Anyone else (but me) like the stock pu's on the MIM Standard?

I have a 2007, with the pickup heights slightly lower than spec...

Sure I've played and owned Strats with vintage pu's and know what that is, but my thoughts about something like modding with Fat 50's or 69's... these Standard pu's have their own character and edge...and sweet enough...

Better to put those bucks towards another Strat down the line..because for quite a few applications, at least the one I have, this one is gigworthy...

Just got my 2009 MIM a couple of months ago, and so far I like what I hear.
Haven't had a chance to really crank the sucker but as of right now, even at low volume levels the pups have the sound I was looking for. As I had to buy online without trying it out in person, I took a chance and I feel I lucked out. To my ears, the pups have the one quality I was looking for - it sounds like a Strat. I know you're thinking "yeah, well, DUH". but I was concerned I was gonna get a dud. I think the MIM pups are fine.
I won't be changing these out, which some people seem to think is a necessity. Sometimes I think folks are way too quick to mod their instruments and amps without giving them a chance.

I'm no expert on pick ups but my standard strat sounds great to me!

Congrats, Bathead and tagg...

I think one of the big reasons people change out pups on the MIM Standard or any new guitar is string height...action. People go for a set up where they try to get it "as low as possible" without affecting tone. Forgive me. That's not possible. If we're talking shedding OK but for MOST guitars a slightly higher action yields better tone.

People talk about "vintage pups" but never "vintage string height" which is higher on reissues...

I've noted that people who have been playing longer actually have far fewer objections to these stock pu's and find them fine, very good.

I do think that slighly higher string height (with 9's) yields an even better sounding MIM Standard along with pu height slightly lower than spec...with trem reserved (per 1/8" spec) for more subtle effects as originally intended...

Well it depends of what are you looking for in the tone, which is sum of all parts. Everything being equal in my case I found a huge difference in MIM stock pickups and CS 69. Not saying that stock MIM are bad just different and not the tone I was looking for.
The stupid example to compare stock MIM and CS 69 is like enjoing a great stereo sound from one music system (MIM) and than upgrading it to the 5.1 DTS soround sound (CS69). The depth, chime, richness wow just melts your face kind a thing .
Tweaking the pickup height is very important part of a good customized_to_yourself setup.

Agreed ... I have an '04 that I left the stock pups in for many years before eventually replacing them.

_________________
Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

Hey, you're talking a guy who made the dumb mistake of selling a Classic Player's 50's Strat...

With that said, I would STILL put the money I would spend on mods towards another guitar...

Just to say I think you cab get a lot of mileage out of these pups...

Agreed, if you like em it is all that matters. The reasoning of putting the money towards another guitar is cool too. You can't have too many Strats and Fender guitars in general in your arsenal anyway.

P.S I am not affiliated with FMIC, if you were wondering about the comment above. Just a big fan of their products.

I have a 96 MIM I have never changed the pups on.

_________________

String height has more to do with how you hit the strings as far as tonal impairment goes. Pickups matter not one iota on string height unless your talking about a magnetic pull comparable to the average black hole. String gauge does matter for string height as well as right hand attack.

Personally I love ceramic pickups, I find them far better than a lot of more expensive models. Simply because of their adaptability and responsiveness to volume and tone control adjustments. How I rue the day I swapped my old stock MIM's for vintage toneless pickups. I'm really starting to question fenders ability to design and make a pickup. They seem to drag some old bird out of the cupboard, get her to sign her name on a label, then sell the things for silly money. I just cant think of one fender pickup I like the sound of, I've tried a few this past month. They all seem to be devoid of any middle or have a unearthly unusable high register response. The only ones I haven't tried are fat50's. I dont think I'll be chancing £130 on them based on prior performance.
At Least with MIM ceramics you get a even sound and they respond to clean or drive with equal ferocity.

_________________
No no and no

You made my day. The ONLY pickups I have been impressed with were the 57/62's in that 50's Strat I sold. The Fat 50's (read reviews) are acurately presented as "a little" difference. The 69's, great till you hit a sudden spike...

Check out the Dimarzio True Velvets...

In some ways, the MIM Standard pickups are like mini-P90's...

I find the pickups Alnico V's in the American Standard uninspiring...

As an aside, please find for me a Tele player who's really happy with their neck pup...even the one in the 52 Reissue is "gooey" at best...no need for modern wiring IMO...

Well I'm quite happy with the twisted tele neck pickup on my baja tele. Its a tad lacklustre for clean leads, I cant imagine any country player liking it on its own for lead lines, but its quite fat sounding. Certainly good for jazz and great in conjunction with the bridge pickup. It really balances the sound out in that position. I couldnt say I'm entirely happy with it because of its clean lead lack but I can certainly live with it and enjoy it. It does respond great to a good dollop of drive, really smooth almost like a strat neck/mid combination.
Like a few exclusive strat pickups, its not available aftermarket.

_________________
No no and no

I have an 07 HSS and don't plan on changing pickups anytime soon. I like the tones I've been able to coax out of them so far.

About this time last year i bought a MIM Fat Strat Standard..I bought it to use as a platform for a custom build..But for the few weeks i owned the guitar before i started the customizing of it i was seriously impressed with the pickups that this 2008 MIM had in it..
I still have the pickups and i'm sure that they will go into something sooner or later..For the $320 i paid for that guitar i thought the overall quality in stock condition was excellent and that the pups were more than acceptable..I would have no problems playing one stock on any gig i have ever played..

I like stock pickups! It's the player not the instrument. So, I think once you get to know the instrument you are playing, you can play and make it sound the way you want it. If you know how, that is!
There are too many players that are just making excuses and reasons why they play bad or why thay are not making any progress. Pickups among them! Either they are weak, or hot, or this or that. I don't understand that at all.
Just play! Forget everything else!

_________________
"If you're on a path that's beaten, it's not your path." Joseph Campbell

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

"All that is impossible remains to be achieved."
Jules Verne

www.stratcollector.com