Wondered if someone can tell me the difference between the two and is one a step up from the other

Standard strat pickups are clearer with less power, which some people prefer. Tex-Mex pickups are wound hotter and have more output. Specs on standard strat pickups are around 6K dc resistance. Tex-Mex pickups are around 6.4K for neck and middle, 7.4K on the bridge pickup. Jimmie Vaughn likes the Tex-Mex pickups.

Both nice pickups I like them both. Comparing my own AmStd and JV strat AmStd pickups sound clearer and more melow than tex-mex. This implies neck, middle and combo. Delta-tone circuit on AmStd (all open on 10) guitar maker bridge pickup very rough "ice pick" tone.

Previous post mentioned that amStd pickups are not as hot as tex-mex. I have 07 AmStd and noticed my pickups are a lot hotter than 08/09 amStd and JV or road worn guitars equiped with tex-mex. This is only my hearing that I am reffering to not the actual spec from Fender.

The 07 pickups are exactly the same as the 08/09 ones.pickup height affects tone too.The icepickeyness on the bridge pickup is because it is a hotter pickup.I very rarely play it by itself clean.It works good for distorted tones if you roll the tone pot off a bit.Thickens up the tone tremendously.

I would have to say the Tex-Mex have a lot more meat to them for that really full single coil tone inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughn and other Texas Blues guitar slingers. Standards are more classic 70's vibe such as Clapton, Beck and Glmoure. I may be off base with this analogy, but it's just what I've notice noodling around at the guitar shops while test driving.

Oh, I'va also noticed that Tex-Mex seems to interact alot better with overdrive pedals better than standards, however, standards are nicer on chorus, phase and flange effects.

Just my $0.02 worth.

A couple of things here...

1) Are we talking Am Std or MIM Std? Because these pickups are two totally different animals. Some of the above posts were for one, and some for the other. So, be advised...
2) I agree that both MIM Std and Tex Mex are good pickups. The Std pickups have a very solid range of what they can do. But Tex Mex are amazing considering their price point.
3) I replaced the stock ceramics in my MIM Std with Tex Mex. The Tex Mex have rich tones, and (agreeing w/ the above post) respond very well to being overdriven. If someone handed me some expensive set of boutique pickups costing x5 as much as my Tex Mex, I would sooner get a new Strat to put them in BEFORE removing my existing Tex Mex from my MIM Std. I have bonded that much to them...

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That is interesting and beauty of strats they all sound a bit different with so many variables that make a strat sound.

Hopefully we did not confuse too much the OP.

I can swear that my 07 AmStd with stock pickups sounds hotter than my friends 09 AmStd and 08 AmStd I once auditioned. I had to lower my pickupus allmost flush to the body to be able to get the tone and balance that I like.

i have mim strat and put tex mex in my strat wowwww... the sound surprising me alot,,,,
and i think sound/pickup come back to each taste ...and tex mex is mine...

I have a MIM Jimmy Vaughn Strat with Tex Mex pups and I run it through a Marshall Guv'nor pedal into my Blues Jr. amp and it's pure audio ambrosia.On a clean setting they have a spank that's very close to my 65 Strat but when I overdrive the amp or use the pedal it just gets pure Texas raunch.Today I ran it through the Guv'nor a Vox Clyde McCoy and a Danelectro vibe and got a real authentic Hendrix wail,I love the Tex Mex.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

The Tex-Mex are hotter (higher output) which is better to my way of thinking. It gives you more options. If you don't want so much "oomf" back off the volume on the guitar a bit. If you need a bit extra bump the guitar volume to 10.

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Another point is the pickup height. If they sound like ice picks, move them closer to the pickguard. Tex-Mex are ok, Specials are better. But I'd trade my Specials for Vintage Noiseless or American Standard PU's from the 90's....

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Well I have an 05 MIM that I thought was WAY too bright.. the bridge was a dog whistle. I replaced the pickups with the whole tex mex setup... vast improvement. gave it more of a classic strat sound, 2nd I had it rewired so that the tone controls were at the neck and bridge. middle left clean.. this helped with the brightness of the bridge.. last thing was to take out the stock caps and replace with .027 orange drops. Perfect.. . If you played with strat tones .. you should have the tone controls wired neck bridge anyway.. or add a 3rd tone control.. and actually the middle texmex sounds good unaltered.

which guitars did tex mex pickups come in?

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10 LTD M-350NT (duncan custom4/jazz2)
99 LTD m-100 (duncan distortion/gibson 496R)
71 les paul deluxe gold top(mojo)
peavey vypyr 100, 85 red-knob, bad monkey, peavey iphone amp kit

Fender Road Worn '50s Stratocaster
Jimmie Vaughan Tex-Mex Stratocaster

aah ok. i bought a set of "standard fat strat" pickups, but i dont know if theyre from a MIM or MIA? what markings will distinguish?

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10 LTD M-350NT (duncan custom4/jazz2)
99 LTD m-100 (duncan distortion/gibson 496R)
71 les paul deluxe gold top(mojo)
peavey vypyr 100, 85 red-knob, bad monkey, peavey iphone amp kit