neck . Now they've got a fairly expensive guitar with no dollar value return on it at all. It might now be a slightly better player guitar, but the guy that did all the retro-fitting to make it playable likely believes he now has a better guitar than reality dictates. He has to. He's in it up to his elbows now!

That's not supposed to sound rough, but just to cut to the chase. I've made a lot of money working on those. Enough to buy me vintage gear, and a Masterbuilt CS Strat. Those MIM's are actually my friends :)


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Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 7:14 pm
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That's all very true. But the point is that the MIM Deluxe models are generally a better bargain than the standard models are, and often don't really require much of anything with regard to mods.

You are right though... mods will often kill the guitars value and you are much further ahead keeping all the original parts to make it stock again before selling it.

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Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 8:13 pm
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One thing that I like about the MIM Strats is that I can get one used in very good condition,for say $200. I can get experience doing repairs and mods, and not feel like I am going to ruin an expensive piece. Once I am done with it, I feel I know more about guitars, I have a guitar that plays well, and the satifaction of knowing I learned something along the way. And for the price of one $3000 guitar, I can buy and sell many more guitars to feed my tinkering habit. Who wants to put EMGs in a Custom Shop vintage reissue?? Who would think about putting a humbucker in a CS relic??? I own Strats from USA, Mexico, Japan. I love to play them all. They all sound different, feel different, respond differently. I would rather have several guitars that give me a wide range of tones, sounds, feels than one very expensive guitar that limits me to that guitars inherent virtues(as great as they may be). But hey, thats just me.....


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Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 10:32 am
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As an owner of a 2004 Classic series Strat, I can tell you what I did to mine. The pickups are fine. They are made of plastic, like my American Standard, and are wound at approximately 5.7k. You can put hotter pickups in, but it kinda defeats the purpose of the "classic" series. Neck, body and everything on mine is okay. Probably not as refined as my American Standard, but okay. Hardware is where it is lacking the most quality. I installed a Fender tremolo vintage plate, saddles and mine plays like a dream with increased tone and sustain. About $50. The tuning machines are borderline. I'm still using them though.


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