the vintage discussion - Va pickups or fralins

[oscar100]

was talking to buffalo gts yesterday and mentio9ned im into andersons - tehy suggested i tried a grosh for vintage vibe

this got me to thinking

im not intersted in grosh gtrs in any great way ande ive had fralins in a number of strats


but the va seeries pickups are fairly bright - r they wound that way for a particlular reason or is that the andersi=on take on teh vintage single coil?

personally id like slightly warm but not as dark as teh fralins

any thoughts?

:p

[Stan Malinowski]

Jo,

Of the 6 "Classic" type Strat guitars, 4 of them have Fralins. The other 2 of 6 guitars are Anderson Classics with VAs which I will NOT change. I have a Grosh Retro Classic which sounds fantastic with a set of Fralin Blues Specials (a darker pickup than the VAs) and it is killer. I also replaced the stock Fender pickups in a 1997 Fender Custom Shop 60's Relic with Fralins (also Blues Specials), much more articulate and warm than the stock CS Texas Specials. I have a "self-built" Strat which I used a less powerful version of Fralin pickups (Vintage Hots) which are suppossedly more like a 50's Fender pu. These sound closer to the VAs in the quack (2 & 4) positions than the Fralin Blues Specials. To my ear I prefer the sound of the Anderson VAs in the quack positions and the bridge position. I must admit I prefer the Fralins (either Blues or Vintage Hots) in the neck position.

But then again this is just my opinion.

Stan

[oscar100]

stan

thats interesting -

i had vintage hots in a custom shop strat but tehy didnt do it fo me -

dont get many groshes over here - teh guys at buffalo certainly rated them as more 'vintage' than teh classic

r they constructed differently?

may be I should try one - or perhaps put a blues special in teh neck -

i agree with you that andersons quack great and also on teh bridge

;)

[Two of One]

Jo,

If it helps, I have been a vintage Strat player most of my life. I have owned and gigged with many Fender, Lindy, Anderson VAs and other vintage pickups. As far as the real sound of low output vintage pickups goes, to my ear Lindy prefers a more open, soft and bright sound, later Fender is somewhere in the middle and the Anderson VAs are really rich but still cut through. If you are comparing a hotter Lindy you might want to compare them to the VA2s or maybe even VA3 (although I think this is more of a bridge pickup). My friends who want fuller than real vintage like these best.

I loved this weeks Guitar of the Week cuz it does what a lot of players really want when they go for hotter pickups in their Strat. Mayby those minis would be cool for you too--or in a Classic or Hollow T.

Myself, I can't wait to get an Anderson Classic.

Two

[sonsop]

i love fralin pickups.

i own two grosh strats.

one has blues specials & the other has vintage hots with a steel pole #43 for the bridge. the #43 is sort of p90 hot. presently, i prefer the vintage hots. very open, bacon fat and sparkling tones-all the attributes that i love about strats. i think the blues specials sound huge when cranked. i go back and fourth but lately the vintage hots foot the bill.

finally, i think the fralins that i love sound so good because they are being used in a guitar that is voiced around them.

it would be hard to actually compare tom's pickups to lindy's unless the exact same guitar is being used for a comparison.

different guitars have different voices and the pickups ultimately only amplify the instruments capable sound.
JoeR

[Stan Malinowski]

JoeR, as usual, is on target! What's the second Grosh? I knew about the Fiesta Red Retro but #2....?

Stan

[sonsop]

thanks, stan!

here's the exact specs of other grosh that i picked up late summer:

http://www.massstreetmusic.com/catalog/show_indv.cgi?item=01434&img=1

mine has a med/large roundback with don's oiled finished neck and it's super smooth. i still like my fiesta red better but this one has the vintage hots and is super smooth.

last week i purchased a chapin stratahoula that is a wonderful & very unique guitar. so, this grosh may need to be sold. i have a prs hollowbody I that i'm trying to sell first because i really love both my grosh's. however, the chapin note is incoming and with xmas notes incoming as well, something may need to go.

and lets not forget that i must get an Anderson at some point soon!
JoeR

[Ted Witcher]

Stan, guys...

I'm doing a new project Strat... I fell in love with the sound of Fender's relic '56, but the Custom Shop only winds those pickups for those guitars, they're not available otherwise. The tone is big and full, pretty highs, not strident, fat bass with (to my ears) a slightly scooped midrange. I have Blues Specials in another guitar and love them, so I'm inclined to think Vintage Hots for this guitar. Do the VH's in any way match my description, allowing for the subjectivity of tone?

[sonsop]

i think that's a good description of the vintage hots that are in my grosh strat.

very open & chimey - way more early dire straits and early buddy guy than the blues specials. they have a very sweet tone with my alder body rosewood board/maple neck grosh strat.

perhaps not as throaty as the blues specials neck pup but still very, very stratty. i like them alot but some players may find them too polite if they play with a clean tone. not me, though. i think they are wound perfectly and match my grosh very well.

again - i speak from having played four grosh guitars with vintage hots but i have never played another make of guitar with vintage hots. if the wood is not voiced to work in tandem with these pickups i could see where they may sound very compressed and weak.

JoeR

[Stan Malinowski]

Ted,

In agreement here also - Use Fralin Vintage Hots (or even Vintages) for the mid-50's Strat tones (Knopfler). This series sounds particulary good with swamp ash bodies. Very Chimey pickups.

Fralin Blues Special are not as chimey as the Vintage models. More aggressive, good SRV type pickups. Work really well ith alder bodies/rosewood boards. A bit too harsh for me on swamp ash bodies.