Fender Fat 50's

well we all know ;-): Single Coil, Set of 3, Middle-pup reverse-wound & -polarity, so they're hum-cancelling in 2&4.

BE CAREFUL WHEN WIRIRNG THESE!
THERE SEEM TO BE SETS AROUND, WHOSE MIDDLE PUP-WIRES HAVE THE WRONG COLOUR-CODES!

Came stock on my 1960 Custom-Shop Alder-Strat (btw: built-to-call LPB in CC -yummy!) w/ rosewood slab-board. Sat in all 3 positions, comes stock on many 50/60's CS-Relic Strats. I gigged with them for a year now, so it's time to share thoughts. I get the feeling that very often people put something up here after they've just bought the stuff - while my entusiasm is long gone ;o)
I play a new Vox AC30 (w/Wharfedale-speakers), a 1994 Fender Blues DeVille 4x10 (these blue Eminence(?)), and a Custom Hiwatt 50 Combo 1x12 (Celestion). Effects are: Black-Cat Wah-pedal, and T-Rex Dr. Swamp OD. Sometimes a Chinese OD from 'Belcat'-sounds good, is built crappy.

Output-level seems a tad more than stock, this is enhanced through the wirde-frequency spectrum they transmit. The sound is 'big' and 'rough' and more 50's than 60's Strat-tone (well, they're not 'Fat 60's'!). They definitely cut through any mix with great authority (that I was not used to from a Strat). The sound is 'in-your-face', without the complexity of the 'bells & whistles' a 60's pup delivers.
The problem for me was that they do not really deliver the smoothness you usually get when using neck or neck-middle. The quack was pretty much drowned by the big bass fundament of these pups. Coupled w/ rosewood and a 0.1 tone-cap (true vintage spec), the neck pup sounded too low-resonance, and the tone got a bit muddy. After time I got the feeling that my Strat was 'on steroids', and when overdriven hard they really start to sing, reminding me of Blackmore's tone in the early/mid 70's.

Although I find these are really good pups, they are just too over the top for me. I found I'm rather looking for that 'glassy', 'bell-like' tone of an early 60's Strat (think Knopfler, Rea, Hendrix), than for that Fat 50's-sound (think: Dick Dale). So I exchanged them for 57/62 pups (w/.47 Jensen foil-cap for tone) recently, and now I'm a happy camper.

Very good pups, but as always you have to let your ears decide.
If you want a BIG Strat-sound like Dick Dale on 'Misirlou', these are for you. In OD, they produce an unbelievably fat sound, which always still remains 'Strat' (something that other 'fat'pups often fail to achieve).

If you're looking for a silky-smooth 'civilized' tone, this set is not it. Also, if you need enhanced versatility, you might better get a different set of pups.

I notice that since I installed the 57/62, the guitar seems to play easier, and I have a broader range of available tones at hand.

Passive single coil strat-style pickup

I installed these in a Fender MIJ Standard Strat from about 1989, with a basswood body, poly finish, vintage trem, smallish frets, rosewood neck. I had tried a number of pickups in this guitar and wound up putting the original ceramic pickups back in. In all cases the low end on the guitar was dull and woofy, and the highs were muted. I had been blaming the body (and the thick poly finish) and was considering either a new body or selling the guitar. Installing these pickups was a last chance.

These pickups have completely changed my view of this guitar. In retrospect all the other pickups I had tried were a bad match for it---they were all on the hot side, overwound or humbucker types. I went specifically for weaker vintage pickups in the hopes that they would bring out some clarity and sparkle, without getting wimpy, and the Fat 50's delivered in spades.

