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Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 6:28 pm
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Maybe a good idea to install the pu's yourself in the future.
Pickups are normaly tested before leaving the factory.
So who's to blame here :?:

Peter


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Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 6:41 pm
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strat58cat wrote:
I bought them at Guitar Center in San Bernardino, and had them installed at Wild West Guitars in Riverside, CA. Since Wild West is a top-of-the-line place, I'm not worried at all that the ace guitar guy F'd them up. In fact, he's so cool he's not charging me extra for pulling them out and putting in the new ones, and gave me some springs to get my old Squier up and running. Wild West's guitar guy is very, very cool.

However, I'm in the middle of a major cluster caught between Guitar Center and Fender. Guitar Center sells the Fat50s in sets of three, special order only. Now, I have two out of three that work, and sound good according to the ace guitar guy (doing sound for Starship tomorrow). It's all torn apart so I haven't heard it yet. Anyway, so to get one that works, I may have to pull out all three and send them back, and now I'm concerned the next set will have a dud too. What are the odds of getting three that work? Whichever way I have to do it, I think Guitar Center will work with me since it's a GC account I'm using.

I'm very, very dissapointed in Fender's Custom Shop quality. I can tell you, if I had imagined I would be in this major hassle trying to get Fender to send Guitar Center a pickup or a good set, I would have gone elsewhere. Dimarzio 58s and a 61 in the bridge might have been the way I went instead, trading a little tone for noiseless but at a reasonable price. It's all a give and take. Since I'm a huge fan of Fender and classic Fender tone, it's a very sad day to me. Will the next set work? I'll let you know.
No one can refund time spent on the 10 freeway. :evil: The Bowfinger Expsess.

Totally off topic. Did you know that the Best Buy just down from the Sams Club has a full blown Music Store in the Back. Fenders Gibsons, Vox, and Pearl. It's almost right behind the San Bernardino Guitar Center on the next street.

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Post subject: Re: Forget Noiseless Because They Aren't There Yet?
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 6:42 pm
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strat58cat wrote:
So I've checked out all the noiseless and I can't find the single-coil Strat sound. Fender's options and Dimarzio aren't bad, and I've played them all, but they don't have the same bite and detail. Everyone knows it in the guitar stores and we play it and it's different, c'mon, we know it. We'd call it creamy or bland but it just doesn't have that Fender Strat something that is soo good. They're close but just not there. So then since I do want to upgrade my Highway One pickups sometime soon to turn it into the Custom monster guitar of my dreams, I'm looking at the Custom Shop pickups that are hum-cancelling because of positions 2 and 4. Texas Specials or Fat 50s? I don't think Custom 54s have the hum cancelling but any views about them would be good to hear too. Help a brother out with some knowledge and experience?



MY GENERAL COMMENTARY IN THIS ARENA IS ALWAYS AS FOLLOWS:
'
LISTEN TO EVERYTHING BUDDY HOLLY EVER RECORDED WITH A STRATOCASTER........THAT~~IS THE VINTAGE SOUND OF THIS GUITAR, CLEAN AND UNADORNED. EVERYTHING ELSE HAS GROWN UP AROUND IT, ENHANCED AND SIGNAL PROCESSED TO DEATH.

SO WHAT FENDER, OR ANY OTHER PICKUP MANUFACTURERE HAS TO TELL YOU, AMONG ALL OF THE POSSIBLE OFFERINGS IS WHICH IS 'THE' ONE WHICH WILL GIVE IT TO YOU.


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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 8:45 am
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Whoa, you said: "Maybe a good idea to install the pu's yourself in the future. Pickups are normaly tested before leaving the factory.
So who's to blame here"

Bro' I've got to tell you defective product doesn't mean dishonest people. Okay, try this, Wild West is about the greatest guitar store in history with a lot of big acts and top of the line Fender Custom Shop, Gibson, PRS and every other kind of guitar that I can't think of right now. The guitar ace at Wild West is very, very good. If they wanted to rip off something, it's unlikely to be my Highway One and $170 pickup upgrade. More than that, Wild West is not the problem but is 100 percent the solution. The guy there has been calling people he knows at Guitar Center, offering to redo it for no extra charge, taking out one or three whatever Guitar Center needs, and generally bein one of those people you run into in the music world sometimes who is just very happy with working on guitars and music and as a result is incredibly cool to deal with. Believe me, if you need a high-end instrument, or need some help with your gear, check out Wild West. People drive in from far away.

