Fender 57/62 Vintage Strat

Single coils..passive...

Agile ST-802 All positions. I replaced a set of GFS Alnico single coil pups. It originally had the Agile pups. Artists who cares this is for sound. I changed because I couldn't get a descent sound out of the GFS alnicos only from the neck position.

Medium output. Princeton/Deluxe and Vibrolux Reverb amps. Tone middy. Well balanced. Rock and Blues perfect match. All positions suited. I can play any position pickup and it sounds like a vintage strat, clean and sweet. If I want overdrive I just use a pedal, I don't believe in using overwound pups for distortion because thjey kill your tone. Start with clean and if you need drive use a pedal, don't kill your tone.

Sure would buy another. Playing 40 years. Own all Agile guitars of every flavor. Love the clean tones there is nothing I hate. Compared it with the GFS alnicos. I choose the Fenders because they sound great in every position. I am not going to waste time I found my tone.

Single Coil, passive, around about 6.0K DC resistance on all three.

All positions, not replacing anything, taken from my Fender '57 reissue strat (now Van Zandt Blues equipped, 10/10 for these babies) for this custom built ash bodied "'58" strat with 1 piece maple neck, maple fingerboard.

These are vintage reissue single coils so output level isn't very high. I've used this guitar for everything from recording sessions with Zimbabwean artists to gigs and practices with bands in a variety of styles Blues, Ska, Country, Rock, Funk, Jazz/Funk, etc. I usually play gigs through a Fender '65 reissue Twin with Fulldrive 2, Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe and Octavia, Modded Jim Dunlop Wahs and Boss DD20 Giga Delay/Chorus but i have tried it through Orange, Laney, Marshall, Hughes and Kettner and Vox amps too (amongst others). The tone from these pickups is pure 50's Strat, from experience I'd say these actually sound more authentic than Custom Shop 54's, the bridge pickup is a little bit too thin and ice picky for me (a Van Zandt Blues or Vintage Plus might be in order) but all other positions sound great, think early Magic Sam, Otis Rush and Buddy Guy tones and you're in the right ball park, clear and boomy neck pickup, beautiful clarity and warmth in positions 2 and 4 and a decent middle pickup with a gritty and ballsy sound, actually to my ear this one sounds quite close to an overwound Tex-Mex p/u. Someone else said these p/u's nail the SRV tone, they must have had em rewound because that's certainly far from the truth, if you want that sound you got to have Van Zandts (or Bare Knuckle Irish Tour set) but it's very close to the "Lenny" tone (that particular guitar seemed to have noticeably less output than Stevie's rosewood board guitars). Like some other people who've reviewed these p/u's, I'd say that they do a better job clean or with low to moderate drive, they seem to lose their character with anything more, although the middle pickup seems to love my fulltone ran flat out. I've had a bridge-on mini-toggle fitted to this guitar and this gives the guitar a great extra tonal option (bridge and neck together) instead of the bridge alone which I never use on this guitar. One other thing about these pickups is that they do seem to sound better with age, i've had them for about 11 or 12 years now and they seem to sound slightly grittier and grainier with each passing year, which I happen to like but fans of pickups like lace sensors will hate. All in all these are great pickups for clean guitar sounds. A word of warning, they sound much, much better on maple board guitars.

I'd hate anything to happen to the guitar or these p/u's obviously, we guitarists grow very attached to our favourite things but if some "kind" thief just stole the pickguard, i'd probably opt for another make of pickups the superb Van Zandt Vintage Plus to keep the vintage vibe of this guitar but with a little more fullness, the amazing Van Zandt Blues models for a huge sound, Bare Knuckle Irish Tour or perhaps the excellent and some what underrated Fender Tex-Mex pickups if I was feeling really cheap and dirrrttty (isn't it ironic that these cheaper pickups are far better than Texas Specials???!!!). The 57/62 reissue pickups are far superior to Fender Custom '54's though and as I said they seem to get grittier and more authentic "pre-CBS" sounding year on year, like I said though, they don't sound so good on a rosewood board guitar. Maybe Fender should put a different pickup on their '62 reissue (like a Van Zandt perhaps??). Brilliant pickups for clean sounds, you might not like that very trebly bridge pickup though.

Single Coil
Alnico 5
Passive
etc.

I play a 1991 Fender American Stratocaster through a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue amp with Tung Sol Power Tubes and a Weber ceramic speaker. This amp is about as good as it gets for great clean tone and great tube rectifier feel. This amp reveals the true sound of a guitar and its pickups like no other I've ever played through.
I replaced all the original pickups with the 57/62 Reissues. I changed to these pickups because I'm into Hank Marvin and because I noticed that another guitar I have which has Mighty Mite Alnico pickups sounded way smoother and more musical than any of my other guitars, about 6 total.
I didn't know whether or not my 91' Strat had Alnico pickups or not but it sure didn't sound like it. So I replaced em.

