One of my guitars is a Fender 2007 Standard (MIM) Strat. I've always liked how that guitar felt, but not how it sounded. The stock pickups were kind of bland, and did not have the signature bite and punch that a good Strat should have. I knew eventually I would swap them out for a brighter, more dynamic set.
For years I wanted the much-hyped Fender Custom Shop '69s, due to the legend that those were essentially the same pickups used by Jimi Hendrix.
At first I was gassing for a Fender Classic Player 60s Strat, which had those pickups as standard equipment. Later on, I thought about getting a set to replace the pickups in my MIM Strat. But I hedged at the price--CS 69s were typically not discounted by much, if at all.
It wasn't until earlier this year that I discovered Pure Vintage '65s, after hearing a guitarist on YouTube nailing an early Hendrix tone with those pickups. With that in mind, I went to the Fender website and matched up the specs of the Custom Shop '69s with the Pure Vintage '65s. I was surprised to find that both pickups were almost identically spec'd, and the Pure Vintage '65s were at least $50 less expensive.
From that point, I was sold on the '65s. It was like I forgot all about how I lusted after the Custom Shop '69s. I bought a set of Pure Vintage '65s and couldn't wait to put together a new pickguard and wiring harness for the MIM Strat.
Note the following about these pickups as shipped:
(1) This is a 'pure vintage' set of pickups, so there's no reverse-wound middle pickup for controlling noise in positions 2 and 4;
(2) Fender does not indicate the output of the pickups, so you're on our own if you want to test your own set;
(3) Fender does not advise us on which positions to mount each pickup--that's up to us to figure out as well.
There was no way I was going to drop these pickups in without knowing which one should go where. That's why I have a multimeter. So I tested my set at 6.29k, 6.25k, and 6.07k. (Of course, not all pickups are exactly the same, so YMMV.) I wanted the highest output pickup--the 6.29--in the bridge, and the next highest--the 6.25--in the neck, since those are the positions I play in most often.
Also note here that prior to wiring the pickups for mounting, I completely lined the pickup routs and the underside of the new pickguard with copper tape--this creates a mini Faraday cage for controlling hum from the single coil pickups. Doing so was a revelation, as the finished guitar is extremely noise-free. I highly recommend this to anyone who owns a Strat.
With the pickups wired in and the installation completed, the Pure Vintage '65 pickups are a huge improvement over the stock pickups, as expected. They have much better dynamic range and clarity, although I would not say they are 'punchier.' These are vintage, warm-sounding pickups. They handle distortion much better than I expected, as well. Using a dirt pedal, I was able to get an early Van Halen tone out of the bridge, which was downright shocking. You can go from glassy, delicate cleans to an old-school rock roar. I currently like using them with moderate gain at the amp, and then I can dial back to clean tones with the guitar's volume knob. These pickups make lots of tone choices possible.
The only thing lacking in this set is the reverse-wound middle, so the 2 and 4 positions do not combine with the middle to make the output noise-free. You simply do not buy these pickups if you want a reverse-wound middle. (A correction to the earlier version: the 2 and 4 positions do have the distinctive Strat 'quack' sounds.)
All in all, I'm glad I waited and found out about Pure Vintage '65s. I don't miss the more hyped Custom Shop '69s at all. These are very versatile, sweet sounding pickups. It's made my MIM Strat an entirely different animal.
