Fender Tex-Mex

Singlecoil Highoutput Pickups

Placed on a G&L S500 Tribute Series(Japan), replacing the old G&L MFD pickups, I changed it because I LOVE Texas pickups.

High output with a tone somewhere between 50's singlecoils and modern pickups with lots of twang(considerng the fact that it's STRAT' pickups). Texas type pickups have balanced mid & bass with slightly higher treble. I garrantee these pickups will cover any and all Strat' situations. I play both Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock n' Roll, Folk music, and Country/Gospel.

I took the chance with these pickup's, as I had never heard them before, though I have played Texas Special,Samarium Cobalt Noisless, Dimarzio Virtual Vintage Blues, several Seymore Duncan's, but Fender still know more about The Original Strat sound than anyone else.

Single coil, Alnico 5 magnets, cheepo plastic coil formers and el cheepo wireing. Reverse wound/reverse polarity middle pickup for hum canceling in positions 2 and 4. Hoter bridge pu. Overwound pu's resistance 6.4,6.4, 7.4 KOhm.

Installed in Fender Stratocaster MIM 50 aneversary. Small headstock Rosewood fingerboard neck, solid heavy body, standard stratocaster wireing, narow spacing tremolo :(.
Tex Mex set changing stock mex pickups.
Bro of SRV uses them or better said his signature strat comes with them OEM.
Stock pickups not realy in balance and ceramic pickups or magnet bars not realy suitable to bring best out of a stratocaster.
Ceramic bars are more thing of humbuckers. There they can sound better.

If set up proper and used proper this set can sound realy realy good. Actualy almost as good as any CS or more exprencive PU set.
Set up to high or used with to much gain they will sound mudy. Also they are realy dynamic and sensitive to players dynamic. They can do nice vintage sound and nice distorsion sounds as well. Neck is one of most usable neck pickups on strats. Definitly has Hendrix and SRV tone to it. Mid is rather neutral and good. Bridge is hot and has more definition in distorted setups.
This pickups will sound diferently in diferent guitars so beware for what are you geting them.

They sound realy good but It's prety easy to go wrong with them. It's also very easy to reject this PU's if not playing with them and amp till one realy gets to know them. Do not expect if all your guitars sound good on your Marshall amp with gain on 20 that strat with tex mex will sound same.

Stratocasters are just one type of guitars I like to use. One has to understand how they function and how can they sound. Specialy single coils are rare creatures.
First one can't expect same behaviour from single coil as from humbucker. How they sound will be determinated by amp as well as from setup and hight.
With humbuckers it's simple higher output more gain more distorsion.
Single coils react diferentt to a gain. Hoter a single coil less gain you can give to it. Lower outputs handle much more gain. High output single coils will sound mudy on high gain or to close to a strings.
To close to strings and guitar will feel stringy and harder to play from share string pull they make. Single coils strangly have much more string pull then humbuckers.

True single coils with six Alico magnets have to high reolution for some types of high gain.
Yes some people use "single coils" and play damn high gains but then again or they use active electronic or stacked humbuckers (Fender noiseless, Dimarzio HS and YJM etc.) or humbuckers in single coil format.
Ever heared Malmsteen strat on Vox AC30 on clean channel? Well playability and qualitiy of a guitar is top class but sound is easyly toped by any 100$ Squier. On other hand with effects it's damn good.

So if You think this Tex Mex are for hagh gain, look for other solution.

On other hand they can realy hit a spot and sound very very good. Next to their low price they deserve 9 IMO. It ain't same 9 I would give to some better pickups but those cost mostly twice as much.
I do not look at guitar or pickups to do everything as I colect guitars for special things they good at. So I rate this set for what they are used not for they versability. Mostly guitars and pickups that are versatle and can play everything arent realy special in anything. So rating is for blues, rock, pop and any other kind of music that can be played with standard stratocaster.

I use Marshall amps for getting dirty and Fender for nice cleans.
At this moment I use Marshall JCM900 4500 head and 1960 B 4x12. I use fender Super 112 combo for my cleans and it does extremly good job. Way better then what I would ever expect from it.
Mostly I appriciate sound of an amp and guitar without bringing to much things in loop. Though sometimes I feel need for something differnt and then I use some effects. It almost only happens with Marshall amps and then I have Boss DD6, Boss RC 20XL in loop and Dunlop Crybaby and sometimes TS9 infront of amp.
I own few other pedals I mostly do not use (phase shifter, chorus etc.) but sometimes they come good.

Well I have MIJ 57 RI stratocaster with CS 69's in it. It has awesome sound. Real strat as I love it. It has maple V neck serious sustain and nice sound.
I've refretted it, changed all electronics with USA parts and cut new bon nut.
Although versitle it can't do all Strat sounds. Those are only to be achived with neck with Rosewood fingerboard.

