Fender Custom 69 Strat PU Set

... slightly mixed experience of buying with Thomann.

The pickups are everything I imagined and more now they are in and working, love them: )

This was the first time I had bought from Thomann and it took 3 deliveries before I was satisfied.

1st delivery: You can imagine a pickup box isn't big however they were sent in a much larger box than needed with no additional packing. Outer box looked OK on delivery but when opened I was less impressed. Outer cardboard sleeve torn and hinges missing on plastic box (but not in the packaging), I'd say they had been returned by a previous customer. Pickups returned to Thomann.

2nd set: Received a week later, still in oversized box without padding/bubble wrap. Seemed fine, installed but one of the pickups was dead (tested with multi-meter), wiring seemed fine must have been a break in the wind. Pickups returned to Thomann.

3rd set: Received a week later, specialist team had sorted the order and was well packaged. Pickups installed and very happy.

Like I say mixed feelings, I feel packaging should be improved not just for special attention orders. Thomann replaced without quibble, though I provided decent evidence to support returns. Got there eventually took around 3 weeks normally you'd expect it in one week.

I will buy again from Thomann as they offer good value. I'd like to see improved packaging but can't complain about their returns policy.

These have an absolutely fantastic tone! Coming from regular stock USA pickups, Lace Sensors, Dimarzio Areas and Haussel pickups, these were absolutely THE tone I'd heard on countless records and imagined in my mind when I thought about what a Strat should play and feel like. The middle pickup isn't reverse wound so positions 2 and 4 hum as well... had plenty of problems with that in the studio.

If you can't handle the hum, get an Ilitch noisecancelling backplate - loses the hum and retains that elusive high frequency sweetness that the Areas, Lace Sensors and regular Fender Noiseless pickups lack.

I bought these to put them into my new stratocaster which I built myself. So after I finished putting the parts together I pluged the guitar in and was amazed.
The sound is just what you would exspect bright treble, velvety middle- and light bass sounds. What impressed me most was how the pickups directly accept what you are playing. So playing with these pickups is a lot more fun than with my other strats because it is a more immidiate playing experience. Cheaper stratocaster guitars with cheaper pickups sound like you covered the pickups with blankets compared to these here. I´d say try them out and convince yourself!

Really awesome pickups that have a sound that almost makes you happy when you hear it, at least when you hear the neck pickup. Very much clarity on these pickups, neck pickup is one of my favorite pickups all categories, the other two leaves a bit to be desired, i think, they have a tendency to sound a bit thin and flimsy, i would have liked a little more power in the bridge pickup.. Middle pickup on these set was not reversed wound / reversed polarity, which is very common nowadays, for reducing hum and noise considerably in position 2 and 4. It doesn't have it because these imitates the originals, but I love these pickups, especially the neck pickup. The cables are vintagecorrect.