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Fender Pure Vintage '65 Stratocaster Pickup Demo
FMI Wholesale
From the manufacturer
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| Vintera '50s Vintage Stratocaster Pickup Set | Vintera '60s Vintage Stratocaster Pickup Set | Vintage Noiseless Strat Pickups | Custom Shop Texas Special Strat Pickups | Custom Shop Custom '69 Strat Pickups | Ultra Noiseless Vintage Stratocaster Pickups | |
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| Price | — | $119.99 | $209.99 | $269.99 | $269.99 | $226.37 |
| Style | Vintage | Vintage-Style | Noiseless | Custom Shop | Custom Shop | Noiseless |
| Configuration | SSS | SSS | SSS | SSS | SSS | SSS |
| Magnet Type | Alnico 5 | Alnico 5 | Alnico 2 | Alnico 5 | Alnico 5 | Alnico 5 |
| Magnet Wire | Formvar-coated | Enamel-coated | Polysol-coated | Enamel-coated | Enamel-coated | Polysol-coated |
| DC Resistance | Neck: 5.5k, Middle: 5.9k, Bridge: 6.0k | Neck: 5.7k, Middle: 5.95k, Bridge: 5.95k | Neck/Middle/Bridge: 9.8K | Neck Pickup: 5.9K. Middle: 6.5K. Bridge: 6.6K | Neck/Middle/Bridge: 5.6K | Neck/Middle: 7.9 - 8.7k, Bridge: 9.2 - 10.0k |
| Inductance | Neck: 2.4 Henries, Middle: 2.5 Henries, Bridge: 2.6 Henries | Neck: 2.32 Henries, Middle: 2.58 Henries, Bridge: 2.75 Henries | 3.0 Henries | Neck: 2.57 Henries, Middle: 2.6 Henries, Bridge: 2.97 Henries | Neck/Middle/Bridge: 3.0 Henries | Neck/Middle: 2.1 - 2.5H, Bridge: 2.8 - 3.2H |
| Lead Wire | Vinyl-covered | Vinyl-covered | Vinyl-covered | Cloth-covered | Cloth-covered | Vinyl-covered |
| Pole Pieces | Staggered | Staggered unbeveled | Staggered hand-beveled | Staggered | Staggered | Staggered unbeveled |
| Tone | Vintage | Vintage | Vintage | Modern | Vintage | Modern |
| Output | Vintage | Vintage | Moderate (3 out of 5) | Hot (4 out of 5) | Vintage (1 out of 5) | Vintage |
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| Ultra Noiseless Hot Stratocaster Pickups | Tex-Mex Strat Pickups | Pure Vintage '65 Strat Pickups | Pure Vintage '59 Strat Pickup Set | Hot Noiseless Strat Pickups | Custom Shop Custom '54 Stratocaster Pickups | |
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| Price | $249.99 | $99.99 | $199.99 | $199.99 | $209.99 | $269.99 |
| Style | Noiseless | Modern | Pure Vintage | Pure Vintage | Noiseless | Custom Shop |
| Configuration | SSS | SSS | SSS | SSS | SSS | SSS |
| Magnet Type | Alnico 5 | Alnico 5 | Alnico 5 | Alnico 5 | Ceramic | Alnico 5 |
| Magnet Wire | Polysol-coated | Polysol-coated | Enamel-coated | Formvar-coated | Polysol-coated | Formvar-coated |
| DC Resistance | Neck/Middle: 12.3 - 12.9k, Bridge: 21.6 - 22.2k | Neck: 6.5K, Middle: 6.4K, Bridge: 7.4K | 5.9K | 5.8K | Neck/Middle/Bridge: 10.4K | Neck/Middle Pickups: 5.9K. Bridge: 6.5K |
| Inductance | Neck/Middle: 3.75H, Bridge: 6.6H | Neck/Middle: 2.75 Henries, Bridge: 3.7 Henries | 2.6 Henries | 2.2 Henries | Neck/Middle/Bridge: 2.8 Henries | Neck/Middle: 2.4 Henries, Bridge: 2.75 Henries. |
| Lead Wire | Vinyl-covered | Vinyl-covered | Cloth-covered | Cloth-covered | Vinyl-covered | Cloth-covered |
| Pole Pieces | Staggered unbeveled | Staggered | Staggered | Staggered | Flush-mount | Staggered hand-beveled |
| Tone | Hot | Modern | Vintage | Vintage | Hot | Vintage |
| Output | Hot | Moderate (3 out of 5) | Vintage | Vintage | Hot (5 out of 5) | Vintage (2 out of 5) |
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| Custom Shop Fat '60s Stratocaster Pickups | Deluxe Drive Stratocaster Pickups | Original ’57/’62 Strat Pickups | Custom Shop Fat '50s Stratocaster Pickups | Yosemite Strat Pickup Set | Gen 4 Noiseless Stratocaster Pickups | |
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| Price | $269.99 | $92.85 | $199.99 | $269.99 | — | $229.99 |
| Style | Vintage-Style | Modern | Pure Vintage | Custom Shop | Modern | Noiseless |
| Configuration | SSS | SSS | SSS | SSS | SSS | SSS |
| Magnet Type | Alnico 2 | Alnico 3 | Alnico 5 | Alnico 5 | Neck and Middle: Alnico 4, Bridge: Alnico 2 | Alnico 5 |
| Magnet Wire | Formvar-coated | Polysol-coated | Formvar-coated | Formvar-coated | Enamel-coated | |
| DC Resistance | Neck/Middle/Bridge: 6.7K | Neck: 10.6K, Middle/Bridge: 12.0K | Neck/Middle/Bridge: 5.6K | Neck: 6.26K, Middle: 6.34K, Bridge: 6.43K | Neck: 7.8K, Middle: 8.5K, Bridge: 8.9K | 10.3k |
| Inductance | Neck/Middle/Bridge: 2.8 Henries | Neck: 3.5 Henries, Middle: 4.3 Henries, Bridge: 4.3 Henries | Neck/Middle/Bridge: 3.0 Henries | Neck: 2.49 Henries, Middle: 2.5 Henries, Bridge: 2.63 Henries | Neck/Middle: 3.2 Henries, Bridge: 3.6 Henries | |
| Lead Wire | Cloth-covered | Vinyl-covered | Cloth-covered | Cloth-covered | Shielded | |
