Fender Custom Shop '69 Stratocaster pickups produce one of the most revered guitar sounds in popular music history-the full, punchy late-'60s blues rock tone that ruled the era from Monterey on the West Coast to Woodstock on the East Coast. Because of the clarity and transparency created by the unique coil wind and magnet structure, the '69 pickup design works especially well with pedals allowing the low end to thump and the high end to soar.
Set of 3 Custom '69 Strat pickupsOwn the tone that defined an era. Order today!
SPECIFICATIONSCustom Shop 1969 Strat Pickup Set
DC Resistance: 5.8kInductance: 2.2 Henries
Displaying reviews 1-10
Back to top
PreviousNext »
ONLY 2 OUT OF THE 3 PICKUPS WORKED!I purchased a set of the Fender Custom Shop '69 Pickups after hearing great reviews from some buddies at a local music store, and watching YouTube demos. Well, long story short, I received a set from Custom Guitar's Friend that were already opened, and looked used -- the pickup covers had telltale pick scratches on them.
I went to have them installed in my MIM Fender Strat, and was disappointed to find that the Authorized Fender Tech could not install the bridge pickup, as a fault in the internal wiring was preventing the pickup from working at all.
So unfortunately, I paid full price for two pickups and have been left with a dead bridge pickup. Don't know who was truly at fault here, but the shoddy open packaging and the seemingly used nature of these pickups makes me think Custom Guitar's Friend was the culprit.
The last three purchases I've made from Custom Guitar's Friend have been suspect in quality -- sorry MF, three strikes and you're out.
Fender Custom Shop 1969 Strat Pickup Set
.I like the 69 vintage vibe
I have these pickups in my American Deluxe and in an American Standard. I
Some have complained about having to make the maountin hole a little larger to accomodate the mounting screws. This is true, I had to do this in both cases. This was not a big deal to me since I mod my guitars anyway. Fender could do a little better with the fit...
While the middle pickup is not reverse wound, I put copper sheilding in the cavity and I do not hear any more noise than any other pickups. I also put a baseplate on the bridge pickup, its adds a little more bass and presence.
I really like these pickups, they work well for the the style of music I play. I have a bunch of amps - a Fender Twin, a Fender Blues Deville and a Mesa Mark V among others. It pairs best with the Fender Amps.
I was fortunate to get several sets that are signed by Abigail Ybarra before she retired. I think these pickps signed by her will become in great demand in time....
I recommend these if you want a vintage strat sound with a lttle more bite than average pickup and classic strat sound. .On my American Standard, the bridge pickup is reverse angled ala Hendrix, and I dig the vibe it put's out - great pickups for classic rock and blues or really almost anything you throw at it.
Other than the mounting issue it's good...
I think the price is fair
Fender Custom Shop 1969 Strat Pickup Set
.These are great pickups, unfortunetely they are 'vintage correct' to a fault for me. I had read online that the 69 Strat pickups would be noisy and it was a risk. There are very few videos of them in use. What you don't hear is the noise they create in most situations.
Without a reverse wound pickup in the middle (which is vintage correct) the guitar produces much more noise and there is no escape - toggling 'out of phase' between the middle pickup will not help - the noise will remain. It's got a great build - a vintage correct staggered magnets, grey bobbin with a bright and clear copper enameled coil and a cloth wound wires - much higher quality than stock - just visually speaking you can see the difference.
Back then, there were no stock reverse wound pickups. Nowdays - it's standard on a single coil set setup. A noise gate pedal or software such as Guitar Rig will help - but there goes a bit of your attack and sustain. I've installed many pickups - they are grounded and the pickgaurd is sheilded - this is just how they are meant to be.
Overall - I would recommend these pickups only to vintage purists or a 2nd Strat you want "vintage correct" with an aged pickgaurd and vintage tuners. You can also consider chopping out the middle pickup for a stock strat one, allowing you to cut the noise.
I have had the pleasure of owning a 66 Strat for many years- and the similiarities in sound are there. Through a Orange Tiny Terror, Fender Hot-Rod & Marshall head, they do sound great and have some character. It's your ears that will decide if they sound good however. I get the sound they are going for and it's a great tone. Make no mistake - they sound good. Compared to Mexi Strat pickups - it's an upgrade. But, it comes with the cost of the noise - which is why I can't rate these 5 stars.
Perhaps check for the Vintage Noiseless - and a boost pedal for a bit more grit. Or consider DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Blues 2, which I am considering switching to in the Neck and bridge - with a Area 58 or 61 vintage style pickup in the middle for a nice mid range boost out of phase.
