Fender Stratocaster

"Use big strings, Tune low and Floor it"

Stevie Ray Vaughan

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I put a lot of info in my adds so if you just want the bottom line, the best SRV tone available, click here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs1u9yaFL1c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9oCIXHETy4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en8PY-lv8pU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xPp4cwuq9Y

for a slideshow of examples of Slider's work click here

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=366115811&blogId=530145247

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This item is in Sydney, Australia and postage via insured air is $25 US world wide

and only $10 US express satchel within Australia

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Use "Buy it Now" and receive, as a bonus, your choice of either 

1/ the period correct, re-pro 1959 spec, Cornell-Dubilier .1mfd/150V "Chiclet" waxed paper tone capacitor

or 

2/ the very musical re-pro 1953 spec, Cornell-Dubilier .05mdf/150V "Tubular" PIO waxed paper tone capacitor

to complete the upgrade!

These fantastic sounding reproductions are the perfect partner to ensure you get the most from these "scatterwound" pickups. Perfect tone with vintage mojo!

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 "Genuine" old vintage pickups are way overpriced and a huge gamble, here's the problem, 

In the 1950's, electronics were pretty basic, to the point that the mechanical counters on the machines that Leo & Co used to handwind pickups were very inconsistent, errors in production, both mechanical and human, were common place. This caused the wide variation in specifications and sound we find in vintage pickups sold today. Some sound great, others are less than impressive! Old DOESN'T mean good!

Vintage correct single coil pickups have miles of delicate, hair thin wire, wrapped directly around the metal poles, 50+ years of electrical currents, temperature variations, humidity, vibration, sweat and if you are like some of my friends, spilt beer, can cause corrosion, shorts or breakage, killing your expensive investment.  It's a fact, you just don't know what you are buying in your "tone quest". Check out the last pic from a 1962 Strat set I recently rebuilt, how would you liked to have paid top dollar for these a week before they died of internal corrosion!

The other common problem is buying yourself a new pickup, to replace an existing one in a guitar, unless you know exactly what you have and as far as magnetic polarity and winding direction, you will be heading for "out of phase" issues and more wasted time and money, one more for the bottom draw! Replacement pickups and old vintage sets always come with a one, two guarantee, once you buy them too bloody bad! 

Now you can try something you never thought you could, a totally authentic re-creation of the famous late 50's Strat pickup set. Not the modern mass produced offerings that everyone's playing. These are identical those vintage muti-thousand dollar sets you have seen, only better!  WHY....

I start with black fiber "forbon" bobbins, lacqured to prevent internal corrosion around the sand cast, vintage staggered, hand beveled AlNiCo poles.       The AlNiCo 5 combines with the scatterwinding to achieve clarity but still retaining a rich and warm "Bluesy" tone. The hand aged, hand bevelled AlNiCo poles add a smooth, mellow warmth to the classic strat "bell tones and quack" without the thin "ice-pick" sterility found with most newer, cheap and machine produced pickups.

Then, exactly like the best originals, I use a special "twine ball" scatterwinding to give back the irregular, overlapping windings and by stretching and relaxing the wire as the coil is built, I intentionally introduce variations in the wires diameter that was present in the original 1950's production wire that has disappeared with today's modern computer controlled and exacting production specifications.

These variations produce changes in resistance and little eddy currents within the coil, this is where the really great tonal nuisance starts. This is enhanced by the heavier wire so you get a good amount of "wire weight". It's this weight that generates the power to really drive your amp. Because you physically can't fit excessive amounts onto the bobbins there is always going to be those bell tones and airy clarity.

Most Strats have slap up copies of the old "hand made" pickups. These have a plastic bobbin with moulded holes into which non-magnetic metal slugs are positioned, a single, flat cheap ceramic bar magnet is slapped onto the base to turn them into "non permanent" magnets over which, machine wound industrial grade wire is placed to act as the coil. You get much less of this thinner, (usually less than .055mm)  cheap wire and often higher resistance or "Hot" pickups. Higher resistance chops out the trebels, there goes the "sparkle" and there goes your tone and power! Check the last photo, CRAP ALERT!

It's like saying a vinyl jacket is just the same as a leather one, no difference, right?

