My pops has a vintage Strat... the PUPs are kinda shot, orginal, but shot. I am assuming they are worth keeping, but cant' be "reworked"... he77 I don't even know whats wrong with them.

In any event, was thinking of buying him some new PUPs. What would be a nice addition?

Thanks,
84

That depends...
There are various options that recreate, or at least approximate pickups that were available for different time frames. If you want to keep it close to what it sounded like new, you could try those.(have to let us know how old it is, for good advice.)

Or there are various non-vintage sounding PUPs if you want to go in a new direction.

So maybe a bit more info is needed.

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

It's a '59 I believe. Solid body, no trem. 3 tone sunburst, rosewood board.

I would think sounding vintage would be more important to Pops.

Thanks for the help!
84

Try:
Vintage 54's
http://www.fender.com/products/search.p ... 0992112000
or
Fat 50's
http://www.fender.com/products/search.p ... 0992113000

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

Personally I'd try to go with what would serve his musical style best.

I like hot rods too. Just because she's a classic doesn't mean she can't breath fire!

Fender has been improving upon their pickups since day one for a reason.

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Fender 50th Anniversary Strat
Fender Road Worn '50s Strat
Fender Highway One (HSS) Strat (D standard tuning)
Fender '72 Tele Deluxe
Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212

Since its vintage get a pick guard assembly made for it and set the original aside just make sure you get the proper hole pattern. Latter if you like you can get original fixed (rewound) and can return it to the vintage state it was.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Ummm, a real 1959 Strat??? Hmmm ... if it were me? I would not remove one excess bead of solder or one wire, let alone a pickup. But if you do (and you shouldn't), keep every last thing you take out. EVERYTHING. C'mon, man ... you're just pulling our chain, right?

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

To the above - what's the point of having it if it doesn't work?! you buy to play man, and if the rest of the guitar is still usable then why shouldn't he put in some pickups that actually work? I mean he's not routing for a humbucker or anything!! Definately go for vintage style pickups tho - maybe 60s (62s?) style to suit the rosewood, and keep everything you take out should the guitar want to be moved on at any point.

Why cant the original pickups be rewound or the magnets regaussed.

On breaking the solder joins, I'm in two minds over it. Signs of new solder devalue vintage instruments, but as stated above the thing has to work.

I guess I'd have to go with getting it fixed, either option is going to devalue the guitar. A fixed original pickup is more valuable than a modern replacement that anyone can buy. Your going to break the solder on the guitar somewhere no matter what you do.

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No no and no

I see you play an American Standard. Have you had a good tech thoroughly check it out to confirm nothing can be done for the pups. Personally that is a guitar I would not take out of the house much as it is a very valuable ax. I would go to the best vintage place by you and have them advise you.

IF you still want to replace the pups,I would do like someone said and buy a replacement pickguard,and all pots and new pups,wire it up and pull the old electronics out and save everything....but if it's been messed with in the past and not original,I would replace the pups,only.
To me,and it's probably just my own limited experience with Fender custom pups,Fralins and VanZandt are my choices.

Probably the most sought after guitars in the world are 1950s Strats and Les Pauls. These are instruments that sell for at least in the 10s of thousands, some well into six figures. To start jacking around with the internals by a novice could easily destroy possibly some (possibly alot) of the guitar's value to a collector (keep in mind, such collectors are very finicky about details). I missed the part where the guitar was not functional. But, if the owner is hellbent on fixing it, then just take it to a technician with lots of vintage Strat experience and knowledge -- have them do it, and get it done right.

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

Buy him some custom shop from the same era...

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


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You couldn't be more right Big Jay,I learned the hard way how messing with a vintage instrument can be a VERY costly and irreversible mistake.If the pups absolutely have to be rewound Fender has a repair facility in Nashville that rewinds pups to original specs for about $160.The man to talk to is Jkrause@fender.com he has all the info.The problem could be as simple as a bad cold solder point or more complicated such as a break in the windings.

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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.