Texas Blues Strat Buying Advice

Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
The single most important thing to me is pickup choice. That is where your tone comes from, dynamics, etc. Everything else he talks about is all true, but most of it with the exception of too-small frets, can simply be gotten used to and be just fine for most of us. When it comes to pickups, you are stuck with whatever you have in the guitar and there isn't anything you can do to get around that except change pickups. Anthony has been using Zexcoil pickups for years and there is a reason. Personally, they are my choice for a Strat as well. They are outstanding pickups and worth every dime. Things in particular that I like about them is that there is zero signal drop off (decrease in volume) in positions 2 & 4, they are dead silent (totally noiseless) and have the best tone of any pickup I have ever stuck in a Strat (and there have been many).

I have the SV5O in the bridge and SV5 in the middle and neck and love them to death. Same set that Anthony has in one of his guitars and Johnny Oskam's choice as well.

You can take any Strat, even a cheap Squier, put a set of these pickups in it, and have a guitar that sounds better than anything Fender has to offer. IMO.

Full Pic.jpg IMG_0495.JPG


Shane of In The Blues also uses them.

So does Robert Renman.

So does Johnny Oskam.

So does James Anthony,

And many others. And no, I do not work for Zexcoil, they don't even know who I am.
 
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CaptainMoto

Blues Voyager
OH kidz,
I've had these on my "something to think about" list for some time.

My perspective on pickups is "Yes" they make up a large part of the tone but, I've never swapped out any myself.
I've been in the mode of buying a guitar as an entire unit and never had the desire to replace pups on a guitar I like.

So, as I think about these I'm at the point where I can make one of three decisions.
1. Swap out on my one and only strat.
2. Buy a new/used strat and swap to zexcoils
3. Build my own

Then the question is what set of Zexcoils?

Looks like I got more pondering to do.

Here's my current one and only Strat with a HSS set of Lindy Fralin's.

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cowboy

Blues, Booze & BBQ
I watched that vid...some good advise...it was worth watching...enjoyed the part about adjusting pickups...later.

cowboy
 

Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
OH kidz,
I've had these on my "something to think about" list for some time.
My perspective on pickups is "Yes" they make up a large part of the tone but, I've never swapped out any myself.
I've been in the mode of buying a guitar as an entire unit and never had the desire to replace pups on a guitar I like.
So, as I think about these I'm at the point where I can make one of three decisions.
1. Swap out on my one and only strat.
2. Buy a new/used strat and swap to zexcoils
3. Build my own
Then the question is what set of Zexcoils?
Looks like I got more pondering to do.
Here's my current one and only Strat with a HSS set of Lindy Fralin's.
That Strat is not a good candidate for Zexcoils due to the humbucker in the bridge. Some, including me (and I know I'll catch hell for saying this), don't even consider guitars with humbuckers in them to even be Strats just because they have a Strat body.

Anthony's video showed two different sets in his guitars, both excellent, and each sounding a little different SV5O/SV5/SV5 and SV5+/SV2/SV5O. Johnny Oskam also uses this first set, and so do I as I love his tone ... and the pickups delivered exactly that.

Zecoil make such a wide array of Strat pickups that you may be pondering for some time. Just in their Legacy series they offer convertible (two voices, Strat or Humbucker) and Humbucker flavored pickups, as well as their "regular" Strat pickups.
 
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matonanjin

Chubby, old guy trying to play some blues.
Saw this video from Anthony Stauffer on YouTube. He provides an excellent run down of all the guitar specs, and choices we have.. It's a bit long but I thought it was really valuable.
I just saw this as well a couple days ago. Very educational even if you're not Strat shopping. Lot's of information such as neck profiles, etc.
 

Scotty R

Blues Newbie
+1 for Zexcoils. I've got the Hybrid Juicy set.
Basically the Anthony Texas Blues set with a convertible humbucker pickup in the bridge.
Very satisfied...

