Question: Texas Special VS Custom Shop Texas Special Pickups

frwillo · **Joined:** Thu Jul 26, 2007 5:11 pm **Posts:** 1

Fender offers strat models like the SRV and Lone Star with Texas Special pickups as part of the great guitar design. These pickups do not have the "Custom Shop Sticker" or the dots marking the bridge and neck I have also seen texas specials (or so called) being offered online with plastic insulation as Japanese made Fender texas specials.
Is their a difference in quaility or design of these pickups?
If i were to ohm out these pickups, would the resistance be the same?
I guess its just a feeling of comfort in seeing that Custom Shop Sticker and colored dot, buti still wonder if i would be gitting the same quailty when purchasing. - Thanks - frwillo

budglo · **Joined:** Fri Jan 02, 2009 3:17 pm **Posts:** 1986

to my knowledge the TS pickups that are currently being sold in guitars today are made in the customshop.I also have a Texas Special guitar that was part of the hotrodded American line that was discontinued in 03.They offered "custom staggared " texas special pickups that had staggered polepieces like the American Series pickups being offered.A catalog should tell you the resistance value of each pickup.As far as the wire, it should have clothe insulation if they are TS pickups.

Ceri · **Posted:** Sat Feb 07, 2009 7:57 am

BigJay wrote:

TexMex is a mass produced low end pickup. They are made from lower quality (not necessarily poor quality) materials in facilities in Mexico or elsewhere where the management doesnt know the names of the people touching the pups, if anybody touched them at all. They are wound to emulate the real deal, and produce very "twangy", but shallow and weaker tones. You can buy them all day long on Ebay for about $50.

Just on the TexMex pickups, I think there's some confusion that often arises from that name. These are not Mexican pickups: the name is meant to invoke a flavor of spicey cooking, not indicate place of origin. These pickups are used on certain American Standard guitars amongst others, for example the Std HSS, where they are considered a good pairing to a humbucker:

http://www.fender.com/products//search. ... 0110102747

They also are not related to Texas Special pickups - again save for the similar sounding name.

Altogether, perhaps not an ideally named pickup!

Not that I'm suggesting anything derogatory about Mexican pickups - do let's not have that discussion again!

Cheers - C

Ceri · **Posted:** Sat Feb 07, 2009 8:42 am

BigJay wrote:

TexMex pups are not Texas Specials. However, they were developed as a cheaper alternative to the Texas Specials. They were designed to strive for the Texas Special sound without the price.

It really is not a good name for the product, is it? It's been causing this confusion since it first came out.

I'm still going to politely disagree with the idea of it as a cheaper Texas Special. In as much as it is found in the American Standard HSS, which costs considerably more than the Texas Special equiped Mexican Lone-Star Strat, for instance:

http://www.fender.com/products//search. ... 0139410380

If we wanted to get nit-picky about the place of origin of these pups I'm sure we'd discover the plastic parts come from one place, the magnets from another, the wire from another... Given that they are definitely not hand wound by a named individual artisan sitting in charming little workshop somewhere with a view of the mountains - who cares?

I have both TexMex and Texas Specials on guitars and they sound moderately different - and both excellent!

Cheers - C

budglo · **Joined:** Fri Jan 02, 2009 3:17 pm **Posts:** 1986

BigJay wrote:

I certainly dont represent Fender and nobody from Fender actually told me why the TexMex pups came about. Im pretty sure my view is generally accepted out there. I recall reading many reviews that support this view. Im pretty sure the TexMex pups originated with an MIM SRV Signature Strat that was marketed at a much lower price point than the highly sought after SRV MIA's, much less the true CS SRV Signatures.

I also will fully acknowledge that the TexMex pups are quite popular and, I suspect we would find that their popularity drove their inclusion in higher end and more expensive MIA versions. I have played them and enjoyed them. However, they do not produce the fullness or punch of true Texas Specials.

Additionally, in my opinion, its a mistake to assume that just because the pups are in a more expensive guitar today, that they are not lower quality than the alternative. This is what a good marketing department does for Fender. TexMex cost a lot less to build and, this is profit that goes right to Fenders bottom line when somebody buys that more expensive guitar.

There is no such thing as a MIM SRV signature strat or a custom shop SRV signature strat.There is however a MIM Jimmy Vaughan signature strat with Tex Mex pickups and a custom shop SRV number one Tribute guitar as well as a CS Lenny tribute.Neither the Lenny or the Number One tributes have TS pickups.

cwpainter · **Posted:** Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:53 am

Also, let's not forget that a Tex Mex pickup found its way into the bridge position of the Custom Shop Robin Trower Strat.

tbazzone · **Posted:** Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am

I didnt know there were two different TS pickups the only ones I have ever seen are the custom shop ones. TexMex pickup are very nice pickups for the money. Jimmy Vaughan uses them along with others.

ndngary · **Posted:** Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:21 am

I had to make a retraction in another fender forum because I stated the Tex-Mex pups in my MIA HSS strat were MIA.. Later I contacted fender and was told they are indeed MADE IN MEXICO. It does not make them bad pups,, It does make me pissed that I bought a high end American guitar with Mexican pups. If I wanted Mex. I would have bought Mex.
To be fair I have gotten completely opposite answers from fender on other isues.

tbazzone · **Posted:** Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:23 am

After looking at Fenders web site there is only 1 set of Texas specials made.

tbazzone · **Posted:** Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:40 am

Well since your on the fender site go above and look under accesories then under pickups. You will see the Texas specials then look under custom shop and you will see the same pickup and they only come in white.

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Question: Texas Special VS Custom Shop Texas Special Pickups

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