Hey Guys,

Im currently having a tough time deciding a setup for my guitars. I have owned a countless amount of MIM strats and have enjoyed all of them. However, until recently, I havent paid much attention to different PUPS offered from fender. I have sold my MIM and have upgraded to 3 USA strats. (I have one of them now, and the other 2 havent come in yet after ordering them) But as my own personal style has changed, so has my desire of sound. My passion is the blues and blues rock.

I have several different options and I would like some feedback on your ideas.

American Standard Rosewood SSS
American Special Rosewood HSS
Highway One Maple SSS

Obviously I have all 3 original setups in them atm. The HSS I am definitely putting a Pearly Gates in the Humbucker slot, but cannot decide if I want 2 Texas Specials + the PG OR 2 Tex Mex + the PG. Whichever I DONT use, I plan on putting the other in the Standard. So maybe the true question is which do you think I will like better in an SSS setup? Texas Specials, OR Tex Mex? The Highway One will most likely get a Set of Noiseless in them...but which ones? Vintage Noiseless, or Hot Noiseless?

I have played all of these pickups and love them all, but I need some help making my decision.

Any Suggestions or Feedback will be appreciated. Even if its just an opinion based on what your preferences are. Thanks

Hi Faux, (If that is your real name ) Just a joke

IMO, there is not a much tougher choice than between Tex Mex and Texas Specials. Both are fantastic and are similar, but the TM are just a bit hotter, with a little more edge to them on drive, and a little more "sparkly" on clean, the TS being mellow by comparison. Both have been used with hum-buckers, but I would say the the TM would give you better balance with a hum-bucker.

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

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Shimmilou, thanks for the feedback. I tend to agree with you that the Tex Mex are a better fit with a humbucker...but thats where fender started confusing me. They have a Lonestar strat using the TS with PG's and they used to make a Texas Special Fat Strat with the same setup. So although you and I are on the same page, Fender seemed to think that TS's are the better fit. Do you have any reasoning as to why they did that rather than pairing it with a Tex Mex?

Also, I think a SSS with TS will please me more than an SSS with Tex Mex...but once again, everything is contingent to my HSS choices...

Is there a guitar in Fenders past 10-15 years using Tex Mex with Pearly Gates that I have missed? Does anyone have any ideas why there natural pairing choice has always been the TS's opposed to the TM?

Again guys, any feedback will be helpful. I just need other strat lovers to help me sort this out in my head so that im comfortable with my final decision and dont second guess myself a few months from now.

Thanks again.

Just chiming in as a novice tone chaser here. A lot of what you want depends on what tones you are looking for. of course the maple fret board will have brighter tones than the rosewood. then you should take into consideration the body wood. IMHO each guitar has to be looked at from the wood up. then, choose the pups that will overcome or accent the tones YOU are looking for.

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TOO MANY GUITARS, TOO LITTLE TIME!

Current Stable:
Fender Stratocaster MIM 07
Squire II Stratocaster MIK 89?
ESP LTD MH-100QM
Jackson KE3 Kelly MIJ