Hey guys,

I have an American 2009 standard strat with stock pups...

Would I hear a big difference if I swapped them out for say CS69s or Texas Specials? I am thinking about changing them but I don't want to unless I am going to clearly hear the difference.

Cheers

I can feel ya buddy, everyday i think to myself the modifications i want to make on my strat. Ive thought already of inumerous pickup configs. As we were never happy with what we already got.
But as always, in the end of the day, when i get my strat and play it i think ´i love this thing´. So why change it at all ?
Maybe in the future when i get some $$ ill buy another strat with different pickup config.
I think what we all need to learn is to love the strat we have. Dont matter american, mexican, japan, or elsewhere, even squiers.
The TONE is in YOU. Your fingers make it better. Everyday i work on that and i learn something new.
The infinite search for TONE is not on pickups or any hardware. I see guys spending loads of $$ on rig, and still they feel lacking something.
You got a excepcional guitar my friend, go search for the TONE inside of YOU and your fingers will show you the path of the fretboard mastery.

You just named two of my favorite Fender pickups! What joaokorb says is very true. I like to try and appreciate the different sound of a new instrument, and it's unique qualities. Sometimes we all like to have 4 or 5....or 6....or, well at least a couple of different sounds of guitars. If we can't buy all of those guitars, we can change pickups, and other things on our guitar for a different tone.

I have the 08 Am Std myself and I found that the bridge block in it was a cast block. In simple terms, it deadens the tone. I wasn't impressed with the "copper infused" part either, it is still cast and a magnet won't attract to it, so it isn't steel, it's a tone robber. I also thought that I wanted to change pickups, and I still might, because I thought that the stock pickups were kinda plain-jane sounding. But first I replaced the stock block with a Callaham block on mine, and that improved the tone and sustain quite a bit, close to the same improvement that new pickups would make. After the block change, the sound with the stock pickups had more shimmer and was richer and fuller tone. It had more of that "classic bell-like tone" that you expect from a Strat. It cost $60, + $15 if you want the arm, which I recommend with their block.

I think that you would definitely hear a big difference with new Texas Specials or CS 69s over the stock pickups. I have the Texas Specials in a 2000 Mex Std and they sound awesome. If you change the block AND new pickups, that Strat will sing! I can tell you that everyone noticed the improvement in tone after the block change on every Strat that I put one on. I think I have installed 5 for myself and maybe 4 on friends guitar's, all were noticeably improved. Let us know what you do!

+1. Absolutely. Every time I think about changing pickups on my Strat I play it and think, Why? What's the point? It is a strange phenomenon.

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'07 Squier Affinity Sunburst Strat SE
Fender Frontman 25R
Boss DS-1 Distortion
Danelectro D-2 Fab Overdrive
Delta Lab Multi Effects