Fender Custom Shop '54

Pickup features: passive single coil
Impedence or other specs: dunno (low)

Model of guitar or bass: Strat project
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: n/a
Other pickups on guitar: all '54s
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): A bit of everything. Blues, country, rock, whatever...
Reason for pickup change: n/a

Perceived output level: standard vintage low (normal) output
Tone: very balanced, clear, chiming and woody in all positions
Sonic evaluation: This is a strat that I made out of good quality replacement parts. Alder body and an ebony board neck. Vintage style Fender bridge. I had an American Series strat 2 years ago but I sold it. I didn't like the stock delta tones and a set of Kinman AVn Blues noiseless pups I tried I liked even less (odd frequency response). I ended up selling the guitar and I played telecasters ever since....happily. I decided to put a strat together just for fun, and also to give the breed another chance. Teles are my favorite but too many guitarists who I like to listen to use strats. I researched strat specs and with regards pups I decided that a pair of Custom Shop '54 neck and middle pups with a Van Zandt Blue bridge pup would be the best option for me. I had to buy a set of 3 CS '54s and I planned to sell the bridge pup. However, I found the Van Zandt Blues pup too trebly and brash so I decided to give the '54 bridge pup a go. I figured I'd end up getting a mini-humbucker, or even give up on strats again, but I was pleasantly surprised by having the full set of '54s in. All 7 pup combinations are usable onstage (I have a push/push pot switch to get neck/bridge or all 3). With the Delta tones the bridge pup alone and positions 2 and 4 were useless to me, and the sound of all 3 was a joke. With the '54s each single pup setting is wonderful. Full, clear, chiming, woody.....all the classic strat sound descriptions. The bridge pup is similar to a good tele bridge pup in that it will be clear and trebly or fat and rich depending on your pick attack and overdrive. Like a good tele bridge pup you could actually get away with using it on its own right thru a gig if you had to. The sound of the middle pup on it's own is very similar to the sound of having the neck/bridge combination on. With the Delta tones on my old strat those 2 settings were totally different, and the middle alone wasn't great. The '54 middle pup is excellent. The neck pup sounds absolutely gorgeous. The classic full, rich, woody sound. Positions 2 and 4 are 'quacky' but still full sounding. Great for Mark Knoffler impressions. The sound of all 3 on is like another version of positions 2 and 4.
I have a .047mfd cap on the tone, for those who are interested. Apparently the cap value makes a difference.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play a variety of music styles in a wedding/function band using a Fender Blues Junior amp with few effects (chorus, echo, overdrive/boost pedals) and along with my tele this strat seems to suit very well. I don't think it would suit high-gain shenanigans, but for clean to slightly overdriven they are wonderful.

Comments: Perfectly happy with them. I've played since 1969 and I've had loads of gear over the years. I've come to the conclusion that for me the ideal setup is a 1950s style small tube amp (the Blues Junior fits the bill) and a tele or a strat with pre-CBS spec single coil pups. Low output with good clean sounds that you don't need to effect unless you want to, and which beef up nicely with a bit of natural amp overdrive. I would definitely get another set of CS'54s if something happened to this guitar and I needed another strat.

Pickup features: Passive single coil
Impedence or other specs: Neck/Middle: 2.4H, 5.9kOhm; Bridge: 2.75H, 6.5kOhm

Model of guitar or bass: 1957 Vintage Stratocaster Reissue
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock 57/62 single coil pickups
Other pickups on guitar: n/a
Artists using this pickup: myself, others submitting reviews for this pickup
You musical style(s): rock and roll, blues, rockabilly
Reason for pickup change: I was looking for a pickup with a little more "fatness" in the midrange and a little less treble harshness.

Perceived output level: The output is just a bit less than the stock pickups
Tone: The tone is very well balanced; the bridge pickup is naturally a bit more trebly than the other two
Sonic evaluation: I am running this '57 Stratocaster into a Fender Concert Reverb 4x10 amplifier with absolutely zero stompboxes or tone-alterting devices in the signal path. I did play these pickups dry and then with the spring reverb just to see what they would sound like. Pretty sweet...

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup is a great match for clean or slightly overdriven blues; these would probably not work well for heavy metal (low output)

Comments: I would definitely get these pickups again if they were stolen. I've only been playing for about six years - I taught myself. This Stratocaster rounds out my collection of 1952 Reissue Telecaster, Les Paul Goldtop Standard, and ES-295 (hail Scotty Moore). I like these pickups because they further distinguish the guitar from my telecaster sound and they have more midrange, which is what I was searching for.
One other thing that I learning with these pickups is that the magnets are incredibly strong. During the setup, I started the height at the Fender recommendation height but I ended up with a lot of false harmonics and stuff. I ended up backing them off quite a bit further and they sound just beautiful (and seem to have higher output as well).

