Anyone use GFS pickups in their Strat?

squierjosh · 04-09-2010, 04:52 PM

I currently have a MIM pickguard assembly in my Squier Strat. The MIM was built in 93 or so, so I don't know if it's any good or not. It's definitely better than the stock assembly I took out. But, I think this guitar could sound better. Has anyone tried the GFS alnico pickups in their Squier? Either the GFS pups or the pre-wired pickguards (which I assume are a lower quality alnico pup).

peskypesky · 04-09-2010, 04:54 PM

i've tried two types. the pre-loaded pickguard with alnicos that costs about $60. and a set of GFS Premium Alnico IIs. they're all decent, but i can't say i've been nlown away by their sound.

then again, i don't have a lot to compare them to....

squierjosh · 04-09-2010, 04:54 PM

Crap, wrong sub forum. Can I move this to the Strat forum?

5thumbs · 04-09-2010, 05:43 PM

Ill let ya know next week i just orderd some Prem. Overwounds

savofenno · 04-09-2010, 07:25 PM

GFS wired pickguards come in 3 quality levels, all are with Alnico pups. The most expensive Neovin wpg`s must be of high quality. I am considering the middle quality wpg w alnico 5`s for Squier strat standard 2004, china. But i need a comment from somebody who knows how it really sounds. Check the GFS website for more info.

5thumbs · 04-09-2010, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by savofenno

GFS wired pickguards come in 3 quality levels, all are with Alnico pups. The most expensive Neovin wpg`s must be of high quality. I am considering the middle quality wpg w alnico 5`s for Squier strat standard 2004, china. But i need a comment from somebody who knows how it really sounds. Check the GFS website for more info.

Ck. out youtube lost of reviews on there

mijstrat72 · 04-10-2010, 12:28 PM

I bought some premium vintage alnico staggers (i think they were $60) for my mij, LOVE THEM!

I later bought a set of CS 69's to try out, guess what...the GFS' smoke them.

My tone snob buddies lust after my tone big time, and compared to one of my buddies Fender noiseless in another strat, and a set of CS texas specials my other buddy has in his strat, the GFS' stomp those guys.

Get the premiums. I don't don't know about the neovin, but I do know that alnico has been used for along time and sounds great.

5thumbs · 04-10-2010, 04:23 PM

Got mine today order on thursday and got them today. Put them in and DAM thay sound good! Its was just the sound i was after and were just as discribed on the sight. Im glad i didn't wast money on more expensive set, VERY HAPPY
5thumbs

Rockin Johny · 04-11-2010, 09:42 AM

Doug, what set of PUP's did you get?

5thumbs · 04-11-2010, 10:45 AM

Premium Overwound Alinco's i put them in my red strat what a improvement! It brung it to life.I knew that it should have sounded better than it did (with old p/u's) Well worth the money. I looked at All Kinds of P/U's and just seemed to keep comming back to that set the price was right it turned out to be the set for me !

5thumbs · 04-11-2010, 11:23 AM

new pickups red strat

peskypesky · 04-11-2010, 05:12 PM

ok, i did a set up on my cream Bullet today and i've been playing it for a couple of hours. it has a set of GFS Premium Alnico 2 pickups in it and it sounds pretty darn sweet. nice clear, bell-like tones. Loving the 2, 4 and 5 positions (bridge+middle, middle+neck, neck).

i've been comparing it to my surf-green Bullet, which has a Tex-Mex in the middle and a Fender Hot Alnico in the neck, and the guitar with the GFS pups sounds better. not as hot, obviously, but clearer and prettier.

http://store.guitarfetish.com/gfspiialiiha.html

mijstrat72 · 04-11-2010, 08:59 PM

One of my buddies spends LOTS of money on guitars, gear and has a ton of vintage stuff laying around. He likes good tone. He heard my MIJ one day and was completely smitten by the tone, and asked what I was using. He shook his head and said "There's something to those GFS pickups".

