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Post subject: Special Edition 60's Strat @ GC
Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 2:39 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Played one today and really liked it. More so than my American Special. I was wondering if anyone knows what pickups come in this? I would like to swap them out for my Texas Specials.


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Post subject: Re: Special Edition 60's Strat @ GC
Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 3:24 pm
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You are going to have to give us more than that to come up with an answer, and when you were at GC why didn't you just ask them? Even if they didn't know they should have the books to look it up, it is their special! Might be faster to just call them!

T2

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Post subject: Re: Special Edition 60's Strat @ GC
Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 5:06 pm
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The subject of the post is the same as what was on the price tag, that's all I know. I did ask them and they did look it up, but all they could tell me was they were a 60's style pickup. That's why I'm asking here on the forum. Lots of knowledge here and was curious if anyone had more info as to the specific pickup or if Fender sold an aftermarket equivalent.

Fender is closed on Saturday otherwise I would have called and asked them. No need to get your panties in a bunch about it. Geez! :shock:


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Post subject: Re: Special Edition 60's Strat @ GC
Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 8:07 pm
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I believe the pups on that guitar are special to only that guitar, so it may be difficult to get a specific pup review. There are experts here way beyond my knowledge, though.

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Post subject: Re: Special Edition 60's Strat @ GC
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 1:24 am
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Hope this is the model you're enquiring about - if not, ignore all you find below... :wink:

If you compare the info on GC SpecEd 60's Strat and Fender Classic Series 60's Strat, the description for pickups is the same.

The wiring diagram gives the following: part number 0054172000; "Pickup Assembly, Vintage Strat, Mexico".
A bit of googling -> some obscure (= unfamiliar to me) pages claim to sell those for 59.99$, but no pics.
The set isn't on the menu on Fender pages, or webstores that I know as reliable. The 57/62 pickup set might be the closest option.
Bit more googling -> the same set is on the MIM 50's Strat - which is kinda funny; a Hank Marvin and Jimi Hendrix mix..?
The internet wisdom tells they are AlNiCo5's and at about 5.7kΩ.

Could be that the only GC special feature is "stunning alternate custom colors" option.


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Post subject: Re: Special Edition 60's Strat @ GC
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 5:26 am
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Thanks jmattis, that is the one I was inquiring about. 50's and 60's setup with the same set of pickups....odd indeed. Either it's incorrect or us as consumers are the suckers for marketing. (More truth in that statement than I am willing to admit.)

I'm going to call Fender on Monday and see if they can narrow it down for me. I like my American Special but have been struggling with those Texas Specials for years. So much, that I rarely play the guitar. Problem is the 60's MIM edition is about $100 difference from what I paid for my AM Special back in 2008.


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Post subject: Re: Special Edition 60's Strat @ GC
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 6:09 am
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You're welcome, glad if I could help.

Just out of curiosity: what is it with the Texas Specials or the AmSpec guitar you don't like?


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Post subject: Re: Special Edition 60's Strat @ GC
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 8:14 am
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djwhitjr wrote:
The subject of the post is the same as what was on the price tag, that's all I know. I did ask them and they did look it up, but all they could tell me was they were a 60's style pickup. That's why I'm asking here on the forum. Lots of knowledge here and was curious if anyone had more info as to the specific pickup or if Fender sold an aftermarket equivalent.

Fender is closed on Saturday otherwise I would have called and asked them. No need to get your panties in a bunch about it. Geez! :shock:


My panties were not in a wad...just trying to ascertain what you had asked or didn't ask, hoping to glean some more info to help answer your question.

To be honest GC should have been able to give you more info than they did. It would be really great if Fender did a better job giving specs on pickups beyond some bland "Vintage Style Pickups".

It does appear that the pickups in question are the same ones that come in the 60s Classic Series guitars and that the only thing special about this is the color.

T2

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Post subject: Re: Special Edition 60's Strat @ GC
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 9:57 am
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jmattis wrote:
Bit more googling -> the same set is on the MIM 50's Strat - which is kinda funny; a Hank Marvin and Jimi Hendrix mix..?
The internet wisdom tells they are AlNiCo5's and at about 5.7kΩ.


Correct.

Fender's Classic Series '50s and '60s Strats share the same pickups while the Classic Series '70s guitar features its own model-specific set.

All are alnico 5's with staggered (but not beveled) pole pieces and DCR measurements slightly shy of 6KΩ.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Special Edition 60's Strat @ GC
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 10:25 am
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T2Stratman wrote:

My panties were not in a wad...just trying to ascertain what you had asked or didn't ask, hoping to glean some more info to help answer your question.

To be honest GC should have been able to give you more info than they did. It would be really great if Fender did a better job giving specs on pickups beyond some bland "Vintage Style Pickups".