The low strings are now very lively and I can get Tele spank and surf sounds with a good bass presence and no mud...think of the guitar riff from the 60's James Bond theme. The neck pickup is nice and clanky, with a dark sweetness to the higher strings for a SRV/Hendrix sound, especially with the tone rolled off a bit. The middle pickup is quite usable and nice, with a 60's R&B chinky sound. The bridge pickup is of course on the bright side---this is a Strat---but rather than simply have more treble, it has a complex chang and chime that mates well with the right type of overdrive (think Ron Asheton). The quackiness of positions 2 and 4 is not as pronounced as on some Strats, but is enough for me. String separation is great in all positions. In complex chords, individual notes can be picked out. Note attack and articulation is very good and playing with fingers vs. pick yields different tones.

Notes decay very naturally. These are not sustain-type pickups, but instead provide an accurate translation of the string's behavior. Interestingly, the overtones evolve as the notes die down, giving a great multidimensional sound that responds extremely well to dynamics of playing. This is cool through a compressor and a moderately driven amp, and it sounds great LOUD.

I installed with a standard 5-way switch, 250k vol and single master 250K tone with a .01 cap, plus a "add neck" switch that gives me bridge/neck and bridge/middle/neck sounds. These additional sounds are very useful and have a lot of character. I think vintage-type lower output pickups provide more interesting and useful sounds when combined than higher output pickups. These are definitely not high output, and many of my amp sounds that work well with humbuckers and P-90s need to be goosed to get the strat into the right drive range.

Pickup height is important. Don't crank them up as high as you can without magnet warble, the tones and dynamics are better if you back them off a bit. Also, these do have a raised G magnet, so you will NOT get perfect balanced string volume. Keeping the magnets down a bit seems to reduce the volume discrepancy. And as usual don't wimp out on string gauge. I run Ernie Ball light-top/heavy-bottoms (10-52). Be warned, brand-new strings sound pretty "sproingy" and jarring with these pickups.

Yes, I would buy these again. I *might* look for an alternative that had more even response in the G/B string area.

I've been playing for 20+ years and have owned this guitar for 17 (original owner). I'm a blues/rock/jazz kind of guy, but not the mellow larry carlton or robben ford type---I like greasy tones and string noise. I've got an Epi LP Special with P-90s, a Yamaha Pacifica floyd-type, a Dano reissue with lipsticks, a Gibson ES175... right now the strat is my favorite playing guitar.

The pickups were miswired at the factory. When I installed them, the bridge/middle position was out of phase. I rechecked and while the magnet polarity was correct, on the bridge pickup they had swapped the black and white wires. Luckily swapping those two wires fixed everything.

Pickup features: single coil passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 1984 made jap 1962 strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: standard jap p/ups
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: dont know
You musical style(s): chilli peppers/rock/blues
Reason for pickup change: jap p/ups were just not doing what I wanted.....neck p/u was muddy, middle was a waste of time, bridge was ear splitting. Best pos were the split type-still sounded rubbish though.

Perceived output level: Ive found the output to be more than the jap standards. ive also found the bridge p/u to be lounder than the others-but then perhaps its just the way that ive set up the p/us hight
Tone: The tone is great. Very standard strat sounds like you hear on a decent usa strat.
Sonic evaluation: Currently using a 212 spider amp (!) which is a pile of crap...but even through this pile of crap the pus sound a 100% better than the jap type. Tried a carvin valve recently and was knocked out by the improvement. You can really hear all the scrapes and slides etc.and when overdriven sound very sweet. Even the bridge is good.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play chilli peppers, modern stuff like franz ferdinand and trad. blues/rock stuff. Before I got these pus I only ever really played distorted as this would hide the lack of tone of the crap jap pus. I have now discovered clean and can get some fantastic tones in all positions. I now also use the mid and between settings more than ever.....the mid is just so much like a strat you hear on the old music..............these pus are brilliant for what I play, and i wish i had put these on years ago.

