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Last Updated on July 24, 2023 by Guitarist Authority
Our review of the best Strat pickups.
The legend, the icon, the Fender Stratocaster. What can we say? We love it.
The Strat was introduced in 1954 but didn’t but didn’t gain popularity until Buddy Holly played one while on Ed Sullivan in 1957. The Strat went on to become one of Fenders top producers.
The traditional Strat has been known to have three single-coil pickups. The configuration hasn’t changed much since 1954. But the technology and evolution of single-coil pickups definitely has.
We reviewed some of the best Strat pickups and we found the Fender Hot Noiseless pickups to be our favorite. We came to this conclusion due to a combination of that classic Fender sound with no hum that single coils commonly have. The full review is below.
When it comes to guitar pickups, there are tons of different types and styles out there – some better than others. With this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of 10 best Strat pickups for you to consider upgrading with.
Best Strat Pickups
Fender Strat Hot Noiseless Pickups
Why do these make our list of the best strat pickups?
- Polysol-coated magnet wire
- Ceramic magnets deliver scorching output
- Flush-mount pole pieces for even string
- Vinyl-coated output wire and plastic bobbin
Included on Fender Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster guitars. Fender strat hot noiseless pickups provide a blues style warm tone with high-gain.
Quality and tone without the hum.
Fender Hot Noiseless pickups provide warmth, clarity and dynamic response with almost no hum, meaning you can play clean for hours without hearing any sympathetic vibrations.
These pickups not only deliver that legendary single coil sound, they’re free of any pesky hum. Which means your clean, full sound won’t turn into a fuzzy mess when you crank up the volume. So go ahead and blast away.
Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Pickups
Why do these make our list of the best strat pickups?
- Hotter output bridge pickup than vintage-style pickups
- Highly dynamic, balanced output
- Alnico 3 and alnico 5 magnets
- Reverse-wound middle pickup to eliminate hum
When Eric Johnson was getting his start in the ‘80s, he didn’t want to use regular pickups because he wanted something that would match his style. He also wanted something that sounded like it could deliver when called upon in any given situation.
The Fender Eric Johnson Strat pickups are meticulously created to preserve EJ’s singular tone. The single coil, vintage style pickups produce the clear, full-bodied sound that musicians need for any genre of music. With these pickups installed, you have total clarity through the strings and all octaves–resulting in a tone unlike anything else out there.
The neck pickup is based on a ’54 strat. The middle pickup is based on a ’63 Strat. The bridge pickup is voiced hotter without sacrificing top end.
Fender Tex-Mex Strat Pickups
Why do these make our list of the best strat pickups?
- Polysol-coated magnet wire
- Staggered pole pieces for balanced output
- Reverse-wound/reverse-polarity middle pickup to eliminate hum
- Alnico 5 magnets for more focus and dynamics
- Overwound bridge pickup for maximum output
- Vinyl-coated output wire and plastic bobbin
Fender Tex Mex Strat pickups are one of the most versatile pick-ups on the market today.
These single coil pickups offer increased output, sparkling highs and an attention grabbing warm tone that will make your Fender Strat sound better than ever.
They offer this while still preserving the classic characteristics of a vintage Fender Stratocaster, so you can play everything from country to metal.
With their versatility these pickups were made for players who don’t want to sacrifice any tonal qualities when adding new parts to their guitar rig.
Fender Custom Shop Strat Texas Special Pickup Set
Why do these make our list of the best strat pickups?
- Enamel-coated magnet wire for warm vintage tone
- Staggered pole pieces for balanced output
- Alnico 5 magnets for more focus and enhanced dynamics
- Reverse-wound middle pickup to eliminate hum
- Overwound calibrated pickups for scorching output
- Period-correct cloth wire and fiber bobbin
This pickup set gives you a sound designed to imitate the classic Texas blues. These pickups have a higher output and more midrange than traditional Stratocasters.
The increased over-winding creates hotter pitch levels too, so they work great in small clubs or studio recordings. You can get all that signature Texas blues electric guitarist sound with these Custom Shop Fender Stratocaster Pickups.
These pickups take the edge off of your clean sound while giving you a top-end punch that will knock you out with crystalline highs and tight bass.
Fender Vintage Noiseless Stratocaster Pickups Set
Why do these make our list of the best strat pickups?
- Polysol-coated magnet wire
- Staggered hand-beveled polepieces for smooth, balanced tone
- Alnico 2 magnets
- Vinyl-coated output wire and plastic bobbin
The same pickups that are on the Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster guitars.
The custom-wound Alnico V magnetic pickups are beautifully clear and articulate. Made from the same material that powered Clapton’s most influential tones throughout his illustrious career.
These Fender Vintage noiseless pickups retain attack and clarity of notes even at their highest peaks without generating unwanted noise or hums–perfect for any amp style from clean jazz to high-gain metal.
Seymour Duncan California ’50s Strat Pickup Set
Why do these make our list of the best strat pickups?
- Alnico 5 rod magnets
- PVC lead wire
- Authentic chime and bell tone
- Staggered pole pieces
Seymour Duncan pickups are hand-wound and tested for superb performance. The vintage Strat pickups work to obscure feedback and give your tone a full, clean sound.
Seymour Duncan California ’50s Strat Pickups are perfect for the guitarist who wishes to play with a vintage sound without compromising on tone. They have all of the classic in-your-face chime so desired by old school Strat players.
It’s bright and clear and doesn’t skimp on warmth.
Seymour Duncan Custom Staggered SSL-5 Pickup
Why do these make our list of the best strat pickups?
