A set of the Vintage Staggered for Strat pickups (SSL-1), pre-loaded into a pickguard ready to drop into your Stratocaster guitar for pure vintage tone.
DCR – Short for DC Resistance, is measured in Ohms and is the total resistance of the copper wire wound around a coil form. The length of the coil form, the number of turns and the gauge of wire all affect the DCR reading. DCR is often used as a gauge of output because as the turns increase, so does the output, though magnet type and the coil geometry also influence output. Magnet – We use several different magnet formulations: Alnico 2, Alnico 3, Alnico 4, Alnico 5, Alnico 6, Alnico 8 and Ceramic 5/8. In the case of pickups, the most significant characteristic is the gauss strength, which is a measure of the density of the magnetic field. Of the magnets we use, Alnico 3 has the lowest gauss strength. From there in order of ascending strength you have A2, A4, A5, A6, Ceramic and A8. As the gauss strength goes up, so does the output. The magnets at the lower end of the scale tend to produce a softer attack and a degree of “bloom” to the envelope of the note.
Ceramic magnets should be considered as an individual case because they do not contain any nickel or iron. This has the effect of decreasing the inductance of the pickup and significantly raising the resonant frequency. It is for this reason that many consider ceramic magnets to have a brittle sound, not their gauss strength. Looking at this from another point of view, ceramic magnets can be said to produce increased clarity, better note definition and faster response to picking. Output – The overall output of a passive pickup is influenced by several design factors: number of turns of wire on the coil(s), strength of the magnet, coil geometry and magnetic circuit geometry.The output of an active pickup is influenced by the same factors but is predominantly determined by the design of the onboard preamp.
Our Vintage Staggered Strat pickups use hand ground alnico 5 rod magnets and heavy Formvar mag wire with a special wind pattern to produce that bright, glassy, bell tone with all of the bounce and sparkle you’d expect from the best 50s Strat pickups. The treble attack is crisp and immediate, while the low end remains articulate and focused. Chords ring out with clear note to note separation.
This three pickup set includes a standard wound neck pickup, an RWRP, reverse wind reverse polarity middle pickup for hum free clucky in-between tones, and a slightly overwound bridge pickup for easier pickup balance. The pots, selector switch, and cap, are all high quality, and we use vintage style cloth push back wire for all of the connections. This pickguard uses an 11-screw hole “USA” pattern.
Since 1978, we’ve been building all of our vintage Fender style single coil pickups with the right color and thickness of Forbon flatwork, along with the period correct magnet stagger. We hand file the flatwork, assemble, and lacquer the bobbin just as it was done during Fender’s Golden Age. Each pickup comes complete with waxed and tinned cloth pushback hook-up wires and traditional keyed bottom plate and is potted after winding for squeal free performance.
Wiring
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Hand Built in California. Period Correct. Every Time.
Our team of master builders have been with us for an average of 21 years—they take pride in crafting our products to create the most amazing sound possible.
Take Your Tone For A Test Drive
If you’re not 100% pleased with the sound of your Seymour Duncan pickups, you can exchange them for up to 21 days after purchase. This offer applies to any pickups bought from an authorized Seymour Duncan dealer in the USA.
