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Posted: 4/9/2021 11:08:41 PM EDT
[#1]
Quoted: I have a Mexican strat I bought in 2007 that was heavily used and abused for a few years then shoved in a closet for a decade I'm trying to bring back to life but better. It currently has factory bridge and middle pickups with a cheap throwaway one I borrowed in the bridge position. I want to buy a matching set of pickups and I'm thinking the ssl-1s seem like the best option for the players I try to mimic. Hendrix, SRV, Frusciante. My question is, will I notice a huge improvement over the Mexi pickups? Also is it worth swapping out the pots, switches, and jack? New electronics will make it a new guitar. It is surprising what different pickups can do in a slab of wood. I have four Strats all with different single coil pick up combinations and they all have a distinctly different sound. If you are looking at the SSL-1 series I don't think you would be disappointed. I have Seymour Duncans in a couple Les Paul's and have an SSL-5 in the bridge on a Strat. SD makes some very nice pickups. All of the ones I have tried sound great even with my horrible playing. |
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Posted: 4/9/2021 11:20:40 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted: New electronics will make it a new guitar. It is surprising what different pickups can do in a slab of wood. I have four Strats all with different single coil pick up combinations and they all have a distinctly different sound. If you are looking at the SSL-1 series I don't think you would be disappointed. I have Seymour Duncans in a couple Les Paul's and have an SSL-5 in the bridge on a Strat. SD makes some very nice pickups. All of the ones I have tried sound great even with my horrible playing. Thanks for the input. I think I'm gonna completely redo the pick guard when I swap them so everything is new and fresh. It's been off since I messed with it years ago and I want to do it right. |
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Posted: 4/9/2021 11:52:03 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Thanks for the input. I think I'm gonna completely redo the pick guard when I swap them so everything is new and fresh. It's been off since I messed with it years ago and I want to do it right. New pots and a switch are pretty cheap and easy so a full update like you are thinking is the way I would go. This reminds me that I've been meaning to swap out a couple of pickups on a Strat and rewire my SG. 
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Posted: 4/10/2021 12:15:40 AM EDT
[#4]
Are you going to refinish the body? What color is it?
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Posted: 4/10/2021 7:53:17 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Are you going to refinish the body? What color is it? Been tossing around that idea for years but I don't want to deal with that poly finish. It's currently just black with a bunch of chips in it. If I refinish, I'm thinking a dark blue matte metallic. Can use auto paint for durability but still allow for some wear over time like you expect with a strat. |
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Posted: 4/10/2021 12:21:10 PM EDT
[#6]
I looked at some MIJ and MIM Strats back in 2000 at a friends guitar store, and they were really nice playing guitars. I ended up getting a USA hardtail Strat he had on the wall, and still have it. He cut me too good of a deal to pass up.
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Posted: 4/10/2021 12:39:14 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I looked at some MIJ and MIM Strats back in 2000 at a friends guitar store, and they were really nice playing guitars. I ended up getting a USA hardtail Strat he had on the wall, and still have it. He cut me too good of a deal to pass up. It used to be great. It's been banged around, played by 100 people, dropped, electrocuted, and then neglected. It sounds good in the neck position if the jack isn't shorting out but that's where it ends. |
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Posted: 4/10/2021 5:18:47 PM EDT
[#8]
I am a Flying V guy but bought a strat to mess around with.
Made in Mexico. The previous own updated all electronics and pickups with USA Fender pickups, Switchcraft jacks, etc. i upgraded the bridge saddles and installed Fender locking tuners and Schaller straplocks  Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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Posted: 4/10/2021 7:05:56 PM EDT
[#9]
That looks really nice!
Here's mine.    
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Posted: 4/10/2021 7:08:56 PM EDT
[#10]
Quoted: Also is it worth swapping out the pots, switches, and jack? I found the stock switch to be a huge PITA to unsolder from, so I just replaced it when I changed my MIM Strat to HSS. I don't recall, but I believe I kept the stock pots - I've always got spares on hand, though, so I may have just put new ones in once I decided to swap the switch, but my memory's fuzzy on that. I never had an issue with the stock 5-way on the Strat in terms of function - unlike the 3-way on my MIM Mustang bass, which was garbage and got replaced ASAP. (It's a common complaint on that model, but swapping a Switchcraft in is cheap and easy, so that complaint didn't deter me from getting one.) |
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Posted: 4/10/2021 7:19:32 PM EDT
[#11]
I've got a MIM and I like the pups it has. However, I have an old strat copy I've had for a couple of decades and I'm looking to rebuild it. I was looking at a preloaded pickguard from 920D with the Texas Tumbleweeds from Fiesta. I also like the sounds of the Mojotone pups (debating between 58 and 62).
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