Thanks so much for following me on my tone journey! Minute markers in the description! Please bare in mind the tone comparisons Josefinas clip is on a different amp. Not ideal I know! But I knew I wanted to change them so I’m less bothered there! Thanks to Mick, Tim at Bare Kncukle, and Radioshop pickups! Hope you enjoy this episode. Will it be the last?!
Maybe worth rerecording the Josefinas using the same amp setup as the others? I really like the sound of them, but that could also be that I prefer the amp. Kind of hard to separate the two.
You going to try mixing and matching the different pickups? Like, having a mother's milk in the neck, a josefina in the middle and a 63 veneer in the bridge? Might find the magic combination?
@@RabeaMassaad and after that you must remove the floyd, fill in the hole, retouche the body and install original tremolo and josefinas back :) As one guitarist did... :)
To me it's not their 'warmth', per se, it's just their overall tonal balance. For me, they're the most musical. They have a beautiful sound, clean; I don't think I'd ever crank the gain or stomp on an o.d. or dist.!
I'm thinking your Josefinas sound most like the tone I have in my head when I ponder reasons to buy a Strat. It's a very sweet tone to which you can always add some hair if you need it.
Agreed. They have that buttery strat sound. I like the 2 bare nuckles second, but found them both pretty similar. The radioshop just sounded like something was missing and the grey bottoms had too much
It's the Josefina's for me ... " back to ground zero. They sound beyond perfect to my ears. All the sets are great, as always it's the tone that's in "your" head. Also, do any of the sets feel different? Is it harder to get the notes and articulations from some of them? I don't mind sacrificing a bit of tone if a set plays easier, you'll more than make up for it in the articulation you'll put forth in your playing.
I have to concur with most of the comments here regarding the Josefinas. They are the only set that delivers that classic early 50s Strat sound. They sound just like the guitar looks and that’s perfect for me. Since I’m a cheap bastard I have the Tonerider Surfaris in my 50s Strat which come surprisingly close to the Josefinas. Just a little bit less clarity I guess. The others are way to hot to my ears, even the 57s. They all have so much more gain, when clean jangly twang is the sound that this guitar should deliver. Of course the other pickups sound amazing, but they are just not suited for the 50s Strat sound. In a mid to late 60s they would indeed be perfect!
The 63 Veneer boards sound the best, however I believe the aluminum pickguard has something to do with the overall sound ! It tends to tame the highs !
Josefinas! More balanced. They are less "in front" of the tone than the others. They let the expressivity of the player come through better than the other sets of pups. The other sets lead the tone. I dunno if it's a good or a bad thing... but from what I hear I prefer Josefinas by far.
Ron Ellis stand out as having the most character making the others seem flat and standard.... after having jumped around the video hearing them back to back. At first I thought they broke up too much but then figured that is awesomeness lol..... I have a 2006 Eric Johnson strat I think is plain sounding and those Ellis one's would give it some balls!
The Radio Shops are still doing it for me, just a more interesting sound. The Bareknuckles are a little too much for a strat for me. They would be good if you were in a Rage Against the Machine cover band or something like that, but when you turn down the gain they lack everything the Radio Shops seem to have.
Bea, the Ron Ellis have the "thing" that I identify with the best of vintage guitars. Hard to describe but it's a bit of compression combined with articulation that gets me every time...
I really like the Ron Ellis pickup's. The high end is there but without that piercing ice pick quality to it but it keeps alot of that bottom end we love. Try 1 pickup frome each set and see how that goes! Beautiful playing Bea!
This series helped me with my strat pu journey. I've tried multiple Fender CS, Monty's, Kloppmann, Duncans. What helped me in particular is what you said about the wire. I prefer enamel wire with low output. When you played the mother's milk for the first time, I had the exact same smile you had. I love how punchy and mid scooped they are. I'm gonna go and purchase a set right now. Thanks Rabea!
Man I wouldn’t switch out those josefinas for nothing she’s been twisting up pickups for over 30 years and learned the craft by shadowing Abigail yavaro who spun Leo fenders originals… true OG
I have Lollar's Dirty Blonde's in mine, and I could not be happier. To be honest: They all sound "Very Stratty" and you couldn't go wrong with any choice. Only way to tell: Play through a looper and Demo each pickup (with the exact same phrase) played & edited to be Listened-to: back-to-back-to-back = lot's of work. Easter to Differentiate. Those Josefina's sounded like vintage strat - to me.
The Ron Ellis set of pickups sound about 1000% better to my ears! Warm, sweet, articulate, dynamic AND aggressive at the same time. One of the best Strat pickups I’ve heard so far!
I’ve done what your doing with every set of custom shop pickups made. It’s something you have to do but after having done it , the original fenders that come in the guitars are usually the best. They really know what they’re doing at fender, and got it right the first time and are still getting it right today! One secret that prs figured out when researching vintage strat pickups, was that the bridge usually had the weakest output of the three, although they were all 3 pretty close. Most people try the opposite with hotter bridge outputs, so they never get it right! Having said all this, there are two other makers I tried that rival the fenders and those are lindy fralin , and Jason lollar!