He's right. I love mine to pieces. They seem to get better. I've had mine for about 4 years, and they just seem to be getting better, hard to explain...of coarse, maybe it's my fingers! Those pups do induce practice sessions more often.

weelie · 04-12-2010, 04:23 AM

I have the Neovin noiseless set in my Squier strat.

Strat-Man-Do · 04-12-2010, 09:52 AM

Really depends whar your doing and what your looking for. First off the actual GFS pick-upa are far superior to their bargain assemblys.

Second if "for example" your looking for a vintage Telecaster/Stratocater tone it wouldn't make sense to use Rails or humbuckers or P-90s or minis...Just Sayin.

I use a Lil Killer Modern-Vintage in the Bridge of my Telecaster. I also use a Filtertron Liverpool in the neck. I use CTS Pots with a Switchcraft 5-way. This give me three humbucker positions ans two single coil positons. Or whatever you want for tones. Out of Phase or Series or parallel. Depends on what you want to do. But this is the Tone I'm looking for.

I also have a Telecaster with a 50's set of Telecaster Alnico III single-coil pick-ups. You can't compare the two sets of pick-ups.

Its easy to say............I used a PAF GFS humbucker in my neck of my Strat and it sounds like ****. Doesn't sound like Jimi at all. DUH???? Is its any wonder?

Take a look at these two telecasters.

Both Telecaster granted one is Alder the other Pine, one id Rosewood the other Maple. But my point is the difference is like day and night...becuase of the pick-ups.
GFS IMOHO make the best Rail I've heard PERIOD, And I've had Joe DiMarzio custom wind me a set I've used all od Seynour Duncans. The set I continue to use are the GFS Modern Vintage. I have a set loaded in a Strat in all three positions and a Tele bridge position as you see above.

Listen if their was a better sounding RAIL? I'd be using it.

Again it depends what your looking for. I have heard a argument about using a GFS Rail or a set of Tonerider City Limits? How could you possibly compare these. One is a Humbucker and the other a slightly overwound Single-coil with no emphasis on the midrange.

I use the City Limits and they are spectacular single coils. If you are looking for a authentice Strat Tone slightly overwound, that does not have a raised midrange like "Texas Specials" these are your pups.

If you are looking fora Humbucker that retains some single coil attributes like clarity and a clean tone with a increased output and NO-NOISE? Then a RAIL is a Good choice. But its a humbucker. If you roll back the volume you will to a degree simulate a single coil pup. But wide open it is a humbucker.

5thumbs · 04-12-2010, 05:25 PM

I have a set of Area 58/61's in a Hwy1 strat i have and wouldnt change a thing to me its just right

i just didnt want my strats to sound the same.

Strat-Man-Do · 04-13-2010, 09:38 AM

Let me show you a few guitars and explain my thinking.

The Blue SSH Strat and the Blonde CV-50 Tele have TONERIDER pick-ups. The Blonde Tele is the stock Alnico III set which are great at coping twang, clear, clean 50's Tele Tones without being overly ear-piercing. The Blue MIM Strat has a set of "City Limits" Tone-Riders. [and I can't say enough about these pick-ups] I have had the guitar apart at least three times. It went from SSH to SSS and back to SSH. The third time going with the neck City Limit, the bridge City Limit in the middle with means its "not" RWRP so the Quack inbetween tone is exceptional. And the volume drop-off from the humbucker in the bridge to the middle single coil in non existant in esssence this combination works exceptional. I've held on to the middle positon RWRP City Limit in case I decide to go back to SSS [i'm prety traditional and likt to stick with SSS] so you never know. The City Limits are very impressive pick-ups and I grew up playing Strats and still have my original 1960 Strat. These are as good as they get. For a overwound pick-up without a TON of midrange emphasis. These are trully PERFECT. SRV would LOVE these. And he comes to mind when I hear them. Straight up Strat pups, slightly hotter, but not with the EQ messed with. Probly as close to SRVs pups as you could get.