Comments: Ive been playing 17yrs and if stolen I would definately replace them again. These pus are like that strat sound you hear in your head...even on my cheap jap strat....its made me want to get a decent usa strat and a decent valve amp.........most importantly its made me want to play and practice more than ever...and that can only be good right?
Although Ive been playing ages, and done a few hundred gigs etc its only recently that Ive got into maybe changing pus. Best decision I have made, and fantastic value for money.
There prob. are better pus on the market, but these suit me just fine...for now.
I only got these after reading the reviews here at harmony, and because of this I thought that I would contribute.
I always wanted a decent stat sound-like those you hear on your fav. songs, but I thought that this was not possible without spending loads of money on top quality stuff. Of course that is partly true BUT for only a measly 80gb or so you can turn your cheap jap/mex/china strat guitar into something that sounds reasonable.....Now imagine what these would sound like on a custom shop through a bassman etc!!!!

Pickup features: Single Coils
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Highway 1 Strat
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: All
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues.
Reason for pickup change: Wanted the fat fifties sound for blues.

Perceived output level: Normal.
Tone: Sweet, bluesy tone. Slghtly darker than us standard pu's.
Sonic evaluation: Sweet mellow tone. Great for blues. Only dislike: because of the staggered pole pieces the high E string is slightly weak. Had to make the pu's higher on this side. Then it was better.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good for Blues +Rock. Think not good for death metal.

Comments: Would buy them again. Play since about seven years, not good, but have fun. Like the sound of them very much, but don't like them to be staggered. They match perfect with the Highway strat (rosewood), even for hard rock. In my other strat I have a Harry Haeussel blues set, which is very good too. More Power, but the fat 50s are even sweeter.

Pickup features: Passive singles
Impedence or other specs: Around 6,1 -6,3 ohm

Model of guitar or bass: 2001 Fender new american strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Delta tone
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Jazzoriented blues, + covers of all kinds
Reason for pickup change: First I liked the stock ones. I remember >I even told the guy in the musicstore that I would never change pus on this baby. My amp was then an Orange AD30R, a "brown" sounding one that worked well with the strat.
I traded the Orange for a Fender Vibrolux "Custom"
(got a lttle tired of not enough headroom...) the Fender has a solid state xxxx thing for the tubes power supply and lots of headroom compared to the Orange. Then my strat sounded too harsh and very tight in the bass, and sharp in the highs. Nice on low volumes, but I?m a wailer of the Bloomfield school, so I had to find something else!

Perceived output level: A little less than the stock, specially in the bridge pos. The other pos about the same as stock.
Tone: These pus have an airyness about them that I like. They are well balanced, even though Fender says that the new "Delta tones" (which is really a tonecontrol device, not a pu) are specially calibrated magnets on the G string. It?s lower than the "50:ies" but I don?t have a problem with that. If there really was a big issue wtih mag heights on the G string, why don?t Fender make all there vintage and replacement pus the same way?
Sonic evaluation: Right now it?s pure Fender. Vibrolux with Jensens two 10 " and my black strat with maple neck.
It works well, compared to stock pus, these have a "deeper, woodier " sound. I can really dig in to the guitar and play hard, not necessarly loud, and still get a nice growl, then by just turning down the volume on the strat, get a mellower, but still clear sound. These pus really sing when volune on guitar is on full. I like Knopfler clean, I get that, as well as Buddy Guy etc more tube distorted wailing sound. I get that as well. Compared to the stock pus, stock did not have that ability to play too hard, they went at your ear as not so musically sounding, more sterile.
I have other guitars with P 90 :es on to match a mors fatter sound, but nothing really outshines a real good strat.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Thge improvised blues that I play these are great, they are as close as I can get, then you have to consider that I?ve tried Fralins hot vintage, (to compressed) tx specials, (too muddy), Van Zant vintage plus, (just a little too compressed and too sharp in the highs for my tase) My favorite pos iis the middle of course. But both the in between ones are good too. Specially middle_bridge, very clear, but can also growl. You get Robert Cray as well as other good blues sounds from these pus.

Comments: I?m a cop and I don?t think these wuold be stolen....I?ve played for 38 years and owned a lot of gear. Everything has it?s purpose and charm. There is a time for everything under heaven...
What I might consider to do is getting a new Fender Pro amp I tried one and it was fantastic.