Pickup features: Passive Single Coil matched set
Impedence or other specs: n - 5.73 m - 5.81 b - 6.42

Model of guitar or bass: American '62 reissue in 3 color burst w/rosewood fretboard
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: American Vintage '57/'62
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Funky fusion folk with an air of bluegrass, rock and blues. Throw some psychedelic substances in for good measure and stir over 98.6 degree heat
Reason for pickup change: a truly dissatisfying shrillness in the stock pickups, not to mention my hatred for anything that claims to be both a 57 and a 62 at the same time...

Perceived output level: cool... less output than the 57/62...
Tone: like tapping on fine crystal with a delicate gold mallet... or maybe... sweet, subtle, juicy, tempermental, savory
Sonic evaluation: First of all... I have decided that the good people at fender missed the mark on the strat from the beginning... I have rewired my strat with these pickups so they go to the 5 way switch and then to a master volume and master tone pot... the third hole on the pickguard now is home to an on off switch for the bridge pu, that way I can use all three pickups at once... why they didn't make the strat this way to begin with is beyond me... it seems so intuitive... anyhow... far be it from me to critisize the beloved stratocaster... signal goes from the guitar into a Furman pedalboard-->EH Q tron-->Big Muff pi-->boss SD-2 -->Crybaby wah-->Boss GEQ-7 -->Ampeg vt120 modded to use EL34s @30 watts-->TC Electronics G major(for delay, flange, chorus, and other time based effects) then back into the amp and thru the reverb.
The guitar now sings... plain and simple... I auditioned it against American Std strats and other such nonsense and they were all shrill comparitively.... BTW... if you plan on buying a vintage style pu, please don't be a moron... set up the pickup correctly, go with the vintage value cap, .1 or .01 I can't remember now which...set the pickups far away from the strings and you will enjoy these pups... if you decide to take a modern approach and try to milk more output out of the pickup your ears will suffer... I tell you from experience... also... you are getting a vintage voiced pickup... that means that in 1954 you wouldn't expect to slam the hell out of the front end of a Marshall, don't expect to get that here either... and most of all make BEAUTIFUL music that makes people want to get together and groove... hatred and violence begets only more hatred and violence

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: this pickup is great for anything requiring good tone... Metal thrashers and punk posers can go get their sound out of any high output pickup on the market... don't overspend... just grab some $30 cheapies out of a catalog and bang about on your guitar like an idiot... you will not like these pickups

Comments: I like these pickups a great deal... I have listened to the Fralins and the Van Zandts and the rio grandes and others, but these have the right sound... the right vibe... if you set them up correctly and know what you are getting... I waited until after the "honeymoon period" to write this review and after a year and a half they are still everything I need from a strat pickup... I started absolutely loving playing when I decided that the eternal quest for that perfect strat tone was like a search for nothing... there are so many things on here that I read that go on and on about it not sounding quite the same as the pickups on some mythical 56 strat that someone just happened to play for 3 minutes and then put down... get over it... most of it is in your hands... if you don't like your tone, adjust the way you're playing and quit blaing your pickups, its not their fault... if you want something that sounds identical to that '56 strat, go buy a '56 strat, it is the only thing that will sound like a '56 strat... in short... get over it... find a good tone and learn to make it a great tone through your hands, through your technique, and through your soul......... these pickups sound great... I would replace them if they were stolen or broken, and I would love to turn you on... now go play something...

Pickup features: passive single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender 57' reissue....also purchased from daves guitar shop a few years back
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: set of stock 57/62's
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: dick dale is the only one i know of
You musical style(s): blues, country, jazz, rock
Reason for pickup change: just wast happy with the ones i had....tweaked the amp and played and just couldnt get the sound i was going for...dont get me wrong...the 57/62's are very good pups...but these things are alittle bit better

Perceived output level: seemed a little less powerful than the stock pickups
Tone: incredibly vintage clear...and extrememly balanced....every things chimes...no dead notes......if i were to tell a person from another planet on what a vintage strat sounded like....this would be it!!!!!
Sonic evaluation: Im currently using a marshall TSL 100 head but will probably trade it in soon...these pickups are so damn good.....im gonna buy another set for my next strat

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play everything....with distortion you can get that "clash" type sound.....with clean i can get kenny burrel or albert lee......or SRV for that matter

Comments: i have been playing for about 5 years...i would definitley purchase another set of these...ive done some other mods to my strat with graphtech saddles and modded pots.....every tone imaginable i can coax from my strat.......some might say these dont work for metal....but they will to an extent...not bone crunching...but with a high gain marshall can get pete townshend type sounds and some cool tones...SRV is in these too....just buy a set and youll know what i mean....i have played a number of different pickups....but for the price this is the best vintage strat/blues pickups i think you can buy..