Now the other two guitars.....a CV-60 Custom has a Lil Puncher Vintage/Modern Rail and a GFS Retrotron Liverpool Humbucker. What a combination. I like it so much the Tele easily gets as much play as a few Custom Shop built USA electrics I own

The Strat started life as a CV-60 Squier. I picked it for the body which is immaculatly matched with the body grains[and VERY LIGHT]. Its a TWO-PIECE body which is rare in itself [entire guitar is 6lbs even] rare in itself. The routes are perfectly done and the Neck has the OLD STYLE neck route. You don't see the two round drill makes at the back of the neck pocket. All the CVs are done this way now in the begining theywere NOT done this way. The neck is a All Parts 1960 Slab Board with Rosewood board and very FAT. Easily as thick as my SRV Strat. The frets are Dunlop 6500 JUMBO wide frets. I used the Vintage style TMs that Cvs come with becuase IMHO they atre JUST as good as the original Klusons if not better. Schaller Strap locks are added and a Fender pearliod PG is added. I payed a bit more and used a Fender PG becasue they use a tinted PG which is NOT as bright white as many of the aftermarkets.

The pickups are a calibrated set of Lil Killer Modern Vintage RAILs. And they very well may be the best set of Rails I have ever heard. As I mentioned in previous threads. Joe Dimarzio and Seymour Duncan have both custom wound me a matching set of Rails. Neither hold a candle to the GFS. To be "fair" Bill Lawrence alseo wound me a set of which started life out as 250's. make no mistake about these. They are very very good rails. Capable of coping vintage Strat tones yet also with the ability of getting downright rude. Nice rails for sure. I have just had better luck with this set of GFS Rails. So I also had Jay wind me the Telecaster Rail in my CV-60 Custom. Its is also ans exceptional pick-up and very versitile. Roll back the volume and it cops vinateg tele tones. crank it up and it gets downright nasty.

Just so you know, I have an electrical degree..so I do all my own work with the electronics. Which really is very simple and if you take your time and do a bit of reading on basic electronic circuits, you don't need an advanced Motor Control degree or EE degree to figure this out.

But at any rate I use CTS pots. But make no mistake about this, the ALPHA POTs that come stock in the CV-Squiers are more than usable as is their switchs. I use the CTS becaseu I am pulling the entire guitar guitars apart so I prefer to do this my way. I also use my owm wore which I order from Guitarfetish. I use Switchcraft switchs, I use Stew-Mac output jacks on Telecasters.

But to get back to the pick-ups. GFS is ran by Jay and his close friend Dave. Jay worked for GUILD for years in the elecrical dept dept winding the Guild pick-ups. Make no mistake about this, he is VERY GOOD at what he does. Not that this is rocket science. But its is tried and true formula which you are seeking. You simpl cannot throw a pick-up together and say "OK here it is" Doesn't work that way. You may very well have to build that exact same pick-up 25 times to et it close to where you want it to be. Then another 25 times to perfect it. So when you suggest that GFS is JUNK? You have NO CLUE what you are talking about. NOW second. are GFS pick-ups built in the USA? NO they are assemblied in CHINA. BUT the original design is built and spec's out here in the USA. The psecs are sent to CHINA for assembly. LABOR is very inexpensive in CHINA. Thsoe same pick-ups built in the USA woyld cost you $250-$300 a set. And you would would then swaer they are far superior to most USA pups? Don't let your mind play tricks on you.

Play the pick-ups. But before you judge them..KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. To drop a high output pick-up in where you are looking for a vinatge low output? Its not gonna do anything for you. Your immeditae re-action is goind to be what? Oh this is junk. But isn't it better to say "This is NOT what I am looking for". Then to wrongly accuse a pick-up of being JUNK. When in reality it may very well be PERFECT for another in a different situation. This is the MOST common situation I come across with pick-ups. And I often see GREAT guityars passed on and inferior electrics chosen simply because the pick-ups are preferred in the other guitar.

Lets look at this way. if I handed you myn 1960 Strat and sdropped a set of Harmony ceramic junk single-coils in it. What would you thinkm of the guitar. To the n-trained eye you would se the rusted saddles. You would see the years of worn finish. The tarneshed TMs. If it didn;t say fender on the headstock you would immediatly assume its was piece of JUNK electric. My case in point.