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Post subject: Need Martian's opinion...
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 8:29 am
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Hey Martian, I really liked your help on my last post.
I was wondering what are your opinions on the Texas Special pickups vs stock MIM pickups?
I was thinking about putting a set on my MIM strat, but before I do anything I would like to know what you say. :?:


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Post subject: Re: Need Martian's opinion...
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 11:22 am
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imc_1121 wrote:
Hey Martian, I really liked your help on my last post.
I was wondering what are your opinions on the Texas Special pickups vs stock MIM pickups?
I was thinking about putting a set on my MIM strat, but before I do anything I would like to know what you say. :?:


Thank you!

Texas Specials (TSs) are good, "grunt" Strat pickups. By this, I mean that they still sound like Strat pickups but with an 'attitude'. For the added muscle the TSs give you, there's a compromise though. In spite of the fact that they have alnico magnets, you give up that traditional, crisp, chimey 'musical' bell tone out of all three pickups. The neck can be a bit 'farty' with the bass, and the middle can be a bit 'flat' in terms of frequency response (too many mids for a middle position pickup). Yet, of course, the bridge pickup exhibits a nice, ripping tonality. As you know, the TSs are dedicated to a certain Strat sound and although extremely popular, as such, they would not be a good choice for an all around versatile Strat pickup set. I wouldn't use them for the aforementioned reasons and due to the fact that they only come with the vintage staggered pole pieces. How does this affect you? The G string would be too loud and in your case, you have a 9.5" radius fingerboard and the TSs' polepieces are radiused for a 7.25" fingerboard. So, you will have an imbalance with all strings picking up evenly.

Your OEM MIM set in comparison to the TSs are weaker but a lot crisper and treblier. Unfortunately, you really aren't going to get a whole lot of sweetness out of these either because of their ceramic magnets. Ironically, they are still more versatile than a set of TSs.

If I were you, for a bridge pickup, a PERFECT remedy which will get you 'balls and bells" would be a Duncan Custom SSL-6. The pole pieces are alnico magnets and with the SSL-6, the pole pieces are even in height, thus providing for an EVEN string balance. This Strat pickup has the output and grunt of the TSs as you dig in but it still has the tonality of a really nice traditional Strat pickup as well.

As to the other two positions, I'd go with Duncan SSL-2s. These are made to 50s Strat pickup specs and have the even alnico pole pieces too. Some substitute the word, "flat" for, "even" when it comes to this type of pole piece orientation. In other words, the pole pieces are NOT staggered.

Needless to say, if you're on a tight budget, bag the SSL-6 for the bridge first and down the road, bag each of the two SSL-2s as practical.

Of course, all the above is IMO; YMMV.

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Post subject: Re: Need Martian's opinion...
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 12:38 pm
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Martian wrote:
imc_1121 wrote:
Hey Martian, I really liked your help on my last post.
I was wondering what are your opinions on the Texas Special pickups vs stock MIM pickups?
I was thinking about putting a set on my MIM strat, but before I do anything I would like to know what you say. :?:


Thank you!

Texas Specials (TSs) are good, "grunt" Strat pickups. By this, I mean that they still sound like Strat pickups but with an 'attitude'. For the added muscle the TSs give you, there's a compromise though. In spite of the fact that they have alnico magnets, you give up that traditional, crisp, chimey 'musical' bell tone out of all three pickups. The neck can be a bit 'farty' with the bass, and the middle can be a bit 'flat' in terms of frequency response (too many mids for a middle position pickup). Yet, of course, the bridge pickup exhibits a nice, ripping tonality. As you know, the TSs are dedicated to a certain Strat sound and although extremely popular, as such, they would not be a good choice for an all around versatile Strat pickup set. I wouldn't use them for the aforementioned reasons and due to the fact that they only come with the vintage staggered pole pieces. How does this affect you? The G string would be too loud and in your case, you have a 9.5" radius fingerboard and the TSs' polepieces are radiused for a 7.25" fingerboard. So, you will have an imbalance with all strings picking up evenly.

Your OEM MIM set in comparison to the TSs are weaker but a lot crisper and treblier. Unfortunately, you really aren't going to get a whole lot of sweetness out of these either because of their ceramic magnets. Ironically, they are still more versatile than a set of TSs.

If I were you, for a bridge pickup, a PERFECT remedy which will get you 'balls and bells" would be a Duncan Custom SSL-6. The pole pieces are alnico magnets and with the SSL-6, the pole pieces are even in height, thus providing for an EVEN string balance. This Strat pickup has the output and grunt of the TSs as you dig in but it still has the tonality of a really nice traditional Strat pickup as well.

As to the other two positions, I'd go with Duncan SSL-2s. These are made to 50s Strat pickup specs and have the even alnico pole pieces too. Some substitute the word, "flat" for, "even" when it comes to this type of pole piece orientation. In other words, the pole pieces are NOT staggered.

Needless to say, if you're on a tight budget, bag the SSL-6 for the bridge first and down the road, bag each of the two SSL-2s as practical.

Of course, all the above is IMO; YMMV.


Thanks a lot for the input, Martian, my pickup choice for my MiM is settled then.
Do you recommend any other upgrades for it, I was thinking a Callaham block and bridge, but I don't know if it's worth it. What's your opinion on the stock MiM's? Mine is from 2007, I think.


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Post subject: Re: Need Martian's opinion...
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 1:31 pm
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imc_1121 wrote:
Thanks a lot for the input, Martian, my pickup choice for my MiM is settled then.

