I have two identical strats both with Samarium Cobalt Noisless pickups. I want to leave one stock and put something different in the 2nd guitar, better for clean or better for dirt I could go either way. Cost really isn't an issue, suggestions?
I am in the same boat. I would suggest using the noiseless models for dirt tones and find something for clean. Area 58/58/61b are good for dirty tone but you have that covered
Seymour Duncans are my choice. They have all kinds of sound samples on their site. I'm annoyingly somewhat conservative, in that I've used their SSL-1s and 5s for 38 years. I'm sure you'll get more knowledgable opinions as we go.
For a great vintage sound (much better than CS69s IMHO) I suggest Wilkinson WVS. They happen to be dirt cheap too. Better than anything I've tried (and I've tried a LOT). You don't need to pay huge amounts for good pickups these days.
I'm going down the cheaper Chinese made Tonerider route. They are good and cost less than half what Seymour offer. They aren't exporting outside UK at the moment.
Seymour Duncan APS1 neck and middle and a Twang Banger in the bridge. On a budget this is about as good as you can get to that Buddy Holly era sound in a Strat. I did it a while back and that was the best sounding Strat I've ever heard. BUT. Bit more money and .... recently I've put a Lollar Royal T in that guitar in the avatar - replaced a Nocaster - and it's got a killer Strat/Tele neck tone - I'm impressed. So, I'd nowadays I'd recommend the Lollar Blonde - Alnico 2, scatter winding, low impedance around 6 ohms.
The Blondes and Blackface have fundamental differences - the Blackfaces are degaussed Alnico 5 and the Blondes are Alnico 2. I found the 2s had more range than 5s. But I'm not an aggressive player so depends what you want to play - but they are different.
they definitely are. I have had several sets of both, and still go back and forth as to my favorite. Really depends on the amp you’re using, and playing style. Both are superb.
. Most pickups can go the clean path, and you'll get a lot of specific pickup suggestions, so I'll add some other things to consider: Lower pickups will give better cleans. Yes, you need to turn up the amp volume. You can also tip the pickups for more bass/thickness and less treble. Evaluate different volume pot measured actual kohms, and caps -- they push the tone around as much as the pickup swaps do for 1/10th the price and even when dimed. Armstrong Blender on the SSS you are keeping. Converts the second tone knob to a Blender so you can have the classic SSS tones or blend into full hot HSH Super Strat/LP range. Like having a "Super Tone" knob. Get a reverse/Hendrix bridge pickguard pickup slot. Gives more mid-range to bass strings and more bass to the treble strings. Move the Strat volume knob back to the first tone pot hole (and use a stacked master tone+Blender knob) so you can pick from saddles to neck like a Tele or like Hendrix and get 'all the tones'. A different mod is to swap neck/middle or middle/bridge on SSS either physically or at the switch lugs and get a Tele 3-way including neck+bridge plus the Strat middle pickup switch options at the end. You give up one of the Strat Quack switch positions doing this. If modding a current Strat ... lift off the old pickups+wiring harness complete and store and build up a new complete harness+pickups for your new direction. Eventually you may either miss the original tones or want to sell the guitar and then it's easy to plug and play. .