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

Model of guitar or bass: US Lonestar strat
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: texas specials
Other pickups on guitar: fat 50's in the middle position as well and pearly gates humbucker in bridge
Artists using this pickup: who cares
You musical style(s): everything except country
Reason for pickup change: Wanted a more classic strat sound. I like to play clean as well as overdriven and the texas specials sort of had a crappy clean sound and a good but different overdriven tone and i wasn't willing to surrender for the clean tone.

Perceived output level: I would say close to normal strat output
Tone: Well balanced, classic strat sound, very clear
Sonic evaluation: I play tube amps of various makes and models and this pickup basically sounds like a classic strat. I also have another guitar with rio grande muy grande which are cool and great pickups but i just wanted to have this guitar with a little different sound. I like the tones coming from the fat 50's better than the grandes. These pickups are very clear and really respond to your pick attack. I think you have to be a rather good player to actually appreciate what these pickups are designed for.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: These are a good match for anything that a strat could or should be used on.

Comments: What can i say i love these pickups. They do exactly what i want. I have no need to change them. Those of you who may not be strong enough players to play with a truly overdriven amp or clean should probably look more for a hotter pickup but just realize you will sacrifice tone. I just hate it when people knock the pickups for not being hot enough. You want to play hot get humbuckers and let good single coils stay good single coils. Sorry, just a pet-peave!!

Pickup features: passive single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: mexican made squire strat
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: factory pick up
Other pickups on guitar: fender 57/62 in bridge
Artists using this pickup: don't know,don't care
You musical style(s): blues,blues-rock,classic rock
Reason for pickup change: factory pick ups didn't cut it with me,fairly generic.

Perceived output level: pretty similar to texas specials, maybe a little less output.
Tone: as i said alittle less output than texas special BUT much clearer and with better definition.
Sonic evaluation: Cheap mexican made squire strat through a boss sd-1 overdrive into a fender blues junior. very simple but effective setup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: blues,blues-rock, classic rock.

Comments: definately would(and will) buy again.Have been playing since 1979 and have been looking for this tone the entire time.I own more gear than any one person should be allowed,most of it while searching for this tone.I will be honest and say that I haven't tried everything out there (yet) but of what I have tried, nothing comes as close to the sound I've been looking for all these years as these pickups. If you are looking for a good texas blues sound, these babies are what you need.Much,much better than Fender's texas specials. I know because I have another strat with texas specials in it and in an a-b comparision the texas specials get blown away. Not that I,m bad mouthing the texas specials,but the fat 50's are just so much clearer, with much better definetion. so glassy and clear while (to my ears at least) the texas specials would sometimes sound out of tune,causing me ,on more than one occassion to check the intonation on my guitar,which would prove to be spot on.I'm sure that there are probably other pick ups that would prove to be as good or better in providing the holy grail of tone but I'm very happy with these and now I can quit searching for electronic trickery and get down to what is really important to tone-ie-playing technique.

Pickup features: (Passive single coil)
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 2001 American Standard Fender Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Delta Tone Stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Probably none
You musical style(s): Blues, classic rock, hard rock
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickups were okay, but just not quite there.

Perceived output level: About the same as stock, maybe just a little more. Sounds better at high volumes than stock.
Tone: Definately has a better tone than stock - but I wouldn't call it fat. Cuts through better.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a pretty versatile Marshall JMP-1 and EL84 20/20, great for my style of music. These pickups are good clean and crunchy, but not highly overdriven. Play with the pickup height to get a good sound. I'm not really thrilled with the bridge and will probably replace with a SD Little 59 or something like it.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good for blues and classic rock. Not so good for anything heavier.

Comments: I probably wouldn't buy these again rather going for the Van Zandt or Fralin's in the neck and middle with a Little 59 bridge. I've been playing on and off for 25 years. Still searching for that sound, but these will work for now.