Hearing the Josefinas melted my heart - hard to explain, crisp but mellow, clear but warm, and also the string definition is the most even. But the Ron Ellis seem to be close and strong enough to cut through the mix.
Im doing this exact type of thing at the moment.... The favourite so far are the Lollar Dirty Blond set... The Josephina's and the Bare Knuckle sounded good but the Ron Ellis ones were magnificent!... For the best part of £800 tho!... I couldnt justify that!... Id love to see what you thought of the Lollar Dirty Blonde set!?!?!?!?! ...
I would say either of the BK's. I was surprised that the Ron Ellis were as powerful as they sounded. My heart belongs to Blue but my head says BK. The good news, there are no losers, just incremental gradations of WIN.
I just picked up an Eric Johnson Thinline Strat. Wanted one since they first came out. It's so perfect the way it is, and the pickups are so good, I don't have to do a thing to it other than play. Keep up the good work. You'll find what fits what you want.
First of all, high compliments on the exceptional playing style. To my ear, the original Josefina's still reign supreme over all the options demoed in this video. There is just this unspoken "thing" about the tones these generate, partly in the single note bite early on but particularly the lower end chording that is clear and bell like. Wonderful demonstration.
For me the Josefinas sound the best but now that I know you are playing them through a different amp it makes me question that....but they sound SO good!!
All the pickups sounded good in their own way. I've watched enough of your videos to notice that you do have a liking for a clean, expansive, ethereal sounds. That is something the Josefina's can deliver, but the other's can't. It's easy to add breakup, overdrive, dirt, etc. to your tone with a pedal. You can't make a dirty pickup sound clean unless you turn the pots way down, but then you give up on the rich tones you get by having the pots wide open. If you want those beautiful clean tones, then of the pickups you've tested, I think the Josefina's would be the best choice. Thanks for sharing your tone journey, which many of us have made numerous times.
Still loving the Mother's Milk set, but to my ear, that's what a blues strat should sound like. Every set sounds great and has it's own character. The Ron Ellis set definitely has an old school late 60s/early 70s rock and roll sound on the crunch.
man this is tough, overall i like the ron ellis bridge pickup the most, for the neck it's almost impossible to pick a winner, because when you dig in the mothers milk are awesome, but when you play softly the ron ellis are awesome, i'm so confused
I love watching you play your touch is so soft at times... yet you play hard as well , shows that you need to vary your technique and playing for the moment and music
I've owned a lot of Strats and moded them all to some degree including pickups. A few years back I traded for a Fender Kenny Wayne Shepherd model. I've changed the tuners (Hipshot staggered locking) and the bridge (Calaham vintage narrow), but have never even considered opening the control cavity. For whatever reason the stock "Fender KWS Custom Voiced" pickups just sound amazing. Apparently Kenny spent a year working with Fender to find the correct "voice" for the pickups he wanted, and they nailed it! They have the warmth, articulation and vintage tone I think many of us seek, but struggle to find. This guitar is MIM, but it plays and sounds like a Custom Shop instrument...
I've spent entirely too much money over the last few weeks on tone journey gear and I fully blame you, Mick, and Dan lmao. Bought my first p90 guitar ('19 gibson les paul special tribute dc in blue), ordered a set of silos for my prestige s5470q, set of montys pafs for my epiphone LP traditional pro, emerson 50s wiring kit for the epi, locking tuners for both the gibson and epi and a Ryra Klone. I can't wait for the pickups to get here.
Hey, Bea. I'm torn between the 63 Veneers and the Ellis set from Micks Strat. The neck pickup on the 63's sounded monstrous, and the bridge was fat and not "too" Strat-y. However, Mick's cleaned up so nicely. The note chime and string seperation in that 4th position was a thing of audible beauty. Cheers!
This is a brawl between titans , Rabea, thanks for giving us the chance of listening top-notch tones. Anyway Josephina's warmest , probably the ones singing more with your touch are Mother's Milk . Veneer probably more all-rounded , Ron Ellis … bare with me mate , I can see Mick's eminent point , but prolly they fit better his touch/playstyle. They just didn't "click" with you I thought.
I 've put the BK Veneer Board 63's set in my heavily modded MIM strat. I have had these pup's for almost 5 years - I got them a bit by chance, a shop owner talked me into getting them for the Mark Knopfler sound that I have forever been after. I am a bit torn sometimes though - I keep having a love-hate relationship with this set - largely depending on the kind of amp and setting I am using my guitar with. What I can say for sure though - the BK 63' is a low output, spanky, honky and nasal sounding set with a rather shrill and ice picky bridge pickup if you're using it wrong i.e. with bright amps and speakers. However, after watching this shootout again I am fairly convinced that they did sound the best to my ears - but I am always listening for some beautiful cleans in a strat esp. in position 2 - to get that Sultans of swing tone. Having said that I am a bit itching to swap them over for a set of Texas specials just to see. Yet, Rabea you did a fantastic job comparing them all and the cleans you got from the BK 63's have made me believe that I'd made the right choice - again! thanks Rabea, pleasure to watch and listen, as always.
