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Post subject: Identifying Custom Shop Pickups
Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 2:57 am
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Yesterday I purchased a 2003 Am St. Strat from CL (after getting the details from Fender Customer Service and after pulling the neck off of the guitar). I didn't notice until I got home that it didn't sound weak and twangy.like I’m used to hearing from stock pickups. Then I noticed the staged poles. So, I pulled the pickguard and noticed they were Custom Shop pickups. These pickups don’t sound as bottom-heavy as the Fat 50’s pickups I have in my 98 Am. Std. Strat. But, each guitar is different, right? The wiring on each pickup is gray and white. I don’t know the age of the pickups and neither did the lady I bought the guitar from..

Is there any way to identify the type of Custom Shop pickups I have?

Thanks,

Vinny


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Post subject: Re: Identifying Custom Shop Pickups
Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 12:00 pm
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Hi Vinwop, do you have any pics?


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Post subject: Re: Identifying Custom Shop Pickups
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 3:31 am
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I never thought of taking pictures. Hindsight is 20-20 they say. That will be the next thing I do later today. I looked at the wiring colors, made a mental note, and restrung the guitar with fresh strings.


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Post subject: Re: Identifying Custom Shop Pickups
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 1:34 pm
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Do you remember their color?

Do you have a multimedia? If you can provide us with the DC resistance of the pickups, that would go a long way towards identifying them.

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Post subject: Re: Identifying Custom Shop Pickups
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 4:49 am
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I think they are Custom Shop 69's , the bottom of the pickups should be gray. :)

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Post subject: Re: Identifying Custom Shop Pickups
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:16 am
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I'm having trouble getting the pictures to post. The bottoms are black. Each has a white wire and a black wire. The neck pickup has a red dot. Each pickup has the Custom Shop sticker.


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Post subject: Re: Identifying Custom Shop Pickups
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 1:34 pm
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Sound kinda odd but also sound a bit like Texas Specials.


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Post subject: Re: Identifying Custom Shop Pickups
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 2:53 pm
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What I meant to say in my above post was "multimeter" (no thanks to word completion on these computers).

If you can provide us with measurements, we could probably ID the pickups.

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Post subject: Re: Identifying Custom Shop Pickups
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:43 pm
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orvilleowner wrote:
What I meant to say in my above post was "multimeter" (no thanks to word completion on these computers).


I always rely on my onboard spell-chicker.

:mrgreen:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Identifying Custom Shop Pickups
Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 9:04 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
I always rely on my onboard spell-chicker.


I believe you mean "spell-chicken."

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Post subject: Re: Identifying Custom Shop Pickups
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:54 pm
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Talk about confusing. I've read posts talking about wire colors, copper colors, dots, pickup base colors, etc... I don't have a meter and I can't figure out how to post a picture on this site. But here goes:

Neck pickup - black base with red dot on B-String pole; black & white wire
Middle pickup - black base with no dots; black and white wire
Bridge pickup - black base with no dots; black and white wire

Sometimes I think I worry too much about the little things. Big picture, this guitar sounds so much better on the high-end than my 98 AmSt Strat with Fat 50's pickups.

I'd be happy to share pictures with anybody interested.

Vinny


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Post subject: Re: Identifying Custom Shop Pickups
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 7:30 pm
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Sounds like the previous owner installed a Texas Special bridge pickup in the neck position and some other '50s style pickups in the middle and bridge positions, because if you had an unaltered set of Texas Specials, there would be a RWRP pickup for the middle position with yellow and black wires, and one other pickup with a blue dot on the back B string pole piece intended for the neck position.


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Post subject: Re: Identifying Custom Shop Pickups
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 12:13 am
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vinwop wrote:
Talk about confusing. I've read posts talking about wire colors, copper colors, dots, pickup base colors, etc... I don't have a meter and I can't figure out how to post a picture on this site. But here goes:

Neck pickup - black base with red dot on B-String pole; black & white wire
Middle pickup - black base with no dots; black and white wire
Bridge pickup - black base with no dots; black and white wire

Sometimes I think I worry too much about the little things. Big picture, this guitar sounds so much better on the high-end than my 98 AmSt Strat with Fat 50's pickups.

I'd be happy to share pictures with anybody interested.

Vinny


Actually, it sounds like someone installed a set of CS 54s backwards. The RED dot is supposed to be the bridge pickup, not the neck pickup. The neck and middle pickups don't have dots or colored wires because they are supposed to be identical. The bridge pickup should be in the 6.3k to 6.6k range (typically) and the middle/neck pickups should be 5.9k to 6.0k range (again, typically.)

The coil wire on CS 54s is Formvar, so it should be orange/copper colored like your Fat 50s. Texas Specials use enamel wire, which is a very dark maroon/purple colored. Getting the meter readings though would be the best way nail this down.

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Post subject: Re: Identifying Custom Shop Pickups
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 12:31 am
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SMark wrote:
vinwop wrote:
Talk about confusing. I've read posts talking about wire colors, copper colors, dots, pickup base colors, etc... I don't have a meter and I can't figure out how to post a picture on this site. But here goes:

Neck pickup - black base with red dot on B-String pole; black & white wire
Middle pickup - black base with no dots; black and white wire
Bridge pickup - black base with no dots; black and white wire

Sometimes I think I worry too much about the little things. Big picture, this guitar sounds so much better on the high-end than my 98 AmSt Strat with Fat 50's pickups.

I'd be happy to share pictures with anybody interested.

Vinny


Actually, it sounds like someone installed a set of CS 54s backwards. The RED dot is supposed to be the bridge pickup, not the neck pickup. The neck and middle pickups don't have dots or colored wires because they are supposed to be identical. The bridge pickup should be in the 6.3k to 6.6k range (typically) and the middle/neck pickups should be 5.9k to 6.0k range (again, typically.)

The coil wire on CS 54s is Formvar, so it should be orange/copper colored like your Fat 50s. Texas Specials use enamel wire, which is a very dark maroon/purple colored. Getting the meter readings though would be the best way nail this down.


+1

In instances where the pickups are position-specific, the bridge coil is generally identified with a red dot on the bottom of the bobbin. RP/RW middle pickups are usually indicated by yellow and black lead-in wires. DCR measurements would confirm the suspicion that you've got a set of CS 54's.

A decent multimeter runs about ten or twelve bucks at Lowe's, Home Depot, or any other big-box hardware store. A wise investment for troubleshooting guitar, amp, and speaker problems......

Arjay

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