Around 1989 or so I traded a Jazzmaster for some stuff at the vintage guitar show. Part of the trade included a Parts-o-caster. The guitar sounded great! Better than any strat I’d played before.
It had Van Zandt strat pickups in it. I’ve since then traded away, given and sold the parts for the Parts-o-caster, but I kept the pickups. Those pups will remain in my possession. They have been housed in my number 1 strat ever since.
At one point I went out of my way to figure out what it was about these pups. Why do they sound so good? They measure: Neck 5.7K, Middle 5.7K and Bridge 7.0K. Neck and middle are wound with gold wire and the bridge with red wire. Stamped with VANZANDT on the bottom bobbin with no other designation.
I called Van Zandt pickups in the 90’s and asked. I talked with a nice older guy with a southern accent (Mr. Van Zandt answered the phone!) He told me I had their True Vintage pups in my neck and mid, and his Blues model in my bridge position. He also told me his pups were hand wound with original 50’s Fender fiber bobbins, magnets, and wire(for the True Vintage pups.)
I have since then learned that Mr. Van Zandt died in 1997. But his wife and his nephew continue to make Van Zandt pickups. I’ve used the later Van Zandt pups and they sound great too.
Van Zandts are hard to find though. I’ve been getting them from Music Toyz. I don’t know if they still carry them, but I highly recommend them. I’ve never tried their humbuckers or Tele style pups.