The josephinas were recorded differently, panned in the middle, whereas all the others panned right, which leads me to believe the set-up is different too. I’d need the josephinas recorded the same way to make proper judgement, but in this video they just sound the best. Thanks for this, loved it.
Remember, the aluminum pickguard will take a bit of the top end off the Ellis. Mick deliberately left the aluminum shield plate that is on real '64s off of Blue but mentioned that he will probably try it on his black "transit van" guitar when he gets the other Ellis pickups. I had a local winder make me a set of vintage style pickups that were halfway between true early '60s and the Suhr Landau's I had in another guitar. They were still very bright, similar to the Ellis pickups. Putting the aluminum shield plate in tamed them just enough.
Finally got to the end. Yep the Josefina's are the smoothest and the sweetest. The Ron Ellis' kinda turns the guitar up. If that's what you want then that is the best but original are the best
I can only reiterate what I've said before... they all sound amazing in your hands Bea! :-) Sometimes it takes a bit of a journey to find out that you like home just the way it is.
Throughout the whole journey I preferred the original set. Now it’s the Ron Ellis! The volume knob is your friend if they’re too much. Sterling work as always!
It's Mick's Ron Ellis set for me, and the why? From my perspective was pick attack especially neck. Very responsive to my ear at least which adds to the percussive nature of the strat when needed. Plenty of glass & clarity when sitting back too.
Okay, after listening to the different sets of pickups in this series of videos, there is one easy solution to satisfy your tone curiosity. Buy two more of the same type of Custom Shop Strats and put a set of each of the pickups you liked in each guitar and call it a day. That way you can satisfy your itch for each of the different tones and you don't have to swap out any more pickups.
Bare Knuckle 63's all day everyday ! Sound and feel amazing, with the little top end rolled off and the mid's just speak to me. Not to mention the high bottom end.
hey you could try a regular set of pure vintage fenders.... i have the 59' set and it is really dinamic.... just vintage output but with enough power and nice smooth top end .... Oh yeah... and the in between positions are so cool... clear and spanky...
I would have bet you anything this would be my last response but I like the Josefinas best. I can't believe I'm even typing this. I didn't know Radio Shop before this but I would have bet on the Bare Knuckles before we started and, once announced, was sure the Ron Ellis pickups might do it but... nope. They're all pretty good (and fairly similar) but I actually love the warmth of the Fender Custom Shop set. That being said, I've never been a big fan of that "chimey" sound most often associated with the Tele but also the Strat. My favorite Strat (I've got three) has a Custom Shop "Texas Special" set that I lower as low as possible (a tip from Dan Patlansky - works great) and it's so versatile. My other two have a Custom Shop "Custom '54" set and DiMarzio set. This was a great series. Stay safe everyone. Cheers from Florida.
My humble two penneth worth, you bought a '55' Custom shop Strat, save you money, send all the other pickups back and put the originals back in. It sounds like a really nice vintage Stratocaster just the way you bought it. I've been playing Strat's for well over 40 years.
Aaah, the pickup swapping rabbit hole. Gone down that road way to many times only to learn: it's best to find a guitar that sounds and plays great from the start. More time better spent on playing. You can finetune all day long, it is fun; it can get frustrating after a while. Good series!
Maple board strats can sometimes sound a little to bright/brittle/compressed with some sets. Rosewood neck could also be more of your preference due the rounder sound. I highly recommend the voodoo pickups
Fender custom shop has really figured out the way to remove the harsh top end and still ring like a bell type tone. I have been trying out the hand wound ones and really never anything sounded so balanced across all strings, really i am over searching for new sets. Enjoyed watching your journey Bea.
After all this, the Josefina’s still sound the best. If you really want to go crazy, reinstall those and the pick guard, and sell it. Then go to a shop and buy a real 1960s Strat. That’s the ultimate way to have that sound.
💣💣Oh hell yeah the Josephine’s for sure. You can always warm/heat up the signal but it’s very hard to get back to that round clear strat tone if you go too far past 1960 😂 great vid series long live the bunny holes
Remember, it's okay to mix and match pickup types! Take the best neck pickup and match it with the best bridge and middle, regardless of what they are.
I would leave the Josefina's in that guitar. It has the right sound for that strat. Get another strat with a rosewood board and some 60's pickups already in it.
Watched them all, and for me, it's the Josefinas the whole way through. Just the right blend of all the right ingredients. Not too much, not too little.
I'm going to guess that the veneer boards are going to work so well in a mix.. in a band context everything is going to change so much. One of my favourite strats is actually wired up so I can get the bridge and neck together, and that works really well in a band context opposite another strat or Gibsonish tone because I can switch out to a tele(ish) sound! I'll say it till I'm blue in the face, guitar in isolation is one of my favourite sounds BUT 99% of the time as working musicians our guitars are part of a greater whole and THAT is the ultimate tonal test. Rabea, man, I have to say I've REALLY enjoyed this series, after 30 plus years of playing all I can say is that just when you think you're finished with one rabbit hole, another opens, but that's all part of the joy and the journey!
