I was in Guitar Center the other day and was buying a pedal train and decided to ask the guy I was talking to about some good pick-ups. When I was describing what I wanted he pointed me to the Texas Specials. He let me play a Strat that had some in them through a Vox...not sure what model but it had a "tone cut" channel and I believe I was playing through that one. Anyway they sounded good but they were just a tad too...I don't know the best word I can think of is "harsh." A bit too bright which I'm pretty sure are just the extra highs in the pick-up, the pumped up mids add a nice punch but I play through a Big Muff a lot so that could be a bit of a problem. Now I'm sure I could probably fix the "harshness" by setting up my EQ on my amp to roll off some highs and dip the mids a bit but my problem is (besides the problem it might cause with a mid overload with the big muff) that I have a MIM Fat Strat and I'm going to be putting a Rio Grande BBQ Bucker in the bridge. I want to make sure if I invest in the Texas Special because they do have the sound I want just a little too bright, and that if I set up my amp's EQ to handle them the way I want I won't be screwed when I switch over to the BBQ-Bucker. I want to be able to have a good tone no matter what pup I'm on.

Too long; didn't read version: Is there a single coil pick up with a lot of the same good attributes as the Texas Specials without being so hot? Or do you think I'll be good with Specials and the BBQ Bucker? Obviously I'd like to play a guitar with Specials through my rig before I buy but just getting an opinion here. Sorry for the long post guys.

hmmmm... a couple of suggestions.

first would be to see if you can try that guitar with the Tex-Specs in them again, but also ask to maybe lower the pickups (bring the screwdriver just in case?) and see if doing that will remove the harshness that you're hearing. I never tried doing that, but I always wondered if it would help. Also, try them with your BMP if you can, to see how they respond.

I had a similar experience with these pickups, too. I wanted to like them because they had that fatness and clarity I desired, but also couldn't get past the harshness. If you dig that tone, and are willing to offer up the scratch, I'd suggest Fralin Blues Specials. Got them in my Strat now, and there's definitely no looking back. For me, that Strat is my number 1 guitar, so I figured that I may as well spend the money to make sure I absolutely had no regrets about my purchase. Fralins are a little steep, but TOTALLY worth it. It's that Tex-Spec sound, but just amplify all the things you like about them, and remove the potential 'suck'.... those are Fralins. And if you order from them, you can specify the degree of overwind that you want, so it's exactly to your preference. I've had these in my guitar for near on a year now, and it's really just fantastic. If you're using the Strat all the time, I'd recommend making sure you won't want to change them out later. That's what worried me about the Tex-Specs... I knew eventually the harshness would get to me.

Also, if Fralins are not what you want, look into the Rio Grande stuff. You're already getting their humbucker (good choice, BTW!), so maybe they've got some singles which will do what you like?

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Check this guy out too:

CurtisNovak.com - Pickups and Guitars | Stratocaster Replacement Pickups

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I'd say talk to Rio Grande and tell them what you want from your single coils, they've got lots of steps in power and tone, so they should have a model right for you.

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Thanks man I'll look into the Fralins! . I've heard great things about them but like you said. Price haha. All I have right now is my Strat, it's my only electric so i want it to sound as good as it possibly can. One thing that really drew me to the Texas Specials is that so many people have said they took a MIM Strat and it sounds like an American made. And I might go up and try the Texas Specials again but maybe play through another amp and play around with the tone. I was sort of in a hurry the other night. I don't exactly know too much about Pick ups at the moment, I should soon though because I have to take an equipment maintenance class in my major. Anyway, I wouldn't know what to tell them about how to wind them :/

Is there anyway I can hear them?

Yeah I suppose looking into the Rio Grandes couldn't hurt. Am already getting the BBQ bucker.

Thanks guys!

EDIT: Ok holy crap there is so much I don't know about pick ups. I've been looking at some stuff and it's all going over my head. The types of magnets, the wiring, the way they're wound. The only thing I sort of know about is the differences in tones from single coils, humbuckers, P-90's and EMG's. Nothing about how they actually work.

Is there a site you guys could maybe point me to or maybe an older post on here? I 'd really like to know the tonal characteristics of magnets, how they're wound, etc.

Just a thought: I could be wrong but I thought Texas Specials were basically a vintage style pickup wound hotter... if that's the case and you want a less-hot Texas Special maybe a more vintage sounding pickup is the go?

sloppy_phil is right about the Fralins - if you can afford them I doubt you'll be disappointed. They made my MIJ Squier about the best sounding Strat I've come across. If they're too much, my second preference was the Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro's... not sure if they're a little too "sweet" for what you're after. Sorry, no experience with Novak or Rio Grande... not heard much negative stuff about them though.

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Curtis Novak pickup demo - YouTube

He has a Youtube channel too but he is a small builder compared to others so there's not a whole lot on YT I think.

Good luck!

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Considered just changing your pots to make the pickups darker in character? Might be worth a try

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Maaaannnn.....85 bucks a pop for the Fralin's. Well I suppose if I really want the best tone possible haha. IF I wanted just a tad less mids would I want the 2% wounds instead?

Looked into the Alnico Pro's before and if the Texas Specials still don't suit me after trying a couple more guitars with them and I still can't afford the Fralins that's probably what I'll look at. Haven't seen any Rio grande single coils that have caught my ear yet.

Thanks! I'll give them a listen.

I have actually but to me it seems like a way AROUND the problem rather than finding a solution, which would be some amazing pick-ups with no need to change pots or have to readjust my EQ every time I switch pick-ups.

Sorry, not sure - I've got the Vintage Hots, which aren't as hot as the Blues set. If I was getting them again, I'd probably go Vintage Hots with a sightly hotter bridge pickup... but the set I have now is so close to perfect that I haven't really felt inclined to change it.

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Hmmm, I suppose I'll just have to do some research. Thanks man! I'll also look into the vintage hots. I just want that "Strat sound."

I know what you mean and for me I found it with the Fralins, although I'm sure there are other good options. Good luck and keep us posted!

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Definitely! I'm going to school for audio engineering and it all made me want to come back to this site. I'm learning a lot and hope I can help other fellow geeks with what I learn! I'm going to ask my professor tomorrow what pups he'd recommend. I figure every little bit helps. Maybe he can also help me understand the internal workings of pick ups a little better too.

This may sound ridiculous, but I actually like the stock pickups on the upgraded Highway One strats. They're called "Alnico 3 Hot" pickups. They're overwound just like the Texas Specials, but use an Alnico 3 magnet instead of Alnico 5. The A3 shaves off the very high treble and is a lot more mids oriented than A5.

People complain that they don't have the typical 60's scooped strat tone, but that's what I love about them. They've got more of the honky character of the 50's strats.

My professor told me to go Seymour Duncan. I'm guessing he means the Alnico II Pros. I'm still wondering about the Fralins. I just don' want to drop so much cash on something I may not like.