Fender Noiseless vs Texas Specials - which are better? You decide.
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Here's a simple but thorough demonstration of the differences between Fender's Noiseless stacked single coils and their venerable Texas Specials.
There are obvious flaws to the single coil design regarding noise and interference, but many say that they are the only way to get that true vintage tone.
The Noiseless pickup aims to eradicate the interference by stacking two smaller single coils on top of each other, wound in opposite directions, this technically makes them a stacked humbucker. To me a quite convincing tone but they definitely have less bite and are more mellow.
I take you through a clean, dirty and lead tone on each type of pickup technologies.
All sounds are generated by Guitar Rig 5. I wish I could do this through my amp but my neighbours may just kill me!
Obviously for the sake of comparison all setting are identical on each demonstration.
I go through each pickup position and A/B the tones.
Please feel free to leave your opinions in the comments section. Everyone likes a good discussion. Please keep your debates friendly.
This isn't a technical video regarding electronics or guitar playing, I have tried to construct it in a way that purely shows what you can expect from changing out your pickups.
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I like both.
This means I need another guitar...
That was just what I was thinking lol
@Dumb Robot are never enough
@Dumb Robot repeat the process each time you can
this is completely perfect justfication
That's the fuckin spirit.
For everyone who was asking himself the same question like i did: These noiseless pickups are from a Jeff Beck Strat, so these are definetly the FENDER HOT NOISELESS pickups, so definetly not the three other types Fender N3, N4 or Vintage Noiseless.
The awesome guy who made this video completely forgot to mention the details about which fender noiseless pickup model he was using, there are more than one.
I'm glad I listened....I'll take the Beck designed Noiseless All Day!!.....the TH Sound great....EXCEPT FOR THE NASTY HUM IN position 1, 3 and 5!
Looks like my Squire Affinity Strat is going to get the Beck designed noiseless after watching this vid.
you can always filter noise from the track when you mix but it'll degrade the sound so I'd say for me, noiseless is better. What tiny bit of brilliant high I'm losing is made up for in not hearing that annoying 60 cycle hum (or 50 if you live in Europe). Then you can always run some aural exciter to bring out more highs or multiband compress it and bring out more highs. I like that clear background sound where the reverb isn't obscured by nasty hum. thx for the comparison. they both sound nice.
Just use 500 pots to bring that high back in
This is by far and away the best comparison of the two pickup sets. They both have their advantages. Being an engineer, I'm a big fan of the absence of noise. But those Texas customs give you such a wide full sound. Especially on the high end. As an engineer, I'm inclined to lean towards the Custom Shop Texas pickups. Its always better to have everything in the way of range and harmonics. You can always reduce noise in post. There's no way I'd let go of those upper harmonics.
Great Video
I came on here to check out the pickups, but ended up really enjoying your playing style. You've got a really nice touch ✌️🤘🏼
By far, the absolute best comparison video I've ever seen on TH-cam. Great job.
The TS sound a little better to me with a little more quack, brightness, range, and a little hotter... noiseless getting a little muddy toward the neck positions with overdrive. Both sound great, I'd be hard pressed to want the other if I had one. That noise on the TSs, wow!!!
Reeeeeeally well done pickup comparison video! Clip lengths were just perfect for comparison, 15-20 sec ish, and sounds like you recorded every nuance. You are extraordinarily forward thinking to list suggestions what to listen for too. Well done, really.
I hope the pickup mfrs send you everything they've got to test! I'd love to see the new vintage noiseless pickups compared to Texas Specials. I've heard they're lacking.
Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the high quality audio, it really helped me decide!
The Noiseless Sing.
The Texas Specials Scream.
Different tools for different jobs.
Awesome demonstration man! 👍🤘
Best answer, dude.
It depends on what people want to work on
But if you play right you can make the noiseless sing and scream. Fun fact, SRV did not play with super hot pickups, that was just his hands. So you can get a much more dynamic sound with lighter wound pickups.