Here's my speculation about why I have a stone-dead pickup. Like I've mentioned, I used to know a girl whose closest friend was dating a luthier at the Custom Shop. My memory's trashed from chemo and I'm reconstructing stuff. When I got my Squier almost 10 years ago, there was some talk about dropping a better pickup in the neck for me. Probably I reacted with concern that I only get what I pay for, because one of the few things anybody can control is honesty, and I definitely noticed I have cheap Squier ceramic pickups while playing since my Highway One is in the shop. Maybe she was just talking, but where would that pickup have come out from? Another thing is the Custom Pickups operation has to be a step-child of the Custom Shop. See, those guys are artists creating exquisite instruments, often using the Fat50s by the way. Maybe some of those Custom Shop guys don't check the pickups going out for replacement too much, like they do for the Cruz-built Custom Shop guitars that use Fat50s.

Anyway it's all speculation. Since I'm a Blues guy anyway, and get a SRV tone from the ceramic pos neck pickup on my Squier, I'm going to pick up a set of Texas Specials in exchange for the Fat50s if I can to avoid Fing around with any more special orders. That exchange should work I hope. Then I can get my Highway back. I've never had a problem with any Fender geat before - Squier stuff from China, and a Blues Junior and Highway One pickups from Mexico. What you love disappoints, because it has the chance to disappoint; you use it. I'll hope for the best with the Texas Specials.


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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:39 pm
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So, how'd it all end up? Wild West Guitars in Riverside CA takes care of their customers. The Texas Specials were delivered yesterday, and the guitar was returned today with a perfect set up. The Texas Specials are dialed in just right for classic Strat tone that can get serious if you want it to get serious, without any overly piercing highs. Would the Fat50s have been as good? I don't know, but the Texas Specials sound like honey. There's talent at Wild West in playing and setting up guitars and these now sound awesome. The intonation got a tune up, too, once the new pickups were so crystal clear that the intonation could be heard to be off. Watch out for Fat50s as a pickup upgrade - quality issues there and maybe some of the luthiers at the Custom Shop want us to get Fat50s only in the 5,000 master built guitars. I'll stay with the Texas Specials, which are awesome, easy to get, and work.


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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 4:11 pm
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strat58cat wrote:
So, how'd it all end up? Wild West Guitars in Riverside CA takes care of their customers. The Texas Specials were delivered yesterday, and the guitar was returned today with a perfect set up. The Texas Specials are dialed in just right for classic Strat tone that can get serious if you want it to get serious, without any overly piercing highs. Would the Fat50s have been as good? I don't know, but the Texas Specials sound like honey. There's talent at Wild West in playing and setting up guitars and these now sound awesome. The intonation got a tune up, too, once the new pickups were so crystal clear that the intonation could be heard to be off. Watch out for Fat50s as a pickup upgrade - quality issues there and maybe some of the luthiers at the Custom Shop want us to get Fat50s only in the 5,000 master built guitars. I'll stay with the Texas Specials, which are awesome, easy to get, and work.

When I'm ready to change my pick ups, I'll be looking into Wild West Guitars in Riverside, and Texas Specials, or maybe Tex Mex. Thanks for the tip.

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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 4:22 pm
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Does anyone have an opinion of the Original 57/62 Strat Pick ups
http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?partno=0992117000

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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 4:40 pm
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FirstMeasure wrote:
Does anyone have an opinion of the Original 57/62 Strat Pick ups
http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?partno=0992117000


Very good original sound upgrade for any MI M/K/J/C Stratocaster


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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:27 pm
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I just went nuts and ordered the woodstock 2s for my hwy 1. I got them with the no solder harness, I figured it would be perfect for a klutz like me,. I play better then I fix stuff. I thought that if Kinmans are good enough for Gilmore, thats good enough for me. I would rather come closer to Gilmore's tone then Buddy Holly, nothing against B. Holly, it's just not what I'm looking for. I want great blues sound but also want that melodic sustain that my stock pups don't give me without a bunch of pedals. I should have them in a week or so.


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