Looking for a 50s style pickups

[redb]

Got a guitar that I think could use a new set of single coils. Unfortunately funds prevent me from buying a bunch of different sets to try out so I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the different sets available. I know there are a TON of these, but I just want to see what general opinion is on a few different winders.

What I'm really looking for is a very articulate set that will work well clean (doesnt have to do anything else) on an amp that only has volume and tone.

Can't afford vintage pickups but anything <~300 for the set is alright.

[Direstraits]

look for alnico 3's. Toneriders' Surfari set are cheap & get some good reviews.

[Mesotech]

Check out GFS for some good sounding pickups on the cheap. They're certainly not the best that money can buy, but they're a lot better than their pricing may infer. I put a set of their 50's alnico premiums in a Strat to replace the MIM ceramics that were there originally. I'm very pleased with them for that sound.

http://store.guitarfetish.com/pralstpiourb.html

[chewie]

Well $300 will get you some nice pickups.
The Toneriders are nice, cheap too, but after buying their humbuckers and single coils I just found that it was easier overall to buy a better quality set. They're good pickups, just not great.. I dont have too much experience with Kinmans or the real boutique stuff but after a year of trying every Fender pickup there is, I went with the Fender fat50s. Vintage sounding, a little hotter though, great cleans..

[Gold Strat]

Fender custom shop Fat 50ies and '54s get great reviews and are very well suited for clean sounds, it's a matter off opinion and guitar wood which to choose, personally I realy like the CS '69s and for a vintage 50ies strat with Ash body and Maple neck I would go for the Custom Shop '54 set, some high dollar Customshop Strats have these and are for sale on the Bay for 100 to 130 Dollar! a sett.

[Kap'n]

Fender CS '54's are great sounding pickups. Great cleans. Great overdriven. Great bridge pickup. I use bridge alone as often as any other position.

[Fuzz face]

Just installed some rocketfires in a clone...5th set in same guitar and the last. I have Rolphs, originals, bareknucle apaches and fender reissue ones in my strats and at the moment the rocketfires are really holding their own, but i love them all. Still early days but I'm thinking of getting another set for a next build. Think they are in the $300 area.

[Cogs]

Fender CS '54's are great sounding pickups. Great cleans. Great overdriven. Great bridge pickup. I use bridge alone as often as any other position.

Every Strat I own has a set of these. I think they are the best out there.

[refin]

Zhangliqun wound me a pure vintage set with the bridge pickup using two different magnets.They have great presence and sparkle with a very slight bump in the mids,very musical.
http://www.zhangbucker.com/strat-singles.html

[solitaire]

I just think it's a shame the CS '54s are alnico 5 and not alnico 3 like the original ones, which gives them more bite that is more noticable in the trebles. The difference is almost as major as going from alnico 5 to ceramic. Here e.g. the Fralin True '54s are more true to the original, I find.

I'd rather prefer the 57/62s being more balanced and sweeter to the ear therefore - or the Fat '50s, espec with an Ash body. Also the Lace Holy Grails are a nice take on the vintage concept, and dead quiet too.

[Kap'n]

I don't know anything about "true to the originals" or not.

They're the best strat pickups I've heard. Vintage accuracy is irrelevant. I can even get past the tone sucking qualities of the plastic coating wire on my set.