Vintage aggressive SRV tone with plenty of raw character - Texas Specials
Modern well-rounded David Gilmour tone with a more polished output - Fender Noiseless
But the thing is that Mark Knopfler also uses Texas Specials on his signature Strat and he gets a completely different tone from SRV.
ugh I agree. Like them both :(
Cant decide lol
I've tried all sorts of strat pickups over the years and the hot noiseless have been my favorite. They don't sound exactly like vintage single coils but I love pickups that are a bit fatter sounding with a little more mids, a little less brightness and no noise! Out of all the noiseless I think they have the best top end and closest sound to the real thing but without the shrillness. Plus they sound great with fuzz
Very thorough and well thought out comparison!!
Absolutely loved the Noiseless set - for the most obvious reason. Great tone does start in the fingers, and you certainly have that in spades 😀🤘
Really nicely done! I rode my volume knob to keep the loudness levels the same b/t pickups, which I think made the comparison a bit more fair (the recorded level for the Texas pups is a bit hotter). Very helpful; thanks for taking the time to do this.
Or the Texas specials are just a hotter wound pickup too right? I'd be curious if standard singles vs noiseless at same output or volume compared closer? But either way, great vid! I have always wondered how much you might lose with noiseless. Nothing that bothered me personally. I liked them, I thought 'cleaner'. But didnt lose some of the traditional spanky tone like the G&L Z coils seem to do a bit to my ears.
Great demo of the two pickups, well made :) both sound great.
Very helpful video! Thanks. To my ears the TS pickups had a better dynamic response and indeed more bite and more high, best heard in pos 1 and 2.. The noise of the TS is annoying but you can lose
I got so wrapped up in your playing I forgot I was watching a comparison video. Great vid!
Great job. Congratulations ... Fender looks like a magic tool with its interpretation ... As a humbuquer lover, I am very impressed with the quality and possibilities with the single coils ... the TS seems to me more alive, crystalline, true, deep .. comes from the depths of the soul and overflows without limits, allows expression almost exaggerated, more loose and spontaneous ... I will certainly study more possibilities. Thank you
great comparison dude, I wish more were done this way 👍
I bought the noiseless but when I play its still sounds like a noise...
James Donlan is it electrical noise that goes away when you touch the strings, bridge or any metal part of the guitar?
no its my playing
James Donlan haha it's the good kind of noise then :D
You could try an anti-static product (really a tiny bit) on a cloth and go over the body of the guitar and around the pickups. What can also help is getting a noise-gate.
then it's good noise...let the years do their job
Wow! Incredible articulation, Brother! Thank you!
Great work! Thanks for such a good clear comparison.
Thank you very much for showing and presenting without telling...❤️🔥🎸
Wow, great comparo vid & really great chops. Thanks for making it. They both sound great imo, and if cycle-hum is a problem for you, this vid shows you can go with noiseless pickups without losing that Strat sound.
Thanks for that well presented video.
I thought the sounds were very close, maybe the SRV sounds had a tad more aggressive bite to them.
But really the noise becomes an issue as the gain increases and helpfully (to my ears) the heavier the gain the less noticeable difference in the tone between them.
Best comparison video I've seen! This helped me make up my mind. The Noiseless are better than I thought but the character of the Texas Specials is what I've been chasing. Noise on a gig is controllable. That's why there is a volume knob :) You can't hear the noise in context to any degree that matters. Love this. Thanks!
Great video, excellent playing!
Great video. Well done. New TS owner here and this gives me more confidence as to how ill use my guitar. Thanks
The purpose of noiseless Strat pickups is to have one guitar that can do everything, from clean and jangly stuff, to blues, to heavily distorted rock and metal.
Note: You won't have PERFECT accuracy on any of them, compared to the archetypal "correct" sounds. But you can do them, and most people listening to you wouldn't even know there's any difference.
I say this as someone who has a Strat with the Fender Vintage Noiseless set on them. I'm happy with them. Now that the noise is gone, quit chasing tone, and start chasing NOTES.
I can see this-
Texas sounds has more punch but the silent of Vintage is a paradise...
That noiseless neck pickup at 6:47 is just so sweet! Put some in my Strat this week with some of the locking tuners. Love me some Stratocaster!