My main guitars are all SSS partscasters. Thankfully, they all sound distinctly different from one another. I'd happy grab any two or three of these sets and stick them in new instruments, swapping between them at a whim. I'm all for the one-guitar perfect-tone journey and some mightn't have the means to build/own four or five SSS guitars, just saying that's what I'd do. Because all of these pick-up sound really nice to my ears and why stick with just one.
As far as solo tone goes, the Josefinas are absolutely amazing... that being said, in a band context, the Grey Bottoms would definitely be the way to go.
Can’t believe the difference between all sets of pickups. Always thought it was a bit of a myth. Personally, I preferred the Veneer Boards. But if it was me, I don’t think they’re “better” enough from the original Josephinas. Really enjoyed this series!
Loved this video, I too am on a strat journey. For me it's just become to much with all the different set of pickups, to much backwards and forwards. SO, I've decided to sell some gear and save up and buy the real deal providing that I can find a good one for the right price. I fancy a 59/60 .
For me the bareknuckle mothers milk just scream. after hearing them I'm really considering a set. Great video, thanks for taking us on the journey with you!
Rabea I have an idea. Grab your favorite amp and a couple of pedals. Mix and match the various pickups. Neck of one with a bridge of the other middle of the other. Put in a quick connect on your output jack to save some soldering time. I've made this trip once or twice before and ended right where I started for some reason. Now I have three different loaded pick guards. Plus the original.
My own personal opinion, the Josefina' have such a pure '50's strat tone, they just blow the others away. Most of the others sounded too muddy or harsh to my ears. I would probably stay with the Josefina's and heavier gauge string. Great comparison video, and I love your playing.
Loved both Radioshop and Mike's pups. I found the BareKnuckle a bit darker for my taste. Now because of you, i need to order a Radioshop set of pickups :(
You´ve got a very nice strat and you had a very complex work with this video. I think it took a long time to get it done. Since I´m an old SRV fan I would have liked to hear this great PUs and your great strat with old Fender Amps like an old Deluxe Reverb or a Pro Reverb for example. I love this Fender/Fender combination.
Man I found you on a Leo video and have been watching your videos and subscribed. First I had a band at the beginning of the 80's. Me on guitar and my cousin on drums, my brother singing and a friend Mike White who's father was Harold White, some country music star, but we wrote our own music and played bars and parties. The DT's. Well I have not played in 27 years and you make me want to play again. I am going to try. I still have my stick and amp.
![Strats, Pickups & Rabbit Holes - Blue Is Finally There! Maybe. [Mick's Strat Vlog] That Pedal Show](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/JSFjihiy2VE/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks so much for following me on my tone journey! Minute markers in the description!
Please bare in mind the tone comparisons Josefinas clip is on a different amp. Not ideal I know! But I knew I wanted to change them so I’m less bothered there!
Thanks to Mick, Tim at Bare Kncukle, and Radioshop pickups!
Hope you enjoy this episode. Will it be the last?!
OMG thanks for the Heart! ❤️Im from Philippines ❤️❤️
Maybe worth rerecording the Josefinas using the same amp setup as the others? I really like the sound of them, but that could also be that I prefer the amp. Kind of hard to separate the two.
please stop using the LUT from the last few videos.. you look like you lived in the desert for the last 10 years :)
It may be the amp, but I can only hear what I can hear. And what I hear is these Josefina's sounding way better to my ears than all of the other sets.
You going to try mixing and matching the different pickups? Like, having a mother's milk in the neck, a josefina in the middle and a 63 veneer in the bridge? Might find the magic combination?
Just put emgs and a floyd in it
Hahaha don’t tempt me
Van Halen stripes?
@@RabeaMassaad and after that you must remove the floyd, fill in the hole, retouche the body and install original tremolo and josefinas back :) As one guitarist did... :)
I love EMG SA sound in David Gilmour red Strat
HAHAHAHHA 😂😂
The Josefinas still sound the warmest to me.
Completely agree, the others are just missing that something
To me it's not their 'warmth', per se, it's just their overall tonal balance. For me, they're the most musical. They have a beautiful sound, clean; I don't think I'd ever crank the gain or stomp on an o.d. or dist.!
This video convinced me to go buy some! 🤦🏻♂️& I just wanted to hear the difference. lol
It is amazing how tone heaven is so close to tone hell.
Same with real hell
I'm thinking your Josefinas sound most like the tone I have in my head when I ponder reasons to buy a Strat. It's a very sweet tone to which you can always add some hair if you need it.
Agreed. They have that buttery strat sound. I like the 2 bare nuckles second, but found them both pretty similar. The radioshop just sounded like something was missing and the grey bottoms had too much
Bea already has a substantial amount of hair
The '63 Veneer Board is currently winning imo. Really nice sounding 👌
It's the Josefina's for me ... " back to ground zero. They sound beyond perfect to my ears. All the sets are great, as always it's the tone that's in "your" head. Also, do any of the sets feel different? Is it harder to get the notes and articulations from some of them? I don't mind sacrificing a bit of tone if a set plays easier, you'll more than make up for it in the articulation you'll put forth in your playing.
