Best Strat Pickups for Blues and Classic Rock Reviewed
Anyone who wants to spice up their guitar skills and impress their audience would definitely need an excellent Strat pickup! It is very common for guitarists to get bored of playing the same old guitar tones over and over again. While you can also try different effects, amp settings and tweaks – using a strat to enhance the sound/tone is the best one.
So if you are hunting down a good strat pickup for your guitar – then you have landed on the right web-page! In this article, we are going to review the three best strat pickups that are ideal for blues and classic rock tunes!
If you are a vintage lover who wants to compose warm vintage-style tones, then Fender Pure Vintage ’65 is the right Strat pickup. The use of 5 Alnico magnets and the enamel-coated magnet wire – provide more enhanced and focused dynamics.
The best thing about this strat pickup is that it provides a more balances volume and output across every string. It is because of the addition of staggered pole pieces. When it comes to construction, this strat pickup uses the high-quality period-correct cloth wire with durable and robust fiber bobbin construction.
Due to its careful construction, it provides precise specifications to create the traditional and most authentic Fender tone – allowing original performance. This American Vintage ’65 is a perfect choice for anyone who wants to get tones of mid-’60s Stratocaster guitars. When it comes to blues and classic rocks – the neck position is ideal.
The best thing about this strat pickup is the powerful, clear and clean surf rock tones – to take you back in the mid-’60s. In comparison with other strat pickups, the pure vintage by Fender quite a good sounding for the middle position. No doubt this, dutifully constructed, hulk sounding mid-’60s Pure Vintage Strat Pickups is a perfect choice.
- This strat is wax coated
- It comes with aged white pickup covers
- Strong and durable construction
- No indication for strat output
- No reverse-wound pickup option
- No sound controlling option
Seymour Duncan’s California ‘50s – SSL-1 is the ideal strat pickup for anyone who loves to play the guitar tones of classics using the modern Stratocaster. Be it’s the true classic, classic rich or warm Strat Sound of rockabilly, classic rock, country or sound music – the SSL-1 Seymour Duncan’s California is the perfect match to enjoy the ‘50s music.
The sound of this strat pickup is similar to the 50s era single-coil pickup – only it provides a much better sound. The great thing about this strat pickup is that it uses a reverse polarity or reverse wound middle pup. It means that not only you could enjoy more enhanced and focused range of classic rock tones – but can also control the noise.
The flexibility for the guitar’s tones is by far the most attractive feature of this strat pickup for professional guitarists. It features hand-ground & sand cast Alnico 5 magnets. Furthermore, Duncan’s have used the best vintage materials, including the hand-fabricated forborne bobbins along with the formvar magnet wire.
With this strat, you would have just the right number of grits to create perfect rhythm-style strumming composition. Unlike the other coiled strats, this SSL-1 Seymour Duncan’s California 50s strat is versatile as it gives a broad range of classic and rock tones.
- A broad range of tones
- It offers tone flexibility and noise control
- It is made up of authentic and durable vintage materials
- This 50s strat pickup creates mild distortion
- It is suitable only for right-handed guitars
Seymour Duncan’s California Quarter Pound Flat SSL-4 is a fantastic strat pickup to create classics and rock guitar tones. You can play all the classics including true classics, rich classics or warm classics – pop, country, rockabilly or sound music with the help of this strat.
The wide range of guitar tones makes this Seymour Duncan’s California Quarter Pound Flat SSL-4 strat pick – the perfect match for guitars.
The sound quality and power of this strat is twice the traditional ‘50s era single coiled strat pickup. This Duncan’s SSL-4 strat is known to produce a fat, punchy sound similar to that of the p-90. Even at lower volumes options, the sound of the tones is immaculate and clear. It uses ¼ “magnets in its construction.
This strat is the perfect match for anyone looking for perfectly balanced acoustics due to its more enhanced and focused performance than the traditional ones. This strat doesn’t require a cover. The magnets are matched with powerful coil winding adds sustainability to the strat. It is one of the features of why this strat is one of the top picks.
Duncan’s strat pickups are known for their tonal flexibility and noise control. The durability and quality of this strat pickup are unquestionable.
- Neck and bridge are impressively sustainable
- It provides balanced acoustics
- Better performance with rosewood fingerboards
- It is considered as the best only for right-handed guitars
To Sum it Up
Unlike the other factors such as amp settings, strings or chord tweaks and effects, the most effective way to enhance guitar sounds is through strat. So hence, you need to carefully select the strat for your guitar if you want to improve your performance quality.
And if you think that you can get the right tones by just picking up any strat – then you are wrong! Strat pickup though seems an easy task it requires careful observation, time and patience.
Therefore when you are selecting the strat for your guitar up-gradation – don’t shy off to try different strat pickups. It is recommended always to try and check the strat tones before purchasing. Never purchase a strat on the recommendation of a friend – unless you heard the tones by yourself.
The last thing that you have to keep in mind is that – just like any other gear – the strat also needs to be upgraded in order to keep your music and guitar performance more focused and enhanced.
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