No, your not crazy, Stock Epi Pup are like that, there not horrible they just leave you wanting more. Maybe change out the Electronics and Put some better Pups in there. SD59's are a good match for the Epi LP's, open coils though, no Covers, just a thought.Originally Posted by abefroman
Victor
Some Gibson 57 Classic pups will also do the job.
Last edited by Affen7; 12-21-2017 at 10:59 AM.
As Vic suggested, I have a 57 Classic and 57 Classic+ without covers I'm selling...if you're interested.
I'm almost certain, that if you buy a 70's re-issue (ie. large headstock) MIM Strat., the pots and switch are the same as in the U.S. Strats., so no need to upgrade them. They looked identical when I compared them to the ones in my U.S. 70's re-issue. I'm not sure what pickups come with the 70's re-issue, again, they may already be updated. If not, you have some inexpensive choices that will sound very good.
Personally, I really like CS-69's. I have them in my U.S. Strat. and I love them. They are perfect for Edge tone. I also had them in my MIM Strat., which I no longer have. The only reason I sold it, traded it actually, was to get a Les Paul Goldtop. I also have an Edge Strat and I'm currently in the process of building, from scratch, a sustainer Strat.
Another option, is Kinman Woodstock's, which many people here have and like. They are a bit more expensive though. I had a set, but I sold them. Personally, I much prefer the CS-69's.
Something else you may want to consider, is to find a seller on eBay or Reverb that parts out Strats. and buy a set of pickups from an Edge Strat. It's an inexpensive way to get the same tone as an Edge Strat. without paying for the name and the more expensive quarter-sawn neck on the Edge Strat...which is really nice though.
If you want a neck that looks the same as the Edge neck, without a bullet truss rod and his signature, you can get an American Special neck, with a large headstock. The only difference, is that it has 22 jumbo frets, instead of 21 medium jumbo frets. It also has the 9.5" modern C shape, like the Edge neck.
I bought an American Special neck for my sustainer Strat at half the price of an Edge neck. The jumbo frets are the same width as the medium jumbo, but they are 0.25 mm higher, which you would barely notice. You could easily knock them down to the height of medium jumbo frets though. As for the 22nd fret, I may remove it and also remove the wood overhang of the fretboard.
If you're interested, I can recommend a Fender supplier who sells on Reverb and offers fantastic service and prices. He's located in Lubbock Texas. That's who I bought the American Special neck from, as well as a hardware kit, which included the modern, steel block trem., with the pop-in arm, springs, claw, screws, neck plate, mounting screws & bushings, etc.
Last edited by Toopy14; 12-20-2017 at 02:22 PM.
I have one of these MIM classic 70 strat with large Headstock + bullet trussroad.
It has also a screw for setting the tilt of the neck.
I suppose it was like that on the strat of this period ?
It is important to notcie that the pickup are not reverse wound.
(No Hum suppresion effect in neck+middle or middle+bridge position)
I am very satisfied with this guitar for my needs.
It looks and plays great
The CS-69's are not reverse wound and I don't think the Edge Strat pickups are either. I use both guitars with my AC30, Axe-Fx, pedals, A3, SDD-3000 and there is absolutely no hum or noise of any kind.
My personal favorites as well. They are perfect for Edge's quack tone. IMO better than The Edge strat pickup combo, which I sold.
Kinman's have a very even and compressed tone, but they lack upper end chime. Depending on your amp and settings this might not be an issue.
Here is my Strat partscaster with CS 69's from last weekend.
(Musikraft quarter-sawn neck, large headstock, The Edge body routed for 6-point Callaham Trem)
I own both an American and MIM strat, and quality wise I think they are pretty comparable. I like the rolled edges on the Amercian standard, but that's a minor difference. If you're ok with changing pickups, I suggest sticking with the mexican. That is the main area that I think American strats are better than MIM. I'm not a fan of the Mexican standard ceramic pickups although some love them.
As for epi's, if you want a cheap upgrade buy some of the epiphone probucker pickups from aliexpress, or ebay. They are loads better than the standard epiphone ones. Alternatively get an Epiphone tribute plus that has a proper maple cap (and comes with Gibson pickups). Of course a real Les Paul is nice too, but more money. I had a Gibson Les paul studio for a while but didn't bond with it. It played great, but wasn't the tone i was looking for. I found the 490R and 498T pickups too hot for edge type stuff.
I have this MIM Strat (in black) , and I don't think that it has standard ceramic pickups.
I may be wrong
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Strat70MNAT
You are correct. Only the Mexican standards have the ceramics.
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