I haven't had fonds for Fender that would have sound or setup I'm looking for from out of box so I've opted for MIM.

Stock pickups use two smaller ceramic bars magnets. Pole peaces where stagered though diferently then CS pickups. They have sounded fair for what they are but still nowhere near from I have had in mind.

Normaly this set comes on JRV signature strat with maple neck. But they are hot vintage pickups hence I've thought could they bring some other sounds on Rosewood neck strat.

I've wanted SRV and Hendrix kind of sond. I have played SRV Nr. 1 signature and haven't realy heard what I was expecting from it. Played few other guitars with Texas Specials and although they are good haven't realy heard what I was expecting from them. I haven't owned them so I can't realy say is it a bad setup or they aren't it. Anyways as much as I've understud SRV was anyways playing on hanwound Van Zandts.

So I've dismantled MIM strat build it up propper. Refreted it with Dunlop 6105. I've took a top of frets and handpolished them. Cut new nut, set up strings lenght and action. I've shielded all cavities and pickguard. I've placed high pass on volume potentiometer.
First I've installed pickups flush with pick guard and then worked up till I've got sounds I want on all 5 positions.
With 10's this strat now has more SRV and Hendrix in it then most of run of the mill Fender's costing 3 to 5 times more.
On some Stratocasters neck pickup sounds good but nowhere near as good as position 2. This strat with Tex Mex has great neck sound and great position 2 sound. All other positions are good as well.
Bridge will cut true most of a situations. Position 4 has nice twang.

If set low in pickguard clean will be very nice and will get mean with stronger string attack.

On Marshall I need to go back on gain and play dynamicly and this pickups bite.
Even clean on Marshall with more gain works great.

On Fender amp welcome to a vintage city. Not as subtile and nice as my MIJ with CS 69 (AY made them) but very very good.

With lower gain distorsion this set can handle some effects as well.

Now if you want to play nu Metal palm muting drop tuning high gain madness look elsewhere. Only bridge pickup, and that moslty due it's position, will not sound mudy under realy high gain but it is going to be noisey as hell and still be worlds apart of any respectable humbucker.Wana do this kinda stuff use BL 500XL, Seymour Duncan Full Shred, Dimarzio what ever from high output section or some of active variants as EMG 81 or SD Blackouts or whatever.

Although Sound is a 9 and they are limited to music they are ment for because of their fantastic value and performance in field they ment to play I give them 10.
Someone used to guitars 2500+ $ and pickup sets from 300+ $ and people who don't need to look at price tag should look elsewhere. They can better order Custom Shop handbuild guitar for sound they want.

Single Coil

Brand new strat so the pickups came stock

Output = Medium
5150 with a Hiwatt 4x12 cabinet
Not muddy at all, in fact it slices through the mix easier than my other strat's.
I play country, R & B , Rock, ect

I dont use the center position , but thats just me.

If it was destroyed, I'd replace it with the same kind.
Playing for 25 years.
I love the Twang these pickup can get.
I dont like the sound as much with distortion, it starts to sound brassy.

Single coil, passive

Mexican Stratocaster
All positions
Stock pickups
Decided to change because I wanted an updgrade on the standard pickups

Output level is fine
I use it with a Fender G-Dec or Fender Blues Junior
I play mainly blues/rock and these pickups work well for this style of music
Pickup works fine in all positions

If it was lost or stolen I would buy these pickups again
I've been playing for two years. Also own Aerodyne Tele, Les Paul Studio, old John Birch SG
Love the sound. Much more rounded, warmer (on neck and middle settings). Bridge has a lot of bite/attack. It's quite trebly and you might want to audition it before buying.
I read a lot of reviews before buying. Decided to change because I found the standard ceramic pickups in my Mex Strat just too harsh and trebly. Really couldn't get on with the sound. Happened to try a 60th annivesary Mex Strat (which is fitted with Tex-Mex pickups) and was completely blow away with the sound. Then spotted a set a new set on Ebay for 50GBP and went for it. Just a word of warning though... if like me you're not too techy then you'll need to budget to have the pickups fitted/set up. Cost me 55GBP but I think that was worth it. So the total cost for the pickups and fitting worked out at 105GBP. I read up on how to do the fitting but it just sounded too tricky, plus I don't have the necessary tools or any idea how to set them up properly. Very satisfied. Really enhanced sound of my Strat.

