I recently purchased an American Strat HSS and would like to install better pickups. It’s not that I’m disappointed in the standard pickups, I just want the guitar to sound the best it can… And, I’m not even sure that’s possible…???

As you can tell, I'm fairly new to playing the guitar and prefer rock & blues..

Can anyone recommend the best pick-up upgrade..? And why..

Thanks in advance for your replies..

Hi Brian, welcome to the Forum.

One of mine is an American HSS: I test drove it because I liked the look (sienna sunburst, maple neck) but bought it because I liked the sound. TexMex single coils, Diamondback humbucker. What's not to like?

If you feel you must make it sound different then there's a world of choice out there. Almost every reply you get will suggest something different and you'll probably be none the wiser at the end. But to help things along at least give us a bit of an idea of the sound you are chasing. What kinds of music do you like and play? Name some names: "blues and rock" covers such a wide range of possibilities...

Good luck - C

Hey, I'm glad to hear y'all talking about tex-mex p.u. & diamondback h.b. I bought a Am. delx. mahagony body 2008 strat W/ that p.u. combo from Gtr. cent. back in july /08. I CAN NOT FIND IT ON THE FENDER SITE!! I love the Gtr. I know it was a best keep secret as you were getting a $1200 dlx. for $999 they have since jumped to $1200. Thing is, like the young man asking about replacing P.U.'S I thought about it too. But I first wanted to compare specs. Not only could I not find my axe, I couldn't find Diamondback h.b p.u. on the site either. I did find Tex-Mex P.U. resistance & inductance specs to compare to other p.u.'s. While this may not tell all about their sound at least it's a way to compare against other p.u.'s like tex. spl. or Dimarzio , Duncan & E.M.G. Can anyone find & post the Diamondback specs. And Fender, PLEASE PUT THE MAHOGANY STRAT SPEACIAL DLX. ON THE PRODUCT LIST! Thanks!

Hi loneblueswolf, welcome to the Forum.

Several HSS Deluxes on this page:

http://www.fender.com/products//search. ... icandeluxe

However, none of those have a mahogany body. All are listed as alder, with or without a maple cap. Dunno, but I'd imagine it might have been a "special order" run by Guitar Center - which might explain the pricing too. But someone might know better...?

Also, you're right, I'm not seeing any mention of the Diamondback humbucker on this site:

http://www.fender.com/products//search. ... at=pickups

And Google ain't turning up info on it anywhere else, either. A legitimate reason for an email to Fender Customer Services, perhaps?

Cheers - C