# Strat pickup test - do they all sound the same? Fat 50s vs US stock set.



## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

I have a 2003 US Strat and I've been looking for a change in pickups. Not because I don't like the stock pickups - just because I fancied something different. I bought a set of Fender Fat 50s from Monsieur al3d on this forum. I decided to record a before and after series of clips to see if I can tell the difference between the two sets. Turns out that I can't - maybe you some of you on here have better hearing than me? I almost always use a clean-ish tone on Strats so thats what I focused on.
I recorded two clips with everything else being exactly the same - same amp, same mics (in the exact same positions), same levels, same strings ie I recorded the first clips, switched the pickups and recorded the second clips - everything else is exactly the same.

Recording sequence is: 
00:00 neck pickup. 00:30 - neck and middle. 1:00 - middle. 1:30 - middle and bridge. 2:00 - bridge.

You can also tell the clips apart because the high E is slightly out of tune on the Fat 50 set. Sorry ! 


Stock pickup set:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=1063977&songID=11347823

Fat 50s:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=1063977&songID=11347829


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## Shark (Jun 10, 2010)

The Fat 50s definitely have a fuller sound to me. Generally, though, I find that boutique pickups tend to give the biggest difference in tone to the stock ones, rather than after-market sets by the same big companies. I'm a fan of Lollar and Bare Knuckle. One day I'll give Jon Moore's pickups a blast; I've heard good things.


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

Fat 50's sound really fat & mellow ,softer tone ..not bad ,they do the vintage vibe 
Stocks are a little sterile, but hotter


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## Buzz (May 15, 2008)

Something a little different. I have a Squier classic vibe 60's strat which sounds great, pickups are alnico V . I just got a loaded pickguard with the Squier 50's (alnico 3 pickups). So far I prefer the 60's.


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## Morkolo (Dec 9, 2010)

I like the sound of the Fat 50s pickups over the stock set.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Ditto. Fat 50's for me. I think they sounded most different in position 2 and 4. Also in position 1, the Fat 50's don't have that ice-pick harshness in the treble as the stock pickups. I'll agree that it ain't night-and-day, but there is definitely a difference that goes beyond what you could account for with simple playing variation.

Fender's pickups are alright, but from what I've read, the "best" pickup Fender makes is the 69 set. The seems to be widely appreciated and very rarely criticized.

I'm in the process of getting or putting together a Strat myself as I haven't had one in a while and I'm looking at the 69s, or another set from JS Moore.


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