Fender Vintage noiseless pickups for a stratocaster

I am considering changing out the stock pickups in my usa standard stratocaster for a set of Fender vintage noiseless pickups. Others have said they like the 57-62 pups, but i would like to go with noiseless pups. I read that there is also a mid boost that can be done at the same time. I'm not sure what the mid boost involves. Can someone get me pointed in the right direction for finding information regarding this setup for the stratocaster and a question to those that may have done this to your guitar what did you think of the tone change. I wonder if guitar center might have a strat with this pup arrangement to play?

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Originally Posted by Trav-ler

I am considering changing out the stock pickups in my usa standard stratocaster for a set of Fender vintage noiseless pickups. Others have said they like the 57-62 pups, but i would like to go with noiseless pups. I read that there is also a mid boost that can be done at the same time. I'm not sure what the mid boost involves. Can someone get me pointed in the right direction for finding information regarding this setup for the stratocaster and a question to those that may have done this to your guitar what did you think of the tone change. I wonder if guitar center might have a strat with this pup arrangement to play?

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Noiseless + MidBoost = Clapton signature.

Fender also offered the mid-boost set up in a Mexican Strat but I think it used normal pups.

Try searching 'Clapton Strat' and you'll find tons of videos and demos on the noiseless/mid-boost set up.

The parts are available through Fender and aftermarket vendors. They install in any Strat but some kits require a bit of routing.

Cheers!

Buy a preloaded pickguard with DiMarzio Yngwies off of Reverb, I forgot who sells them but they do a great clean wiring job. Don't be put off by who endorses the pups! I've played different noiseless pups and the Yngwies TOTALLY nail the vintage tone. They really do, and they're vintage output. I think it's $220 shipped, with a real Fender guard, CTS pots, and Orange Drop caps. Hook up the 2 jack wires and the claw ground, you're done!

I'd forgoe the mid boost, don't think it does anything a Tubescreamer or SD1 can't do. Plus, if you use one of those pedals, then you won't have to route the body or mess with batteries in the guitar.

Just my 2 cents

I tried them with the boost, and they weren't my thing. They had a synthetic sound to them that I couldn't tame. I wasn't too hot on the mid boost either. I think Chuckocaster's giving you solid advice.

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Originally Posted by ch willie

I tried them with the boost, and they weren't my thing. They had a synthetic sound to them that I couldn't tame. I wasn't too hot on the mid boost either. I think Chuckocaster's giving you solid advice.

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Buy the whole kit with the pots. I don't care for the noiseless with the standard 250K pots. I don't think they sound all that and a bag of chips, but I've gigged and recorded them successfully. YMMV, but they never really captured the clarity and zing of the real deal. I like them, but I don' love them.

They do the "three letter acronym" blues player deal OK, but once you start to push the drive and gain for rock they don't have the grind and punch - unless you put them into a Marshall-style amp which mine seem to like.

Thanks for the reply's. I Think I'm going to stay with non noiseless single coils. I was struggling to get the tone i desired. After turning the knobs every way possible the pups will get gritty with the correct amp and or pedal setting. Today i learned how to better dial my amp, compressor and gate in. No hiss or hum and the decay before the gate closes sounds like there is no gate. The setup almost sounds like i am plugging directly into my amp. I also better learnd how to use the gain channel along with a Duncan 805 tube screamer. I may not change anything for awhile.

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Originally Posted by Offshore Angler

Buy the whole kit with the pots. I don't care for the noiseless with the standard 250K pots. I don't think they sound all that and a bag of chips, but I've gigged and recorded them successfully. YMMV, but they never really captured the clarity and zing of the real deal. I like them, but I don' love them.

They do the "three letter acronym" blues player deal OK, but once you start to push the drive and gain for rock they don't have the grind and punch - unless you put them into a Marshall-style amp which mine seem to like.

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I have a hwy1 telecaster with noiseless player pup's installed. Sat I took the guitar over to a luthier who plays telecasters in a country band as a side job. He played my Tele and then grabbed a Tele off the wall with non noiseless pickups installed and the noiseless pups have a muted sound that the non noiseless pups do not have. The noiseless pups don't sound bad they just don't sound like traditionally built single coil pups. To get a traditional vintage tone he suggested fender no caster pup's or Seymor Duncan classic 50's antiquity pup's. I suppose I am in a learning curve regarding equipment and settings to get a sound that I find interesting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Loads of good pups out there. I've had the '57/'62 set and thought them ok. I really dig Fender Fat '50s and Duncan SL1s. I think either of those sets will get a good vintage 'Strat' tone and neither are too noisy, as far as singles go.

Here's the thing, I really don't understand the attraction of noiseless pups. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but it's just not something I worry about. I understand that it annoys some people, but I'm not one of them. Unless the wiring in your guitar is jacked up, no one in the audience cares.

If you do want to go noiseless, the Yngwies are the best I've heard. Bill Lawrence pups do come in second though, I like those. I have no personal experience with Barden or Kinman, but they always get rave reviews.

I've heard the Lace and Fender offerings, but don't like them. They sound "stuffy", "flat", and 2 dimensional. I really like the Lace Alumitones, but that's a COMPLETELY different tone.

If you want something nice on a budget, you should buy a set of GFS Slick pups. Seriously, GFS has been making some nice pups as of late! Ditch the "aged" hardware that comes with them, the screws look really corny!!! But they sound great! They really do, and not just "for the price" either.