These 57/62 pickups make me really mad! Not because they sound bad but because they sound so much better than the stock 1991 American Standard Strat pickups I've been playing through and wasting my time with for the last 17 years. These reissue pickups sound way better clean and with blues type semi-distortion. They sound sweet, smooth, and musical and are a pure joy to play. They do have lots of treble which has a lot to do with their great sound but they are not harsh or piercing. In contrast the original 91 stock pickups sound sterile, harsh and piercing. They do have more in your face punch, but to me music is about beauty not punch.

I've been playing for 30 years but I haven't had much opportunity to be around other players or equipment much. So everything I've learned about sound I've learned through slow trial and error, spending too much money, and through the internet especially Harmony Central User Reviews which are a God send and totally kick ***!
I could go on and on about how much Fender sucks after Leo Fender sold it over 40 years ago, how they are typically 10 years behind the curve missing opportunities and continually manufacturing poorer sounding products than were readily available in the 60s.
Here's what I want to know. Why did my 1991 American Strat costing $600 new at the time come with such harsh non-musical pickups instead of something like these beautiful sounding ones? Don't the people at Fender take any pride in their work? They are in a position to know the difference in sound. Face it. The average joe is not in a position to know everything about sounds and equipment. When you pay big bucks for a Strat you trust that Fender will give you the best they can, the real deal. But they don't always so be careful.
Of course sometimes Fender does good things like reissuing these great pickups. Plus the price is reasonable. Did I mention I also love Fender.

Single Coil and passive. These have more output than the '69 custom shops, and these aren't handwound by that special lady who does the '69 reissues. They're staggered, and have extremely high quality wires (just like the 69s). Too bad they don't sound the same.

I put these in an 80's japanese strat. Very high quality guitars, in case you didn't know. I was changing the pickups because I wanted more definition--the Japan pickups actually sounded deep. I wanted more clarity. Right now, I've got 1969s in that strat. I changed from the 57/62s, and the 69s are MUCH better. The 57/62s lacked many things . . . I'll talk about them below in "Sound."

Well, the 57/62s simply lacked feel and punch. I play a lot of Hendrix, and the high E would never ring out on many of his songs. The B and E strings just didn't have any tone. My notes weren't rising and falling as much during solos, and it just didn't sound right. Spend the extra money, and get the 69s. Those are great pickups. That's what I have now. The magnets on the 69s are completely different from the 57/62s, and it is noticeable in tone. In my opinion, the 57/62s have a slightly better clean tone (they're chimy but relatively warm), but the 69s have a much better distorted, bluesy, Hendrixy tone.

They're decent pickups. I grade all of Fender's stock American pups a 5, and these are a bit better than that. If you play all clean, go with these. If you play a mixture of both, go with the 69s. These pickups just don't have it with natural tube amp overdrive.

Passive single coils... about 6.0 Ohms

I've assembled a customized surf green 1957 Strat with Fender parts of different origins.

I've A/B ed those pickups against an American Std Strat, a Telecaster and an ES335....and guess what... everybody told me the 57/62s sounded better !!! Was so impressed that I ordered a '57/62 Vintage set - and a shielding kit - to replace the pickups in the Am Std - Those were definitely too bassy and did not have the sonar spectrum of the '57s !

The output is feable as compared to modern pickups... BUT IT'S THE HOLY GRAIL I'VE LUSTED FOR FOR 11 YEARS !

I use it with a Fender Blues Junior or a Roland Cube amp with a TS808 and /or or Analog Mike Boss Super Overdrive and a George Dennis Wah/Volume

The tone is cristaline clean, screeching highs with delightful harmonics...nice and smooth bass tones... May appear trebly, but hey! it is easier to roll off the treble than to add something that your pickups won't "hear" !

I would rate those pickups appropriate for any kind of music except real heavy metal...To get the idea , you may reach into different player's territory... David Gilmour... John Frusciante, Ritchie Blackmore, definitely Greg Koch ... even Jimmy Page (the firsts Led Zep albums) Surprisingly versatile pickups from bridge to neck positions !

If stolen, I would buy another set... Already I've ordered a second set for my American Std with a rosewood neck... Can't wait to hear the results!

I've been playing for too many years, mostly acoustics until 11 years ago! Those pickups deliver a sound so clean, so pure... you'll have to hear them to believe it !

You could only wish they had more volume... but I prefer cleaner sounds amplified than muddier sounds at higher volumes

Single coil Alnico 5 passive pickups. 5.7k ohm impedance. Relatively low output (compared to a lot of other pickups available for Strats "out there") but in the same range as the old original Fender singlecoils from the late 50's/early 60's vintage.

