noisless pickups

[leefish]

i am new to this forum so to the point i am in the process of buying a strat 60th anna delux.the guitar was 850 sterling 4 weeks ago ,bought by a guy i know ,i can have it for 700 st., the reason he wants read is he does not like the pickups.he has two other older strats but is holding on to them.been reading round forums and most people dont like these pickups either ,are they that bad, what do you think i should do.

[stratcat62]

Some like'm some don't. I have a deluxe and thought they were a bit too polite for me but that is subjective. That being said, pups are an easy change over. If the price is right and you like the way it plays I'd get it with the thought I could change pups. I did on mine and am very happy with the results. For what it's worth, and purely my opinion, the Deluxe's have one of the best playing necks Fender makes.

[photoweborama]

They are a compromise. If you can live with the trade-off of sound, then they are great.

[stratcat62]

Very true. I ended up swapping Kinman Blues for SCN's. While not quite the same as true single coils they do a respectable job of being closer to that tone. That being said I'm considering swapping them for CS69's. My only hesitency is that noiseless is nice and the Kinman's are as close as you can get to vintage tone and noiseless INMHO. I would point out that pups are really only one part of what creates your tone and what pup one likes another hates. Get the damn guitar, any strat is easy to modify and make it your own.

[ukian]

Does the 60th Ann. Deluxe have the SCN noiseless p/ups? I think they are pretty versatile in connection with the S-1 switching, they don't nail the "classic" Strat tone but I guess that's the payoff for having a noisless pickup. I'm with stratcat, if you like the feel of the guitar (and the Deluxe models are usually very nice players) and you feel the price is right then bag it and change the p/ups down the line if you want. I wouldn't describe the SCNs as "bad", just not to everyone's taste - but that can be said about a lot of pickups. A virtually new Deluxe for £700 is a pretty good deal this side of the pond.

[stratcat62]

Yes, the 60th A.. Deluxe has SCN's. Also, I agree the SCN's are not bad just different. You either like the difference or you don't. For me, the SCN's were fine for more modern tones and perfectly respectable. They did not, however, hit the tones I wanted so were swapped. I've had the Kinman Blues in my Deluxe for well over a year and am still not certain I will keep them. They are certainly more "vintage" sounding than the SCN's and have a very pleasing quality to their tone but I may opt to go with CS69's or similar vintage style single coils. That being said, the Kinman's will stay in one of my four strats as they are excellent but just may not be as suitable to what I play as true single coils. All in the ear of the listener and I doubt a non-player could tell the difference between any of these mentioned pups. Us guitar players are such a neurotic, obsessive group.

[Iowegan]

I've split the difference on the noiseless front. I have a Vneck deluxe and the noiseless sound great on that guitar. I don't know if it's the maple neck or what but the noiseless on the other RW neck deluxe just don't cut it at all and have been swapped for 57/62 RI pups.

Besides the pups though the necks on Am. Deluxes are outstanding.

[trevorus]

One problem that the Noiseless systems have is the control pots. They use a 500K Volume and 1 Meg tone controls. After switching to 250K volume, and 500K tones, it has a much better tone that is warmer and more musical. With the old stuff, it was just too bright and didn't have enough umph..

[franchelB]

FWIW, the signature Beck and Clapton guitars now have Noiseless pickups in it...
and not quite "in the same ballpark" but the signature Buddy Guy now has Lace Sensors...
Point being: these "hum-reducing" pickups aren't as bad as we "guitar players" make 'em out to be....

[leefish]

i will go and look again at it later.if i do decide it will be for the house my playing days are over,63 now and did most of my playing and singing around the pubs in ireland, not great but got by.i still have a selmer constalation 20 valve amp,and my guitar was a hofner club 40 till the neck went like a bow and arrow.still have the pickups and controles stuck into a60s wem rapier44 and a burns neck what a yoke.good luck

[Camoradi]

Noisless pups can be just as stratcat62 says 'too polite'. The basic sound isn't bad at all, but you need to dirty them up with a screaming tube amp (or good pedal) for the character to develop. I don't particularly like them played clean, but no guitar can do everything, so on the whole they get a bad press that they don't deserve.

[Leseattlepaul]

If you are a one guitar owner, then you have to make your best decision on your single gits tone. Fender noiseless pups are a must if you are a multi guitar serious about recording person. There are times you can play quite and get everyones attention. I like them,and its in my toolbox. Good luck on your decision.

[hvnbownd1@cox.net]

I am another one who really likes the SCN's. I can get mine to sound "stratty"enough for me. Like someone else mentioned; you can get them gritty enough with the help of a pedal or the proper amp settings. I'm not going to argue with anyone who just likes the total vintage strat sound because I do too; it's just that the trade off is more than worth it to my ears. I've got a reissue strat if I want to go to something other than the noiseless.
John Sr.