Pickup features: Single coil passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: '57 Reissue Fender Straocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: reissue stock pickups
Other pickups on guitar: Jeff Beck- in middle position
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Classic rock, blues
Reason for pickup change: Original pickups were too thin for many styles, including blues

Perceived output level: technically- they're hotter than stock, but not noticably, to me.
Tone: At least 1/3rd fatter than stock pickups
Sonic evaluation: Reissue Stratocaster through Fender Princeton reverb ('75), and Fender Concert ('92).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock, blues, jazz, etc.

Comments: The stock pickups were just too thin, and I found myself trying to overdrive it just to get fatter, to little avail. The fat 50's are definitely fatter than the stock pickups, and I like the sound. The fat 50's are just that little edge of fattness I needed, and I still retain the original Styratocaster sound without coloring the tone too much. I had a friend put in Lace pickups: too colored;, Lindy Fralin: Too glassy, Jeff Beck Jr.: Hot, but too frayed and raspy- not close enough to make that classis hollow clank that you hear in Startocasters.
There may be better configurations than the Fat 50's out there- probably more expensive. I am happy with these.

Pickup features: Single Coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 1988 Jap Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues
Reason for pickup change: Wanted Better Tone & Sound

Perceived output level: Only slightly, if at all, Hotter than Stock
Tone: There is just more tone and it is clearer
Sonic evaluation: I play through a Silver Face Twin reverb with good tubes and use a Danelectro Overdrive Pedal. I am very Happy with the Set-up I have right now, except for some Mods I need to make to my amp. I like the Tones I can Get now and the sound is so much clearer. When I first put the Pickups on and Played a few tunes, I noticed that the Fmin7 Chord sounded bad; With my new pickups, I could Clearly hear that the Intonation on the Low E string needed to be adjusted. I can hear the SRV sound in these pickups (Im not someone who covers his tunes though) I have had em for about 2 months and am just now getting used to them. The Sustain (coming though my amp) seems much better also.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play blues and find these pickups to work well for me

Comments: The only way I have ever been able to really Judge a piece of Musical Equipment is to buy it and use it for a while. I considered a few other pickups but bought these because of a reccomendation of a Friend. I would buy them again if they were stolen. I have a Mexican strat that Im planning to put some Custom 54s on just for something different. If you have a Jap or Mexican Strat, I would Definitly reccomend upgrading the pickups with some Fender Custom Shop pickups. Its the Best Tone for Dollar investment you can make on your Guitar (my opinion). If Your a Blues Player, I would Recommend these Pickups. Thanks

Pickup features: Single Coil
Impedence or other specs: Bridge 6.36k Middle 6.17k Neck 6.12k Measured @input jack controls on 10

Model of guitar or bass: 1999 Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Vintage Noiseless Pickups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Me.........Alot of musician's are using these now!
You musical style(s): Blues/Classic Rock
Reason for pickup change: The Noiseless pickups didn't sound good to me when used with amp distortion,and they had sought of this synthetic vibe about them overall,but for clean they were pretty nice.I also hated the way the 1 meg pots worked with these pickups.....

Perceived output level: About the same output as the American Standard pickups,Not as powerful as the Texas Specials.These are probably in between the 57/62 pups and the Texas Specials with the TS having more mid range.The Fat 50's have more of a nice scooped midrange.
Tone: Warmer and smoother with just a little bit less "high end shimmer" These pickups still retain the classic vintage strat tones though! Nice aged pickup tone like on an old 50's strat.Modeled after the most overwound Fender pickups of 1958.
Sonic evaluation: 66 Fender Blackfaced 2x12.....Mesa Tremoverb Head w/Rectifier Vintage 30 2x12 cab.....Marshall 73 50 watt non-master head w/4x12 Marshall Vintage 30's and a Powerbrake.....Fender Pro Juinor and sometimes I'll use my Digitech GSP 2101 Artist through my Pro Reverb combo or the Fender Pro Juinor depending on where we play?....

