Ultimate Fender Pickup Comparison: Texas Specials vs Custom '69 vs Fat 50's
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2016
- Having watched my old pickup comparison, I realized I should have included the Texas Specials since, to me, anyway, they sit right in between the fat 50's and the custom '69s.
The guitars are as follows:
Red - Fender American Standard Stratocaster (early 90's) with Fender Custom Shop Custom '69 Pickups.
Surf Green - Fender American Special Run Stratocaster with Fender Texas Special Pickups
Daphne Blue over Shell Pink - Fender American Standard Parts-Caster (American Standard Neck from 2014 on Body and hardware from 2013) - with Fender Fat 50's pickups.
Amp is a Fender Princeton Reverb '68 Custom Reissue
![New Pickups For Blue Strat #1 [Mick's Strat Vlog] That Pedal Show](/img/1.gif)
To me the pickups sounded better WITH the flannel shirt on. I'm gonna buy one. Thanks for the video, very helpful!
No CCR cover ever works without the flannel shirt either!!!
Came here looking for the Texas specials but now undecided, Great overview of the pickups thanks for taking the time time and uploading the video!.
In 1969 I used to listen to Jimi every day after I was off duty. Hearing you brought back my memories of that off post apartment and the music.
Fat 50's
Neck: 00:53
Neck/Middle: 02:03
Middle: 03:25
Middle/Bridge: 04:45
Bridge: 06:08
Texas Special
Neck: 01:15
Neck/Middle: 02:27
Middle: 03:47
Middle/Bridge: 05:08
Bridge: 06:29
Custom '69
Neck: 01:39
Neck/Middle: 03:00
Middle: 04:17
Middle/Bridge: 05:37
Bridge: 07:00
Thx man.
THANK YOU
Not all heroes wear capes.
Awesome video! I was into Fat 50s but this video made me fall in love with the Custom 69s
Congradulations!! You know how to properly compare tone between two or more things. Trick is to keep it short like you did. Cant judge properly when the phrase is too long. Love the riffs. Very expressive playing. Good job.
The setup in that room alone already is amazing..
I’ve watched this video several times now, and just heard it through my old HI-Fi system. 69 it is for me! Thank you for this.
Same
I'm a huge SRV fan. Even his song Lenny showcased how special he was. The Texas special pups are for me..A little reverb,and dirt..nothing like it. Amps makes all the difference. Thanks for the video..Great sounds.
SRV also used a tube screamer pedal (I think the Ibanez.) Played a huge role in his sound.
Very nice, dude! Thanks for the comparison!
Gracias por la comparativa, me ha aclarado mucho el sonido que iba buscando. Sin duda las que más me gustan son las del '69.
Thanks for this! Was leaning towards the Texas Specials and found a lot of comparison videos where the sound quality was poor or the person was playing in a way that you couldn't tell the range of the pickups. Texas Specials still my first choice
I have Specials on my strat but damn, your 69’s were amazing! What a cool sound!
Nicely done comparison, btw. Thanks!
Excellent demo! I think the Texas Specials sounded best here, especially through the 68 Princeton, which is quite a bassy non.bright amp.
Got a set of Texans on my Tele, now want to throw a set of 69's on the strat. Great comparison, thanks!
Great comparison , thanks for Posting the video .. I have all three sets .. I love the sound of my Texas Specials , The Fat 50's sound great and I really like them , but make me want to take a nap after playing ( Maybe I should lay off the Turkey sandwiches before playing), I just bought a set of 69's they have nice Highs and Lows , just need to find another favorite Strat to keep them in !
Great playing man, you've really turned me on to that Princeton reverb! I'm torn between the Texas Specials and the 69s
Idk, the Texas specials sound snappy to me and are my favorite. Great playing btw.
Nice comparison-Custom '69 sound right to me-thinking of putting a set on my Strat...
Ty,! VERY nice. Great clean playing. I'd be even more impressed if, instead of cranking the amp, or adding pedal, just give a stronger attack, so we can hear that difference, since we all play differently. I think the 69's are for me
The Texas specials are interesting. I've been curious and wanting to buy 69's but now I'm interested in Texas specials.
They're all exceptional. '69s do it for me
Well! I can hardly tell the difference. Maybe I could in the studio but the folks in the audience would never know. Thanks for this video! You did a great job.
Tony Berkopes Not to mention he has a nice little Princeton Reverb to boot.