Pickup features: Passive single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender MIJ 1950's RI (2-tone sunburst, maple neck)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock MIJ pickups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues, rock, some jazz and country-ish stuff
Reason for pickup change: The MIJ pickups stunk. Sounded TOTALLY metallic. Like a Strat, and then magnify the sound till you hear all the negative aspects of Strat tone. Ugh!

Perceived output level: Not to loud. Probably the same roughly as the stock pickups, but I wasn't measuring.
Tone: These are very sweet pickups. I think they have less bass response than other models ('69, etc.) but enough for what I want. Overall the pickups are mellow and sweet. None of the frequencies are over-emphasized. I see this as a good thing if you read on...
Sonic evaluation: When I bought my all original tweed Champ a few years ago I checked it out with a '63 3-tone sunburst Strat. Beauty! So even though I didn't have a Strat for years, my ears remember those sweet sounds. When I got the MIJ Strat off ebay I knew I was gonna replace the pickups and the tremolo and nut (all to great improvement) but I was still disappointed at how it sounded with the Champ. There wasn't enough of anything other than sucky tone. Well I got the pickups put in, new electronics, a Callaham tremolo and base plate, and WOW! My ears remembered the feeling when I plugged this into my Champ. I'm not saying it's identical. But what this guitar has regained is the variety of character and the warmth and clear voice that was being muffled by those junky pickups. I've mostly played it through my Champ to very pleasant results. I also have got some nice overdriven sounds using the 1st or 2nd positions with a Smokey Deluxe and 2x12 cab. The Smokey is overdriven by nature but otherwise if you REALLY want to push an amp you'll need a pedal (like Hendrix, SRV etc.). Since Strat bridge pickups are notoriously weak I think the base plate helps add some grit. Maybe it helps output a little. But definitely there is some bite in the bridge position when suitably cranked.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I got these pickups for a good, sweet blues lead tone. They hit the spot. I think these pickups do a good job of bringing out Strat tone from the guitar without the output of the Fat pickups, or the bass output of the '69's.

Comments: I LOVE these pickups. I would put them in any Fender MIJ if I needed to replace this one. I would be tempted to try Harmonic Designs, but from the stock Fender description of these pickups I get what I want. What I was looking for was lower output (as opposed to boosted) output pickups first of all. This is partly on some stuff I read theorizing that Hendrix's tone was partly achieved through the limits of his time and that the lower fidelity equipment he used contributed to his tone. For one thing lower output pickups would force the use of pedals for Hendrix type tones. The thing I was looking for was pickups designed for the voice of the Strat and focusing on a sweetness. That's what the description for these said. I'm wary of pickups designed for higher output in this case, more bass response, or anything else because I don't know where that leaves the basic clean tone. To me that comes first. After I get a clean sound is when I worry about distortion and overdrive. These pickups deliver and they don't have tons of output but I get a really nice sweet voice that is well tailored in my mind to blues lead lines. Starting with clean ones So I'm not talking about Hendrix/SRV blues. I'm talking Otis Rush and the fifties.
Anyway ultimately I think they deliver exactly what they're supposed to as described by Fender's literature. If that's what YOU want then by all means get these. Just be aware that you really are getting exactly what they say and not anything more.

Pickup features: Passive single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: '68' Fender Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Dimarzio HS-2 bridge, stock in middle and neck.
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: boop
You musical style(s): Blues, vintage rock,
Reason for pickup change: Tone

Perceived output level: Clean deep bass, and crystal trebles
Tone: balanced, totally clean
Sonic evaluation: '68' Strat re-issue into a Boss compressor, re-issue Ibanez tubescreamer, Crybaby wah into a Crate 6210 Vintage Club amp

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play around with a lot of different styles, but I always come back to the blues.

Comments: If these pickups were lost or stolen I would be bummed, and slightly Homicidal, but I would replace them with the same type and hope I got another good set of pickups.

Pickup features: Passive single coil
Impedence or other specs: 5.9 on neck/middle and a bit higher on bridge pickup

Model of guitar or bass: Warmoth Strat Copy
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Emg DG-120 (SA Pro Series)
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: No idea, Dick Dale?
You musical style(s): Rock
Reason for pickup change: I tried the EMG SA series active single coils that come with the Dave Gilmour setup...The EMG's were nice but lacked personality, vibe. I wanted a more "transparent" "jangly" tone.