[refin]

I have owned many guitars in my life,and pups have come and gone....from original PAFs to old staggered Fender strat/tele models.I love a good stock unit,but I can honestly say that I love my current noiseless models (Fender Vintage Noisless Strat,DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Tele). I get all the spank and drive with clarity on the top.Personally,I find any discrepancy can be made up with a slight EQ adjust (something we all do anyway).I love the twang with no noise.
I can see other's point of view....I have a set of EMG SA strat pups that are good for a few things,but overall leave me sterile and cold.Some swear by them,but they are taking a dirt nap in one of my parts drawers for the time being.

[stratcat62]

It's nice to hear so many players on this board are open minded re pups. So many things factor into getting tone with the pups just being one factor and so much is dependent on an individuals style and technique that it all comes down to choice and personal preference. Most pups available today are of good quality and character and will meet someones needs. I'm old and get a bit put off by some of the blanket statements regarding gear. There is no one thing that is the holy grail for tone whether it be amp, guitar, effects or components. I just spent 2 years putting together a total rig that suits me and what I play and now have everything working together. That rig, while awesome for me, won't deliver the goods on all styles of music. One of the reasons we all own multiple guitars, amps etc.

Remain open minded and let your ears tell you if you're headed in the right direction for you. Seeking opinions, especially on this board, is a good idea allowing you to get a good overview of what you might be looking at but the final decision is in your court.

Good advice all around fellas.

[mmcquain]

The noiseless vs. "regular" Strat pickup debate will probably outlive all of us
Some love 'em, some hate 'em... it just depends on what you're going after (e.g., SRV didn't use any noiseless pickups but Clapton has been using them for years). I personally hate the hum I get with a single coil (I'm a long time Les Paul/humbucker player so the hum just makes me crazy). I've used both the Fender Vintage Noiseless (like older American Deluxes and the Clapton Strat) and have now got SCN pups in my Nashville Tele. I can get what I call a "Strat sound" (clean in pos. 2 or 4) and have had no problems trading off any tone from other Strat pickups for getting rid of the noise. Of course, YMMV so I'd recommend playing on several different pickups and finding the ones that sound best to you.

[ukian]

Besides the pups though the necks on Am. Deluxes are outstanding.

+1, the Am Dlxs. are sweet guitars if you're not all out for a vintage vibe.

[leefish]

well great to get so many replys great stuff,but a little hitch now he might not sell it after all, he well let me know next week,he has two gigs this week to try it again to see if he likes it any better.he tells me this guitar cost over 1000 sterling, this is the am 60th ann delux with the noiseless pups locking tuners crome, and hard case. i cant find any price above 850 st, what is the price in gb or ireland .

[danny2plus2]

Stevie Ray Vaughn had dummy coils fixed to the bottom of his pups. I usta work for Harry M Stevens at a large venue and I saw them.

[melody]

Stevie Ray Vaughn had dummy coils fixed to the bottom of his pups. I usta work for Harry M Stevens at a large venue and I saw them.

What!! You can hear his guitars humming in a lot of his recording's...

[pc]

Stevie Ray Vaughn had dummy coils fixed to the bottom of his pups. I usta work for Harry M Stevens at a large venue and I saw them.

Right. Or he didn't. Or he had them only on #1. Or he had them only on "Lenny," but not #1.

I was surprised I'd never heard this before a few months ago when Offshore Angler let me know, but apparently there's a lot of disagreement about the specifics, we found.

Never a shortage of folks who worked personally with SRV's guitar tech and thus know for sure, though. If only they could all agree.

[stratcat62]

Guitar Player covered SRV's #1 when Fender was developing the limited edition clone including photos of the disassembled guitar. At that time there were no dummy coils in #1.

[Kap'n]

Of course, not that it matters.

If somebody thinks the key to the elusive Stevie Ray tone is the use of dummy coils, they're looking in the wrong place.

[pc]

Oh, come on Kap, surely by now you know that if you have EXACTLY the same gear as SRV, including stringing your SRV sig-Strat with telephone cable, you can nail that SRV sound.

And nailing that sound is far more important than seeking any actual emotion or musicality in your performance.



Okay, that sarcasm bordered on bitterness. I'm just mad that the courthouse cafeteria was out of diet Dr. Pepper. Sorry. Carry on.

[Kap'n]

Okay, that sarcasm bordered on bitterness. I'm just mad that the courthouse cafeteria was out of diet Dr. Pepper. Sorry. Carry on.

Bitterness. Like a warm DDP? Diet Sprite is good, but there's no caffeine.

[Gravity Jim]

Haven't you always wondered what they meant when they said "Diet Dr. Pepper tastes more like regular Dr. Pepper?"

Than what? Motor oil? Champagne?

