What kind of Strat pickups are best fitted for recording of my type of music?

[ocnor]

I have a few questions that are just as relevant to the recording techniques forum as the Op's post.

1. What color shoes should I wear when recording my type of music?

2. Should my dog eat Alpo or Gravy Train when recording my type of music?

3. Is a bologna sandwich made with white or wheat bread best fitted for recording my type of music?

4. Paper or plastic when recording my type of music?

5. Is Pepsi or Coke best fitted for recording my type of music?

6. Should I wear silver or gold nipple rings when recording my type of music?

7. There are two trains traveling in opposite directions. One is traveling at 75 mph and the other at 62 mph. Which one of them is best fitted for recording my type of music?

 

[xtp]

What's with the extra neck? Did you swap it out, or are you going to? I notice it a 22-fret, one on the guitar is a 21- won't the swap mess up the scale and thus intonation?

Thats a new neck I purchased yet to be put on. It has a ebony fretboard which I prefer to rosewood which is why I got it rather than for the extra fret. Not sure about the jumbo frets but thats what it came with. Also its has a nice slim profile, the squire one is like a baseball bat.

The fretboard overhangs the end of the neck, the 12 fret position will fall in exactly the same place. I would think it would only affect the intonation if i tried to line up the 21 fret with the 22 fret, as long as the 12 fret position lines up everything should be ok.

 

[miroslav]

I'm running my guitar through my built in pre-amp and I'm using software amp for recording and not my real tube amp. I feel I get more control over the guitar recording this way.

If it works for you, that's fine...but then don't worry too much about the specific pick-up John Mayer uses, as the guitar amp and recording preamp can make a BIG difference in the final tone, not just the pick-up choice.
Unless you define his exact recording chain from end-to-end...focusing in on one element is not going to be the most accurate.

 

[ido1957]

Fender Lace Sensor Gold Pickups

 

[buzzard bass]

My first thought was the Lace Sensors, I'd start, though, by seeing what I could get from the stock pups. Fart around with the amp, any outboard effects. Strats have a particular sound, like LP's or Rics, those engineers know what they're doing designing the pups.

 

[stevieb]

Oh, I had to call Fender Custom Shop about something yesterday, and realized it's Scott whom you need to ask for. I told him you might be calling...

 

[jimistone]

I have a great blues pickup combination on my vintage strat right now. The sound great recorded and live.

On the neck I have the original 1966 pickup (a fender grey bottom 1969 pickup would be the closest modern pickup to that)
I have a fender 57/62 pickup in the middle position (this has to be one of the best pickups I've ever had)
and I have a texas special on the bridge (it's fat enough to not give that icepick in your ear tone)

The secret to getting great sounds out of single coil pickups...IMO...is to set them very low. Mine are almost flush with the pickguard on the bass side and slightly raised on the treble side.

You can get the output out of the amp....but if you raise the pickups too high, attempting to get maximum output, the sparkle and charactor is gone. They become loud and lifeless. It's a tone one would expect from a budget guitar. I think it's a reason so many people are constantly changing their pickups all the time.

Most people set their pickups way too high. Almost every strat in a music store has the pickups set too high.

Don't go by what some article says the correct height is supposed to be...use your ears and experiment with different pickups heights because if it sounds right IT IS RIGHT!