Perceived output level: much lower than EMGs and a bit lower than American Standard Strat stock pickups.
Tone: Great bass and smooth treble, scooped mids. The treble is not "shrill"or earbleeders
Sonic evaluation: Strat into '72 silverface Bassman 50. These pickups are very jangly, and expressive sounding in terms of letting all the sound get to your amp. It really picks up fret buzzing, string noises, and other things besides the string ringing and I think this is why they are realistic sounding...They sound like Clapton and Live. Now, the bridge position pickup still lacked volume even though it is supposed to be louder...I tried reversing the hot and ground and that didn't do much so I swapped in a passive Select EMG in place. Of course the Fender p/u's are more "livelier" than the inexpensive Selects, but I am much more satisfied with the sound and higher volume of the Select over the bridge position '54...But the neck and middle positon '54's are just plain beautiful...I played for about 3 hours non-stop without any effects, just clean, and yes, these pickups make me want to play..I am satisfied...They sound good (except the bridge position) for clean or slightly overdriven music.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: good for rock, not good for heavily distorted music...

Comments: I like to try different gear, so I might try the Custom Fat 50s...Been playing 10 years...I own way too much stuff...I love the neck and middle and hate the bridge...I reasearched the reviews and Fender to see exactly what I wanted, but i didn't get to hear them first so...I am very satisfied with the top 2 positions but the bridge p'u had to go...

Pickup features: Single Coil , Passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender American Standard Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Rio Grande - Muy Grande's
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: ??
You musical style(s): Beatles to Blues (everything)
Reason for pickup change: Wanted a more classic sweet Strat pickup

Perceived output level: normal - but less than the Muy Grande's
Tone: BALANCED!
Sonic evaluation: American Standard Strat with Maple Neck into Fuzz Face, Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe, Boss EQ, Boss Acoustic Simulator > POD v 2.0

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good for just about any purpose but high gain thrashy stuff (obviously)

Comments: If stolen> they would have to get the whole guitar> I would get them again, no question. Have been playing for 22 years. My pickup search is over for now(until something better comes out!!!) Have tried EMG-SA's which are ok but synthetic sounding and Muy Grandes which are big Texas Tone pup's( highs and mids are a little harsh)
These alnicos are so sweet and have tons of character! Lovely sutain since they are not overwound with big magnets. Every sound and pickup has great clarity and warmth at the same time, even on the POD's Marshall settings

Pickup features: Single coil passive
Impedence or other specs: Alnico 5 rods, vintage stagger, convenient push-back cloth-covered wire

Model of guitar or bass: 1995 Mexican-made poplar-body Stratocaster
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock neck and middle pickups
Other pickups on guitar: Stock bridge pickup, temporarily
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): One Four Five stuff
Reason for pickup change: I?ve got an idea? why doesn?t Fender just sell their low-price guitar line without pickups? That way, buyers don?t have to de-solder them and throw them away.

Perceived output level: Low
Tone: Beatific Strat
Sonic evaluation: The tone of this pickup is gorgeous; liquid, shimmering, crystalline. Even a little delicate. Full of lovely overtones. This pickup is terrific for expressive chording, and it?ll melt your heart when you lean on the tremolo bar. But there?s a slight down side: the ?54s sound a lot better clean than they do dirty. Sure, they'll do vintage R&B, 'cause this is the pickup they had back then. But for contemporary blues or hot country, you'll need something with a little more guts...something like a 60s Strat pickup, maybe. However, if you have more than one Strat, and you have been seeking the ultimate in a clean Strat sound, I doubt that youll be able to top this pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: If you play clean, you'll love it. If you play dirty, it'll come close. If you want major crunch, look elsewhere. If you are stuck in a overdrive rut, this pickup might make your playing a little more reflective.

Comments: I'd rate it 10 for what it is, a superior vintage Strat pickup.

Pickup features: PASSIVE SINGLE COIL
Impedence or other specs: DON'T KNOW

Model of guitar or bass: JAPANESE 50'S REISSUE
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: STOCK
Other pickups on guitar: NO
Artists using this pickup: ME
You musical style(s): BLUES-ROCK
Reason for pickup change: The sound was thin,was the vintage sound but without life.

Perceived output level: slightly more than stock
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a laney vc 30 and a tubescreamer and, man, seems like the stock pickups were a cartoon of this ones. I?ve never played the texas specials but of course the 54's are more powerful than stock.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: The 54's are a blues-rock pickup don't try to play metal or trash.

Comments: I have got the sound I was looking for. This is the autentic vintage sound. Great pickups!