| Pole Pieces | Staggered | Flush-mount | Staggered hand-beveled | Staggered hand-beveled | Staggered | Staggered |
| Tone | Modern | Hot | Vintage | Modern | Modern | |
| Output | Hot | Hot (4 out of 5) | Vintage (1 out of 5) | Moderate (3 out of 5) | Modern |
Compare with similar items
This Item  Fender Pure Vintage '65 Strat Pickups |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $199.99 | -16% $226.37 List: $269.99 | $119.99 | $37.56 | $199.99 | $269.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Monday, May 13 | Get it May 13 - 16 | Get it as soon as Sunday, May 12 | Get it as soon as Sunday, May 12 | Get it as soon as Sunday, May 12 | Get it as soon as Sunday, May 12 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Easy to install | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Sold By | Amazon.com | MonoLab [ arrive in about 10days by FedEx or DHL ] | Amazon.com | The Art of Tone | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| hand orientation | Right | — | Right | — | Right | Right |
| number of strings | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| guitar bridge system | Tremolo | Tremolo | — | Tremolo | Tremolo | Hard Tail |
| pickup configuration | — | Combination | — | — | S | S |
Reviews with images
Authentic vintage Strat sound, crips clear when clean and with plenty of bite if overdriven
These are excellent pickups. They sound great and get you that vintage Strat tone. Punchy, quacky and crystal clear when played clean. If you add overdrive / distortion, they give you plenty of cut, bite and growl. Don't expect the bottom end or fullness of a humbucker for overdriven tones, though. These are tried and true single coils. FYI, middle pickup is not reverse wound reverse polarity - so positions 2 and 4 are not hum cancelling ( a common question with these).Heads up, if you play through an amp, expect these to be noisy! Not terrible, but there's a hum. That's fine, that's what vintage pickups do. Just be aware of that. I usually play through a HeadRush floor unit, which has a great noise reducing feature and the hum goes away, so the noise isn't a problem for me when playing live in that application.Highly recommend these pickups. I mainly use them for worship, and clean to mid overdrive tones with ambient delay / reverb makes these great for that kind of music. I put these bad boys into a MIM Strat project / upgrade. Turned a basic standard Mexi Strat into a 60s inspired project.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2021
Heads up, if you play through an amp, expect these to be noisy! Not terrible, but there's a hum. That's fine, that's what vintage pickups do. Just be aware of that. I usually play through a HeadRush floor unit, which has a great noise reducing feature and the hum goes away, so the noise isn't a problem for me when playing live in that application.
Highly recommend these pickups. I mainly use them for worship, and clean to mid overdrive tones with ambient delay / reverb makes these great for that kind of music. I put these bad boys into a MIM Strat project / upgrade. Turned a basic standard Mexi Strat into a 60s inspired project.
Authentic vintage Strat sound, crips clear when clean and with plenty of bite if overdriven
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2021
These are excellent pickups. They sound great and get you that vintage Strat tone. Punchy, quacky and crystal clear when played clean. If you add overdrive / distortion, they give you plenty of cut, bite and growl. Don't expect the bottom end or fullness of a humbucker for overdriven tones, though. These are tried and true single coils. FYI, middle pickup is not reverse wound reverse polarity - so positions 2 and 4 are not hum cancelling ( a common question with these).Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2021
Heads up, if you play through an amp, expect these to be noisy! Not terrible, but there's a hum. That's fine, that's what vintage pickups do. Just be aware of that. I usually play through a HeadRush floor unit, which has a great noise reducing feature and the hum goes away, so the noise isn't a problem for me when playing live in that application.
Highly recommend these pickups. I mainly use them for worship, and clean to mid overdrive tones with ambient delay / reverb makes these great for that kind of music. I put these bad boys into a MIM Strat project / upgrade. Turned a basic standard Mexi Strat into a 60s inspired project.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Dogshark
Nailing that vintage tone
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2021