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Originally Posted by DanD

Loads of good pups out there. I've had the '57/'62 set and thought them ok. I really dig Fender Fat '50s and Duncan SL1s. I think either of those sets will get a good vintage 'Strat' tone and neither are too noisy, as far as singles go.

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I played fat 50's in GC and liked the sound they made. They definitely sound thicker and more vintage like than the pup's that are in the guitar i have now. When played through a clean channel the pup's in my strat guitar have an almost jazz like clean tone and a bit o grit when pushed. They sound gritty and or distorted when played through a tube screamer or just like a Marshal amp when played through a tech 21 hot rod plexi pedal. Sometimes the guitar creates hum, but mostly the gain pedals create the noise i was wanting to eliminate. During the last weekend i figured out how to adjust my pedals better to eliminate the unwanted noise i was hearing. Previously i did not fully understand the relationship between all of the pieces in my kit. During the last weekend i feel like i took a big step forward in understanding how to set everything "guitar, pedals, and amp" so that each piece can do its job well without effecting other components to a point where they do not sound their best or function properly. That is why i decided i would wait before changing guitar pup's. I feel like i may have come pretty close to finding a sweet spot regarding settings and would like to spend more time with with this gear to see if i can dial it in better. With more time using and adjusting this gear I may find changing pup's is not necessary right now.

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Originally Posted by chuckocaster

Here's the thing, I really don't understand the attraction of noiseless pups. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but it's just not something I worry about. I understand that it annoys some people, but I'm not one of them. Unless the wiring in your guitar is jacked up, no one in the audience cares.

If you do want to go noiseless, the Yngwies are the best I've heard. Bill Lawrence pups do come in second though, I like those. I have no personal experience with Barden or Kinman, but they always get rave reviews.

I've heard the Lace and Fender offerings, but don't like them. They sound "stuffy", "flat", and 2 dimensional. I really like the Lace Alumitones, but that's a COMPLETELY different tone.

If you want something nice on a budget, you should buy a set of GFS Slick pups. Seriously, GFS has been making some nice pups as of late! Ditch the "aged" hardware that comes with them, the screws look really corny!!! But they sound great! They really do, and not just "for the price" either.

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Everyone who's plays electric guitar will have a particular need or have a tone preference causing them to choose one piece of gear over another. I am fine with their likes being different than my likes. Good to know about the Yngwies. After getting my noise gate to work very well i think i will continue to use standard single coil pup's. They definitely produce a tone that i like and prefer. I have a TC Electronic Sentry noise gate and Duncan compressor which i previously did not have set correct to work properly or together. After playing with settings the gate removes ninety nine percent of unwanted signal when it is open and is completly silent when closed and the compressor is set minimally so as not to create unwanted signal noise. The gate can be set so that the signal decay and eventual gate close are very natural sounding and unnoticed. It is a very well designed device.

I wasn't attacking you buddy, please don't take my previous post that way. I was just trying to say that at home, we hear more noises than when we play out live. I wasn't trying to be a jerk, was simply sharing my experience.

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Originally Posted by chuckocaster

I wasn't attacking you buddy, please don't take my previous post that way. I was just trying to say that at home, we hear more noises than when we play out live. I wasn't trying to be a jerk, was simply sharing my experience.

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I didn't take your comment as derogatory or demeaning. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I do appreciate the information that was shared in this thread. :dude

All good! I can't always tell tone over the interwebz. I just didn't want you to think I was slamming ya. :sun

I think you're making the right choice sticking with normal single coils!!!

Glad to hear you're on task with the noise issues. I agree with Chuck that while playing out no one will notice what we as players hear as noise.

If'n you decide to try to go noiseless in the future I've found that Gotoh twin blades, as used on early G&L Legacy Specials and Joe Bardens twin rails are both really good pups.

The Bardens will snatch some serious coin out of your wallet while the Gotohs will sufffice. The Gotohs are very nice sounding pups but the Bardens are a madman. That said I still prefer the Fat 50s or Duncan SL1s. The noise with either set is minimal and the sonic signature is more to my liking. :yah:

A USA standard Strat has perfectly good pickups capable of Grammy-winning recordings - when combined with a good amp and a competent musician.

I find almost universally people who aren't getting the sound they want are

1) using Strat when they should be using a Lester, or
2) using a crummy amp, or
3) (most common) desperately trying to nail the sound of a dimed amp with all it's juices flowing in their bedroom with an oversized amp for the situation on too low a setting - trying to replace the amp's happy zone with pedals. YMMV but for me in that situation modeling sounds better.

Don't fall into the "Tone" trap. It's a treadmill to unhappiness.


Learn to be a good player and everything else will fall in line. There are no shortcuts and no magic pieces of gear.

Chuck

I agree with OA to an extent. I searched for tone and wasted too much money on pups. Finally, I did a lot of research and listening to get the pups I wanted. I made changes to my Strats and Tele, thought out and experienced before the swap. My Les Paul came with 57 Classics, a pickup much maligned on the LPF but which I find ideal for what I want. I have HBs in one Strat, but I'm going to go back to the AmStd SCs. I got my 57/61s for a vintage-ish sound, and the AmStds are for everything else, very versatile and tone-ful.