Nearly all "current production" pickups are mass produced in automated factories or in large lots, some have up to 2mm of plastic between the poles and the coil wire. Remember those magnets are trying to relay a very weak, complicated signal. 

These pickups will never capture the tone, character and quality created by a correctly built, scatterwound pickup, it's the differing tensions and overlapping irregular pattern of the windings, DIRECTLY around the hand charged magnets that produces that true, elusive vintage tone.

       For Auction are a matched set of handmade "scatterwound"  SRV "Nunber 1" re-creation, 1959 spec,  single coil pickups for your Strat or Clone or Special project.

                                                                           Slider's Classic Vintage 59's "SRV"

All personally built, handwound and matched here in Sydney. All parts are imported from the USA and the highest quality, true to the original Fender pickups.

This set consists of 3 hand made "scatterwound" Single Coil Pickups with re-pro Bakelite style Pickup Covers. These classic pickup covers alone are very difficult to find and sell for considerable amounts by themselves! You also get a full set of aged 6-32 UNC adjustment screws with natural amber, vintage style rubber spacers. 

This set is built with 1959 spec, vintage correct materials and composition. All ready to install with the averaged '59 DC impedances plus the addition of my special  (??%) overwinding to accurately replicate the "mistakenly" overwound/rewound set used by SRV in his famed Number 1,

The actual DC Kohms resistance and special winding patterns used on my SRV re-creations is the product of my research and testing and as such remains my personal information

South magnetic polarity, correct for factory post c1959

Winding (clockwise), 42g (.063mm)  "Formvar-H" vintage spec copper wire

AlNiCo 5 etched, vintage staggered height, Hand beveled, individual pole pieces, Low B, high D & G. All individually magnetized by me, using rare earth Neo-dymium Boride polarising magnets to recreate 50 year old Alnico. Exacting, aged replication.

Vintage correct Black vulcanized "forbon" fiber flatwork bobbins with Nickel Silver wiring eyelets

Output wiring is 12" Black (ground) and 12" White active (yellow for RW/RP mid), 22 AWG celanese wrap and waxed braided, cotton outer insulation, vintage pushback wiring

This set has a reverse wound/reverse polarity (RW/RP) middle pickup, totally vintage tones in the 1/3/5 switch positions but with the added advantage of hum reduction in the combined 2/4 switch positions of a 5 way set-up.  All are matched to work perfectly with 3 or 5 way switching and no "out of phase" issues or dramas!

All come with "Relic" Vintage White 50's Bakelite style pickup covers, and a full set of aged 6-32 UNC round head mounting screws with vintage style amber rubber compression spacers. I am happy to fit your colour choice (check pic for options)

All are Lacquered, prior to winding to prevent long term corrosion of the wire against the AlNiCo poles (the most common problem I see for killing vintage pickups, check that last pic again!), then mixed wax potted "post build" to reduce possible high volume microphonics and provide protection to the delicate windings.

All pickups come individually "class A" tube amp tested, labeled and signed with all specs relating to Materials, Polarity and Composition.

These are not an "off the shelf" pickup and are intended for the discerning player or restorer of fine instruments.

copy this link and have a listen to some "samples" of these Classic Vintage Pickups. All sound bites were provided by recent customers, posted just as I recieved them, not expertly produced and mixed....this is what YOU can really expect!!!

 http://www.myspace.com/slidersvintagepickups  

One of the best Stratocaster resources on the net, great info and a good laugh....

http://stratoblogster.blogspot.com/

All pickups are tested on a class A Tube amp for full functionality and a signed info sheet is included. Each set is handmade as a set of 3, from build thru to sale. I take the utmost pride in producing what I consider the very best in sonic and visual re-creations.

That being said, I will always offer an unconditional money back "tone" guarantee, If you don't like them, send them back, no dramas! 

I love recreating that which is lost to most of us, true vintage guitar parts for players.

I am happy to answer questions of a more technical nature or discuss your personal requirements..My Lefty, Loaded Strat pickguards, Vintage 50's Tele pickups and matched sets are available.... feel free to contact me and discuss any personal, custom or special project requirements. 

[email protected]

All statistics contained herein are from known facts, published information, my research, customer contributions and personal knowledge, in otherwords they could be BS....

Any recreation of vintage parts is an artistic endeavour and solely the interpretation of the artisan (that's me).

Thanx

Slider