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Post subject: fat 50's 69's 57/62's and texas specials
Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 2:05 pm
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Hey guys and gals....
Just wondering ...which of these pickups has characteristics of a bell-like-tone? I like tone that is very fat and punchy and was wondering which of these would give me the best sound of what I would like to achieve.

I know other characteristics go into play such as the amp and guitar wood etc. but speaking of pups, which of these would be the best choice?


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Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 12:45 am
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I've always considered the 57/62's to be the "baseline" for Strat pickups -- prototypical "spank" and "quack", very punchy with the right Fender amp. I put this set in a CAR '62 clone that I built and haven't regretted the decision. The 69's are a skosh more "chimy" and more evenly balanced. I replaced the stock pickups in my MIJ Stratocaster 12-string with these -- they're way more focused and articulate than the OEM's were. The Fat 50's are similar to the 57/62's but with more "muscle" in the middle and lower end -- these work well in a "bright-sounding" guitar such as an ash body with a maple fretboard -- I used them in a custom Mary Kay hardtail and they absolutely sing. OTOH, the Texas Specials are ballsier with plenty of grit-on-demand -- I've installed a few of these in customers' instruments but I don't personally have them in any of my guitars.

HTH

Arjay

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Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 2:40 pm
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so which pickups do you think will be closest to this sound (Ignoring any other gear)

These are two different distinct tones:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruMX0Grv ... 0&index=10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32GZ3suxRn4


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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 6:44 am
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1st vid, CS'69's

2nd 57/62


>characteristics of a bell-like-tone? I like tone that is very fat and punchy<


I say you can't have both.

A nice Strat chime, bell, ring, (+ quack) isn't fat or puchy, that's vintage Strat......trebly like 57/62's.

You want fat...................CS69's are a little, but still will give a pretty nice chime.

You want more fat,punch rock..............Fat 50's

Answer.................get 3 Strats.......those 3 are FANTASTIC pups, each in their own way..........end of story :D


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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 6:55 am
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i use 57/62's in one of my strats. they have a bright vintage sound. i had to use a .0047micro farad cap on the bridge to tame the highs but i love them. john mayer uses those "big dipper"pups (you can only get in his sig axe).they have a distinct midrange cut plus he uses a rather large pedal board for his sounds and assorted amps. maybe the fat 50 or texas sp. would get you close and some eq. good luck. let the chase begin....oh yeh you can check on line for some different tone controls that might help. they have some with strange but useful caps and coils for mid control.


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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 7:12 am
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blackstrat71 wrote:
i use 57/62's in one of my strats. they have a bright vintage sound. i had to use a .0047micro farad cap on the bridge to tame the highs but i love them.


yep, I had a set and loved the heck out of them too. I actually went to a .1µF cap.

I agree that most Strat bridge pups need the tone control.

Get it down on 5-6 and it really cuts that ice pick out nicely !

Now I have CS'69's (50's Classic Series Strat) only because I get bored with tone and want something different every couple years.

I also have a MIM with circa '96 American pups in. They are SWEET too.

Swapin' pups is cheaper than buying more guitars............and keeps the wife happy. 8)


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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 2:05 pm
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Thanks for the input :)


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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 2:39 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
I've always considered the 57/62's to be the "baseline" for Strat pickups -- prototypical "spank" and "quack", very punchy with the right Fender amp. I put this set in a CAR '62 clone that I built and haven't regretted the decision. The 69's are a skosh more "chimy" and more evenly balanced. I replaced the stock pickups in my MIJ Stratocaster 12-string with these -- they're way more focused and articulate than the OEM's were. The Fat 50's are similar to the 57/62's but with more "muscle" in the middle and lower end -- these work well in a "bright-sounding" guitar such as an ash body with a maple fretboard -- I used them in a custom Mary Kay hardtail and they absolutely sing. OTOH, the Texas Specials are ballsier with plenty of grit-on-demand -- I've installed a few of these in customers' instruments but I don't personally have them in any of my guitars.

HTH

Arjay


A good description of the qualities of each pup Arjay, especially the fat 50's with maple!! :wink:


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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:17 pm
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Fender Custom '54s have awesome bell-like tones! Highly recommended!


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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:53 pm
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CS 54's are a great set of pickups but under certain conditions they can sound a bit on the "ice-picky" side. I always recommend adding a base plate to the bridge pickup, wiring it to the bottom tone control, and using .01 mfd paper-in-oil tone caps all around.

HTH

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 10:43 pm
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Lace Sensor Golds are supposed to emulate an early 1950s single-coil sound. Hot Golds are similar, but with a slightly stronger output and the same beefy attitude you might expect from a CS Fat 50s set.

The Emerald Sensors sound a bit closer to the Texas Specials and the Tex-Mex pickups.


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Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 9:57 pm
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Thank you so much for sharing that with us, chromeface.

So which set does Chuck Berry prefer?

:mrgreen:

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 6:33 am
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It's much better to ask Chuck, HTH. I don't think he uses a Strat anymore, though I've recently seen a video of him playing a black one with a matching headstock.

After all, Chuck is mainly a Gibson player, even we see him performing on a Strat on very rare occasions.


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