Tony Berkopes well old timer you sure know your stuff. You Should make a video on your gear. That Tele with the wide Stratocaster neck sounds good to me.
Tony Berkopes lol
Great comparison. Personally, IDK LOL. I like them all. My Strat has 69's in it, so I'm good, but the Fat 50's and Texas Specials sounded great.
1. cs69
2. ts (middle position tight with cs69
3. fat50
for me. Excellent comparison!
I got too busy enjoying the beautiful, subtle, under-stated playing to even care about the pup comparison that I came here for. lol.
good sounding Amp ! The right one for single coil Guitars ! And I love the CS Fat 50´s !
I love all of these pick ups. For me they rapresent the true strat tone. Of course it dependes of what you want.
In any case, I think that CS69 are more balanced
This is something I really love. Listening to strats as pure as possible. More and more I gravitate to it. I don't know why. Perhaps it's the old drummer in me and loving funky rhythms and clean Gilmour bends. I'm getting old fast...and with a strat or 2 , I don't feel bad about that. Something organic about the strat and a few minutes getting lost in the tones.
As a fellow lefty, who has both the Texas Specials and Fat50s, it's only fair to note that we lefties have the pickups upside down due to the Strat's body cavities. Since they are individually staggered poles the sound would be a little different on right handers. I managed to flip my bridge pickups 180* but the other two are technically upside down.
I love both these pickups in my guitars. I play my Texas Special guitar a lot more though.
I'm a lefty who's had lots of Strats. Why did you have to put pickups in backwards? I never had to do that. I don't get it. But if that's the case, you have routed the pickup hole a bit.
On the Fat 50’s it’s possible to push the magnets out and rearrange the order to be correct. I adjusted the heights of mine since the stagger is a bit stupid for modern strings and radius of the fretboard
The fat 50s in my 2015 left-handed strat have left-handed staggered pole pieces. Someone sold you fake pickups mate.
Hello @@milankotevski1663, would you BE ok taking a picture of them? I'm buying Fat 50s who are staggered for right hands, and would like to see the heights for us lefties. Thank you in advance
@@kanjinha I can take pictures all day long. This is youtube though.
Hi! Congratulations, Very Nice Test!
They all sound great! And now i know i want a Princeton.
Best comparison I’ve seen. C69s do it for me, but I needed fat 50s for another, as I loved them. Now I’m debating the Tex specials 😂😂😂
They're all so close that I could not tell the difference in a blind test and I would probably think it's always the same pickups!
I come to hear the ‘50s. They all sound darn good. The amp sounds sooooo good!!!
They all sound great!
tgreat job, thanks for this very hard job and perfect comparation ...hree great pickups,perhaps the 69 have more highs and definition , more cristal clear but is dificult decison,
Awesome playing
Man, tough call. I think the 69s maybedge out the Texas specials, because the bridge position is better IMO
I would have thought I would go for the 69s along with everyone else, but I'm liking the chime from the fat 50's.
Man .. I threw my air pods in, kicked back in bed , and got absolutely lost for 7:29 .. Great sound from all of them but I have to say the 69’s take this one! Nice collection , you have great taste!! 🍻
⛔️ TIME STAMPS ⛔️
Fat 50’s
Neck: 0:54
Neck + Middle: 2:04
Middle: 3:26
Bridge + Middle: 4:46
Bridge: 6:09
Texas Specials:
Neck: 1:16
Neck + Middle: 2:28
Middle: 3:47
Bridge + Middle: 5:09
Bridge: 6:31
Custom ‘69:
Neck: 1:41
Neck + Middle: 3:02
Middle: 4:18
Bridge + Middle: 5:39
Bridge: 7:02
Thank You.
This was helpful, thanks for your time, pun intended
❤
Thanks now I know why the edge chose 50s in neck & middle!
Tex specials were easily most boring to my ear... 69s very nice also.
Though I think I’d shop around for something different altogether in bridge position as I love versatility
Excellent, thank you!
Did you plan to have all of your strats match perfectly in color? This is an amazing trio. Someday I’ll have all three! Got the surf green with a rosewood fretboard and 69s so far :-). Very helpful video.
Custom 69s sounded the best to my ear.
Cool vid. Helpful too.
Thanks for the comparison! Yeah the 69s are a winner in my book.
Daphne Blue and Surf Green...the best guitar finishes of all time!
