Fender Custom Shop '69 Strat Pickup Set  

I bought these last year to replace the pickups on a 2005 MIM Strat. I wanted pickups similar to those on my 2002 reproduction '62 Strat. I also have a '95 American Strat and another 2005 MIM Strat to compare. Out of the four different sets of Strat pickups I have , these are the least "hot". These are the cleanest of them all. Yes, you will get a little growl when they are overdriven but they need the help of a Blues Driver or Tube Screamer to get any balls. They are nowhere like the '62 Strat pickups. The original MIM pickups have more balls than these. I had the guitar with these pickups set up for open tuning slide but wasn't getting enough gain out of them. I switched back to a late '90's Squire Strat which has hotter pickups than these. The pickups on my '95 Strat seem to be Lace Sensors and I like that guitar the best and then the '62. If you want sparkly cleans, go with these. If you play rock  or blues and want some overdrive, I'd go with something else. I also have a 2005 Highway One Tele and I like the stock pickups on that more than these pickups.

I have these pickups in my American Deluxe and in an American Standard. I

Some have complained about having to make the maountin hole a little larger to accomodate the mounting screws. This is true, I had to do this in both cases. This was not a big deal to me since I mod my guitars anyway. Fender could do a little better with the fit...

While the middle pickup is not reverse wound, I put copper sheilding in the cavity and I do not hear any more noise than any other pickups. I also put a baseplate on the bridge pickup, its adds a little more bass and presence.

I really like these pickups, they work well for the the style of music I play. I have a bunch of amps - a Fender Twin, a Fender Blues Deville and a Mesa Mark V among others. It pairs best with the Fender Amps.

I was fortunate to get several sets that are signed by Abigail Ybarra before she retired. I think these pickps signed by her will become in great demand in time....

I recommend these if you want a vintage strat sound with a lttle more bite than average pickup and classic strat sound. .On my American Standard, the bridge pickup is reverse angled ala Hendrix, and I dig the vibe it put's out - great pickups for classic rock and blues or really almost anything you throw at it.

Other than the mounting issue it's good...

I think the price is fair

I like the 69 vintage vibe

Had these pickups professional installed into a 1995  Mexican Stratocaster . MY start now sounds better than most American made Fenders.

Had the pickups professional installed. They sound awesome. They place where I had them installed was blown away by how good these pickups are.

Great tone. They made my Mexican Strat sound better than most American made Strats.

These pickups are not loud . Great mellow tone and bright tones. Great for all styles of music.

sounded worse then texas special

If you like thin sounds

mine weren't signed and dated and I don't think A Y did them.

After having tried many strat pups, these sound the most Stratish to  me. Note that I only used the neck and mid pup of this set (I used a  slightly hotter PU in the bridge), but they both sound great. I shielded  all of the electronics with copper tape, so there is very little noise  and I can actually sit near my computer when recording.

If you truly love Strats, you owe it to yourself to get a set of these.