Question: Pickup choice vote

Which 50s pickup thang

  • Total voters
    6
  • Poll closed .
Ratae Corieltauvorum

Ratae Corieltauvorum

HCEG Exile
I'm just building my 50s Strat

Guitar mill swamp ash two piece body 4ozs shy of 4lb, so ideal weight in my book. Now 8 years old and tried and tested with many necks and pickups and sounded great with them all, so it's a winner body

I'm making the neck from a piece of AA birdseye maple, 50s style with the headstock walnut plug nut with modern dual action heel adjust truss rod, and it'll be a tinted nitro finish

The body will be two tone burst, ie amber and black nitro

I have 3 sets of pickups

This is the look I'm after

35512d1329865811-ngd-54-strat-partsie-my-anny-003.jpg

Suhr V54
Fender CS 54
Bare Knuckles Apache..
It could be a case of just trying em all, and seeing which rings my bell

Votes time
 
Last edited:
Duncan '78 and a Floyd Rose...

Oh, wait... LOL Nevermind.

I'm not familiar with the BKPs but I imagine that the Suhrs and the Fenders will probably give you a nice '50s Strat tone. If not, you can always talk with Bryan about some BGs. :)
 
Since you have all three sets just try one. If you don't like it, you can try a different set.
 
For a 50's sound, I'd think the Apache's would be best, but if you have all three sets, just try them out.
 
Kerouac said:
For a 50's sound, I'd think the Apache's would be best, but if you have all three sets, just try them out.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. And if you dont like the Apache's, I'll be a good guy and let you ship them to me. :tongue:
 
Try 'em all and record the results. Then you can listen back and A-B-C them to make a meaningful comparison, instead of relying on the human ear's memory, which has a span of about 5 minutes.
 
Flatspotter said:
Try 'em all and record the results. Then you can listen back and A-B-C them to make a meaningful comparison, instead of relying on the human ear's memory, which has a span of about 5 minutes.
Click to expand...

I don't use my ears to listen to music, merely a conduit.

I've heard the BKs before and the CS54, but never the Suhrs, and I've not heard any of them in this guitar, for which the neck does not even yet exist, so it'll be an interesting exercise in not only tone, subjective opinion, but also preconceived ideas of what should be better.

I'm a big fan of Fender pickups for Strats, they basically have all bases covered with their CSs and 57/62s, and the CS54 is my joint favourite set with the CS69s
 
Those are all really good pickups imo..I do like the Apaches quite a bit so would go with those personally, but definitely try them all.
 
I'd go for the CS54 set. Authentic 50's tone from Fender, who were the only boys making them back then.
 
Have you tried Rio Grandes? I've played a couple guitars loaded with them and found that to be incredibly pleasing.
 
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