Stevie Ray Vaughan pickups

[lordnikon]

I just got a call today and this guy has a stratocaster that is SSH. Until I get the guitar tomorrow I won't know how it sounds but he is looking for that SRV kinda tone and I was wondering if anybody here knew anything about the pickups in SRV's guitar.

Thanks,

[elkym]

Stevie's pickups were shielded 1963 fender single coils. Other than the shielding, they were stock... (despite popular belief)

supposedly the current fender pickups that seem to emulate his best are the texas specials and the 1954 reissues... according to a couple of internet sources...

I think heavier string gauge and a 'D' shape neck are also notable contributions-- as was his double tubescreamer lineup and the doctored '64 vibroverb (similar to the bandmaster, but with a few internal changes and a single 15" speaker)

I love SRV, and I seek his tone to some degree-- I find that the biggest changes in my setup are the string gauge and playing fender pickups-- but with pickups-- I'm not particular.

[lordnikon]

What kind of magnets were in them? To my ear they sound more closely to alnico 5. And thanks for the info on them.

[David Schwab]

I think heavier string gauge...

Don't forget that he detuned his guitars down a half step.

[chevalij]

Stevie's pickups were shielded 1963 fender single coils. Other than the shielding, they were stock... (despite popular belief)

supposedly the current fender pickups that seem to emulate his best are the texas specials and the 1954 reissues... according to a couple of internet sources...

Are you sure about the 63's? His number one was an original 59. And the internet is wrong about the Texas Specials. They're overwound and brittle.

[RedHouse]

Don't forget that he detuned his guitars down a half step.

And used 12's, and a nice Cesar Diaz mod'd Vibroverb, and a TS-808 and... yadda yadda, ad infinitum, ad nausium.

(no offense intended, David, it's this 'ol SRV thing that touches a nerve)

Funny thing about SRV (IMHO) when he was alive (and I was into him back then) he was considered "less than remarkable", the press was kinda like "doin that Jimmy thing in a Texas kinda way" very mucho off-hand in the kudo's very much so like the way they dealt with Frank and Robin (Marino/Trower) but then after his very unfortunate passing, the whole "SRV" thing blossomed into a huge mega-persona deal....what's up with that.
(it's rhetoric, no reply necessary)

It's a shame that we (figuratively) can't like someone for what they are.... when they're still alive eh?

(sports personalities treated 180° the opposite of course)

[spud1950]

The fact is that he owned and used different guitars on stage and for different recordings, with different types of pickups, including one with lipstick pickups. Here's some info on the guitars.

http://www.jcdisciples.org/musicians/srv/guitar/

[Possum]

...

The pickups were '59's. I did a bunch of research on this and the info came from his Number One autopsy. The info I read was in a UK magazine that went more in depth than what we heard here. They were typical of 59 sets in that the neck was the hottest pickup and the other two were "relatively weak" according to the article. I've spied 59 strat sets on Ebay for years and wrote down the specs and though none were exactly the same they all hit in a certain range. His were likely about 5.9K-6K neck, and 5.7K or so bridge and middle. Don't forget his guitar was nitro finished, rosewood baseball thick neck, and not much finish on that guitar body, which has dramatic softening of tone, those were pickups were bright pickups, having little finish on the guitar helps that. He also kept his pickups adjusted low from some photos I've seen, which also keeps the brightness factor down. Fender's reissue pickups are mostly done wrong, you won't get close to SRV with anything they make in my opinion...

[Electricdaveyboy]

Possum knows it !

The El Mocambo and most other filmed live gigs realy show the different vibes he gets wehn changing his guitars.
No.1 is tonewise on the dark side compared to charlie and Lenny.
The No 1 pickups were 1959,verry warm and woody.
If you want more Tone you should go for less turns on your winder and wind a `59 style.


I found out that most guitar players search for overwound 60ties style pickups wehn searching for SRV No.1 tone.
Most people say: Texas Specials = SRV No.1 Tone but that is a wrong impression.

cheers
db

[David Schwab]

And used 12's, and a nice Cesar Diaz mod'd Vibroverb, and a TS-808 and... yadda yadda, ad infinitum, ad nausium.

According to Rene Martinez, he used .013, .015, .019 (plain), .028, .038, and .058. That info as from Dan Erlewine's article in Guitar Player.

My point was that everyone says he used heavy strings, but they leave out the fact that he tuned down a half step, which makes them feel like lighter strings and changes the tone.

Also he said in Guitar Player that for some recordings he had half a dozen amps running at once!

(no offense intended, David, it's this 'ol SRV thing that touches a nerve)

I had a customer once that was so into SRV that all he could play was SRV stuff. I asked him to play something original and he looked at me funny. He was so annoying about what he thought was the "real deal" that I wanted to hit him in the head with his own guitar! And I'm not a violent person!

I like SRV as much as the next guy, but some people need to get a life and find their own style.

[Possum]

.....

Texas specials were mean to mimic the tone on his records but they are nothing like what was in his guitar. TS pickups are plastic bobbin with all same size magnets pushed up for a fake stagger, and they use 43 gauge wire to get a midrangey compressed tone, they really are junk.

[RedHouse]

...
Also he said in Guitar Player that for some recordings he had half a dozen amps running at once!...

Yeah, there was pic going around on the internet some years ago, it actually showed a recording session and the many amps that were in the room, can't find it now though (figures)

[Electricdaveyboy]

Aloha Possum,
I saw a set of Tx Specials in the late 90ties and it looked verry traditional.
Fiber bobbins , plain enamel and cloth wire.
Seems like they go for cheap.
db

[Stan H]

Did we ever confirm that they were A5? I also assume standard vintage stagger...

[GlennW]

I had a customer once that was so into SRV that all he could play was SRV stuff. I asked him to play something original and he looked at me funny. He was so annoying about what he thought was the "real deal" that I wanted to hit him in the head with his own guitar! And I'm not a violent person!

Sounds like a YouTube moment to me.

I've always been kind of amazed at SRV's popularity/acceptance. The amount of commercial success he achieved just isn't typical of bands that play 3-cord R&B/barroom music. No great vocals, no great stage act, no great originals from a writing perspective. Sure, he could play the hell out of the guitar, but that's not usually enough for the amount of success he had. SRV and DT was great and all that, but struck me more as a musicians' band than what you'd hear on the radio, like NRBQ and Roy B. He certainly deserved the success, but what he did isn't typical of what usually goes over that big. Musta been the hat...