By Ed Malaker
Posted 03/02/2018
It’s possible to upgrade your guitar at a reasonable price: change the pickups. Quite often, the results can be significant, especially with lower-priced guitars in which the quality of the pickups is questionable. It is possible to get the sound you are looking for simply by selecting the right pickups rather than buying a new guitar. Pickups are fairly easy to change yourself, as they require minimal knowledge and a few tools.
There are probably more brands of pickups than brands of guitars and amps combined. That said, it’s no surprise that there are pickups for virtually every style of music, type of player, and type of guitar. Naturally, it can be hard to know where to begin when faced with so many options.
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This post narrows it down to a Stratocaster body style, with three single-coil pickups, and a five-way switch configuration, but any of these should also be available as a single. From smooth David Gilmour to Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Texas tone,” or from vintage to modern, this list covers most Blues players and includes some great Blues Stratocaster pickups.
Fender Custom Shop Texas Special Strat Pickups
As the name suggests, the Fender Texas Special Strat guitar pickups are designed to give you that Texas Blues sound. If you’re looking for replacements and you’d like to get a sound similar to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt, or Johnny Winter then these Blues Stratocaster pickups are recommended. more…
Seymour Duncan SSL-5 Custom Staggered Single-Coil Pickups
The Seymour Duncan SSL-5 Custom Staggered Single-Coil Pickup, as the name suggests, is a high output single coil pickup designed to be perfect for Texas Blues, Rock, and even some Heavy Rock. This single-coil, single-conductor pickup features staggered Alnico 5 magnets. more…
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Lindy Fralin Blues Specials Strat Pickups
Lindy Fralin Blues Specials Strat Pickups provide a thick, warm, and fat sound that’s perfect for the Blues. These pickups are over-wound just a little bit, generating 5% more gain and taking away about 5% of the highs, compared to the standard Lindy Fralin guitar pickup. more…
Lindy Fralin Steel Pole 42 Strat Replacements
A cross between the standard Fender style single coil and a Gibson P90, Lindy Fralin’s Steel Pole 42 is somewhat of a hybrid. The tone of the Steel Pole 42 is more full-bodied than you might expect from a single coil, yet it retains plenty of clarity and bite. more…
Seymour Duncan Antiquity Texas Hot for Strat Set
Seymour Duncan’s Antiquity Texas Hot for Strat Set provides outstanding tone in the vein of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix. Hot, but not too aggressive, with plenty of chime and sparkle. Special degaussed Alnico 2 magnets soften the treble just a bit and keep the high notes under control. more…