Best Fender Factory-Made Stratocaster Pickups?

[FunkyKikuchiyo]

I think their inspiration for the "modern" pickups was a lot of people complaining about their strats being too bright. The modern strats are acoustically more bright than the vintage style - harder bridge alloys, bigger frets, bigger pickup routs, etc. and they're trying to balance that. I don't think they are taking the right approach. If an instrument is obnoxious bright, you smooth the highs, not eliminate them. The highs are the sweetness of a tone when done right.

There of course is also the issue of folks plugging strats into solid state amps with too much head room, but that's a whole other issue.... talking about tube vs. SS is a very dangerous thing.

[Possum]

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There's nothing in the published record that says Fender wound by automatic machine in '56. Read the books written by Forrest White, George Fullerton, etc. etc. The reference books I have say '60 was the earliest, I thought it was later, but guess not. Leo was against machine wound pickups and surprised they used an auto machine in '60, maybe by then the hand winders couldn't keep up with production, maybe. If he was an advocate for machine winding why does G&L probably to this day still hand wind everything. There is a famous quote of his, that goes something like "a machine cannot wind a pickup coil as good as the human hand." In those days machine winders I think wound coils that were real loose and he didn't like that at all.

[Bill M]

Machine winding started somewhere between mid 62 and mid 63. I don't care what the books say, if you ever rewound a pickup from this era you can clearly see this transaction. Granted the machine ones were crudely wound, but never the less there is a consistant pattern with them. The early 62 pickup that I rewound was definately hand wound, I never rewound a 61, but would assume they were hand wound also. Late 63's have a more consistant pattern to them, sloppy, but consistant.

[JGundry]

Fender has a Coweco they say they had in 56'. The one pictured looks to be a 56' winder. Seems pretty clear cut. Why would Fender be machine winding in 60' with a 56' winder and not in 56'. The answer seems obvious.

If Leo was so dead set against hand winding why did they machine wind in 60'?

The mistake is to assume that there is a clear delineation in the timeline between machine wound and hand wound at Fender. The switch was transitional.

[Possum]

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The evidence doesn't support machine winding being used that early. I really wouldn't put alot of stock in some young guys working at Fender to know much, and their reissue pickups are so offbased from what was really done, they seem to have lost their past somewhere. The proof is in the pickups themselves.
I know there is a photo of a girl hand winding pickups at Fender, if anyone can find that shot with a dated reference it would put this to rest.

[JGundry]

Well I think the evidence is pretty strong in the form of the actual 1956 machine sitting in the Fender Custom shop and the fact that it is the machine used by Abigail. Again why would Fender have and have kept a Coweco winder from 1956? The answer is obvious. Of course the proof is in the pickups but a transitional change to machine winding is going to mean that the initial proportion of machine wound pickups to hand wound will be lower near the beginning of the switch over. We have already established that this machine is the likely machine for machine wound pickups from 1960. If it is a 1956 why would it only be used in 1960? Fender also used Bachi machines but Bachi winders were not even in production in 1960. This Coweco is probably Fender's first machine guided winder and somebody along the line had the good sense to keep it.

Fender either bought this machine direct from Coweco or from a reseller. If they bought it direct from Coweco the original order slip probably still exists. An order slip would certainly put it to rest.

[Possum]

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Not buying it, just because that winder is sitting there and Abagail winds on it means nothing. If does have an auto traverse doesn't mean they used that feature either. Bill knows Fender pickups better than I do my specialty being early tele and '59 strats, and none of those were hand wound, having unwound both. I think you're jumping to conclusions too fast. Why don't you give Seymour a call, I would defer to his knowledge more than some kids working at Fender....

[Bill M]

Because the machine is a 1956 coweco doesn't mean that fender bought it new in 56. Leo could have purchased it used in the early 60's. We all know he was a shrewd man and I just don't see him going out buying a brand new model to experiment with. John, if you come up with that original order slip I will retract my statement. I'm not against the theory that Fender machine wound in the late 50's, but until I have the opportunity to rewind and analyze one that was machine wound I need to stick to the facts that I have now that show hand winding up until about mid 62. You may have a point about them gradually phasing in the machine wounds, But I have not come across any yet. I would love to document a machine wound from the mid/ late 50's. As far as I know, noone else has documented one yet.

[Bill M]

I have a 58 strat bridge pickup coming in for a rewind. Who knows this might be the one.

[JGundry]

If the ser# can be gotten from that machine the original order slip can be found.

Fender says they have had this machine since 1956. It could have been purchased used at a date later than 1956 but if that were the case why would Fender say they had it since 1956?

Personally I think the likely scenario is this machine was purchased new by Fender in 1956. And that Fender machine wound and hand wound for the period 1956-60. And when CBS took over everything became machine wound.

[greenfingers]

That Coweco still is from a Clip i posted, if i remember the guy who said that Fender had that Coweco winder since 56 was not a Fender employee, he could have easily misheard someone say 66 and then relayed wrong information.

[JGundry]

That Coweco still is from a Clip i posted, if i remember the guy who said that Fender had that Coweco winder since 56 was not a Fender employee, he could have easily misheard someone say 66 and then relayed wrong information.

I don't think so. The 66' Coweco has more do-dads on it.

[greenfingers]

I dont mean its a 66 Coweco, i meant Fender may have got it in 66 instead of 56 if the guy said the wrong year by accident, and we know 65/66 is when the CBS changes started.

[JGundry]

I dont mean its a 66 Coweco, i meant Fender may have got it in 66 instead of 56 if the guy said the wrong year by accident, and we know 65/66 is when the CBS changes started.

I think you are grasping at straws.

[greenfingers]

Not grasping at anything mate, just not plunging everithing into something a random guy who dosent work at fender said when he was just on a tour. the guy didn't even know what the copper wire was for when someone showed him. It could very well be from 56, i just like to cross the T's and dot the i's befor i say something is scripture.