Hi im new to this forum so... yeah...i'll learn as i go in here
so, i hav a question
i own a MIM strat, which i love and adore because it sound great, but i have been thinking about upgrading the stock pickups to something that would give me tones close to clapton, hendrix, SRV, and mainly gilmour (my favourite)
so after research and research i came upon the CS69s. So a few days ago i went to the guitar shops nearby to check out if they had the CS69s (unfortunately they didn't) and then at the shop i came across a squire classic vibe 50s strat and decided to try it
and it sounded GREAT!! considering it was a squire. Now I'm tempted to buy that beauty

So, here is my question should i just get the CS69s as i planned or should i give a shot on the classic vibe 50s?

thanks!!

You need to bear in mind that guitar pickups are only one part of the tonal equation. You also have to consider the type of amp and the type of effects pedals (if any) that were used to achieve the kind of sound you're looking for. And perhaps most important of all to consider is your favorite artist's playing style.

You probably won't find the CS69 pups at a local mom 'n pop music store. It's likely that you'll have better luck ordering them from a chain outfit like Musician's Friend http://www.musiciansfriend.com/.

The Squier CV series has a pretty good reputation, from the buzz I've heard, but if it was me, I'd keep the MIM Strat and swap the pickups, if that became a requirement to get the sound I wanted.

But study your favorite artist's gear choices and their playing style before you make that decision. You may find that you can get very close to what you want with a better amp, or a certain stomp box.

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"It's about sound and sound alone. Looks are irrelevant. You can have the best-looking guitar on earth, but if the sound isn't there it is nothing more than a beautiful piece of trash. The sound it makes is the soul of any guitar."

My only squier is a bullet strat.
I sort of fell in love with the super bright sounding pickups. I mean it´s crisp!
All I know is they are called ceramic pickups.
Anyway, the guitar itself has several problems, being a low budget instrument.
So I am planning to put one of these pickups into an old MIJ strat.
I will discard the squire, the neck and pots are quite bad.

So would you rather have 3 or 4 inexpensive guitars to have versatility?
Or would you go the way of pursuing just one fine instrument?

I would keep the strat as is, let the squire pass, and begin looking at some nicer Fenders!

Just my thoughts! Good luck!

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FIGHT!

I'd rather have one really good guitar, than 4 low end ones. But i'd rather have 2 mid-range than 1 expensive one.

If you're going for Gilmour, I'd look at something other than 69's, at least for the bridge. He uses a hot bridge pickup, and 69's are kind of weak for SRV. You'd probably be better off with Texas Specials if you have to have Fender pickups.

I can understand your question. It's a good one, but I will say that all the guys you just listed all have very different styles and soulds.

Try not to get to hung up on their sound. Part of the sound is them and the way they play.

Also part of it is the amp they're using.

I own many Strats and all are different. If you want the SRV sound you might concider getting a Strat with a Rosewood fret board neck, some Texas Spec. pickups and a tube amp.

For Clapton and '90s sounding Gilmour I would go with a Noiseless pickups or EMGs and the EC mid-range boost kit.

I can't speak for the Henrex sound.

Lastly I would say test drive a Clapton Strat and you be able get just about any sound you want. On the other hand if you love the guitar you have I'd just swap out the pickups. It's not hard to do. good luck.

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1975 Sunburst Stratocaster rosewood finger board
1979 Stratocaster with roseowood finder board
2001 Candy Green Clapton Stratocaster
2007 Andy Summers Inspired Telecaster
2007 '51 P-Bass
2012 Taylor 110
2015 Mystic Ice Blue Deluxe Stratocaster Plus

If you like the 69's, you should go to the Dimarzio site and listen to the clips of the Area 67's. They're very similiar (except zero hum), and you can match them nicely with their other Area pickups, and stick a heavy blues in the bridge. Its still Alnico II magnets. so you'll have a lot of play when it comes to pickup height. Id go for the area's all day over the CS pickups. The difference in tone is so small, it doesnt make up for the lack of hum from the Area's.

Or check out he CS Fat '50's

Jif, buy new pickups

Thanks guys for all the suggestions. From all the suggestions i decided to go for the CS69s for the neck and the middle with something hotter on the bridge. So.. any suggestions for the bridge??? Thanks

I had a Fender Roadhouse Strat with the same pup's as SRV's. (Texas Specials), I now have an original run Tex-Mex strat that came out a year before it became a Jimmy Vaughn Tex-Mex strat. The pup's are the Tex-Mex pup's which sound more SRV strat like that the TS on the Roadhouse. Amp, pedals, technique, and mic placement all effect the "Tone" you are looking for. Remember, Clapton uses Noiseless pup's, and many other artists have their own special pickup's. I think the only signature artist that uses normal pup's is either Buddy Guy or Robert Cray.

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


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