Do you recommend any other upgrades for it, I was thinking a Callaham block and bridge, but I don't know if it's worth it. What's your opinion on the stock MiM's? Mine is from 2007, I think.


If your's is a 2007, you have all the, "good stuff" in it already in terms of electical components and the larger tremolo block.

As to the Callaham block and bridge, they are an improvement over some OEM units to varying degres but IMHO, not over all. And although most rave about them, I think a sizable portion of those who have bought them would tell you Callaham's stuff is the greatest thing since sliced bread any way in spite of being secretly disappointed. Why? 1. They are trying to justify in their minds the rather costly expense; 2. If they don't like them, they are afraid of being ostracized by the majority who claim they do; 3. Everyone wants to be part of the club. To me, it's like the craze back in the '70s when everyone HAD to have a brass nut, bridge, saddles, etc, etc. You see where all that wound up.

Personally, I think the Callaham stuff is grossly overpriced for what they are and what they may or may not offer in return. That is NOT to say the stuff is junk by any means. Rather, it is exceedingly well made. However, I personally couldn't justify the expense. A tweak of the amp, a pickup change, an extremely well set up guitar and/or other alternative after-market hardware as required will achieve similar results in MANY cases and at radically cheaper costs. Besides, such things have to be put in perspective financially and the line has to be drawn somewhere. FWIW, I own a 2007 MIM and I'm perfectly happy with the OEM bridge, block and inherent quality of both. YMMV.

Watch me get slammed now!

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Post subject: Re: Need Martian's opinion...
Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 2:18 pm
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Martian wrote:
imc_1121 wrote:
Thanks a lot for the input, Martian, my pickup choice for my MiM is settled then.

Do you recommend any other upgrades for it, I was thinking a Callaham block and bridge, but I don't know if it's worth it. What's your opinion on the stock MiM's? Mine is from 2007, I think.


If your's is a 2007, you have all the, "good stuff" in it already in terms of electical components and the larger tremolo block.

As to the Callaham block and bridge, they are an improvement over some OEM units to varying degres but IMHO, not over all. And although most rave about them, I think a sizable portion of those who have bought them would tell you Callaham's stuff is the greatest thing since sliced bread any way in spite of being secretly disappointed. Why? 1. They are trying to justify in their minds the rather costly expense; 2. If they don't like them, they are afraid of being ostracized by the majority who claim they do; 3. Everyone wants to be part of the club. To me, it's like the craze back in the '70s when everyone HAD to have a brass nut, bridge, saddles, etc, etc. You see where all that wound up.

Personally, I think the Callaham stuff is grossly overpriced for what they are and what they may or may not offer in return. That is NOT to say the stuff is junk by any means. Rather, it is exceedingly well made. However, I personally couldn't justify the expense. A tweak of the amp, a pickup change, an extremely well set up guitar and/or other alternative after-market hardware as required will achieve similar results in MANY cases and at radically cheaper costs. Besides, such things have to be put in perspective financially and the line has to be drawn somewhere. FWIW, I own a 2007 MIM and I'm perfectly happy with the OEM bridge, block and inherent quality of both. YMMV.

Watch me get slammed now!


Thanks for the great info, Are you a master luthier or what?


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Post subject: Re: Need Martian's opinion...
Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 7:18 am
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imc_1121 wrote:
Martian wrote:
imc_1121 wrote:
Thanks a lot for the input, Martian, my pickup choice for my MiM is settled then.

Do you recommend any other upgrades for it, I was thinking a Callaham block and bridge, but I don't know if it's worth it. What's your opinion on the stock MiM's? Mine is from 2007, I think.


If your's is a 2007, you have all the, "good stuff" in it already in terms of electical components and the larger tremolo block.

As to the Callaham block and bridge, they are an improvement over some OEM units to varying degres but IMHO, not over all. And although most rave about them, I think a sizable portion of those who have bought them would tell you Callaham's stuff is the greatest thing since sliced bread any way in spite of being secretly disappointed. Why? 1. They are trying to justify in their minds the rather costly expense; 2. If they don't like them, they are afraid of being ostracized by the majority who claim they do; 3. Everyone wants to be part of the club. To me, it's like the craze back in the '70s when everyone HAD to have a brass nut, bridge, saddles, etc, etc. You see where all that wound up.

Personally, I think the Callaham stuff is grossly overpriced for what they are and what they may or may not offer in return. That is NOT to say the stuff is junk by any means. Rather, it is exceedingly well made. However, I personally couldn't justify the expense. A tweak of the amp, a pickup change, an extremely well set up guitar and/or other alternative after-market hardware as required will achieve similar results in MANY cases and at radically cheaper costs. Besides, such things have to be put in perspective financially and the line has to be drawn somewhere. FWIW, I own a 2007 MIM and I'm perfectly happy with the OEM bridge, block and inherent quality of both. YMMV.

Watch me get slammed now!


Thanks for the great info, Are you a master luthier or what?


You're quite welcome.

At the risk of, "blowing my own horn", let's just say I am formally trained the, "old fashioned way" and have 40 years of experience.

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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 8:10 am
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Martian, would you be so kind to give me your opinion about shielding to reduce the hum? I made a thread about it on the Strat forum, but your info would be greatly appreciated. :D


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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 8:20 am
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imc_1121 wrote:
Martian, would you be so kind to give me your opinion about shielding to reduce the hum? I made a thread about it on the Strat forum, but your info would be greatly appreciated. :D


Been there, done that! LOL

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