I have a Standard Mexican Stratocaster and I dont like the pickups i think the guitar can sound much better. So if i were to get new pickups do i have to get a new pickguard also cause the pickguard it comes with wont fit with the pickups i have now
thanks for the help.

Hey Vb-

No need to get a new pick-guard. I replaced my MiM pick-ups with Texas Specials and had no problem doing the swap- I then purchased a new pickguard just to give my baby a new look- Still no problem-

Go for it and have fun-

The Freeze

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There's Always Room For MELLOW !!!!

2000 MIM Stratocaster, Midnight Wine W/Texas Specials
2000 Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
1969 Fender Vibro Champ

When it comes to pickup choices it depends on what you like to hear. I'm assuming you tried adjusting the stock pickups already right? If you want a different sound you can check out Dimarzio, Fender, Seymour Duncan, the list goes on and on...
As far as the pickguard, no you do not need to replace it. You can just swap out the pups. That is as long as they are the same setup (SSS, HSS, etc).

Go to an online store like Sweetwater or Musician's Friend. In the search box type in guitar pickups. Look around. What you decide to buy depends on what type of music you play or what tone you are looking for.

RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Freeze, a friend of mine did the same thing it really heats up the tone. The Tex Specs all the way , and he did not change the pickgaurd .He did not do the work himself and had a professional luthier do it . You want to make sure intonation is correct.

Setting intonation is quite easy. One can even learn to install their own pickups. It's really to your benefit if you do. You will save money and you can swap pickups more and more without fear of going broke. And it's kinda fun too.

Rob that is more my question. When i buy new pickups do i need to have the same setup or can i change the setup?

can someone tell me the exact pickups i should get i know nothing about them. i have the HSS mexican made strat

Sadly no one can tell you which pickup to buy. The ones I like best you may hate, or vice versa. Best bet is to look some different models up online, check the specs, and find some with different pickups, then go to a store and try em out, compare til you find some you like.

That said, you aren't married to the HSS configuration, you can definitely go SSS, and most likely HSH if you want. You need to peek under the pickguard and see what the pickup holes look like. Then when you decide which configuration you want, you can buy a pickguard to match. or if you are installing a humbucker where a single coil is now, you could alter your pickguard, though if you screw up, you'll end up buying a new one.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Accidental double post...

So I will add more to my opinion.

If you are planning on modding your guitar, you need to identify what it is you don't like about it's sound. maybe you need to change something else in your tone chain. I have a friend who has monkeyed with his pickups a few times, never happy. but he only has a cheap amp. i know his guitar sounded great as is, through my amps. he is chasing an aspect of tone that he can't ever hope to get without an amp upgrade.

So in short, you need to think of your sound chain in total. identify the sound you want, then think about how you are going to get there.this may or may not mean changing your pickups. If you are aiming for a sound similar to an artist, find out what they use. Decide how it differs from you in a meaningful way.

say you want to sound hendrixy
Strat, check. any strat can get you in the basic ballpark of his sound.

amplification, he was noted for marshall sounds. Wait you only have a cheap solid state practice amp, like a backstage or something. Well, maybe you have to look at getting a marshall, or some other high gain tube amp(note you can find pretty decent low wattage substitutes that can get you in that tonal range without breaking the bank, if cash is an issue.)

this is only one example. like SRV sound, you need a good vintage american sounding tube amp. not a marshall sound. in either case, your pickups might not be the biggest issue in changing your tone.

or maybe your tone is more modern, you mght have to look at a whole other rig, maybe not even a strat.

just something to think about before you start pouring money into mods, try plan out your tone chain, so you know where the money is best spent.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

thanks for the advice

Listen why do we always go crazy changing pic ups and thinking the ones Fender puts in are no good just leave them alone and alter the sound of your amp by buying maybe an EQ or expander pedal, you will get a far superior sound by altering the amp sound and we dont have to stuff around changing the guitars and one day they may become collectables. This type of thing happened in the late seventies and eighties and many of us regret what we did changing and destroying the originality of our guitars.

The sound of an electric guitar is largely determined by the pickups therefore if you want a different tone changing the pickups is a good place to start. Pedals will accomplish little if the pickups are inferior. You have to start at the source.

So, a new MIM standard Strat is a $500 guitar (or about that) and Fender does think enough of it to put their name on it.. That said, it seems like they wouldn't put junk pickups in a guitar that isn't cheap to begin with.. Shouldn't the pickups on a MIM Strat be a good starting point for a decent Strat sound? I don't own one so I can't say for sure but it seems like comments about looking to the amp for the sound you want are pretty reasonable suggestions...

The pickups that are found stock in MIM Strats are only mediocre at best. They are not even as good as the Fender Custom Shop pickups like the Fat 50's or the Custom Shop 69's or Texas Specials. And they can't hold a candle to something really good like Dimarzios or Lindy Fralins.