for guitar players

Carbon,

Is it just a fat coil pickup like an old Gibson P-90 ?
Seymour Duncan has some fantastic recreations of those. I play a '71 strat with a Duncan P-90 in the bridge position.

I"m not sure, that's my problem, I can't figure out exactly what company makes it? Information on this pickup itself is hard to come by. Here's a link to the guitar which tells about it, and says the pickups:John Mayer Strat

I'm playing through a Birdseye maple strat w/ some seymour duncan aps-alnicoII pickups. Birdseye Strat

Basically I love my guitar but I also love the sound of those big dipper pickups.

I did some Googling, but couldn't find a definitive answer. It seems like they might be a Fender produced product. You might give eBay a shot.

Off topic,
Those Big Block Strats are sooo tempting.

Yeah they sure are, I was considering buying one until I got my Birdseye. I'll tell you one thing, I love the strats and in my opinion they're the guitar to have.




Look at that beautiful birdseye maple neck...mmmm stratocaster beauty.

Referring to those big dippers, I agree with ya, they must be produced by Fender because it's hard to find them on any manufacturers websites. eBay also showed nothing, I suppose if I want those pickups I'll have to come off of $1300.....maybe I'll just do without them.

That Birdseye is gorgeous, nice going. I'm pretty much a strat man because of the feel of them...The contoured body just works for me. I've owned 15 or 20 different guitars over the last 30 years or so, but I always come home to the strat. My '71 has a neck like a baseball bat split in two, but it fits my hand perfectly.

Yeah I'm a strat guy too, they just feel comfortable for me. Nothing against Les Pauls, but I like the strats.

Not meaning to crash the Strat party, but I would echo both of your sentiments about the feel and playability of the Stratocaster. Mine's a late 80s model dark blue with maple neck. I don't bash around on it as much as I used to, but it's still great to crank it up now and then and see if I can squeeze anything resembling a tune out of it.

I have thought about getting a Les Paul, though. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Personally, I think that lately Gibson has really been cranking up thier prices due to popularity gained from movies like "School of Rock" (great movie) and the video game "Guitar Hero"

School of Rock features SG, while guitar shows a ton of LP's.

I have played some LP's, but they dont appeal to me as playable, they seem just to rigid almost. Nothing is actually rigid, but the feel isn't comforatble.


Maybe it's like the cat or dog person thing how you either like cats or dogs. Which is which?

The Gibsons cost more to manufacture than the Fenders, and Gibson is running with that. They also have a higher resale value. They will charge what the market will bear. IMO, Fender is doing a better job of providing guitars to all levels of players, where Gibson is catering to the folks who will "afford" a Gibson. Maybe I'm just bitter becuase that Goldtop will always elude me, and the Epiphones just feel like crap.

My Brian Moore eats Strats for lunch naa.......

Yep the Epiphones are the equivalent of Squier's, only 200-400 dollars more expensive.

Carbon,
I was thinking that you should contact Fender directly, and inquire about those pickups. They might sell them to you, or tell you where to find them.

That's a good idea, especially because a company will rarely tell somebody no if they want to buy something from them, turning profits down isn't exactly good salesmanship.
Sometime this week I'll give Fender a call (or email) to see where I can find those Big Dipper pickups.

What are you looking to get out of the guitar ? It sounds as if you play for fun, why not get a fun Les Paul ? I've owned three of them, and loved/hated them for various reasons.(wish I had 'em now though) :wink:
I'd say get the one that feels right to you... And if you find two that feel right, buy the one that looks cooler. Sometimes, little things like that mean the difference between playing once a month, or every day.

I've grown to love my guitar, and whenever I pick up any other guitar it just doesn't feel right. Maybe this one will end up looking like the late great Stevie Ray's guitar. Talk about an amazing musician, in my opinion is the best blues guitarist ever. I know that's a strong statement, but seeing him play will move you.

What are you looking to get out of the guitar ? It sounds as if you play for fun, why not get a fun Les Paul ? I've owned three of them, and loved/hated them for various reasons.(wish I had 'em now though) :wink:
I'd say get the one that feels right to you... And if you find two that feel right, buy the one that looks cooler. Sometimes, little things like that mean the difference between playing once a month, or every day.[/quote]

Thanks for the reply, LionTamer. I was curious about buying a Les Paul mainly because I always thought they looked great (although not necessarily better than a Strat), I've heard they have a fatter, more muscular sound and just to have some variety in what I play. It wouldn't be a very practical purchase for me, since I don't even play my Strat much lately and I have noticed the Les Paul's are more expensive. I think I'll just wait until I've got some spare cash and try to find one on sale. I've particularly liked the gold-tops, black tops and even the natural wood tops.

single coils
call fender and ask them.. They may sell them, outright.

If you don't mind my opinion here, just for talk sake:

I have about 20 guitars. Each one has an attribute that others do not. I like fat necks, so my dobro is great for fingerpicking...but, I prefer my vigier, a 1986 model with a neck that makes a fretless wonder feel slow and has an active preamp and an equalizer switche and can switch from single coil to dual. I use that guitar when I go out to jam, in case they have a lousy amp there. My PRS has a great neck, nice sound bank. Les Pauls always play stiff and only sound good cranked. SST has a great neck, but sound is limited...but really nice for accoustic sounds when not really playing a real accoustic box. I like my 69 Strat for the sound I get when I phase the pickup switch the old fashioned way. The new 5 way switch does not get you that REAL Fender sound.
anyway, my point is: all guitars have their good points. None are perfect. And, it helps to match them up with the right amp.

texas special pickups v.s vintage noisless pickups
i get the texas special pickups from fender will i still be able to get that clapton and hendrix classic rock sound or do i need to purchase the vintage noisless pickups from fender

my favorite artists is john mayer,eric clapton, and jimmi hendrix which pickup is right for me