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play blues and classic rock and slower medley clean things....These pickups seem like they are well suited for every situation except all out metal tones where a guy would want humbuckers anyway,but they do the nice clean strat thing,they are great for the SRV,Hendrix,Clapton blues vibe,and if you roll the neck tone off they'll jazz for you also.Great pickups overall and very versatile with the volume and tone controls being used.!

Comments: You'd have to steal the whole guitar for the pickups,but you'd have to get through me first! ;o)
I'm 40 now and started playing at about age 11(Fantastic,but expensive,obsessive hobby!
Gear I own......Mentioned above
I love these pickups! I wanted a fuller,warmer,smoother,and rounder tone w/less bridge position shrill,and these pickups are perfect for my style.I also wanted that nice SRV,Hendrix,Cream era Clapton tone,and I can get it(pretty close).....I nail the Clapton tone much better w/my Gibson SG,but I now find that I can play more tunes with this 1 guitar because of these pickups and the warmer,slightly hotter tone.These pickups made for alot more overall versatility in my playing,and they sustain really well,and inspire me more when I'm up there playing! If you are a volume and tone pot guy like myself,there are alot of differences in tone,plus each pickup position has it's own great tone w/no bad tones,and nice clarity of notes on all strings.
I thought about Fralins and the noiseless Kinman's,or I was going to put another set of Duncan SSL6 Custom wound single coils in this guitar,but since my 62 reissue has these in there already,I thought I'd try the Fat 50's instead,plus the Fat 50's are less expensive......AND WELL WORTH THE MONEY! Fralins are great but they are $75 each x 3 pickups!
I'm very pleased with these pickups,and the Fender Custom Shop stuff is great! I don't think you are going to find a better sounding set of pickups from any other company for this price.....These pickups are also very quiet overall....Surprisingly! and very versatile,as I can't stress this enough!
Put a .01 tone cap on the neck/middle tone pot and a .022 on the bridge/middle tone pot....Wire the bridge pickup for tone control and you'll have alot more versatility of tone(especially now that you can roll the highs off more in the bridge position) Also I found that putting a "No Load" tone pot in the bridge position gave me that last little bit of high end from the pickup(s) when I'm going for clean "quacky" strat tones in the bridge/middle position..Also put a 130k resistor in series with a .001 cap to retain high end when rolling your volume back(This is a great Kinman mod by the way from his great website)and never look back....The middle pickup on the fat 50's is RW/RP also,but on the Custom 54's they aren't..........I love these pickups! Go out and check them out for yourself......Feel free to e mail me if you have questions...

Pickup features: Passive Single Coils
Impedence or other specs: ???

Model of guitar or bass: 1995 Standard MIM Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock MIM single coils
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: I haven't heard any claims......
You musical style(s): 60's and 70's blues based rock
Reason for pickup change: I'd gotten tired of the stock pickups. They weren't all that bad, just kinda lifeless.

Perceived output level: More than stock, but not really 'hot'
Tone: Pretty well balanced tone. More mid-range than stock.
Sonic evaluation: I play through a Blues Junior amp, no pedals. I dial in the volume and master to give the tubes a slight OD edge, then adjust with the tone and volume knobs on the guitar. They're very quiet in the 2 and 4 positions. Less hum in the 1,3, and 5 notches than the stock pups.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Great match for my style. Gives that blues overdrive tone that sounds so good on 'Hoochie Coochie Man' and 'Bring It On Home'.

Comments: These are a good alternative to the cheap MIM pickups on a standard Strat. Since I've installed these (about a year ago) I've been able to play Strats with Lindy Fralin, Van Zandt, and Rio Grande pickups. And to be honest, the Fat 50's don't compare to these. But for the price, they're a good deal. The 'boutique' pups are really nice. But really expensive, too. I know that someday I'll get some Van Zandts and put 'em in my American Std Strat, though. But I'll never replace these Fat 50's in the MIM.