I had a daphine blue strat but it's pretty much surf green now lol, nitro does this with age and it's cool
yes, sonic blue is great too
If there's an exceptional grain in the wood a sunburst can't be beat! Many great colors but black isn't one of them for me!
Candy Apple Red
Fat 50s and the RW board make for a very traditional mellow strat sound. I have a 00s maple board MIA strat with texas specials and it sounds nothing alike. I think that it's a very similar guitar to the surf green (the only spottable difference are the saddles)
No sunbursts! Congratulations.
Great video, but ...please note, that the guitars are different. Different necks (rosewood vs. maple) and probably also different bodies (e.g. alder or ash) differences in tone are also coming from the different guitars, not only from the pickups. Alder/rosewood sounds different to Ash/maple with the same pickups.
In this configuration, my favorites are 69 for neck, middle texas special and bridge with fat 50. 69 ist generally great, but for me, too much low end in bridge/middle pos. - not so good for the quacky sound (like e.g. sultans of swing).
All here sound great but I think the Texas and 69's are tied for the most stratious sounding!
Texas Specials get my vote, but it’s really close with the 69s. Would love to see a similar vid comparing the overdriven/ distorted tones.
@L Smith Texas specials are definitely NOT high output. Neck and middle are wound in the 5.5-6 range, while the bridge is wound at 6.5. They aren’t at all high output. I have to adjust my amp volume up anytime I play my guitar with TS pups.
The tight full bass of the 69s is just incredible but honestly no matter how ridiculous it may sound my maple neck player with original pickups gives them a serious run for the money.
Came here scared that I bought the wrong pickups (the 69s) but from the comments and your playing i think i made the right choice. Too bad my amp isnt very good, its decent (mustang lt25) but i know I wont be able to get the most out of these pickups with it. It’s gonna be a big jump as they are going into a bullet Stratocaster but they should sound great none the less.
I was thinking of getting a set of Texas Specials. The '69s sound really, really nice, but I don't know if the output would be a bit low for me.
I have both, and I think the TS are great on clean, especially if you too funky rythm, but the 69's blow them out of the water for distortion, and their clean is really good too. TS bridge pickup as pretty much unuseable, as opposed to the CS69.
Thank you for showing what amp you are using..... most of the others just want to show how fast they can play....
So depends on application... Playing in the basement by myself through that sweet Princeton - love the '69s. In a band situ, I think they're a bit scooped compared to the Texas and I think the midrange on the TS would sit in a band mix better. The 50s we're sweet too. TS gets my vote overall.
I have a strat with TS pickups and while they do sound great playing clean and alone in a band context they just get eaten up by everything else to the point of my guitar not being there despite the huge volume. Comparing those to the pickups on a standard affinity squier and it's night and day, TS strat is just not there while the squier is very present and easy to hear in a band setting. Never compared TS to the 69s but I find it hard that those would be worse in a band mix, from all the guitars I've tried the TS pickups are by far the worst in a band unfortunatelly
I'll take the fat 50's thanks :) Wait.. I already have those in my HW1 :) Thanks for the post
waltzguy14151 I
Hi beauty of show i probably made a mistake i bought last week fullerton van zenat and i am not satisfied they are too strong it is hard for me to choose between 69 and 50
Outstanding comparison. I wonder about the drop in output on the Texas Specials?
69s got that full bass tone i love it
Totally, in every position..
Thanks for the comparison. Sounds to me like the tremolo on the amp is on all the time. Would have rather heard the pickups without it.
Gracias.... que buen video... está genial... sos un crack..
if you did the Fender Blender wiring - your exellent Fender Strats give you 2 more positions All Strats sound cool and the different Pickups does their Part well over the Fender Princetone reverb Amp with the celestion Speaker 😁😁😁 really a good comparison and as we all know a Pickup has no Sound
69’s get my pick, who in their right mind doesn’t love 69’n
Saludos..muy buena la demostración....👏👏 Una consulta las Texas y las 69 generan mucho ruido Humm.? Alguien sabe?? Gracias
Tenho Texas Special há cerca de meio ano! Fazem pouco ruído! Têm uns baixos fabulosos. É uma solução muito profissional. Tem um leque de soluções muito vasto. Gosto bastante!
dude ive got texas specials in a 50$ guitar. it sounds crazy.
