Consistency of Fender pickups?

[69strat]

I've been reading that some of the pickups are all over the map as far as output and what they're supposed to be. Anyone else finding this? I guess it's a recent thing, if it's true.

I'm about ready to buy a set of 69 pickups because I love how they sound in my 69 relic, but I have to sell that guitar unfortunately. I'm hoping the new set will be the same as what is in my relic. Will they be Abbey wound and the exact same thing?

[Tread]

Quite inconsistent...I have two MIJ Stratocasters...an E serial # and an F serial # both bought new in 1988 from the same store a few weeks apart and the F serial sounds infinately better. Thats why I have a thread about it in the Stratocasters forum.

[Kap'n]

Quite inconsistent...I have two MIJ Stratocasters...an E serial # and an F serial # both bought new in 1988 from the same store a few weeks apart and the F serial sounds infinately better. Thats why I have a thread about it in the Stratocasters forum.

There's nothing that says that the pickups in those instruments are the same. Fender Japan uses a variety of pickups, from crummy ceramic bar magnet models, to US Custom Shop versions.

[69strat]

I'm talking about comparing specific sets of say Texas Specials for example. I've read where people say they vary set to set as far as the readings on the same meter.

I just want to make sure a set of the 69 pickups that are sold separately will be constructed the same and measure the same as the ones in my relic strat. I'm aware that they can sound different from guitar to guitar.

[Camoradi]

I've been reading that some of the pickups are all over the map as far as output

It used to be the case before better automated machines took over, and pickups could be way out of the specification. But current pups are very consistent, and the rest of the guitar makes more of a difference than whatever manufacturing tolerance is present in the pups.

[69strat]

It used to be the case before better automated machines took over, and pickups could be way out of the specification. But current pups are very consistent, and the rest of the guitar makes more of a difference than whatever manufacturing tolerance is present in the pups.

Camoradi, I know what you're saying, but I'm talking about lately. They didn't make Texas Specials back when they hand wound pickups!!

Here's something. I just got a strat with Fat 50's. I just measured and compared to an old set of Fat 50's I bought a couple years ago and on the meter the neck pickups are reading different. 6.43K vs. 6.11K. Now that seems a bit much to me for an automated machine. So if I can rephrase my ?, I'm wondering if anyone knows how consistent Fenders pickups are as of late?