I've got a hybrid SX SST strat with solid alder 3-tone sunburst body and maple neck with rosewood fretboard. I'd fitted it with a MightyMite red tortoiseshell pickguard loaded with MightyMite ceramic singlecoils. They sounded pretty **** good but my good friend Mike was asked to change out some pickups on an '83 MIJ strat re-issue. He got to keep the originals. When I found that out, I asked him if he'd be willing to trade me those Fender 57/62's for my MightyMites and he agreed. I ended up with all of the MIM Fender's electronics (pups, pots, switch, wiring, etc.) mounted on the MightyMite tortoisehll pickguard. So, in effect, my SX Strat has been converted to a '62 Strat re-issue.

The output of these pickups is lower than a lot of the "modern" pickups but the tonal quality (inflections, nuances, response to varying picking styles such as bare fingers, thumb pick, flat pick, strumming, flailing, plucking etc.) is everything that I ever wanted from a Strat.
When I first heard Buddy Guy's "A Man and the Blues" album back in 1967, well, that was the sound I wanted from a Strat. I've spent muchos bucks over the years trying to get "that" sound. Here, these many years later, with a cheap Strat copy loaded with these 57/62's played through (of all things) a Line 6 Spider II 15 (on the clean channel on which I've defeated the chorus and delay, tweaked the EQ and reprogrammed with reverb) I'm getting "that" sound! I also get the sound through my home-built "Lansky Lil Wonder" 8-watt all-tube amp going through Behringer compression, delay and overdrive pedals.
I hardly ever play in bridge position (I don't like the real "trebly" sound) but in the other positions, love the sound! Vintage Strat all the way.

I've been playing for 43 years and have gone through a lot of gear in that time. I've long had a "love/hate" relationship with Strats because I love the Strat sound but having suffered a couple of broken fingers on my left hand years ago, most Strat neck configurations just don't work for me. My SX Strat has a thick "V" neck and a 14" fretboard radius and that works for me.
I once had a Fender Strat Plus with Gold Lace Sensors and loved the sound of that guitar but this SX with the classic 57/62's blows it away. These pickups have much more subtlety and respond to every little quirk of my picking styles, from "quack" to "growl" and everything in between.
First and foremost, I expect a guitar to have a good "clean" sound. If you want to "dirty" it up, there are all kinds of amps/effects out there that will allow you to do that. The 57/62's have that inherent clean sound, that characteristic vintage Strat sound which made the Strat so popular in the first place. Why mess with success?

passive single coils,not high output but everything you need in a strat.

i have a japanese 57 reissue from the 80's. It had the original pickups in.Suppose i changed because like everyone whoever played guitar i was searching for that certain sound.I put a complete set in with all new electrics and a blender pot for neck and bridge.

It said at the beginning do not be too gushy about the pickups or it might not get published,well be damned i'm in love and i just cant hide it. The output is just right for me. I've got an old laney lc50 and have just fitted a vintage 30 speaker and its so sweet with these pickups.Used it without any effects and still got a great sound.Tone is perfect for hard rock and blues which is my cup of tea. Tried the pickups in all positions and got a variety of usable sounds.

i've been playing for about 35 years on and off and will not be looking for anymore pickups. I realise if i'm feelin good and playing well i'm not going to get a much better sound than these.Ive tried various pickups over the years and never been happy. I fitted a seymour duncan humbucker in one of my other strats and now realise these guitars are not made for humbuckers and if that is what you want i suggest you buy a gibson and stop wasting time.Yes i would replace them,in fact i will fit them in any guitar i buy in future.

Passive single coils. DC Beveled edge Alnico 5 magnets with Formvar magnet wire. Supposedly reveresed engineered from a sweet sounding 1963 Strat. Resistance: 5.6K Inductance: 3.0 Henries. Cloth insulated hookup wire. middle pickup is not reverse wound/reverse polarity.

Fender Standard Stratocaster. Rosewood fretboard (Made In Mexico)
All 3 posistions (Neck, Middle, Bridge)
Replacing stock pickups
None
OEM on American Vintage Stratocasters ('57 Strat and '62 Strat)
Changed pickups for fun and hoping it would improve the sound

Output level is definately a little hotter than stock
Using it with my homemade tube amp (Single ended, class "A" EL84), and POD 2.
The Tone is much clearer than stock. Fat and round. Yummy!
Love Blues, Pop, Rock and jazz and these pickups sound great in all styles, although jazz is not its strong point, but neither mine, ha.
This pickup sounds fantastic in all positions.