- Medium-output
- Overwound single-coil
- Delivers big, fat chords
- Single notes are bold and loud
David Gilmour inspired as he needed a special sound for his Black Strat.
This Seymour Duncan Strat pickup provides an aggressive, in-your-face tone with lots of sustain. Its “Stagger Magnet” design ensures ideal string balance and output for the bridge position single-coil in your Strat guitar.
These overwound medium-output pickups (SSL-5) give you an uncompromising tone. The SSL is currently used in Gilmour’s signature Fender Stratocaster and with good reason; Seymour Duncan has taken this high end, rare pickup design and beefed it up to work superbly with all kinds of guitar setups
Seymour Duncan Little 59er Pickup
Why do these make our list of the best strat pickups?
- Warm, smooth and defined tone
- Slightly stronger treble emphasis
- Single coil sized humbucker
- 4-conductor lead wire
- Ceramic magnets
Seymour Duncan Little ’59 Strat pickup bridges the gap from Strat to Les Paul. This humbucker will act like an LP in your Stratocaster, adding true Les Paul tone.
It looks like a normal strat pickup with three wire connections (for both coils). It sounds like a standard strat, but it has much more midrange punch and output.
These pickups are hand built in Santa Barbara, CA.
Lace Sensor Guitar Pickups
Why do these make our list of the best strat pickups?
- Passive
- Set of 3, including Blue, Silver and Red (hottest)
- Virtually no hum
- Warm low end, blues sound
The Lace Sensor pickup set includes three separate pickups. The blue produces a warm 50’s humbucker sound. The silver gives a 70’s single coil sound with more midrange and output. The red is the hottest of the three and provides a nice punch.
These are noiseless pickups and they do a great job of eliminating that pesky hum.
Fender used Lake Sensor pickups from 1987 to 1996.
Buying Guide For Strat Pickups
If you looking for the best strat pickups, there are a few things to consider.
Pickup Types
There are three main types of pickup categories. Single-coil, humbucker and P90.
Single Coil Pickups
The single coil pickup is found on many guitars but it was made famous by the Fender Stratocaster. Its single coil works by sensing the vibrations of steel strings and converting these vibrations to an electronic signal.
The most common downside is that due to the single coil configuration there is that common single coil hum we’re all used to.
However, as seen in the products above. Technology has come a long way and they are now able to produce noiseless single coil pickups.
P90 Pickups
The Gibson style single coil. They produce a warmer tone than the Fender single coil.
Although in their original form they do not fit Strats, we wanted to make sure to mention them here. People have been known to rout out and fit P90s into Strats instead of the normal single coil.
From 2003-2007 Fender produced the Fender Strat-o-Sonic which was a Fender Strat with P90 pickups.
Humbucker Pickups
Humbucker pickups utilize two single coils to cancel out the hum common to a single coil. As shown above in our recommendations, there are humbucker style options for your Strat.
Pickup Magnets
Ceramic
Economical to produce with bright upper mids and punchy bass.
Alnico 2
Second weakest magnetic string pull of the Alnico magnets. Enhanced mid-range and softer highs than the Alnico 3.
Alinco 3
Weakest magnetic string pull of all the Alnicos. Warm mids, glassy highs.
Alnico 4
Balanced mid-range, tighter bass than the Alnico 2.
Alnico 5
Sharp attack, bright top end. Provides a more traditional Fender tone.
Alnico 8
Strongest magnetic string pull of the Alnicos. Closest tone to the ceramic magnets.
How To Change Strat Pickups
Changing your pickups is not very difficult. This video will help make sure you have no issues.
If you want to swap your single coils to humbucker pickups you can check out this video by Fender on how to install humbucker pickups in a Strat :
FAQ
How do guitar pickups work?
Magnets are wound with a conductive wire and pickup and translate the vibrations of the strings to an electronic signal. This signal is sent to the amp to produce the noise you hear,
Why are Strat pickups angled?
The bridge pickup on a Strat is angled to provide more treble. The closer the pickup is to the bridge, the more treble punch. This is why the lower part of the pickup, near the highest strings, is angled towards the bridge.
How to adjust pole pieces on Strat pickups?
Many Fender style pickups are non-adjustable. The only pole pieces you should try to adjust are the ones with screw/hex slots.
However, you’ll want to make sure your pickups are adjusted to the correct height for optimal tone.
How to clean guitar pickups?
Use a clean cloth to wipe off the dust and debris that is easily removable. For any more stubborn dirt/grime you can use a soft cloth, dampened with a gentle soap to scrub them clean. Wipe them down again, make sure they are completely dry.
How to test guitar pickups?
You can test guitar pickups by measuring the Ohm resistance from the output jack. Touch one of your multimeter leads to the cables free end (one end should be plugged into the guitar). Touch the other multimeter lead to the sleeve of the free end of the guitar cable.
Compare the measured Ohm resistance to what your pickup is rated for.
How do I know if my guitar has active or passive pickups?
Active pickups require an additional power source, passive pickups do not. If your pickups do not have batteries or something else providing power, they are passive.
What guage wire for guitar pickups?
Most common is 22awg but 24awg is also used, especially in four conductor setups.
Our Verdict
Guitar players typically have a preference for the type of pickup they use. This can be due to individual taste, or it could depend on what genre of music you play. There are many different pickups with many different tones.
That being said, we like the Fender Hot Noiseless pickups as our choice for best Strat pickups. The set includes all three pickups, has that classic Fender sound and has virtually no hum. What more could we want?
Whichever pickups you choose, make sure they are from a reliable brand and you can’t really go wrong.