The CS Josefina for me, hands down. EXCELLENT series, Rabea. Thanks for doing this.
I have to concur with most of the comments here regarding the Josefinas.
They are the only set that delivers that classic early 50s Strat sound.
They sound just like the guitar looks and that’s perfect for me.
Since I’m a cheap bastard I have the Tonerider Surfaris in my 50s Strat which come surprisingly close to the Josefinas. Just a little bit less clarity I guess.
The others are way to hot to my ears, even the 57s.
They all have so much more gain, when clean jangly twang is the sound that this guitar should deliver.
Of course the other pickups sound amazing, but they are just not suited for the 50s Strat sound. In a mid to late 60s they would indeed be perfect!
The 63 Veneer boards sound the best, however I believe the aluminum pickguard has something to do with the overall sound ! It tends to tame the highs !
YES! Just wanted to let you know I just received a Bare Knuckle Silo to put in my new guitar! Can't wait to try it out! 🔥
Josefina murdered them all!! Perfect strat sound… Ron Ellis sound good but just too thin and WAAAY over priced!!!! Josefina was just perfect!!
Josefinas! More balanced. They are less "in front" of the tone than the others. They let the expressivity of the player come through better than the other sets of pups. The other sets lead the tone. I dunno if it's a good or a bad thing... but from what I hear I prefer Josefinas by far.
Ron Ellis stand out as having the most character making the others seem flat and standard.... after having jumped around the video hearing them back to back. At first I thought they broke up too much but then figured that is awesomeness lol..... I have a 2006 Eric Johnson strat I think is plain sounding and those Ellis one's would give it some balls!
The Radio Shops are still doing it for me, just a more interesting sound. The Bareknuckles are a little too much for a strat for me. They would be good if you were in a Rage Against the Machine cover band or something like that, but when you turn down the gain they lack everything the Radio Shops seem to have.
Bea, the Ron Ellis have the "thing" that I identify with the best of vintage guitars. Hard to describe but it's a bit of compression combined with articulation that gets me every time...
I really like the Ron Ellis pickup's. The high end is there but without that piercing ice pick quality to it but it keeps alot of that bottom end we love.
Try 1 pickup frome each set and see how that goes!
Beautiful playing Bea!
Josephinas by a mile! That’s probably what turned you on to the guitar in the first place.
Guess it killed time...but I suspect this journey will be a circle.
This series helped me with my strat pu journey. I've tried multiple Fender CS, Monty's, Kloppmann, Duncans. What helped me in particular is what you said about the wire. I prefer enamel wire with low output. When you played the mother's milk for the first time, I had the exact same smile you had. I love how punchy and mid scooped they are. I'm gonna go and purchase a set right now. Thanks Rabea!
Man I wouldn’t switch out those josefinas for nothing she’s been twisting up pickups for over 30 years and learned the craft by shadowing Abigail yavaro who spun Leo fenders originals… true OG
I have Lollar's Dirty Blonde's in mine, and I could not be happier. To be honest: They all sound "Very Stratty" and you couldn't go wrong with any choice. Only way to tell: Play through a looper and Demo each pickup (with the exact same phrase) played & edited to be Listened-to: back-to-back-to-back = lot's of work. Easter to Differentiate. Those Josefina's sounded like vintage strat - to me.
I now have two Fender Custom Shop Strats. A 59 and 57, I’m leaving the stock hand wound pickups in both. They are perfect for the guitars.
The Ron Ellis set of pickups sound about 1000% better to my ears! Warm, sweet, articulate, dynamic AND aggressive at the same time. One of the best Strat pickups I’ve heard so far!
They should be 10000% better for the price.
I’ve done what your doing with every set of custom shop pickups made. It’s something you have to do but after having done it , the original fenders that come in the guitars are usually the best. They really know what they’re doing at fender, and got it right the first time and are still getting it right today! One secret that prs figured out when researching vintage strat pickups, was that the bridge usually had the weakest output of the three, although they were all 3 pretty close. Most people try the opposite with hotter bridge outputs, so they never get it right! Having said all this, there are two other makers I tried that rival the fenders and those are lindy fralin , and Jason lollar!
Hearing the Josefinas melted my heart - hard to explain, crisp but mellow, clear but warm, and also the string definition is the most even. But the Ron Ellis seem to be close and strong enough to cut through the mix.
Im doing this exact type of thing at the moment.... The favourite so far are the Lollar Dirty Blond set... The Josephina's and the Bare Knuckle sounded good but the Ron Ellis ones were magnificent!... For the best part of £800 tho!... I couldnt justify that!...
Id love to see what you thought of the Lollar Dirty Blonde set!?!?!?!?! ...
Clearly the Ron Ellis PUs...great definition, great bottom end and very open sounding.
20:47 man those Radioshop pups sound sweet as hell
Those Gray bottom pickups sounded very percussive and funky with long sustain i really like the way they sounded.
As someone who dabbles in banjo, I dig the old timey string band transition music.
I would say either of the BK's. I was surprised that the Ron Ellis were as powerful as they sounded. My heart belongs to Blue but my head says BK. The good news, there are no losers, just incremental gradations of WIN.