"now with bitterness!"

[pc]

Well, see, me... I'm an iced tea man. And real iced tea, too. Brewed tea, ice, and some lemon. Oh sure, if I'm making it myself, it has a spoon of honey in the pitcher and some mint leaves, but the last two are just for fun.

Our cafeteria has some sort of instant iced tea machine that makes iced ass, I'm pretty sure. All the bottled variants here have some sort of sweetener. Blech.

I don't drink coke/pepsi, etc. But I did want something cold with caffeine. Occasionally I do want that Dr. Pepper punch-in-the-face to prepare me for a rough afternoon of hearings. But I don't like the sugar, so... diet it is. Our cafeteria is one of the few places I've ever scene DDP in the fountain machine.

No Iced Tea and no DDP makes Jack w/his radar a very dull boy.

[JAM]

fezz, is that your favorite pedal?

(does it come with the hat?)

[KevinWaide]

Well, see, me... I'm an iced tea man. And real iced tea, too. Brewed tea, ice, and some lemon. Oh sure, if I'm making it myself, it has a spoon of honey in the pitcher and some mint leaves, but the last two are just for fun.

Now, see, I'm from the South. My drink is sweet iced tea. At least a cup of sugar to a gallon. My dad recently had a lung transplant in Madison, WI and my brother and I drove up the day of the surgery. Once you hit Missouri, they look at you funny when you ask for sweet tea. Stopped in Illinois for dinner and ordered sweet tea. They bring a tall glass of iced tea and say, "The sugar's on the table." You can't sweeten cold tea! Thought we were going to be smart the next morning and ordered hot tea and a glass of ice. They bring us a small kettle of hot water and a tea bag! After the mess we made trying to sweeten the tea and pour it over ice, we said to hell with it and went to the store. Bought a box of tea bags, a 5 lb. bag of sugar, a tea pot and a burner to boil it on. LOL

What this had to do with noiseless pickups, I don't know, but it's funny now that I think back on it. Wasn't too funny when we were wanting a glass of tea, though.

[Kap'n]

Sweet tea is an aquired taste.

I can barely drink anything that has real sugar in it any more. Sometimes honey with hot tea, sometimes a bit of sugar in my coffee, but cold beverages with sugar just seem sticky and nasty to me.

Sort of like SRV-tone. A little goes a long way. Apparently 24 years.

[stratcat62]

Well, with lots of sugar the tea is completely noiseless. Or at least KevinWaide would be noiseless. Or - oh forget it, I'm oild and confused but I do like a bit of honey in hot tea and lemon in iced tea.

[frank thomson]

maple


and i am not a fan of NL pups...although, they do overdrive nicely.

[Kap'n]

maple

That's a horrible thing to sweeten tea with.

[SabuJSE]

Fezz, I want that pedal. Money is no object.

Personally, I love the SCN's... lack of hum and very responsive...

[franchelB]

Now, see, I'm from the South. My drink is sweet iced tea. At least a cup of sugar to a gallon....

No sir, it depends on what part of the South you're from! Typically, Arkansans and Texans don't put sugar in their tea!

[danny2plus2]

I just put a set of VN in my new MIM. I've had a harness from a Malmsteen sig. in my SRV sig. since2001. thats the dimarzio HS3 and YJM combo. dummy coils and stacked hb's are the way to go for me. ymmv

[rudutch]

I had an older set of fender noiseless, it seemed they lost the 'bite'
(attack?) I look for in a strat.
I have TS in my cyclone and what ever comes in a 2001 ASe.

For me it is like comparing a Gibson P-90 and everyone else's p90
sorry
-1

they hum 'cause no taught them the words

[NTBluesGuitar]

No sir, it depends on what part of the South you're from! Typically, Arkansans and Texans don't put sugar in their tea!

Sumthin' sweetens it up all good-like! Well I'll be durned...thought fer sure there was sugar in them thar sweet teas.

Must be usin' live oak sap instead.

The sweet tea is indeed sweet, I can't do it straight up, I usually mix the sweet with the regular tea from the fountain tea caraffes.

Them fresh brewed caraffes are mighty noiseless, though, can't even tell which tea is a brewin'!

[refin]

My Fender Vintage noiseless tele neck pup is the best I've ever owned,and one of the smoothest.

[larryducas]

I just put VN in my MIM strat w/ maple neck. I love 'em. I don't think they sound like SC's tho. I play at church and simply CAN NOT have the HUM, or the sound guy won't quit bugging me. I have tried duncan hot rails, carvin humbuckers, carvin AP11, full size humbuckers , etc... I think these sound better than all of them.

Bottom Line:

The vintage noiseless is a compromise between the SC sound and no noise humbucker sound. They put out more signal which I like, and much less icepick treble, but still you know its a Strat...