Fender Strat American Standard - Custom Shop Fat 50s, sounds weak. Need advice

[Marquisio]

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and need a bit of advice. Recently bought the Strat American Standard with stock pickups Custom Shop Fat 50s, and I gotta say they sound pretty weak. I was playing the Ibanez before and it had (stock) humbuckers on the neck and bridge and I could do fantastic sustains. But with the Strat, they're just not there!

I'm looking at changing pickups and have been looking at the following from DiMarzio (yes I've tried their pickup picker and listened to their sample sounds online):

Virtual Vintage Heavy Blues 2 (DP409)
Virtual Vintage Blues (DP402)
Injector Neck/Bridge (DP422/DP433 respectively)

The sound I like is classic rock/blues with long sustains (think Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton).

Any advice if any of the above will meet my needs?

 

[subversion]

sustain issues are not attributable to the pickups per se, it might be how close the strings are to the pickups, guitar's overall mass, body-neck attachment type, etc.

however, if you like the ibanez pickups, it means you are clearly moving away from the Fender-type voicings

of the 3 you listed, i'd recommend the Injector for appealing moments both clean & driven. it's also a stacked humbucker so you won't get annoyed by the hum. on that note, do check out the other series in the 'Area' range.

 

[Marquisio]

Thanks dude!

Yeah I researched on the Area 58 (DP415) at the Neck and it's pretty good too.

As for the distance from strings to pickups, my Ibanez has a greater distance than my Strat, still better sustains. The only conclusion I can think of are the stock Custom Shop Fat 50s.

So I guess now it's a trip to Swee Lee then to Beez this weekend.

 

[zesn]

How does the guitar sound unplugged?

 

[Marquisio]

The Strat unplugged? It sounds like a normal electric unplugged. I can still playit hear the chords the iindividualnotes, watch TV and practice my scales. I can hear everything. Why?

 

[CyanideJunkie]

The wood's inherent resonance can play a part in your guitar's natural sustain, albeit a small one.

Many factors can contribute to the lack of sustain, however there are some steps you can take to narrow the problem down. Tighten all the screws by hand; this includes the neck plate, machine head and bridge screws. A bad nut can cause poor sustain on open strings, but no longer becomes the case when fretted. Play around with the pickup height; if it's too high it can restrict the strings vibration and natural decay, too low and it will not be able to pick it up. String action plays a part too. Try raising it a little and adjusting the truss rod to compensate and see if there's any noticeable change. I would recommend that last part to be handled by an experienced tech if you do not have any prior experience. I honestly doubt that your pickups are to blame as the Custom Shop 50s are excellent pickups, but just to be sure you can have a tech take a look at the wiring.

 

[Marquisio]

Thanks for the advice! I might just bring it down to Beez to have a look at it tomorrow afternoon!