Thanks for doing this comparison. It's a tough call for me, both sound great!
The noiseless sound a lot better than I was expecting
They are pretty nice pick ups. I have stuck with the Texas Specials for the mean time, but the hum can be annoying!
+1
Shield your guitar the right way... then the hum is so
marginal that it doesn't equate. Use the expensive shielding paint with
multiple thick coats, shield the pick guard with shielding tape and use the old
school vintage shielded push back wire.
I can stand under florescent lights and get little or no hum…
Even through my crappy speaker I can tell how much more
alive the CS Texas specials (true single coils) are to the
humbucking noiseless… I played noiseless for years but after learning how to
properly shield a guitar … real single coils (like CS Texas Specials etc ) blow
away every noiseless I’ve played or heard.. After using noiseless for so many years It’s
like someone pulled a blanket t off my amp when I moved to real single coils.
You can shield the guitar all you want, but you can"t shield the pickups themselves, nor the pole pieces.
Change the volume and tone pots to 500k or 1M if the guitar sounds a bit dark with noiseless pickups. The lower resistance of 250k pots takes the sharp edges off a single coil but the longer winds in noiseless pickups lose some highs unless you're really lucky.
Great comparison! Thanks!
This is probably the best A/B guitar testing video I've seen yet. Excellent job! And I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with the Noiseless pickups. The Texas Specials seem to have only the slightest edge when in those clean settings. But once things get dirty, you have to appreciate how quiet the Noiseless pickups are while still sounding pretty damn good to my ears. Not much of a tonal comprise with the Noiseless pickups. They'd be my pick.
I have Vintage Noiseless (I think these are Hot Noiseless) in a guitar and they are nice for playing with gain. I think clean they give up chime but that can turn to fizz with distortion.
great and useful video, thanks for this!! Very impressed by the noiseless.TS are a bit more "living", more top end and a bit more delicate. After 10mn of distortion or crunch, ears are tired and won't make any difference in the end, apart from the noise on classic pups.
Pickup comparison videos might be the most time consuming and articulate thing to create in this field.
It looks like the videos are filmed consecutively but these guys have to film and record one set then go away and change the pickups (which is a great skill in itself), then come back and film exactly what they did before with the exact same settings, cam angles and playing as they did sometimes hours later. It's pretty much a science experiment.
So much respect man. Liked and subbed. You convinced me to plump for a set of the Noiseless pickups.
Plus, awesome playing! Heard some SRV and KennyWS influence in there 🤘
Beautiful demo - tasteful, disciplined and you obviously care to show off the tone.
Thanks for this review. Last year i got a cheap, used Green Squier Stratocaster Affinity. After the replacement of tuner, pick guard, 5 way switch and Fender N3Noiseless Pickup Set it's a New Guitar. A Blues Guitar Player grabbed it and was impressed about the Sound. :)
I love the format of this comparison. I would like to hear the differences without any reverb or delay, though. I understand how it makes the video more interesting and the tracks sound better but, a dryer sound would be a little more transparent.
Good Comparison and awesome Background Track!
Thanks VERY much foir making this video! I got a couple of Strats in the last two months, both came stock with vintage noiseless. To my ears, the bridge pickup was lacking. I just bought a Texas Special for the bridge in one of them. Seems like I made the right decision. From your video, it seems the Specials have just the perfect amount ofe extra "Oomph" that I'm looking for, without totally overpowering the Vintage Noiseless. Thanks, man!
Wow what a Good test...good playing both sets sound great.
Very very tastefully done the more I hear people who can really play the more faith I have in my Texas specials hum and all. Hope to get to your level some day. PS I have a Dimarzio vintage blues (dp409) in another guitar that is dead quiet that I also love
Great vid ! Really, really well put together and precise. They both sound good. The noiseless ones sound a little more "articulate" than the plumper sounding tex to me...as well as being less.....noisy.