It does appear that the pickups in question are the same ones that come in the 60s Classic Series guitars and that the only thing special about this is the color.

T2


Your use of the exclamation mark instead of a period came off that way,hence my remark. No worries, unlike my wife I already forgot about it. :) I agree about GC. If they are going to commission special runs they should have all the specs available.

I assume Fender will have more information. They should be able to identify the specific pickup in case one would need a direct replacement. At least I hope they would.

jmattis wrote:
You're welcome, glad if I could help.

Just out of curiosity: what is it with the Texas Specials or the AmSpec guitar you don't like?


The TX Specials sound harsh to my ears with distortion or overdrive. They sound fine when played clean, which is the only way I played them when I bought the guitar. (lesson learned) The pickups in the 60's strat sounded a lot more smoother and balanced.

Retroverbial wrote:
jmattis wrote:
Bit more googling -> the same set is on the MIM 50's Strat - which is kinda funny; a Hank Marvin and Jimi Hendrix mix..?
The internet wisdom tells they are AlNiCo5's and at about 5.7kΩ.


Correct.

Fender's Classic Series '50s and '60s Strats share the same pickups while the Classic Series '70s guitar features its own model-specific set.

All are alnico 5's with staggered (but not beveled) pole pieces and DCR measurements slightly shy of 6KΩ.

Arjay


So it sounds like I should be looking more towards a "vintage" designed (lower output) pickup versus the hotter style of the Texas Specials.


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Post subject: Re: Special Edition 60's Strat @ GC
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 11:59 am
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djwhitjr wrote:
The TX Specials sound harsh to my ears with distortion or overdrive. They sound fine when played clean, which is the only way I played them when I bought the guitar. (lesson learned) The pickups in the 60's strat sounded a lot more smoother and balanced.

OK, a couple of (maybe obvious) pointers here. But first: you IMHO do have a valid point, the TexSpecials tend to have a certain in-your-face character, so I'm not questioning your gut feelings.

Did you play the 60s Strat with the same kind of amp (& other gear) as you play your AmSpec home?
Have you tried different pickup heights, so you have the best balance between cleans & distortion? (On TS's that usually means lower.)
Experimented with dist/OD levels? (TS's might benefit from turning down on your pedals/amp dirty settings.)
Tried different settings for volume on guitar/amp; as in amp loud/guitar quieter and vice versa.
EQ settings; TS's might benefit from taming the mid section.

djwhitjr wrote:
So it sounds like I should be looking more towards a "vintage" designed (lower output) pickup versus the hotter style of the Texas Specials.

That's what I was thinking above; the Fender Original ’57/’62 Strat pickups I mentioned seem to be closest to the factory pups in the 50's & 60's Strats.
But: for vintage style pups that set is not the only option, there's almost an unlimited selection to choose from. Trust your ears.

BTW, if you need to shrink the 100$ price difference (your AmSpec vs. the 60's Classic), you can opt for the Classic Series '50s nitro version. It's CAR with a maple fretboard, so who needs those GC stunning alternate custom colors :wink:


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Post subject: Re: Special Edition 60's Strat @ GC
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 3:03 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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jmattis,


I appreciate the suggestions, but I've tried just about everything. I've even gone as far as removing the grease bucket circuit and changed the cap values to no avail.

I did not play the guitar through the same amps I have. The store didn't have them (Mesa Boogie Rectoverb, SFDR and SF Vibro Champ). I played it through a 15w Fender Bassbreaker.

I know Seymour Duncan has several sets in this genre, too. I just have a hard time buying something when I haven't heard it in person. You tube videos are not the best when it comes to sound quality.


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Post subject: Re: Special Edition 60's Strat @ GC
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 3:22 pm
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Have you considered swapping out the Texas Specials for Fender's Fat 50's set?

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Special Edition 60's Strat @ GC
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 4:17 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
Have you considered swapping out the Texas Specials for Fender's Fat 50's set?

Arjay


The fat 50's are a little over 6k so they are not on my list right now. After playing the 60's strat I want to get as close as I can to those pickups. Based on the info provided so far I am looking at the following.

Custom Shop '59, '69
Pure Vintage '59, '65 &
'57/'62's

All the above are sub 6k with alnico 5 magnets. The 57/62's have rounded poles but I don't know what kind of effect that has on the sound. To be quite honest fender's descriptions on all of these are practically interchangeable which makes me think the journey for the specific pickups in the strat I played a foolish one. :?


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Post subject: Re: Special Edition 60's Strat @ GC
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2016 11:32 am
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Update: I spoke with Fender this morning and they were unable to provide me with any information. They were only able to give me the same description as GC website. :?

He told me the vintage line of pickups should be get me close. I asked about the pure vintage '65 line and he agreed they would fit the bill. A little more research and I found the middle p/u is not reverse wound so that one is out. Looks like my list is getting shorter.


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