Good morning friend, I turn to you for a consultation, I just bought some used texas special pickups, they look like new, I have already checked photos and everything corresponds that they are original, but as for the ohms they are well below what the manufacturer specifies, Neck 5.6K, Medium 6K, and Bridge 6.3K (I already used 2 multimeters in case there was a measurement error), while the manufacturer specifies that they must be 6.2K 6.5K 6.7K, will they take turns or would we suspect they are false? I appreciate your valuable comment, best regards!
Appreciate this detailed demo. I am not happy with my SCN noiseless pickups on my Deluxe V Neck, and am ready to change them. I like the Fat 50s. I wonder how they will sound with the S-Switch, or should I get a loaded pickguard. I’d like to swap just the pickups since it has an aged white pickguard. Hopefully the pickup covers will work with the new pickups. Any advice I appreciate.
I have a deluxe with SCN’s also. Did you get the S1 switch to work or change whole setup? Not much info out there about this. I’m look to change myself.
@@TheFreeman4955 you’re absolutely right. There’s very little information on it. Paul David’s did his and was the closest thing that explained it all. You’re going to have three wires with the SCN and two wires with a typical pickup. They will not be wired anything like a regular circuit. Some will go to the S1 in various points and you’ll have a ground that goes to the pot. What you do is forget about the third ground wire and wire the rest exactly where the noiseless ones were. They will work fine, but the S1 engaged will sound a little muddy. I personally found the S1 useless with regular strat pickups (I installed Fat 50s by the way) but with the switch disengaged, they worked really well. What I did is I built a custom pickguard with some nifty modifications, and kept my noiseless ones wired to the original pickguard with the S1, that way I have the original electronics and can swap if I ever want to. Hope this helps. If you need any other help with this, let me know.
I've come back here probably 60 times. I can't decide. Do I get an American Special with TS for $1049 or American Professional with '69s for $1,624? With Princeton '65 reverb.
Texas in the bridge
Fat '50s in the middle
'69 or '54 or '57-'67in the neck
Came for the tex's but now want the 69's instead lol
I have Custom Shop 69s in my Squier Classic Vibe 60s Stratocaster. They are my favorite Strat pickups to play.
I agree, the '69 has more definition and more tone color.
I hear you!
The Texas special sounded the best in every example.... more open , touch sensitive , less " compressed " sounding IMHO probably the best tone comparison video on all 3. Great playing and thanks 4 this demo ... Texas specials going into my roadhouse strat... the one I have now had those noiseless pickups w gold lettering and I gotta drive my amp hard to be heard over my band mates. Need something hotter, I think the TS will make me happy. Plus I hate having to change batteries, seems like I do it too much w the noiseless
taurus hamilton I have some Texas Specials sitting in the box for about a year now! Been too busy to throw them in but I think I am going to next weekend! You play them yet? How do they sound in person?
HazardSports so I have my local guitar center order the specials... and lo and behold the neck position pick up is broken... I had them put in Seymour Duncan at the neck and now I have a very cool unique sounding strat . No cycle hum in the neck when I kick in the distortion pedal , and it’s a phatt warm tone ... a mistake that worked out well n yes the specials sound nice plus I have that s1 switch so my tonal variations are off the chain... peep out some licks on my instagram Taurus Hamilton
did you manage to be heard over your band with the TS? I have a strat with them and it's impossible to be heard with those pickups, only guitar I've played where my sound completely vanishes, it's like I'm not there no matter what I do. Tried a squier with whatever pickups they use there and it was infinitely better, more brightness, more responsiveness, alot more punchy and with a sustain that can last ages. TS pickups really left a bad impression for me
I realize this was put up a few years ago, but...very nicely done. Just a question, but how did you get so much bottom end from the Princeton? I play a Deluxe Reverb and have considered something smaller. But, the bottom end from the Princeton is almost unreal. Really brought the subs of my speakers to life. Thanks for posting this. The differences are really quite remarkable. All Strats, but all different.
I think it’s just the way I mic’d the amp - I’ve always liked the sound in this video.
The only 68 Princeton I've ever played had plenty of bass
If the get the mic real close to the speaker you get a near-field effect where it really brings up the bass.
Is this an actual song or were you just jamming? Great comparison btw.
69's me fazem querer o som Fender pra sempre!