Pickup features: Single Coil
Impedence or other specs: Neck 6.0- Bridge6.2- Middle6.3

Model of guitar or bass: Jap re-issue 68 Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock pickups
Other pickups on guitar: n/a
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues, SRV, Hendrix
Reason for pickup change: The stock ones although not bad , were not good enough. I bought the guitar with the intention of "upgrading" it.

Perceived output level: The sound from this pickup hit the "glassy" strat tone down to a nice bass timbre as well as all stops in between. Sharp and well defined without being to much.They are also much louder than the pickups being replaced.
Tone: These "quack,growl," and give bell like chimes, excellent . Good Bass and clear highs.To get the tone you want try different tonepots and capacitor values as these can make a difference between pickup sound with the same pickup model..
Sonic evaluation: The guitar I put these in is a Jap re-issue strat with maple fret board and white ash bodie. I play through a Fender 112 deluxe amp. On clean I can get some good blues and jazz tone and on drive I get a reasonable rock output with these pickups.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues, great match ( use your tone controls on the guitar experiment!). S.R.V. and Hendrix is capable with these pickups.

Comments: If I had to choose again I would buy again. I replaced the tone and vol pots to U.S. made 250k pots , Ialso replace the cap with a .10 ceramic cap. If you change your pickups you should also try different cap and tone pot values before replacing the pickups to achieve the sound or tone you want. I searched for as much info as possible about the pickups and tone pot and cap values before buying them. I am well pleased with the sound and tone.

Pickup features: single coil, basic strat configuration
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: standard strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): blues mostly with the strat, but play almost anything
Reason for pickup change: stock pickups sounded a bit non-vintage, not to clear

Perceived output level: slightly hotter than the 57-62's i had in a different strat, vintage output
Tone: very balanced, clean old time strat tone
Sonic evaluation: these pickups are very expressive compared to the stock pickups i replaced, every note seems to ring clear and strong with good balance. can get everything from "the wind cries mary" tone to some good overdriven blues with my danelectro daddy-o pedal. when i bought my mexi-strat i played about 8-9 and bought the best sounding one and when i dropped in these pickups in, wow, it just sounds incredible. i have been playing for almost 10 years and have finally found the sound ive been looking for. if you want a classic strat tone look no further.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: should be great for anything that could use the classic strat vibe

Comments: if these were stolen id be pissed because i dont have another $116 sitting around for pickups again. i play through a small fender amp, my gear is pretty spartan but i prefer the simple blues tone so it works for me. if you want humbucker sound dont buy a strat. these are teriffic pickups at a reasonable price, i would definately recommend them for those in search of the classic strat vibe.

Pickup features: Single coil - passive
Impedence or other specs: Overwound version of the custom shop '54 pickups

Model of guitar or bass: '96 American Standard Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: I am now
You musical style(s): blues & rock
Reason for pickup change: I played a friend's vintage strat and realized that my '96 American Standard wasn't cutting it in terms of that true strat sound.

Perceived output level: Output level is about the same as the stock pickups.
Tone: Clean, glassy, bell-like, although they will growl and quack when pushed.
Sonic evaluation: I play my American Standard strat through a Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket with an extension cabinet. The difference with the Fat 50's is amazing! These pickups give the vintage sound that I was missing. With my rig, I can get everything from that Clapton "woman tone" on the neck pickup to Dick Dale surf guitar on the bridge. The notch positions are especially sweet! The bridge/middle position on overdrive puts out that Paul Rogers (Free) "Alright Now" sound. While the middle position can yield some serious Hendrix sounds.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play blues and rock, but you could even play country or jazz with these babies.

Comments: The Fat 50's are the real deal! Vintage materials, alnico V magnets, black wax potting, cloth insulation. And that sound! Stolen? I won't let that guitar out of my sight. I felt that the Fat 50's were a good middle ground between the Custom Shop 54's and the Texas Specials.

