I'm wanting to get these stock pups out of my MIM strat. I'm looking for a bluesy tone. Any advise on which pups to go with?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Thats a very tough question considering the fact that there are many different pickup makers out there that are catering to a variety of players with different budgets. You've got your high end makers such as Kinman, Lollar, Suhr, etc. that provide excellent products for a variety of tones but you do have to empty your bank account to purchase a set. There are also lower priced makers such as Golden Age (which can be purchased in a prewired pickguard) and GFS that sound great as well. If you are looking for an old school bluesy tone you may want to examine pups with a lower output versus the high output screamers. Myself, I use Copperhead pickups made by a guy in Canada. Specifically the '59 set (that sound amazing) and I'm thinking of ordering a set of '67s. The best thing about the Copperheads (beside the fact that they sound amazing) is the fact that the pup maker is very accessible and you can email him exactly what you want in a pup and he will work with you to make sure you are satisfied. His prices are reasonable too and he offers a return policy that is still valid if you cut the wires. I'm sure there are others that opperate in a similar fashion and are open for input and suggestions so just do your homework. Bill Lawrence is also a pickup maker that I have much respect for. He helped design the Fender SCN's. The Fender CS pickups are also very nice, my favorites being the '69s.Try to find samples on youtube and on the sites the pups are being sold on so you can get an idea of what they sound like. But beware the recording process can alter the tone a bit. In the overall scheme of things pups play only a part in your tone. You've got your guitar, amp, pups & effects(maybe a tube/blues driver to provide a bit of grit), and most importantly you, your hands and your passion. If you have anymore specific questions ask away and I will do my best to help you out, although I must point out I am by no means a pickup guru.

Russ

This page may be somewhat helpful

http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/Strat_Pi ... ips_W1.cfm

Not a bunch on there, but some of the more popular go-to pickups. Can give you a little bit of a baseline to work from when someone compares a different pickup to these.

Good luck!

Texas Specials are great for blues, rock, country, and just about anything (other than metalcore) that you can throw at it. They have a very rich, full tone with lots of midrange punch. I have them in my Squier and they sound great, so in a Fender they're over the top! You also should look into Fender Fat 50's pickups. I haven't actually played a guitar with them, but people say they're similar Texas Specials and are also great for blues.

You can get bluesy tone from any guitar with just your hands, is there a particular sound you're looking for? Vintage, bright, mellow, more bass, thick, warm?

_________________
Website: http://www.rebeccalaird.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccalairdmusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/beckslaird
Instagram: http://instagram.com/beckslaird

Thanks for the advice, listening to clips is a good idea.

texasguitarslinger, yes the Vintage, bright, mellow, more bass, thick, warm tone is exactly what I'm looking for. Seriously though I like the sounds of Buddy Guy.

I recently swapped out mine for a set of Fat 50s and I think they sound great. Before I pulled the trigger, I looked high and low for info and sound clips and just kept going back to them.

If you like Buddy Guy's sound then you might want to take a look at a set of Fender-Lace Sensor Golds. They come standard on one of his Artist Series Strats, while his other Artist Strat is the Polka Dot one with standard single coils. The BG Strat that comes with the Lace Golds is also equipped with a 25 dB active mid-boost circuit like ECs. I can't say that I have much of an opinion on the Lace pups because I have never really given them a fair workout. But if you're into Buddy Guy you may want to check them out. I've seen him playing his Strats on TV and DVDs where he is using the Lace pups and he sounds amazing everytime. What really gets me is the energy his continues to bring to each one of his shows. You can't help but have a good time and that smile of his lights up the venue.

I just checked ebay and there are several complete sets of Lace Gold pups for under $150. However, there are alot of crooks on ebay so be careful if you go that route.

Russ

+1
Be sure and get that mid boost if you go with noiseless pickups though. They sound great with the mid boost, but they sound really lousy without it. I have Vintage Noiseless pickups in my Strat without a mid boost and I ended up selling the pickups and putting the stock ones back in. I'd turn the tone knob and nothing would happen, they were just a wall of treble. But I'm sure they would have sounded awesome with a mid boost. I just didn't want active electronics in my guitar. I'd hate having to mess with the battery.

_________________
Website: http://www.rebeccalaird.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccalairdmusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/beckslaird
Instagram: http://instagram.com/beckslaird

I try Samarium Cobalt SCN pickups in my MIM SSH Sambora Strat, but got sound that I don't like. Very bright, clean, but without color – a little bit synthetic.
My favorite 4. position stay useless, low signal and week sound. Put back original pickups and returned color of my guitar again...

Suhr FL's are amazing! Google 'em and read some reviews/ listen to clips.

Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 pro flat poles - exquisite and not at boutique prices..

If your interested in noiseless you should check out the Dimarzio Area line.
The Dimarzio Heavy Blues are great for the Bridg eBTW

Check out BG (Bryan Gunsher) Pickups Vintage 60's. They're handwired for only $140, and Bryan's really helpful with questions. I ordered a set and they're being installed @ the local guitar shop. Haven't played them yet though, but they got great reviews.

+1 on the Dimarzio areas. Got two 58's and a 61' in my MIM Strat and couldn't be happier.

_________________
"I like the way he puts Yngwie J. Malmsteen on his album covers. You know,....so you don't confuse him with all the other Yngwie Malmsteens in the business"


2008 Fender MIM Stratocaster
2010 Epiphone Masterbilt
2009 Fender Super Champ XD