Chubtone Custom Pickups Custom Pickup Assembly

Pickup features: Single coil
Impedence or other specs: neck; '62 Fender strat, middle; '61 strat and bridge; slightly hotter than a Vanzandt blues but less than a Fralin Vintage Hot

Model of guitar or bass: '54 Fender Stratocaster Reissue, Made in Japan (1992)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Entire original stock pickup assembly.
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Custom setup made to order based on my input.
You musical style(s): Blues, classic rock and contemporary Christian.
Reason for pickup change: Stock assembly lacked depth, rich tone and sustain.

Perceived output level: Here is Mike's description of what he built; ?To give you an idea of what I did, here is a ballpark comparison of some well know pickups: The neck is roughly a 1962 Fender Strat, the middle is a 1961 and the bridge slightly hotter than a Vanzandt blues but less than a Fralin Vintage Hot?.
Tone: Huge difference between the stock Fender assembly. It gives this guitar more clarity, sustain and output. The harmonics are exquisite. The distinctive Fender Strat ?quack? or ?out of phase? sound is evident with the toggle switch in positions 2 and 4. I asked Mike to produce an assembly that could try to replicate, Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Mark Knopfler tones. He did not disappoint. The pickups were slightly overwound to bring out more of the mid range and bass. They are not muddy and manage to give you that punch and crunch along with the glassy bell like sound unique to Fender strats.
Sonic evaluation: I gave Mike a run down on my guitar, amp and type of effects I commonly use so he could match my equipment and playing style with the assembly he would build. I play through a ?74 Peavey Vintage twin reverb all tube amp rated at 110 watts, with a number of effects, depending on the sound I'm trying to achieve. I've built a pedal board that contains a number of BOSS pedals, many of which have been modified (Robert Keeley is my preference)along with some other miscellaneous pedals that round out the many tonal ranges I'm trying to achieve. The line up looks like this -- Boss compressor/sustainer> Maxon OD-9 overdrive (RK mod)> Boss Blues Driver (RK mod)> Boss DS-1 distortion (RK mod)> Boss Chorus> Digitech X Series Digital Delay> Danelectro Tremolo> Vibrato> Echo and Chromatic Tuner> Morley Volume pedal and finally to a Boss NS-2 noise suppressor. Most of the time I use a small amount of compression and delay with the Maxon Overdrive providing just enough crunch to give my sound some growl. The amp has NOS GE 6L6GC output tubes and a pair of RCA 6C10 preamp tubes. The original speakers have been replaced with 12" Vintage Weber Alnico's that tend to give the mid and low end more definition.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: My first love is the blues. Many people say it's all the same but do you play what you feel? That is the blues! I love to do solo work that compliments my equipment. I tend to try to keep it simple with my tone, even though my pedal board can give me a ton of possibilities. Most guitarists tend to stick to their bread and butter sound when they feel they have achieved it. For now, I think I've got to that place where my equipment is well suited to my musical tastes and abilities. This assembly took a guitar that played like butter to the next level and gave it the definition and tone I always wanted. Mike did an awesome job with his understanding of the guitar and the tone I was looking for.

Comments: Mike is guitar player of over 20 years and an Honors graduate of the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood, California. He has been producing hand wound pickups for a number of years. When I was considering this upgrade I did a fair amount of research to decide what I wanted and what I could afford. I stumbled across one of the assemblies Mike was selling on Ebay but it was not for an 8-hole setup. I inquired by email and found Mike to be a wealth of knowledge and willing to build an assembly that would specifically fit my needs. He built the following: 8-hole pickup assembly, three single coil hand wound pickups with covers, single ply pick guard, 5-way switch, volume and tone pots and knobs. Middle pickup reverse wound to cancel hum. Pickups where made to desired tone request.
Compared to some of the big name boutique pickups these are every bit as good for a fraction of the cost. I've played Fr****'s and others that are right there with these. Quiet honestly the price could be more and still be a great bargain, really! If you price some of the other big name pickup sets the starting price is around $225. Mike built the whole assembly with boutique, hand wound, to my specification pickups and through in the shipping costs all for $150. You will be hard pressed to find a better deal with this type of quality and service anywhere.

I have been playing guitar for over 30 years and have had the chance to play some awesome guitars. My personal collection has been kept simple. A ?92 Fender Strat Reissue, ?76 Gibson Les Paul Standard, ?03 Martin Jumbo Body acoustic and a ?84 Vista acoustic, because I feel my playing style and range of tone can be covered by these guitars. I love the blues, classic rock n?roll and contemporary Christian music. Each has it?s own signature tone synonymous with various artists we all seem to try to replicate. My first love is always going to be the blues. What strat doesn?t just scream to play the blues? So, I bought one but was unhappy with the lack of tone I was looking for. With this assembly that has all changed. Now, the guitar has reached its full potential.
If lost or stolen I would order another setup in a heartbeat. These are so good that I would recommend them to anyone who could afford it. They are a steal at this price. Check around and you will agree. If you found a guitar that has that feel and is a match for you, install a setup and give your mediocre guitar a huge dose of sweet tonal emotion. Be willing to wait about 4-5 weeks from time of order as Mike is not a big time operation but is easily worth the wait. I?m glad I did. Thanks Mike for an awesome job.