Pickup features: single coil passive pickups
Impedence or other specs: standard vintage strat type in every way

Model of guitar or bass: 1986 made '57 reissue strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: who knows?
You musical style(s): Everything; cont. Christian, jazz, rock, fusion, country, heavy, dark, light, etc.
Reason for pickup change: While I have an older '62 reissue whose pickups have aged really well, these didn't sound that great. Standard strat tone, just not much of it; thin, kind of like not-very-good vanilla ice cream, you know? Not bad, just not great. I could get what I wanted pretty much out of them, but it was a struggle and sometimes just not really happening.

Perceived output level: Hotter than the Custom Shop '54s, hotter than any stock strat pickups, maybe not as obviously hotter than stock as Texas Specials, but close. Considerably more perceived output than any stock Fender pickup or standard replacements (EMGs, etc.). Something really hot like an HS-3 might be a little more, and Fralins are hotter than vintage strats, but this is essentially the real-live vintage but hot strat thing (see below).
Tone: Standard strat tone, but full and clear and hotter than normal. Pretty clear and bell-like, but a little more toward the hot, glassy end of the strat spectrum.
Sonic evaluation: These pickups are GREAT! To each his own I guess, but I'm not sure what the guy posting before me was looking for. These are very obviously hotter than any standard type strat pickups, and they ARE "handwound", which is to say wound on a machine with a handcrank ("handwound" vintage pickups were not actually wound by hand). While the Custom Shop '54s are made to the average specs of 1954 through 1959 strat pickups, these are made to the average specs of the 1958s, which were the hottest pickups Fender ever made until the Texas Specials (which don't have nearly so clear and balanced a tone). I use a variety of amps, blackface Twin Reverb, Marshall heads, retubed Sovtek Mig 50, Crate solid states; these sound great through 'em all. Now and again I could use LESS output and clearer tone, but I have another strat for that. In terms of the perceived "hotness" of tone, these have more than the humbuckers on the 1968 Les Paul Custom I also use. These are smooth, and stay smooth even with distortion, high gain, fuzz, whatever type of distorted effect used. Even when not using the "in-between" positions with the RWRP middle pickup they are very quiet. I really can't imagine what anybody could complain of about these pickups, unless you wanted the extremes of a less hot strat sound or some kind of "super distortion humbucker" sound.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play everything, blues, jazz, fusion, heavy rock, softer rock, country, gospel, contemporary Christian (which is just like saying "all styles"); this fits in with everything. If I need a thinner or lighter sound I can use my older strat (with it's old pickups, very mellow), for more volume I turn up the amp; for more gain I use a hotter amp or a stomp box, etc. Basically, if you can't get whatever you want out of any GOOD pickups on any good guitar, you need to practice more. I've been playing guitar since 1964, played HUNDREDS of guitars, acoustic, electric, solid-body, archtop, vintage, modern etc. These pickups are great and fit any style of music. They sound great in all positions on the strat.

Comments: Stolen, I'd replace them. Lost? How do you lose a guitar? Yes, I'd get them again. I really like the sound of the old pickups in my '82 made '62 reissue strat, but I'd like to get another just to put this same type of pickups in a thin-necked, rosewood fretboard strat for the darker sound. I picked these over a set of EMG S pickups with tone circuits, over a set of Linday Fralin vintage/vintage hot/vintage hot with baseplate, over Seymour Duncan "Nashville Studio" pickups, etc. I had my pick of basically any pickups I wanted, and I chose these. The only other ones I would really consider replacing these with would be Custom Shop '54s in the neck and bridge, and a RWRP "Nashville Studio" in the middle. Then I'd have to put these in a '62 reissue strat so I'd still have this sound. No complaints, can't imagine any complaints. The only thing I've ever borderline disliked about strats is the occasional shrillness if you're not careful, especially with one-piece maple necks, and these pickups fix that, too.