I just picked up an Eric Johnson Thinline Strat. Wanted one since they first came out. It's so perfect the way it is, and the pickups are so good, I don't have to do a thing to it other than play. Keep up the good work. You'll find what fits what you want.
First of all, high compliments on the exceptional playing style. To my ear, the original Josefina's still reign supreme over all the options demoed in this video. There is just this unspoken "thing" about the tones these generate, partly in the single note bite early on but particularly the lower end chording that is clear and bell like. Wonderful demonstration.
Next try the bare knuckles in the bridge for aggression and josefina in the neck for smooth , and add a gilmour switch to mix ?
Gilmour Switch?
OtherTheDave David Gilmour had a mini-toggle switch to activate the neck pup in any position so it was sort of a 7-way switch mod
@@Kqhoa What happens when you're on the neck position and you toggle that switch? Do you get a neck humbucker?
I like the sound of the Josefina's best. They sound fuller with a sweeter top end.
For me the Josefinas sound the best but now that I know you are playing them through a different amp it makes me question that....but they sound SO good!!
All the pickups sounded good in their own way. I've watched enough of your videos to notice that you do have a liking for a clean, expansive, ethereal sounds. That is something the Josefina's can deliver, but the other's can't. It's easy to add breakup, overdrive, dirt, etc. to your tone with a pedal. You can't make a dirty pickup sound clean unless you turn the pots way down, but then you give up on the rich tones you get by having the pots wide open. If you want those beautiful clean tones, then of the pickups you've tested, I think the Josefina's would be the best choice. Thanks for sharing your tone journey, which many of us have made numerous times.
Love the white aged 3ply pick guard. The original pickups are the best “Josefinas”.
Still loving the Mother's Milk set, but to my ear, that's what a blues strat should sound like. Every set sounds great and has it's own character. The Ron Ellis set definitely has an old school late 60s/early 70s rock and roll sound on the crunch.
Those Ron Ellis totally kill! Great strat tones! A winner for me! The bk 63 comes pretty close to but those Ron Ellis just did a special thing
Higher output, that's all I think.
man this is tough, overall i like the ron ellis bridge pickup the most, for the neck it's almost impossible to pick a winner, because when you dig in the mothers milk are awesome, but when you play softly the ron ellis are awesome, i'm so confused
Right? So the thing to do is choose one pup for each position from each set... ??!! I think ?
please start mixing the pups take the best from individual pups see if you can get a better blend!
the ron ellis neck pu sounds so defined and articulate,but still remains quite gritty,I love it
I love watching you play your touch is so soft at times... yet you play hard as well , shows that you need to vary your technique and playing for the moment and music
Adonized gold pickguard looks soooo sick with the sunburst! Love your vids!
I've owned a lot of Strats and moded them all to some degree including pickups. A few years back I traded for a Fender Kenny Wayne Shepherd model. I've changed the tuners (Hipshot staggered locking) and the bridge (Calaham vintage narrow), but have never even considered opening the control cavity. For whatever reason the stock "Fender KWS Custom Voiced" pickups just sound amazing. Apparently Kenny spent a year working with Fender to find the correct "voice" for the pickups he wanted, and they nailed it! They have the warmth, articulation and vintage tone I think many of us seek, but struggle to find. This guitar is MIM, but it plays and sounds like a Custom Shop instrument...
I've spent entirely too much money over the last few weeks on tone journey gear and I fully blame you, Mick, and Dan lmao. Bought my first p90 guitar ('19 gibson les paul special tribute dc in blue), ordered a set of silos for my prestige s5470q, set of montys pafs for my epiphone LP traditional pro, emerson 50s wiring kit for the epi, locking tuners for both the gibson and epi and a Ryra Klone. I can't wait for the pickups to get here.
BK 63 Veneer Board PUPs sound the best to my ears...always fantastic Bea keep rocking brother!
I think the original pickups bring out more of the sound of the guitar, its wood and character. I put faith in the Fender Custom Shop.
All the sets exaggerate this marvelous Strat tone except the original one. Josefinas are the best! Oh, these mids warmed my heart immediately!!!
Hey, Bea.
I'm torn between the 63 Veneers and the Ellis set from Micks Strat. The neck pickup on the 63's sounded monstrous, and the bridge was fat and not "too" Strat-y. However, Mick's cleaned up so nicely. The note chime and string seperation in that 4th position was a thing of audible beauty. Cheers!
The originals sound the best.
The amp was different, yes, but it looks as though they FEEL the best.
This is a brawl between titans , Rabea, thanks for giving us the chance of listening top-notch tones. Anyway Josephina's warmest , probably the ones singing more with your touch are Mother's Milk . Veneer probably more all-rounded , Ron Ellis … bare with me mate , I can see Mick's eminent point , but prolly they fit better his touch/playstyle. They just didn't "click" with you I thought.
Definitely the original Josephines...no doubt there, dude.
Josephine's sounded best! Loved the clarity and warmth!!