In my opinion, Fender should have created these with a reverse wound pickup and sheilded wire in the middle as a sacrifice to vintage correct as an update for the modern day guitar - the best of both worlds in my opinion - that would have made these pickups better for day-to-day use in recording or live performances. You decide if 'vintage correct' is where you want to be sound wise, it's not for everyone and you may have a little buyers remorse at retail. This review comes 6 months into my purchase after many hours of use.
Fender Custom Shop 1969 Strat Pickup Set
. I'm very pleased overall with this purchase. Installation was fairly painless, with exception of getting the screws started in the waxy bobbin material, and easy instructions were included. Can't say enough how great these sound in my standard (Mexico) Strat without any other upgrades. It truly sounds like a guitar worth twice the price. Must stop typing to go play it now.
These pickups feature Alnico (who knows what it means? ALuminum NIkel CObalt) magnets and grey bobbin material. I don't know how it makes these basic looking pickups sound awesome, but it does. The cloth wrapped single strand wire is very cool and "vintage" correct, too.
As all Fender products are concerned, and this is from a dyed-in-the-wool Les Paul freak, quality is very high. I replaced another brand of "upgrade" pickups with the '69 strat set and was wonderfully impressed with the new, real Fender sound these pickups provide.
I would rate these a 10 at just a little smaller pricetag, but the sound they provide is excellent for the money. As stated above, other even higher cost pickup sets do not offer this level of tonal purity or true Fender twang and sass.
Fender Custom Shop 1969 Strat Pickup Set
.Ad states these are Signed and Dated by Abby.Not so.I returned 1st set because of this and I was advised 2nd set would be signed.2nd set was same as 1st.Not signed or dated.I called and was told Fender no longer dates or signs these PUs.Ad online still advertises Signed and dated.I wanted these for and investment as I have a Masterbuilt Strat with Abbys in it..Now I'm stuck with These.
Fender Custom Shop 1969 Strat Pickup Set
.Like i said in the title these pickups are perfect for classic rock sound and clean as well. They are definitely not for hard rock or metal, but sound great if you play hendrix, led zeppelin, pink floyd...
Fender Custom Shop 1969 Strat Pickup Set
.I have a '62 reproduction Strat which I bought in 2002. I love the sound of it but it is an expensive guitar to be taking to gigs. I asked a local dealer what pickups would be closest to it and he said the '69 pickups. I bought the '69's from Custom Guitar's Friend and I also got a free gift of a pearloid pickguard. I put them on my 2005 MIM Strat and I'm very happy. This is now my main gigging axe. I've played sixties Strats and this is the tone.I read a lot of reviews about pickups. Single coils are not humbuckers these pickups and expect them to sound like a LesPaul. If you want that classic Strat sound, buy these.
Fender Custom Shop 1969 Strat Pickup Set
.I bought these last year to replace the pickups on a 2005 MIM Strat. I wanted pickups similar to those on my 2002 reproduction '62 Strat. I also have a '95 American Strat and another 2005 MIM Strat to compare. Out of the four different sets of Strat pickups I have , these are the least "hot". These are the cleanest of them all. Yes, you will get a little growl when they are overdriven but they need the help of a Blues Driver or Tube Screamer to get any balls. They are nowhere like the '62 Strat pickups. The original MIM pickups have more balls than these. I had the guitar with these pickups set up for open tuning slide but wasn't getting enough gain out of them. I switched back to a late '90's Squire Strat which has hotter pickups than these. The pickups on my '95 Strat seem to be Lace Sensors and I like that guitar the best and then the '62. If you want sparkly cleans, go with these. If you play rock or blues and want some overdrive, I'd go with something else. I also have a 2005 Highway One Tele and I like the stock pickups on that more than these pickups.
Fender Custom Shop 1969 Strat Pickup Set
.Very satisfied. Nice timbre and bonus that all three pickups are identical so no impedance changes when switching pickup positions. Made a World of difference getting rid of the MIM pickups which are not even built with true pole pieces but rather mild steel poles with bar magnets stuck on the bottoms to set up a magnetic field. Cheesey. THESE ARE QUALITY! As a coil winder, I can see these were built with care. Sound like a million bucks. Note, with all three pickups identical, no hum cancelling in the 'tween switch positions. Still lots of 'quack' and 'quoock'..... awesome job Miss Ybarra.
Fender Custom Shop 1969 Strat Pickup Set
. These pickups are not loud . Great mellow tone and bright tones. Great for all styles of music.
Had these pickups professional installed into a 1995 Mexican Stratocaster . MY start now sounds better than most American made Fenders.
Had the pickups professional installed. They sound awesome. They place where I had them installed was blown away by how good these pickups are.
Great tone. They made my Mexican Strat sound better than most American made Strats.
Fender Custom Shop 1969 Strat Pickup Set
.