I own a 2000 MIA strat with standard strat pick ups. A while back I played another strat with Fender Noiseless pick ups and it had the best tone I've heard in a long time. This strat was quite a bit older than mine and is a deluxe. If I put the same pick ups in my strat would I get a similar tone or was the tonal difference mainly in the actually guitar?

The plain truth is, there's only one way to find out.

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You dig?

Intelligent query and response. Acknowledgement of every component of the whole recipe being important.

Unless absolutely the only variable was the pickups, the metaphorical water becomes murkier, and very quickly.

In addition to different guitars, what about...?

Amp, amp settings, effects, effects settings, strings, cord, room environment, pick gauge...how much was consistent fro Situiation A to Situation B?

Dale as Martian stated there is only one way to find out and when it comes to electronics and fixing things theres no one better on the forum in my opinion. I have 2 strats that have noiseless pickups and I love em. I would advise you to find out what typy noiseless they were. I am almost sure a deluxe comes with vintage noiseless but check to be sure and throw them in and I think you will be happy. If the worst happens and you dont like them you can always just put back in your original pups.

I also have a Strat with noiseless pickups and I love it. Would it sound like the other strat. Hard to say. Would it sound good? Probably, providing you kinda of already like the guitar now. In my opinion, you upgrade to make a guitar you like better. You don't upgrade to make you like a guitar. That almost never works.

All the settings were the same, and played on the same amp so I know its not that. Not 100 percent sure about string make and gauge though. I might just get the noiseless pick ups any way and see what I can do! I do think its a fantastic guitar already, but I think this may make it that little extra bit better!

Worth a try. Like you said straycat, if I dont like them I can just put the originals back in.

While on the subject of pickups, I was looking at some of the lace sensors a while back. Never played (or seen) a strat with them actually in. Are they any good?

Forgot to say, I had thought of putting the lace sensor in the bridge position of the same guitar as the noiseless pick ups. I want something with a bit of a roar in the bridge for heavier songs. How would a middle position noiseless mix with a bridge lace sensor (red maybe)?

You would have to have Martian answer that as he is the technical mad scientist I can only tell you what I know from listening to my gear. I have guitars with vintage noiseless pickups and also have a Beck Strat that has hot noiseless which you could probably stick in the bridge but it is not going to be as big a boost in power as one would think. I also have a Strat Ultra that has Lace sensors but I personaly am not crazy for them. A Dimarzio fast track would be dynamite but it would be about 3 times more powerful than your other pups so I think that would not work out. Martian if he wanted to add a differant bridge what would be his best bet. I would think 2 vintage and a hot personaly.

The MIA Deluxe carries SCN's. The Vintage Noiseless pickups are on the Clapton. They are not the same. Some feel the VN's lack punch naked, and were designed specifically to be incorporated into the 25db midboost circuit with resistances and capacitances calculated according. The SCN's designed and introduced with the MIA Deluxe's were touted as the best thing since sliced bread. A noiseless pickup coming closest to the classic Strat sound. There are those who love 'em, and those who feel they are dull.

As suggested elsewhere, investment in musical pickups is your only option for one guitar. Be reminded that guitars are unique to themselves even seemingly cut from the same bolt. 10 American Standards in the same finish, side by side, are 10 individual guitars. There's something about each of them which is unique, and your pickup choice might sound wonderful in one, and not the other.

Choices, choices, choices...................

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