Tava procurando um bom comparativo pra trocar meus captadores e esses 69' são maravilhosos de ouvir. Vou acabar fazendo o upgrade pra esse trio hahaha
Nice playing
Fat 50's sounds like a winner to me. It has most attack and clarity to strumming/picking and also well balanced. Other two are just too bass heavy.
You think the '69 sound bassier than the fat 50s ? I like 69s and fat 50s but 69s sound brighter more chimey to me .
what a beautiful sound Fender has. ooouuwwwhh !
Hi. I am a lefty player. My question is about your pups. Are they staggered left or right hand? Thanks.
Genial Mr !! Merci
The 50's weren't very fat they needed feeding, lol seriously that could be the rig though sometimes parts don't cometogether as they should, yet the Texas specials had much more bite than the thin 50's but the 69's were open like they were in stereo , they had almost an echo to them whether that's good or bad ??? and the Amp is the best to me that is those 68 PR 's spectacular. Thank you I would love to here the n3 noiseless pups thrown into the mix one day!
To me, the 50s sound the most mellow and warm, the 69s have some quite forward and in-your-face mids and the Texas specials sit right in the middle between the two.
I currently have a set of Texas style pickups in my strat but now I'm considering the 69s.
Left handed had to point speaker at a mirror to get the right sound but it’s great!!
What height did you put those? My Texas Specials sound like an ice pick. I put them at 9/64 low E and 8/64 high E, all three. I know it's not the rig (Boss Katana Artist MK2), because the Gibson Les Paul and Fender Pro2 Tele both sound great. I'm about to experiment with different heights, but that's an all-day task, so I thought I would ask a few people first.
Anyone know literally any of the songs he played?
IMO, Neck: Fat 50s (both fat warm and clean) , Middle: Custom 69s (amazing warm tone), Bridge: Texas Specials (clear Fender tone with a real edge)
First off - they all sound great, but if I had to pick: I would say = Custom 69 then Fat 50's ( very close call ) then Texas Specials last. ( not enough chime ) Great & informative video. really enjoyed it.
Update - got the Lollar Dirty Blonde Set and I'm in Heaven = SRV, David Gilmour, Nile Rodgers, Robin Trower & Mark Knopfler Tones galore.
@@michael_caz_nyc Just seen this comment. Are you still using the Lollar (dirty) Blondes? How do you like them? I’m looking for a nice, clean Fender tone: Mayer, Frusciante, etc. Can also throw a lil dirt on it: SRV/Hendrix… Was looking at Fender pups but…
@@brianode11 I still have them - and fall-in-love (with them) Everytime I play. They honestly . . . ended-my-pickup-search. I think Jason Lollar has created some amazing Stratty sounding pickups (and I do tons of research). Good Luck.
For me also the 69s are the one !
Funny. Read the comments. The opinions vary throughout. They all sound good. If he played them all, which one of the guitars would make John Mayer 'sound bad'? 95% of it is the player. Equipment does not make a player. The Player makes the equipment.
Listen to the scores of Jack Pearson RUclips vids playing imported Squier Strats with ceramic pups.
John Mayer sounds bad any ways .very over ratted like Jimi Hendrix .we all got our favorites .Stevie ray was the best to me , best talent , speed , but with soul and touch .and didn't use dirt and a lot of distortion to hide his mistakes and help notes carry like most .I have all 3 sets and the neck 69 sounds great , middle a tie between 50's and 69 bridge 69 would win if more power them the Texas then the 50's.Lollar blondes and fat pickups crossroads beats any thing finder in my opinion , we all got one and should go on it , not what is popular or our hero's play / played .
Once you install high end pickups you can achieve any other "pickup tone"
HOWEVER, very fun to discuss
I've messaged on here j like 69's better, after listening again, they seem a little "soft". The 50's thick and articulate. The Texas special has a great punch u in the face tone!! And I'm buying that amp. And his reverb is set beautiful!!!
Texas specials for me please, great comparo
There would have to be different factors affecting the tone besides pickups only. Each guitar is different.
It’s hard to tell the difference here but the improvement over stock is always obvious with the Duncans.
Custom 69 For me, Good comparison video
Between the 50s and the 69s, which ones seem more amenable to a smooth rich sound? Like John Fruschiante?
Sorry I'm feeling Texas special pickups
Fat 50's very mid-rangy and compressed...69 has nice low end tone...but tx specials are sublime...nice and spanky and more high end sparkle IMO more character than the other 2