Pickup features: Single Coil - Neck
Impedence or other specs: about 6.9k

Model of guitar or bass: In a Squier Butterscotch Blonde
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock Squier
Other pickups on guitar: '69 Reissue Tele Bridge Pickup - MIM
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Country
Reason for pickup change: original pickup too weak

Perceived output level: output is what I call "normal" and what you'd expect from a stock pickup. Definitely hotter than the chinese pickup that was originally in the guitar
Tone: muddy
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a 2005 Squier Affinity Telecaster with a POD and a Blues Jr. amp at home; the same guitar thru a Rocktron Replitone straight to the PA live.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play country, and I'm really surprised that this pickup came out of a Nashville Tele, because it is dark and a little muddy. It is not suitable for my style (country) without turning up the "highs" on the amp

Comments: If it were lost or stolen, it wouldn't matter because I'm taking it out as fast as I can. I'm either getting a Fralin stock neck replacement or even a standard Fender MIM neck pickup. Something that's got some clarity and high end. It does sound good by itself if you set the EQ just for the neck pickup, but then the bridge pickup is way too harsh. I have the fact that it's muddy and dark. Sad to say, the stock Squier pickup was brighter than this TexMex. I've got a Mighty Mite neck pickup in another guitar that is much brighter than this one.

Pickup features: alnico V passive single coil
Impedence or other specs: neck/middle around 6.5, bridge around 7

Model of guitar or bass: MIJ Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: poo poo McShoe
You musical style(s): all over, rootsy rock, jazz, prog
Reason for pickup change: wanted to try some stingy classic strat pups that work best thru my Hot Rod Deluxe

Perceived output level: pretty hot
Tone: trebley yet balanced.
Sonic evaluation: These take some getting used to for me, as I'm used to ceramic pups. They're very "smacky" and uncompressed. Adding my dynacomp helped make them a bit more manageable. The bridge is very trebley, but I still like it, which is why I'm gonna put one of those metal plates on the bottom. My fretboard radius is pretty flat, so I just pushed the pickups down into the bobbin. Overall, these have some nice harmonics to them. I don't try to sound like SRV, but it's pretty easy to get a similar tone. I wish they were a little more Hendrix-y (bell like and croony), but I shouldn't expect that from the name, which they live up to. Very hot and Texas sounding. My problem is that there's not too much of a difference between the neck and middle sound. the bridge position is pretty close to a tele. They take well to tone and volume knob tweaks. Overdrive very smoothly. I bought these for live playing because the louder you play with these, the better they sound. For recording, they're kind of thin and too trebley, but still useable. I use my other ceramic pup'ed guitars for that.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: I like these pickups, but they're not extremely versatile. If I didn't own other guitars, I wouldn't have bought these as my sole set of pups.

Pickup features: Passive, single-coil
Impedence or other specs: surf the net for it

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Mexi Strat
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: stock neck, dimarzio fast track 2 on the bridge
Artists using this pickup: who cares
You musical style(s): Rock.
Reason for pickup change: Wanted a twangier, punchier sound.

Perceived output level: Matches well as far as volume as the fast track does when played clean, when distorted, its not quite as loud, but its a single-coil going up against a humbucker...
Tone: Sweet twangy highs, nice mids, normal lows.
Sonic evaluation: Peavey Classic 50 through a small array of effects, through a Lee Jackson 4x12 with 2 Peavey Sheffields, and 2 Peavy Scorpions.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play rock, but occasionally I need to bring it down and play clean, this pickup is perfect for that. Great tones. I would imagine this pickup would be great for the bridge and neck positions also, but never tried it.

Comments: If it broke I'd probably just get another Tex-Mex, because they're not very expensive and have a great sound.

Pickup features: passive single coil
Impedence or other specs: 7.4k (bridge) 7.2k (middle and neck)

Model of guitar or bass: Standard Stratocaster (mexico)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock ceramic pickups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Jimmy Vaughan and anyone who likes PU's with character
You musical style(s): Classic rock (60's/70's/80's/90's), heavy rock
Reason for pickup change: It's only when you replace them that you realise how bad ceramic stock pickups SUCK! No presence, clarity or dynamics, making it difficult to cut through the mix.

Perceived output level: slightly higher than stock ceramic PU's
Tone: string to string response better balanced than stock PU's.
Sonic evaluation: I plug my Strat in a Valvestate VS100R, through a Danelectro Wah, a Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde , and a couple of Boss stompboxes (trem, chorus, delay). Neck PU very close to Jimi or SRV, middle PU very useable and can now be used for other purposes than humcancelling in positions 2 & 4 . Bridge PU quite bright without straying into harshness.Positions 2&4 full of character. When overdriven, the sounds remain well defined. If you wanna go for high gain tones, consider another guitar with punchier humbuckers and stop believing one guitar will suit all styles. Bridge PU can be made less too by wiring it with tone pot 2 (with tone 2 completely backed off and your OD switched on, you can get close to that claptonesque "woman tone").

