Chubtone Custom Pickups 61 Vintage Stagger Strat Set

Pickup features: Single coil passive
Impedence or other specs: 6.1K to 6.7K

Model of guitar or bass: Homemade SRV Number one replica Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Custom Shop 69's
Other pickups on guitar: All Chubtone
Artists using this pickup: None that I know of...yet
You musical style(s): Blues, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Jazzy stuff...most anything but metal
Reason for pickup change: I'm a pick up junkie. I seen these on ebay, read the reviews and decided to try them.

Perceived output level: A little hotter and fuller than the CS 69's
Tone: Very balanced. These things breathe. It's unbelievable.
Sonic evaluation: These went into a homemade SRV number one relic. I won't bore you with the details of my gear. These are it. I wanted the SRV sound since the project turned out so good looking. I'm not dissapointed at all. SRV heaven, along with many other Strat sounds I've longed for. These things breathe, they are alive. It's hard to describe, but the handwinding process and whatever he does are just plain magic. Being a junkie, I've tried TONS of pups over the years...always searching for the perfect tone and never quite getting it. I've tried most of the botique pups, Fender CS stuff, you name it. Along the way, I found Fralins to be quite good and also the CS 54's and 69's. The Chubtone's have the magic that the others didn't. These pups make playing fun again and you won't want to put your guitar down. They are so dynamic. If you have the fingers, these pups will answer the call in spades! I have my best sound with the Fralin volume pot mod and roll the volume off to around 7. This lets nothing but the beautiful tone come through. Tight punchy bass and just crystal clear and sparkling all through the spectrum.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play SRV, Hendrix type blues, hard rock, Jazzy stuff. These are a perfect match for anything you want a vintage Strat to sound like.

Comments: I'm happy to be the first to review this set. I have depended on HC reviews to make my decisions (on a LOT of gear) and feel I owe it to the rest of you to give my perception. I've been playing for 35 years. My search is over, I will definitely buy another set for my next Eric Johnson 56 project. These things just come alive in your hands. The neck is beautiful, the middle is VERY useable by itself and the bridge is full and not ear piercing. The quacks are incredible, especially with the volume rolled down to about 6. This is a gorgeous sounding set! Mike will custom handwind any pick up or combination to suit what sound you are after. He's a heck of a guy and will work with you. The price is a lot less than many of the botique pups and about the same as Fender stuff...and these are soooo much nicer. If you want your Strat to sound like a REAL vintage Strat, try these!!