All user reviews for the Fender Custom Shop Fat '50s Stratocaster Pickup Set

I've been using it for 5 months.
Really awesome! Great punch, nice sensitivity, a nice Fender sound!
You can go from blues to rock and even punk, psych...
It's that good.

It's true that the bridge pickup is grinding, but I love it! You need to adjust it because the highs can be too much.
The neck pickup is wonderful, very Jimi Hendrix-like, the one in the middle does a good job.
I tried also others, like the Texas (too SRV), the noiseless (too modern), and the '54s (too soft). The FAT '50s were the best!

Their only defect is that they are too expensive. Personally, I had a burnt pickup, the center one (which was very bizarre!), but when I tested the '50s on my guitar, I was converted! They are awesome with a Vox AC15 cc1!

I love these pickups!

See if you guys can help me out, what would be the best noiseless alternative for the CS fat 50s middle pick up? I say this because I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT, but I am too conscious of the hum, which I should not, since it is only used in clean tones when I play, but if I wanted to replace it with either a Fender or Seymour Duncan alternative, can anyone, if you have tried and compared yourself, let me know if you found a good substitute, that preserves the chime and warm bass response? I know about the silent backplates, but they dont work on the middle pick up since it is RWRP. I would pull it out of my guitar if and only if I can find a very close sub.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks.

I have chang my mics 57/62 strato prfre and I have done the install Custom Fat 50's. They are a bit expensive: 310; I have long hsit because the price diffrence between the two sets of microphones is 5, in fact, worth the 57/62 305. In the end it is unnecessary picture I think the 50's are the best output level is more lev the microphone handle is a rgal is larger rounder more cutting edge blues that is a rgal; intermdiaires positions are hollow and prcises +; for Concerning the micro acute that is like the sound is sharper prcis.
Today I do not regret the opration but be aware that we must of course use a good amp trs to see this for example on my fender blues junior I 've found no diffrence between the two sets of microphones while on my rivera that is obvious.
Today I am so pleased that I have ordered a custom set of 69's for my 2nd strato 62 rissue I'll keep you posted

I bought a set of Custom Shop Fat '50s pickups last March.
187 euros new (I live in Germany, in France it costs 250 euros).
I didn't try any other models before buying it. I mounted them on a luthier Strat (body in two parts of superb quality).
But let's talk about that which interests us, the sound: The only other pickups I know well are the Ceramics Magnets, which equip the Strat mex standard, lousy, some would say, or at least not among the best pickups.

Comparing them: The Fat 50 bridge pickup produces only a weak, shrill sound. It has a total lack of lows. It's absolutely unplayable due to the presence of the highs. The sound has no warmth.
The middle pickup is a little better, but it's far from being good. Once again, it has no warmth. It produces a metallic, unpleasant sound, without depth, and with very present highs.
In my opinion, the only pickup that is usable is the neck one, but don't expect any warmth either.
I bought these pickups thinking I would get sweet bluesy sounds, full of mids and lows. But they disappointed me completely.

I'm not exaggerating: These pickups have no depth, no warmth, no dynamic response (could it be that it's an isolated case?), their sound produces me no pleasure at all. I even thought I had become allergic to the Strat sound. Me, who swears by them!!
I removed them and replaced them with my Ceramics, and I was finally able to breathe with a real Strat sound, warm, twangy when needed...phew!

187 euros for pickups that are badly coiled: On 2 of the pickups (middle and neck), the coil was unwinding (the wire was not tight enough), after only 2 months, go figure.
In short, I can only advise you against these pickups. Pathetic value for money.
Especially coming from Fender, who make so-called Custom Shop products, supposedly reference quality products, and make a fortune (thanks to guitarists who are fans of legends) with this type of pickups that are infinitely less good and infinitely less well coiled (it's unbelievable, to say the least) than the original Ceramics that come with the Mex Standard.

I had already read a review from a guy distressed by the lousy quality of the Custom Shop '69 pickups, and I thought he was probably crazy (even though he was a professional musician).
I now know that he wasn't saying it for nothing...
I will never make the same mistake and get anything Custom Shop again.
I give it 3 out of 10 points due to the neck pickup, which is almost usable.

(Originally written by rhum66/translated from Audiofanzine FR)

The pickups are mounted on a Custom Shop 59 Relic Shell Pink.

The pickups are well-balanced for every position (their volume remains constant). They have a great sweet vintage sound but also enough "punch". They can be played clean or with distortion for blues rock songs and the center pickup is phase-inverted for positions 2 and 4. They don't generate noise.
With a rosewood fingerboard the sound is a bit dark but not so dry and aggressive as a Texas Special. They sound full and sweet without that Texas twang.
Overall these are very good pickups, combining the sound character of the 57/62 (the best set IMHO) but with more coil turns for a higher output volume and chamfered pole pieces (but less than on the 57/62).
Use a 69 kit if you want more clarity with rosewood. The sound is less dark and less sweet.

The specs of these pickups are closer to the ones of the L Series (source: Seymour Duncan yearly production statistics, which can be found on the web).

In short, very good if you are a "stratoholic" looking for those sounds that make all of us dreamy.

Watch this video (paste the URL in the address bar of your browser):

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa3XHNFS7VU