Very good comparison. The Texas Specials retained the warbley jangle around the edges in all pickups and styles. The Noiseless sounded great, a bit compressed or restrained. I though the Noiseless were particularly good in the clean stuff, but preferred the unpredictability that the TS brought to the party. However I have other guitars that do jangle pretty well, might have to install some noiseless in my strat, think I'll try a new ground rod first.
Beautiful sound and I love the first one, but the noiseless are great too. And I need another guitar too!!!!
Fantastic comparison video, that's how you do it properly! I like both, but the noiseless won for me, especially on the bridge pickup!
Both are great. Noiseless wins for higher gain application and TS for clean and crunch. Choice depends on your music style and preferences ..
Yes this seems to be the best answer.
agreed
WOW that's some mean guitar playing for the clean part of the demo. Really feeling it!
I actually loved a set of ceramics from my '91 MIM Strat more than a CS'65 set I tried, but when I got the Vintage Noiseless pups, that was it. Tone is cross between ceramic & Alnico & the noiseless double stack puts some kind of sheen on certain positions. For me, especially recording wise, I love them and they're staying in my Strat for good.
Perfect A>B Comparison. In my lifelong pursuit of sound, I put Texas Specials in my old Strat expecting something, well... special. I was not really impressed and the noise after playing noiseless pickups was an old bad memory coming back. I haven't played that guitar in a while and don't have access to it at the present time. But I recently bought the Jeff Beck Signature Strat. I like Jeff Beck but moreso than that, the JB Signature had EVERYTHING I wanted in a Strat. The only thing that I lacked was a good comparison with my old Strat with the TS's. Now I see. I am SOOO glad I got the JB Signature Strat. Hands down the better sounding guitar, not to mention just plain quieter which just can't be overemphasized. I know now I am taking out my Texas Specials and replacing that whole pickguard with an HSS loaded pickguard with one Twin Head Vintage Humbucker (with the volume pot button switch for split coil) and two noiseless vintage pickups. I think it is going to be bad ass. Now I will have the best Strat out there (the JB Signature) and the best Fat Strat out there, '92 Strat Plus modded to HSS. Oh yea, I have the PRS Silver Sky Strat (White). It is in perfect condition, sounds great, just not the neck for me, It was only made in August2018 if somebody wants it for $2,000.00. Still has the plastic on the pickguard.
i like those pickups very much but also i like that nice tune you are playing and i am try my best to get this in my musclememory ,because it sounds very nice!!!
Great demo. Thanx. The custom shop Texas specials sound brighter and clearer but they do buzz with distortion which is my major complaint. For me the noiseless pickups don't sound quite as good but they are noiseless. For clean tones I'd go with the custom shop PU's but since I like to play with lots of gain I'd go with the noiseless.
They both sound great to me, I would be happy with either set of those pickups.
@G.A.S Great job man! Thanks for this.
By the way, i have a question. Which sound card did you use?
I changed my pickups some time ago... now I listen to this comparison only because of playing :)
Great video demonstration! Thank you. I had the stock pickups in my 1978 Strat switched out for a set of Van Zandt pickups in Dallas or Houston back in the early 80's. These were hot and sounded very good. But again there was the noise. I really hate that freaking noise! I now have had the Vintage Fender Noiseless for several years and am completely satisfied with their performance. That being said, I think your demonstration clearly shows that true single coils have the upper hand in quality of tone. Still, the noiseless sound excellent and they don't turn into buzz monsters when you find yourself in one the many clubs with horrible wiring. And that is the real life game changer for me.
Cheers, thanks for commenting. Maybe I have just been lucky with where I play live, but I have to admit the TS's haven't been too noisy in a live situation. All the best.
great demo! this shows that i did not make a mistake going with the Jeff Beck Noiseless! the weird part is that they accually sound closer to that Stevie Ray or Kenny Wayne sound then the Texas Specials. they're just that little bit fatter and less prone to feedback....and everybody can live without that hum!! and I got lucky that they work great on my upsidedown strat(i'm a Lefty) and you dó need luck when you do that you never know what the outcome is till you put them on
.
Excellent vid!
