Video Comparison - Fender Texas Special and Dimarzio Area '61

DrewPeterson7

Sage of the Order


Another thread that no one will comment on, most likely, but what the hell. :D

This one is interesting, because both pickups theoretically should sound quite similar. The Texas Special is of course Fender's take on a bright, slightly overwound singlecoil as popularized by Stevie Ray Vaughan, while the Dimarzio Area '61 is their Virtual Vintage noiseless take on the same thing.

What surprised me the most here was that tonally, these pickups actually weren't that different. The clean sounds are noticeably more chimey and a little brighter with the Texas Specials, but the more balanced sound of the Area '61 wasn't exactly unappealing either. Distorted, they were awfully hard to tell apart (jump back and forth between that first couple notes using the time markers in the comments of the video) - the Texas Specials might have a slightly smoother high end, but they're quite close.

The biggest two differences I found were 1.) the Area '61 is either a little hotter or, due to its lower magnetic pull and modern stagger, can be set closer to the strings, and 2.) the vintage stagger on the Texas Special made the b string especially seem a little weaker than its neighbors.

I'm going to keep playing, but my first impression is that while hands down the Texas Specials would be the better choice for a dedicated clean/blues guitar, for the proggier, shreddier sort of blues rock I play (especially in that I do a ton of legato) maybe the Area pickups would be a better match, especially with a bridge humbcker.

That said, not shown in this video - the in-between neck/middle sound is to DIE for on these Texas Specials.
 
I like what you are doing. And I think everything you say about your impressions of the pickups is accurate. If it were me playing that guitar and that style of music, I wouldn't hesitate to use the Area 61's and sell those Texas Special's as fast as I could. Especially on the clean stuff at the start of each example, the 61's are just much richer and far more balanced, wtih some guts thrown in.

Nice.
 
Really, I wish I had a second strat to put these in, as for what I'm after, they sound great but aren't quite right, I think.I've backed them off a bit further from the strings which has helped, and they're a great, articulate, clear pickup set, but the Areas are a bit ballsier... To be fair, the Texas Specials really should be heard through 250k pots while the Areas are designed for 500k.

I've got a Fender Custom Shop '69 neck pickup sitting on my kitchen table that I'm going to try next - I've been told it mates well with a Texas Special middle, and I like the middle more than the neck on this set. That's going in tonight or tomorrow, I think.
 
Thanks for this demonstration

I've just bought a Mexican Standard Strat that I love everything about except the pickups and this video made me decide on the Dimarzios. They sound sweeter, rounder, woodier and clearer to me than the Texas Specials which sound flatter, harsher, and more two dimensional. Your other video of you playing blues with the Area 61 in the neck position also helped clinch the decision, 'cause in that video you're getting a great Texas blues tone. Thanks, Drew!
 
It's difficult to compare from a video. Much of the flavor, and character of the single coils is lost in the compression of the audio. These are attributes that the noiseless pickups didn't have to begin with. It's not a fair contest. Side by side in person, Your opinion might change.

Not identical, but a similar situation. A friend brought a Jeff Beck sig strat over that he had just picked up that has the fender noisless pickups. I adjusted on the guitar, and made it sound as good as I could. He was thrilled until he A/B'd it with my demo strat. The difference was too easily noticable. It sounded as if someone threw a blanket over the amp. The Dimarzio's may be a little better than the Fender's, but I doubt there is a huge difference.

DM said:
I've just bought a Mexican Standard Strat that I love everything about except the pickups and this video made me decide on the Dimarzios.
The stock pickups in a MIM strat have more in common with a ceramic magnet P-90 than they do with a vintage stratocaster pickup. Just about anything is an improvement. They're fine instruments, but the electronic's are weak.
 
That's one of the things I like about my Mexi-Strat. The stock pickups are a little warmer, rounder, way less fucking screechy than high end USA Strat single coils. Actually, that's the only thing that I like about it. I'll grab one of those expensive Strats at a shop and have to put it right back down because it sounds like a cat sliding down a chalkboard. I'll take my cheapo stock Mexi-Strat pickups any day over "good" ones.
 
I'll take my cheapo stock Mexi-Strat pickups any day over "good" ones.
Cool, if that's the sound you're after. I've never had anyone ask me to put their MIM pickups back into their guitar.
 
Cool, if that's the sound you're after. I've never had anyone ask me to put their MIM pickups back into their guitar.

I must have about 50 if the things sitting in my odds and ends box after swapping them out...

As it happens I don't mind them mostly but there is a LOT of variation in them. I'm not a huge strat fan though even though I'm building one as I type this.
 
Cool, if that's the sound you're after. I've never had anyone ask me to put their MIM pickups back into their guitar.

You've never had anyone with the impeccable ear for tone and skill to make anything sound awesome that I have. :D
 
muttley said:
I must have about 50 if the things sitting in my odds and ends box after swapping them out...
Yep, and you can't even use the covers because they don't fit well on anything else.
 
I have owned texas specials and did not like them one bit, I have a 62' RI strat which can nail the SRV tone. I don't know but in my experience the more vintage spec the strat is the more it sounds like it should
 
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