Hello fellow Fender users, I have a Mexican Standard Strat which I wanna upgrade the pickups. I've been searching for a week and after reading some forums, I precised some models in my head. First, Fender Custom Shop Fat 50s are highly recommended, but they are too expensive . Same thing for 54s. Some people also recommend Seymour-Duncan. I have a price range like $150-$200, maybe even $250 (fat 50s are around this, i guess). OK so I'll appreciate any helps and recommendations from you. I set max 3 mounts to chose my new pickups. Thanks in advance, don't hesitate pming or commenting at any time

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Rockinfreakapotamus

Check out some on-line music stores. The Fat 50's I just purchased were $165. These are by far the best sounding single coil pickups I have played in a long time in my opinion. The extra money comes in if you are modding yourself or having someone else do it.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

$165? Wow that's way too cheap from what I've found... It says that fat 50s are $250 at fender.com .... So what you're saying is fat 50s are alright?

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Rockinfreakapotamus

i found a set of fender scn pickups at guitar center recently for under a hundred bucks

As I mentioned I love my Fat 50's. Mine are in my Highway 1 and wired just like the new Fender American Standard. The website below has them for $169, and I am sure they are all around the same price. I bought mine from my local dealer that I have been doing business with for the last 5 years and they had them for $165. Don't look at MSRP, that is just what the Fender site says, they are cheaper in music stores.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessor ... pickup-set

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

+1

You'll find competitive prices on-line as well.

I paid $129 for at set of Fat '50s about three years ago on Ebay, with free S&H.

HTH

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

www.dallenpickups.com

David makes incredible pickups. Rich warm tone and very quiet. I have his Voodoo Blues HSS set. They are frickin' awesome!!!!

It's been mentioned before several times, try changing pots, caps, wiring configurations before spending large amounts of money on boutique pick-ups...
More often than not a bit of electronic modding is the ticket.
Do some searching and read up as to how much varying capacitors and pots will effect your sound..

http://www.1728.org/guitar.htm

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/stratlovers.php

try those links first...

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

If you don't mind MICs check out Toneriders. I put in a set of Pure Vintage in my MIM. $100 a set. They also make higher outputs as well. They're highly rated.
http://www.tonerider.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz6C95cq ... plpp_video

check RioGrande pickups. I put two of these in my mexican strat. The guitar outplays any american. Try the Tallboys for a more vintage sound. Go on their website to see.
http://www.riograndepickups.com/

Fat 50's set of 3: $127.95 plus shipping

Before you can decide what would be an improvement, you have to figure out what you don't like about the MIM Standard ceramics. MIM Std pickups are much higher output than vintage style Strat pickups, and they're fatter, darker sounding than vintage-style. But the upper end can be harsh and the lower end a bit muddy.

You might like the relatively high output and just want a smoother, clearer, better quality hot single coil.

Or you may be looking for more brightness with less harshness, and want crisp snappy lows. Then you want a more vintage-style lower output pickup.

Or maybe it's noise that you dislike the most about the MIM Stds and you need some type of noiseless/humbucking pickup.

All of the pickups mentioned so far are good/great quality pickups, but they all sound different. There are some people who say anything is an improvement over MIM Std pickups, but if you just randomly start buying pickups you could dislike some more than you dislike the stock pickups.

Ideally, go to a store and try Strats with different pickups. Fat '50s are great pickups but you might like '57/'62s better, or Texas Specials, or even relatively "modest" Tex-Mex's. Maybe you'll be one of the people who actually love the Vintage Noiseless model.

There are lots of other great brands, and personally I like many of them better than many of Fender's offerings. But as the previous responses have shown, everyone has their own personal favorites. And it's pretty much impossible to test-drive them in stores so it's a really good idea to roughly know what sort of tone you're looking for.

And what 53magnatone said is correct. Lots of people are perfectly happy with stock MIM Stds, and maybe a little tweaking of the pickup heights or changes in cap values could make you satisfied too.

I was hoping someone else would echo my train of thought....

There is however one critical element missing from this discussion.....That element is 50% of your sound or rather 50% of your instrument...

This missing element is Your Amplifier....If you are searching for sound but you are playing thru a small solid state practice amp, this is not going to work, single coils are best with tube amps, I'm also referring to an amp that allows you to play in a live setting, be it a local Blues Jam or your weekly jam session with your mates..... An amp that when pushed past 5 or 7 starts to break up evenly so it's controllable, ( Tubes ) not solid state enhancement or peripheral noise boxes. I'm talking about a direct Guitar--Cord--Amp connection, one that you can always count on... not the DOD's and Boss and whatever else is out there..which is too many digital sterile sounding peripherals...

What you or I hear in the privacy of our homes at practice is very different than what needs to be heard when in a live setting. This should be your goal as far as sound.
My 60's Magnatone is wonderful as a practice amp, great as a recording amp but in alive setting.. The amplified acoustic will drown me out... It just does not have enough wattage and mids to cut thru...On the other hand my HRD Black and Tan did but I'm either in search for a new amp ( tubes and it will be a Fender ) or it will be an amp a friend offered to build for me with variable 5 to 40 watts, Reverb, Vibrato and a simple control layout...

I'm actually surprised that so many on this site have missed the obvious..
Whenever we discuss so and so's gear, a very prevalent theme is that the Pro's more often than not tweak what they have on hand before making drastic changes, of which a pick-up change definitely is.
Look at Clapton's choice over the years or Gilmour's, they don't change much, it's all in small increments.... Than if something particular is definitely not working than a change is made..

But really for those guy's, consistency night after night is what they are after, remember the last time you went out to listen to a band that was trying to define it's sound while attempting to entertain the audience......Train Wreck......

My point is look at what you have, work at dialing that in first, then contemplate a change if needed...Also important get some objective ears to listen in and critique constructively..
So crank up the volume, on both the amp and the guitars controls and then see/hear...

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Fat 50's are awesome. IMO prolly the best single coil pup Fender sells.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.