Great video. I've got 2 strats with TX specials in them but I'm building a partscaster HSH configuration and I think the noiseless middle will work great in conjunction with a pair of Duncan 59s
Well ,you are looking for a Humbucker kind of sound ,apart of the humming of a Single coil they have its own personal sound ,tone ,brilliant ,smoot,you can cut 60%hum of SC by shielding internal body PUs cabity, and twisting PUs cables
@@a.antoniomendezcarvajal5234 that's not even remotely accurate
thank you for big work I know the best for me now it's Fender noiseless I like it very nice !
I will take the noiseless. I even think they sound somewhat beefier.
One of the best comparison videos that I have ever seen. I believe that both the Noiseless and the TX Specs have their place. I don't think any Strat player likes 60 cycle hum, but it did not slow down Hendrix, Gilmour, or Clapton from recording masterpieces. To my ear the noiseless have no real control as to what gets silenced. I'm not saying you are not hearing the notes you are playing, rather some nuances of the Strat are tempered back on more aggressive playing styles. In this comparison the TX Specs displayed both wanted and unwanted "string slide screech" (for lack of a better description). Many players use that sound as you slide your fretting finger along the wound top three strings, as part of the song itself. Myself, for the most part, have found that when unintended to be shrill, and annoying. On the other hand the Noiseless not only quiet the hum, but they also mellow the sound a tad (maybe the fairly hot TX Specials were not really the best comparison). It is a really nice mellowing, and would serve well for the Eric Johnson style of smooth precision. I believe that an accomplished player can make the Noiseless work for nearly all styles of music. But the average hobbyist trying to play the songs of our idols... The TX Spec will give us the horsepower to make up for our lack of skill.
Came for the comparison (Noiseless won for my tastes), stayed for the sweet licks! Nice playing and comparison!
great video, thanks so much!
A DiMarzio set with an Area 67 at the neck, an Area 58 in the middle, and an Area 61 at the bridge is the best sounding and performing Strat set that I have found so far. As can be surmised by the year numbers in their names, the 67 is modeled on early CBS era ultra clean and clear Hendrix era pickups, the 58 is modeled on a late fifties Buddy Holly era pickup, just as Leo originally intended, and the 61 is modeled after an early sixties randomly overwound model, as used by the likes of SRV, and are going for that special "Texas Tone". I know that DiMarzio is mainly known for their hot rod ceramic magnet humbuckers, but I'd put these Alnico II loaded Area models, specifically the 67, 58, & 61, against Fender Customs, Lollers, Bardens, or any maker, boutique or otherwise. They are literally that good. Try them out for yourself, and see if you don't agree...
Very useful. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure ;-)
I've used Texas Specials for years now. Yes, I adore the sound, but sometimes I have trouble taming their power. I got another Strat recently that comes with mellower, sweeter pickups. I think I kinda like them better, if just a little.
The Texas Specials have more midrange and might be a little brighter too. The riff starting at 5 minutes and going through the positions, I preferred the noiseless pickups, but for the rest of them I couldn't decide, they sound a bit different, but both still sound quite good!
Wow, whats that Track during the mounting part? Excellent Stuff!
I bought a Telecaster Deluxe Nashville with 3 Noiseless pickups. It sounds, and plays, SO good.
Very good demo for comparaison.
I would like to make a blind test for the people who hear a différence !! (excluding the noise)
I'd take the hum as a trade for the string dynamics of the Texas specials. Great playing and great video.
Thanks for your kind words
If I'm looking for something for arpeggios mostly, (I tend to enjoy the beautiful dynamic patterns and versitility of arpggios rather than full chords) which of these two are better for the individual notes? Or besides these are there better options? Thanks!
Great comparison, the best one I've seen. The Texas Specials sounded slightly more aggressive to my ears, not that the Noiseless pickups were lacking in any way. Some say they have no tone, after this I don't agree with that statement. Thanks!
It should be said, that the Jeff Beck Strat has hot noiseless and not vintage noiseless pu's.
Hot noiseless use 250k pots and .22uF cap in case anyone cares. The vintage noiseless sound best with 500k tones, 250k vol, and .22uF cap IMHO. You can try .47uF for an easy change in brightness in either setup. I have both sets setup just like I said. 1 meg and 500k pots was harsh as fuck!! But stay with the 250k for the Hot ones.