I 've put the BK Veneer Board 63's set in my heavily modded MIM strat. I have had these pup's for almost 5 years - I got them a bit by chance, a shop owner talked me into getting them for the Mark Knopfler sound that I have forever been after. I am a bit torn sometimes though - I keep having a love-hate relationship with this set - largely depending on the kind of amp and setting I am using my guitar with. What I can say for sure though - the BK 63' is a low output, spanky, honky and nasal sounding set with a rather shrill and ice picky bridge pickup if you're using it wrong i.e. with bright amps and speakers. However, after watching this shootout again I am fairly convinced that they did sound the best to my ears - but I am always listening for some beautiful cleans in a strat esp. in position 2 - to get that Sultans of swing tone. Having said that I am a bit itching to swap them over for a set of Texas specials just to see. Yet, Rabea you did a fantastic job comparing them all and the cleans you got from the BK 63's have made me believe that I'd made the right choice - again! thanks Rabea, pleasure to watch and listen, as always.
Dude you're looking great. Congrats on shedding a few lbs my dude.
Love this tone video!!!
Miss Campos gets the nod for me.Josefina is a legend and after listening,I know why. Great vid Bea! Thanks!
The josephinas were recorded differently, panned in the middle, whereas all the others panned right, which leads me to believe the set-up is different too. I’d need the josephinas recorded the same way to make proper judgement, but in this video they just sound the best. Thanks for this, loved it.
Remember, the aluminum pickguard will take a bit of the top end off the Ellis. Mick deliberately left the aluminum shield plate that is on real '64s off of Blue but mentioned that he will probably try it on his black "transit van" guitar when he gets the other Ellis pickups. I had a local winder make me a set of vintage style pickups that were halfway between true early '60s and the Suhr Landau's I had in another guitar. They were still very bright, similar to the Ellis pickups. Putting the aluminum shield plate in tamed them just enough.
Finally got to the end. Yep the Josefina's are the smoothest and the sweetest. The Ron Ellis' kinda turns the guitar up. If that's what you want then that is the best but original are the best
I can only reiterate what I've said before... they all sound amazing in your hands Bea! :-)
Sometimes it takes a bit of a journey to find out that you like home just the way it is.
Throughout the whole journey I preferred the original set. Now it’s the Ron Ellis! The volume knob is your friend if they’re too much. Sterling work as always!
It's Mick's Ron Ellis set for me, and the why? From my perspective was pick attack especially neck. Very responsive to my ear at least which adds to the percussive nature of the strat when needed. Plenty of glass & clarity when sitting back too.
Till you see the price or even try get a set ;)
Okay, after listening to the different sets of pickups in this series of videos, there is one easy solution to satisfy your tone curiosity.
Buy two more of the same type of Custom Shop Strats and put a set of each of the pickups you liked in each guitar and call it a day. That way you can satisfy your itch for each of the different tones and you don't have to swap out any more pickups.
Grey Bottoms for hotter pickups, Mother's Milk for vintage output. You should try the Fishmans next.
They all sound awesome, dude!
I think the '63 Veneer suit your playing the most, but every set you've tried (including the originals) sound great 👌
Bare Knuckle 63's all day everyday ! Sound and feel amazing, with the little top end rolled off and the mid's just speak to me. Not to mention the high bottom end.
hey you could try a regular set of pure vintage fenders.... i have the 59' set and it is really dinamic.... just vintage output but with enough power and nice smooth top end .... Oh yeah... and the in between positions are so cool... clear and spanky...
I thought the original pickups sounded beautiful... I think you are crazy for even considering the others. ;) ... fun video, thanks Rabea.
I would have bet you anything this would be my last response but I like the Josefinas best. I can't believe I'm even typing this. I didn't know Radio Shop before this but I would have bet on the Bare Knuckles before we started and, once announced, was sure the Ron Ellis pickups might do it but... nope. They're all pretty good (and fairly similar) but I actually love the warmth of the Fender Custom Shop set. That being said, I've never been a big fan of that "chimey" sound most often associated with the Tele but also the Strat. My favorite Strat (I've got three) has a Custom Shop "Texas Special" set that I lower as low as possible (a tip from Dan Patlansky - works great) and it's so versatile. My other two have a Custom Shop "Custom '54" set and DiMarzio set. This was a great series. Stay safe everyone. Cheers from Florida.
I think he needs to try the Ron Ellis Mid 60's.
My humble two penneth worth, you bought a '55' Custom shop Strat, save you money, send all the other pickups back and put the originals back in. It sounds like a really nice vintage Stratocaster just the way you bought it.
I've been playing Strat's for well over 40 years.
Aaah, the pickup swapping rabbit hole. Gone down that road way to many times only to learn: it's best to find a guitar that sounds and plays great from the start. More time better spent on playing. You can finetune all day long, it is fun; it can get frustrating after a while. Good series!
Maple board strats can sometimes sound a little to bright/brittle/compressed with some sets. Rosewood neck could also be more of your preference due the rounder sound. I highly recommend the voodoo pickups
Fender custom shop has really figured out the way to remove the harsh top end and still ring like a bell type tone. I have been trying out the hand wound ones and really never anything sounded so balanced across all strings, really i am over searching for new sets. Enjoyed watching your journey Bea.