If it was stolen I would seriously consider replacing these. These pickups sound so good I would definatly purchase another set of Fender brand pickups.
I've been playing electric guitat for about 22 years. I own a Guild dreadnought, Johnson resonator, Tokai Goldtop, a Fender Strat, a few tube amps and a POD. My effects setup: Dunlop 535 Wah - Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive - Boss Super Overdrive- DOD Yngwie Pedal - Boss Octave Pedal - Boss Phase Shifter PH-3 - Pearl FG-01 Flanger - Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus - Ibanez Delay - Boss Chorus Ensemble - Yamaha FX500 (mostly for tap tempo delay) into a home made tube amp (EL84 - Class A - Single Ended.

I bought these pickups because I heard it was a little lower in output and I found a low "Buy it now" on Ebay. I think lower output pickups sound sweeter. IF YOU OWN A MEXICAN STRAT WITH STOCK PICKUPS THEN DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR AND UPGRADE YOUR PICKUPS. I couldn't believe what a drastic inprovememt these pickups made in my guitar's tone. With the stock guitar's pickups I only liked the sound when the switch was in 2nd posistion (Bridge and Middle), but when I installed the new pickups I first tested them in 2nd position and I was blown away with how much better my guitar sounded. I was totally sent over the top when I discovered that 2nd position wasn't necsarily my favourite anymore. These pickups SOUND GREAT. One thing to consider though is that the middle pickup is NOT reverse wound/reverse polarity. so you don't get the hum reduction benefits in position 2 and 4. Thats OK, just shield your guitar (especially if it a "Made in Mexico" version. This was money well spent.

Pickup features: single passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: fender
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: same
Artists using this pickup: me, DAVID GILMORE
You musical style(s): BLUES ROCK
Reason for pickup change: great tone

Perceived output level: its not a hot pickup, but with my fender 62, its provides a much better SRV tone
Tone: its not a mid range like the texas specials, more bass
Sonic evaluation: i play a fender hot rod 410 deville.
This is the pickup fender should of put in the SRV signatures.
the texas specials don't cut it for SRV tone.
this is the chamfered pole 57/62.
i've tried the 54s and texas specials
haven't tried the 69s or fat 50s
i hear they're purty good
actually to me, i think a good fender pickup is one that makes a fender sound like a vintage fender. I think the AMERICAN STANDARD pickups from the latest american standards (2001 and on) come closest to a vintage fender tone. Thats what i have now and sold all my other pickups.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I'm a blues SRV dude. He's the best ever. No one comes close.

Comments: The american standard pickups are my favorite for fender tone. For SRV type playen, i like the 57/62 in a fender 62 reissue (sunburst only, they sound better).

Pickup features: single coils (passive)
Impedence or other specs: vintage

Model of guitar or bass: '62 vintage reissue
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: tried so many
Other pickups on guitar: tried so many but went for the stock ones again
Artists using this pickup: me
You musical style(s): rock, blues, jazz
Reason for pickup change: back to basics

Perceived output level: normal
Tone: balanced, very good lows and crystal highs
Sonic evaluation: my ampli is fender rock pro 1000. use it with vox wah v 848 moded to have more '70s sound, od-1 moded for different overdrives (including ts-9 mod, brown mod, and some special mods), dd-2, t-rex tremolo, phase90.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: it's not that good for metal, apart that, covers very well almost everything else.

Comments: been playing for almost 15 years, sometimes with long pauses.
i changed many guitars, own 4. last year i went for '62 reissue and 7 days after purchasing it, i decided to change the pickups.
my search for THAT tone started. why? i really don't know now. since then, i tried, fender noiseless, lace sensors, holy grails, dimarzio hs2/hs3...tried fat 50s, custom '54, texas specials...fralins vintage hot.
holy grails were really good but lacked something, dimarzio hs are too silent, too compressed, too sterile, made my guitar so ordinary.
fats '50 are good but too pushed for my taste, texas specials are too aggressive, not sweet...
fralins were good as well, really good, very close to 57/62.
and then i decided to stop, to go back to my stock 57/62....
i shielded well the pickup cavity, shielded the pickups and man, i had the answer but refused to accept it for all this time. these are a good compromise between fats, texas specials and 54s.
57/62 have that distinctive bark yet remain sweet, mellow, fender crystal. good bass and treble, very pleasant tone.
all positions are very usable but i like the 2nd, 4th and 5th. so fender tone that we know!
shielding the guitar helped a lot to get rid of the buzz, not the 60 cycle hum though. but hey, i learned that noisless takes away the hum and the tone as well. i reversed the middle pickup polarity as well (2nd and 4th position became silent)
this tone has everything i am looking for. after i put the 57/62s back, i played for hours and felt that my playing was much more emotional now.
i am so happy that i returned to the original pickups but trying most of what's out there helped a lot. finally, i'm satisifed.
the tone is made mostly by player and the rest is pickup.
i'll give 10 to these.