@@kidlargo1 Yes, I care. thanks !!!
@joesl8 Listen to Jeff Beck on the 80sRod Stewart song''Infatuation''.Its not the space jazz/rock like his Jan Hammer collaborations.
Listen to Jeff beck's Emotion and commotion album. He makes lots of beautiful vocal tones and some wild harder rock tones across the album. Very talented tone master.
what is the name of the song in the beginning sounded like i know you're here by steve vai.
Mission accomplished--excellent presentation! For my taste and style, the noiseless are far superior in sonic purity and in producing a pleasing tone,
Beautiful sound !!!
Great video.
If someone can afford it...seems simple.
Use the Texas specials in the studio and take the noiseless on the road.
The difference is there but so slight that with the band and ambient noise the difference is almost nothing. To have the confidence that whatever venue you end up in you won't have a buzz coming from your rig. If you have ever had a venue where it was really bad you would certainly appreciate what those things can do.
The Texas Specials do have that certain magic though.
Very helpful. Thanks
excellent job, very helpfull
Love the Custom Shops, but both sound great. Texas Specials are built extremely well. Noiseless would be a great addition and I would love to compare them with the new forth generation technology. Thank you for taking the time to video the comparison. Ultimately my vote goes to the CSTS, but both are a great investment that will last you a lifetime. You also did a professional job of installing.
Thanks for your comment, appreciate it :-)
Great video and playing! What presets are you using in GR5 for the clean tone? Or which preset did it start from? Sounds amazing and I never heard that one before. Also the mid crunchy one after that? Thanks
Nice job, well done!
Thanks.
I have N3`s in my delux, was kinda hoping the Tex specials would be a clear cut winner....think i`ll keep the N3`s now.
I preferred the Texas Specials on the clean sounds, without a doubt, but as the gain increased the difference between them and the Noiseless was less noticeable.
great job! I'm thinking about the stratocaster roadhouse
I actually love this video for comparison. What you're playing is exactly what I aim for, and it's a great comparison for the two pickup sets. Out of curiosity, what effects did you stack in GR5 for the first few minutes of the video (clean)? Thanks!
Yes ,I liked the video ,good idea for the future show the Amplifier and plug directly to the Amp ,don't use any kind of guitar processor, or else, for distortions sounds i recomend a good OverDrive analog pedal ,olders ones ,
TS...are most warrior's for clean... w/more attitude!!
Good video. The noiseless pickups are great, but they always seem to lack the warmth and life to the alnicos. Wouldn't it be nice to see if a proper shielding to the custom shop pickups would help with the hum. I've done it, and it does make a difference. Thanks.
Best test video I've seen.
What type of noiseless pickups are those? N3’s or 4’s, or something else?
I’ve been using an old set of lace chrome domes in my strat for years. Not technically a “noiseless” pickup by modern definition but lace pickups were the low noise option of the 80s. Although they’re not quite as “chimey” as standard strat pickups, that’s always been what I liked about them. Still maintaining that strat tone but filtering out some of the harmonics that can sound messy at times. I know that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I certainly enjoy the benefits of them. Based on this comparison, noiseless takes the cake. The noiseless benefit to me outweighs losing a bit of that loose chime.
Which set of noiseless pickups is this? Vintage, Hot, SCN, N3, Gen4?
Is the fender noiseless pickups the same as the SCN samarium cobalt pickups? Is the Texas specials pickups (besides the mentioned custom shop) are stock pickups for Fender American standards?
These pickups usually come with a 500k vol pot and two 1meg tone pots , as well as making a cap and resistor change to the volume pot (treble bleed circuit ).
i could listen to the cleans all day ...
What gauge strings are u useing for that nut..? Nice vid 4 the pickups thanks
heyy im trying to build a guitar and i pretty like the funky rhythms. now i need to make a decision to choose the pickups. struggling with which one should i use. fender vintage noiseless or fender vintage single coil. could you help me? thanks.