IMG_3289 copy.jpg
 
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Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
+1 for Zexcoils. I've got the Hybrid Juicy set.
Basically the Anthony Texas Blues set with a convertible humbucker pickup in the bridge.
Very satisfied...

View attachment 11562
I think James Anthony is using the convertibles ... but not sure. They are the answer for those who insist on stuffing humbuckers in their Strats and then wondering why it doesn't sound like a Strat. These are much better than splitting a regular big humbucker to get the funky "single coil" sound that results in.
 
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Dewesq55

Blues Newbie
OH kidz,
I've had these on my "something to think about" list for some time.

My perspective on pickups is "Yes" they make up a large part of the tone but, I've never swapped out any myself.
I've been in the mode of buying a guitar as an entire unit and never had the desire to replace pups on a guitar I like.

So, as I think about these I'm at the point where I can make one of three decisions.
1. Swap out on my one and only strat.
2. Buy a new/used strat and swap to zexcoils
3. Build my own

Then the question is what set of Zexcoils?

Looks like I got more pondering to do.

Here's my current one and only Strat with a HSS set of Lindy Fralin's.

View attachment 11530
Beautiful guitar. Is that Lake Placid Blue? I'm currently building my own "one and only" Strat and finishing it in LPB. Mine has a cocobolo fretboard, however.
 

CaptainMoto

Blues Voyager
Thanks,
I'm really not sure what the name of that color is.
I bought it from a local builder who unfortunately shut down.
I think he was loosing money, he really put a lot of TLC and top notch parts into his work.

I have only one strat and I wanted a maple fret board on it.
If buy or build a second, it will have a dark wood board.
 

Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
OH kidz,
I've had these on my "something to think about" list for some time.
My perspective on pickups is "Yes" they make up a large part of the tone but, I've never swapped out any myself.
I've been in the mode of buying a guitar as an entire unit and never had the desire to replace pups on a guitar I like.
So, as I think about these I'm at the point where I can make one of three decisions.
1. Swap out on my one and only strat.
2. Buy a new/used strat and swap to zexcoils
3. Build my own
Then the question is what set of Zexcoils?
Looks like I got more pondering to do.
Here's my current one and only Strat with a HSS set of Lindy Fralin's.
Well, if an inexpensive pickup-testing guitar is a pondering roadblock, here ya go.
https://www.glarrymusic.com/electric-guitars-c-11.html

https://www.glarrymusic.com/glarry-st-electric-guitar-p13.html

Ponder long an hard, Mr. Moto. I will give you fair warning. Venturing into guitar-modifying is addictive ... kind of like jumping off of a diving board and then realizing you need to learn to swim. And Strats especially because they are like an erector set with dozens of choices for every component. All that's left of my original MIM Strat is the body and jack plate.

Based on what I know about what you consider to be great tone, the choice of Zexcoil pickups I would recommend for you would be a standard SV5 in the neck and middle, and in the bridge a SV5O or maybe a convertible. Anything hotter you most likely wouldn't care for. And I would wire it with the bottom tone knob for the bridge and the middle knob for tone of the middle and neck ... so you can roll off a bit of the bridge treble bite most Strats have, and both tone pots being no-load pots.
 
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Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
My God!
$69.00 for Strat:eek:
Would cost more to make one from paper mache
.
Pretty unbelievable for sure. But they seem to play OK, and have a basswood body which is amazing at that price ... and maple necks. Certainly good enough to serve as a test-bed for a great set of pickups.

So assuming you got one a put your chosen Zexcoil picckups in it and fell in love with the pickups.
Then what?

Embark on the quest of building your own Strat ... finding just the right body, just the right neck, just the right tuners, just the right tremolo system, just the right pick guard, just the right wiring? Oh, so many decisions. Or just buy an off the shelf nice Strat of some kind and switch pickups between it and this el-cheapo? Oh, so many decisions. Makes my head hurt.
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Jay Dee

Blues addicted
I bought one of these Strats. The price has gone up I got mine for $60.00. If you like to work on guitars they are great! The pickups sound very nice believe it or not.
 
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