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play classic rock (60's/70's/80's/90's), heavy rock and as far as you ask these PU's to do what they've been designed for, they will deliver without problemill

Comments: Destroyed or stolen? Anyone who ever got too close to my gear still remembers it painfully. Should these break down on me, I'd buy them again, because of their quality/price ratio. One small niggle: the neck PU wires are a bit on the short side, so be careful before you start cutting!

Pickup features: Passive Single Coil
Impedence or other specs: Close to Texas Specials but higher in the neck position

Model of guitar or bass: Standard Strat w/Maple neck
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: standard strat pickups
Other pickups on guitar: all positions replaced
Artists using this pickup: Jimmy Vaughn
You musical style(s): Rock, blues, jazz and country
Reason for pickup change: Needed a beater guitar but didn't want a beater sound. For a guitar I didn't pay a lot for, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on expensive pickups. I like the way the Jimmy Vaughn Strat sounds and understand he uses those guitars with the Tex-Mex pickups. I had also heard positive things about them, so I decided to try them.

Perceived output level: Rounder and punchier than the Classic 54 or Fat 50s, but not as hot as the Texas Specials
Tone: Pretty balanced. Nice bass and warmth, but still clear highs.
Sonic evaluation: These are great pickups. I use them on a standard poplar bodied mexican strat and I would use this guitar anywhere. Different than my Lecacy with Fat 50s, these pickups are hot, but still very versatile. I don't experience mid-range harshness some folks talk about of the Texas Specials. The 2 & 4 positions still produce the signature strat quack. They also sound good with clean or dirty channels. They do have a propensity to drive my semi-clean pedals and amps more than the Fat 50s, but many will appreciate that. I would say these are more versatile than the Texas Specials, but still add more hair on the chest over vintage style pickups.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: rock, blues, jazz and country

Comments: You know. These pickups, in my opinion, are the best value for great sounding pickups on the market. Sure, if you want to, you can spend $300.00 on a set of hand-wound pickups, but a good pickup is a good pickup. Regardless of cost, these pickups compete with other strat pups costing three times as much. The fact they are made in Mexico, use plastic bobbins and polysol wire instead of fiber and cloth keep the cost down. But as far as the magnets, winding or whatever, they seemed to have found a great formula for great sounding pickups. Many will get these on OEM models and replace them because they are Mexican made. I am a big proponent of made in USA, but I must be honest. If I had to choose one strat and only one set of pickups, I believe I would buy these and be happy using them for all the different styles I play. I will say this. The bridge pickup could either use a hotter winding or a base plate to make lead playing in that position more useable. But, what also sold me on these is the fact the neck pickup is hotter than the Texas special. When I play jazz and blues, I rarely use anything but the neck position. The extra heat and punch would be for country playing. But, I have a tele for that, so no big thang.
Regardless whether you are on a budget or just want some really good sounding pickpus to replace your ailing strat, these Tex-Mex pickpups are definitely worth a try. Not to mention the value on these is incredible.

Pickup features: Passive Single coil
Impedence or other specs: Staggered pole pieces, Alnico magnets

Model of guitar or bass: MIJ Fender Floyd Rose Fotoflame Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock pickups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Jimmy Vaughan
You musical style(s): Blues, Blues Rock, Funk, Shred, Fusion
Reason for pickup change: The stock pups were very flat sounding. I needed a little more twang to compensate for the Basswood body.

Perceived output level: Slightly hotter than standard Strat pickups
Tone: A gratituous dose of twang, with the right dose of bass and mids
Sonic evaluation: I use a Mesa Boogie DC-2 and a Laney LC50. THESE PICKUPS MADE A HUGE IMPROVEMENT ON MY MIJ STRAT! I really hated the tone-sucking of the Floyd Rose (gonna replace it soon with Standard Trem) and the compressed sound of the basswood body. With the Tex Mex pups, the twang I was looking for came out! Great!
As for blues, these are a good choice. They do not sound as dark as the Texas Specials. Did I say they have alnico mags?
For OD and distortion, I like the twang that I get especially in the 2 & 4 positions, but as with all single coil pups, they hum badly at high gain.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Jazz, Blues and Hard Rock artists will love these pups. But for high gain, go for humbuckers.

Comments: Gonna buy them again for sure! You just need to have a good acoustic tone on your Strat for them to work well. I have been playing for 10 years now and I own a Les Paul and an SG. My Strat now comes at par with my friend's Lone Star Strat after the Tex Mex pups' installation.