After all this, the Josefina’s still sound the best. If you really want to go crazy, reinstall those and the pick guard, and sell it. Then go to a shop and buy a real 1960s Strat. That’s the ultimate way to have that sound.
Yeah..ok...I'll just go and buy one too then...
Chris - DO IT!!! 😬
The way Fender made it originally sounds great to me. This was fun, at least I know I really can’t go wrong with any of those choices. Thanks
💣💣Oh hell yeah the Josephine’s for sure. You can always warm/heat up the signal but it’s very hard to get back to that round clear strat tone if you go too far past 1960 😂 great vid series long live the bunny holes
Remember, it's okay to mix and match pickup types! Take the best neck pickup and match it with the best bridge and middle, regardless of what they are.
After dozens of boutique pickups I can attest that Fender can wind some wonderful pickups....
I would leave the Josefina's in that guitar. It has the right sound for that strat. Get another strat with a rosewood board and some 60's pickups already in it.
Watched them all, and for me, it's the Josefinas the whole way through. Just the right blend of all the right ingredients. Not too much, not too little.
I'm going to guess that the veneer boards are going to work so well in a mix.. in a band context everything is going to change so much. One of my favourite strats is actually wired up so I can get the bridge and neck together, and that works really well in a band context opposite another strat or Gibsonish tone because I can switch out to a tele(ish) sound! I'll say it till I'm blue in the face, guitar in isolation is one of my favourite sounds BUT 99% of the time as working musicians our guitars are part of a greater whole and THAT is the ultimate tonal test. Rabea, man, I have to say I've REALLY enjoyed this series, after 30 plus years of playing all I can say is that just when you think you're finished with one rabbit hole, another opens, but that's all part of the joy and the journey!
My main guitars are all SSS partscasters. Thankfully, they all sound distinctly different from one another. I'd happy grab any two or three of these sets and stick them in new instruments, swapping between them at a whim. I'm all for the one-guitar perfect-tone journey and some mightn't have the means to build/own four or five SSS guitars, just saying that's what I'd do. Because all of these pick-up sound really nice to my ears and why stick with just one.
And that's why they call it the rabbit hole. For me the Josephinas are hard to beat, but those Ron Ellis pickups sound pretty good too.
As far as solo tone goes, the Josefinas are absolutely amazing... that being said, in a band context, the Grey Bottoms would definitely be the way to go.
I like seeing you testing stuff instead of just demoing it at the end. I would love to see more videos like these. Keep up the great content! :D
Can’t believe the difference between all sets of pickups. Always thought it was a bit of a myth. Personally, I preferred the Veneer Boards. But if it was me, I don’t think they’re “better” enough from the original Josephinas. Really enjoyed this series!
Loved this video, I too am on a strat journey. For me it's just become to much with all the different set of pickups, to much backwards and forwards. SO, I've decided to sell some gear and save up and buy the real deal providing that I can find a good one for the right price. I fancy a 59/60 .
I prefer the radio shop or the 63 veneer board.
But I reckon the 64 scratch plate suited YOU the best!
My favourite pickups were the radio specials 57s and bare knuckle 63 venner board
For me the bareknuckle mothers milk just scream. after hearing them I'm really considering a set. Great video, thanks for taking us on the journey with you!
They really reminded me of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s tone. Punchy, chimey, and FULL
Rabea I have an idea. Grab your favorite amp and a couple of pedals. Mix and match the various pickups. Neck of one with a bridge of the other middle of the other. Put in a quick connect on your output jack to save some soldering time. I've made this trip once or twice before and ended right where I started for some reason. Now I have three different loaded pick guards. Plus the original.
Maybe try using different pickups from each set and make a “super set”
Maybe the original Josephina’s in the neck, and the Mothers Milk/Veneer Board’s in the middle/bridge?
Over the years Ive found that the more I look for the perfect tone the more confused I get, yet still I search.
My own personal opinion, the Josefina' have such a pure '50's strat tone, they just blow the others away. Most of the others sounded too muddy or harsh to my ears. I would probably stay with the Josefina's and heavier gauge string. Great comparison video, and I love your playing.
The The Bare Knuckle 63 veneer board pickups sounded best to me with the Josefina set being a close second.
You NEED to try William Wiggins Traditionals or his Texas Wound set. You don’t know what you’re missing until you’ve played them.
Loved both Radioshop and Mike's pups. I found the BareKnuckle a bit darker for my taste.
Now because of you, i need to order a Radioshop set of pickups :(
You´ve got a very nice strat and you had a very complex work with this video. I think it took a long time to get it done. Since I´m an old SRV fan I would have liked to hear this great PUs and your great strat with old Fender Amps like an old Deluxe Reverb or a Pro Reverb for example. I love this Fender/Fender combination.
Man I found you on a Leo video and have been watching your videos and subscribed. First I had a band at the beginning of the 80's. Me on guitar and my cousin on drums, my brother singing and a friend Mike White who's father was Harold White, some country music star, but we wrote our own music and played bars and parties. The DT's. Well I have not played in 27 years and you make me want to play again. I am going to try. I still have my stick and amp.