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Post subject: Best pickups for blues?
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:45 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Location: Oregon
what are the best pickups for blues? I want to upgrade my koa strat to either Texas Specials, Noiseless, or other. If you could please tell me how much they cost (i don't have that much $) please help me!

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Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 11:49 am
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If you think you like the Texas Specials and don't have alot of coin to blow, their probably your best bet. However, if you add just alittle more change ($205 per set) you should try Van Zandt pickups, a blues set or a vintage plus set should give you exactly what you want. Supposedly, this is who Jimmie Vaughan uses for his pickup needs. It's also been rumored that Stevie also used this guy, if he did use these pickups, these have got to be the best blues pickups in the world.

Not very popular, kinda rare, hardly anybody has heard of them (off the net anyway), I'm thinking about buying a neck myself.

www.vanzandtpu.com/pickup.htm

You can't buy directly from the site though, but a google search will find a dealer.

Here's one: http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/Van_Zand ... 07$174$9F$


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Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 12:20 pm
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What kind of Blues ? I've found that almost any Stratocaster will sound good playing blues with a good old tube amp :wink:

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Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 12:27 pm
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It doesn't really matter. There is no set "blues sounding pickup". BB King and John Lee Hooker used humbuckers. Eric Clapton uses single coils. You'll hear blues being played with both all around the country.

Blues isn't tone, blues is soul.

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Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 1:39 pm
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The stock pickups through a tue amp will get you there. If you want to get rid of the hum, go for the noiseless set. Also look at the Seymore Duncan line. They have tons of options...bring your checkbook.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 3:10 pm
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i agree the stock ones should do the job

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Post subject: My Opinion
Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 2:13 pm
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Hi, Choosing the best Pickups for your particular Tone is a very hard decision. First you have to choose a Pickup that will work with the natural tone of your guitar. For instance Maple Fretboards have a brighter tone than Rosewood Fretboards which have a warm tone.
When I was faced with this decision I asked Guitar Tech./Luthiers all kinds of questions, went to web sites and studied Tone charts of particular Pickups I was interested in, Listened to Sound Bits. Please remember when listening to Sound Bits try to find out what kind of guitar & amp it is being played through. If their equipment is not similar to yours the tone will be totally different on your guitar & amp.
I have 2 Strats that have a great Blues Tone- in my opinion. My #1 Blues Axe has DiMarzios in it. It has a Virtual Vintage Blues in the middle & neck position and a Virtual Vintage Solo in the bridge position to add some snarl in the mix.
My other Blues Axe has Fender Texas Special Custom Shop Edition pickups in the neck and middle position and a DiMarzio Fast Track 1 in the bridge position.

I play a more Rock Blues style so I choose a bridge pickup with some high output to add some Fuzz/Crunch to my tone during the leads.

I hope this helps. You need to ask yourself what type of sound are you looking for- Bright, Warm, Hollow, Traditional Blues, Delta Blues, Texas Blues and so on. There are many "Tones" in The Blues.

My #1 Strat has an Alder Body and Rosewood Fretboard. When I jam with some Blues Musicians I get alot of complaments on how sweet my tone is. They ask- "Whatcha running in that thang?!" Well, I hope my opinions help- Keep Jammin'- #1StratMan


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:35 am
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I would agree with changes amps instead of pickups. I've found that the stock pups on strats always have a good blues tone, but that won't come out if you're playing though a Randall Warhead.


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